What’s summer without quick-pickled veggies? The perfect topper for grain bowls, salads, sandwiches, tacos, or quick snack–these vinegary bits of crunchy goodness will (literally) brighten your eats.

The fun part about this recipe is that you can get as creative as you want with the level of spiciness, tang and flavor combos–it’s up to you!
Below, I provided a brine recipe along with suggestions for spices and herbs you can add. The flavor will intensify over time; wait at least 24 hours before popping the lid and diving in for a bite. I usually wait a few days before opening.

Quick Pickled Veggies
Ingredients
Choose Your Veggie(s)
- 2 cups, sliced (red onion, cucumber, sweet peppers, carrots, cauliflower (florets))
Brine
- 1 cup water
- ¾ cup distilled vinegar
- ¼ cup apple cider vinegar (if you’re not a fan of extra tangy, sub for ¼ cup distilled vinegar)
- 1½ tbsp cane sugar
- 1½ – 2 tsp salt (depending on preferred saltiness)
Optional
- ¼ tsp mustard seeds (great for red onion, cucumber, carrots, cauliflower)
- ¼ tsp peppercorns (great for red onion, cucumber, cauliflower, carrots )
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes (great for red onion, carrot, cauliflower, cucumber)
- 1-2 Bay leaves (great for cauliflower, carrots)
- Dill (great for cucumber, carrots, cauliflower)
- Rosemary + Thyme are also great additions!
Instructions
- Add sliced vegetables to a clean, sterilized glass jar.
- Add all brine ingredients to a pan and bring to a boil. Adjust salt + sugar to your liking as needed.
- Pour brine over the vegetables and be sure to cover completely with the brine. Secure with a lid and let it do its thing!