Easy Quick Pickles

Quick pickles are the simplest pickles to make and can last about a month in the refrigerator without any complicated canning steps. All you need to do is make a simple brine of vinegar, water, salt, sugar, and some toasted mustard seeds and peppercorns, then pour it over the vegetables. You can use almost any vegetable, like cucumbers, baby carrots, cauliflower, green beans, zucchini, or even okra, and after one day’s pickling time, they’re ready to go on your favorite sandwich or burger. Feel free to experiment with the brine by using different spices like coriander, dill seeds, or chile flakes.

What to buy: Don’t confuse packaged baby-cut carrots—which are mature carrots whittled into a smaller “baby” size—with fresh green-topped baby carrots. True baby carrots are tender, immature carrots with their skin intact.

Special equipment: You can use glass jars like these to make the pickles in. The wide mouth allows you to easily fit the vegetables inside, and the glass lets you see what you’re doing, as well as not absorbing any off odors from the pickles.

Game plan: If the baby carrots are smaller than 1/2 inch in diameter, you can leave them whole. Peeling them is optional, but make sure you give them a good scrub.

These pickles will last in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.

Watch the CHOW Test Kitchen’s Christine Gallary make these simple pickles in an episode of our Easiest Way video series.

Become a pickling master and learn our easy pickled Eggplant recipe, as well.