Homemade Quick Pickles

These quick pickles are ready in just a few hours instead of the several weeks needed for traditional ones. They are crisp and flavorful!

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 5

Rest time 6 30

Total Time 6 20

Servings servings

Calories 10kcal

1 ¼ cup water
¾ cup white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt or ½ tablespoon of any other salt, including Morton kosher salt
1 tablespoon granulated sweetener
2 garlic cloves peeled
1 tablespoon whole peppercorns
1 tablespoon whole coriander
1 bay leaf

Place the cauliflower, green beans, and mini peppers in a 20-ounce glass jar or a lidded glass storage container. Make sure the container is made from thick glass that can withstand near-boiling water. Pack the vegetables in tightly, leaving ½-inch of space at the top.
Prepare the brine: In a small saucepan, combine the water, vinegar, salt, sweetener, garlic, peppercorns, coriander, and bay leaf. Stir to dissolve the salt and sweetener. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat.
Allow the brine to cool slightly, and then pour it over the vegetables. It helps to pour the brine into a spouted measuring cup first. The brine should cover the vegetables completely. If it doesn't, you'll need to make more.
Close the jar tightly, cool it to room temperature for about 30 minutes, and then refrigerate the pickles for 6 hours or overnight.
Serve with any meat or poultry dish. They are especially good with burgers!

In the nutritional info, I assumed the vegetables absorb ½ of the vinegar and salt. This is just a rough estimate, though.
The sweetener is needed to balance out the strong acidity of the brine. I don't recommend skipping it.
This recipe is just a guideline. It's fun to change things up! For example, you can change the vinegar you use. I like to use champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar. However, I don't recommend using raw apple cider vinegar, especially the unfiltered kind with "the mother," which has a stronger, more pungent aroma and flavor.
You can make these pickles spicy by adding two hot chili peppers to the pickling jar. Just make sure no one actually tries to eat them!
You can refrigerate these pickles in an airtight glass jar or container for about a week. Being homemade, they don't contain preservatives, so they won't last as long as store-bought pickles.