19 Healthy & Easy Pickle Recipes That Aren't Cucumbers
While "pickles" commonly refers to cucumbers, you can basically pickle anything you want. Here, you'll find other pickled foods like beets, eggs, garlic, and red onion that you can enjoy as a snack or use as a tasty, acidic condiment to many different dishes. Recipes like our Jardiniere and Pickled Asparagus will add a flavorful, salty and tangy bite to your day.
Jardiniere
Is your garden booming? Making quick pickles is a low-pressure way to use up your bounty. Mix and match the vegetables as you see fit; just try to maintain a variety of textures and colors.
Pickled Garlic Cloves
Pickled garlic? You bet! This simple pickled garlic clove recipe is made by adding whole peeled garlic cloves to a flavorful brine. Use almost any type of clear vinegar—white, red or cider vinegar.
Quick Pickled Beets
For these easy pickled beets, you only need to let them marinate in the pickling mixture for about 30 minutes to get great flavor. Marinating them longer just enhances the taste. Try them in place of cucumber pickles as a condiment or as a vegetable side dish for roasted chicken or beef.
Quick & Easy Pickled Cabbage
This sweet-and-salty quick pickled cabbage is great to have on hand for a topping for sandwiches, hot dogs or brats.
How to Make the Best Pickled Red Onions
These pickled red onions take on a beautiful pink hue. The slivers have just the right amount of sweet, tangy and salty flavors for use in salads, sandwiches and more. The onions are thin enough to absorb the flavors yet maintain their crunch.
Sweet Pickled Peppers
Using sweet brine instead of sour tempers the heat of hot peppers in these sweet pickled peppers.
Spicy Pickled Carrots
This pickled carrot recipe gets its heat from jalape?os and is a great topping for tacos, tostadas and quesadillas. These spicy carrots are also delicious added to a bowl of soup or tossed with spring greens, feta cheese and just a drizzle of olive oil.
Pickled Asparagus
In this unique asparagus recipe, we swap out the cucumbers typically used for pickling and opt for asparagus spears instead, which remain tender-crisp even after soaking up the sweet-tangy pickling liquid. Serve these pickled asparagus spears as part of an appetizer spread, chop them up to use as a salad topper or munch on them as a zingy, refreshing snack.
Pickled Turnips
Pickled turnips are a popular Middle Eastern mezes. Adding a beet slice to each jar turns the turnips pink; you can omit this step if you like.
Pickled Radishes
Use these bright and tangy pickled radishes as a topping for salad, tacos or sandwiches. They also make a great palate cleanser or addition to cheese or charcuterie boards.
Ginger Pickled Carrots
This pickling liquid gives bright flavor to carrots—try it with green beans or peppers as well. Serve these pickled carrots alongside Koji-Brined Pork Shoulder for a bright, acidic side dish.
Pickled Eggs
These tangy hard-boiled eggs are a snap to make. Sliced in half, the fuchsia "white" surrounding the bright yellow yolk is dazzling. Wrap some egg slices and onions in a flatbread for an impromptu snack.
Pickled Mini Bell Peppers
Transform mini bell peppers into easy pickles by making your own brine, a simple combination of water, vinegar, salt and sugar. Allow the peppers to stand overnight so they have time to really absorb the pickling liquid.
Pickled Okra
This pickled okra is crunchy, with just a hint of heat from Fresno chiles. The tender-crisp okra pods have a nice balance of sweet and sour thanks to cider vinegar and just a touch of sugar. Keep a jar on hand for snacks, enjoy as a side or slice them up to top a salad.
Dilly Pickled Snap Peas
A pickling brine gives these fresh peas a bracing pucker. Serve in place of pickles on a sandwich or as an addition to a cheese board.
Sweet Pickled Green Beans
We love dilly beans, but using a sweet brine and dried chile peppers gives pickled green beans a unique twist.
Do Chua (Vietnamese Carrot Daikon Pickle)
Do chua are crunchy, colorful Vietnamese carrot and daikon pickles that are often served with banh mi. We add star anise for a flavorful twist, but you can skip it if you're not a fan of the flavor. These pickles can keep for weeks in the fridge, so make a batch to keep on hand when you need an acidic bite.
Quick Pickled Zucchini Ribbons
Lively tasting quick pickled zucchini is a nice addition to any summer lunch or dinner spread. Cutting the zucchini into long strips makes for a pretty presentation.
Quick Pickled Turnips
Perk up your cheese plate or crudités platter with these crunchy, zesty pickled turnips or try them on a sandwich instead of cucumber pickles.