Spicy Quick Pickled Radishes
Super simple, spicy pickled radishes that are ready to eat immediately! These pickled radishes are amazing on tacos, burgers, salads and more.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on July 10, 2024
My refrigerator shelves are one knock away from an avalanche. I have plastic wrap-covered bowls of leftover sorghum stacked precariously on top of pickle jars. I’ve snatched a falling jar of precious pine nuts from mid-air at least twice. (Side note: I once snatched up a free-falling baby by the ankle. That was a relief.)
I have a hard time finding cooking inspiration when my fridge is jam-packed with leftovers to be consumed by yours truly. And to tell you the whole truth, every time I find myself cooking a family-sized meal, I hear a little whisper of a worry in the back of my head. “I hope I don’t cook alone forever,” it murmurs.
Growing up, I always enjoyed the creative aspect of combining different ingredients in the hopes of a delicious outcome. I didn’t formally take it upon myself to learn how to cook until after college, though. At the time, I was working as a waitress and reading books about the food industry and nutrition. I wanted to eat well and couldn’t afford to eat out all of the time, so I decided it was time to learn how to cook for myself.
That was the perfect stage to start cooking—if I’d had others to feed at that time, I would have resented the obligation and felt insecure about my limited skill set. Cooking had always seemed like a form of domestic defeat but I found cooking for myself to be empowering. Independence! Self sufficiency! Hell yes!
It’s been about six years since I started cooking. Over the years, I’ve grown more confident in the my abilities and I’m now at a point where I would welcome some company in the kitchen. My ideal cooking partner would be tall, handsome, intelligent, kind and hilarious with strong muscles—I mean, a healthy appetite. I need help with these leftovers. And the dishes, pretty please. Sometimes I worry that I’ve missed the right opportunity or that I’m impossibly picky or maybe I’m just not in the right place…
Quick Pickled Radish Tips
Today I’m sharing my new favorite condiment since my refrigerator is already whispering to me about all the family-sized meals in there. I’ve been putting radishes on everything lately because they lend a lovely bite without overpowering other flavors like, say, raw onions can. Their pickled counterparts pack a spicier, vinegary punch. These crisp, spicy radish pickles are super easy to make and liven up everything from tacos, burgers, salads, sandwiches and toasts, and more.
I don’t know what took me so long to try making quick pickles—they’re so simple and easy to make. I finally experimented with them a couple of months ago (as evidenced on Instagram), after reading the nth reference to quick pickles in Bon Appetit. I ended up pickling all of my leftover produce that day. The radishes and red onions competed for top place. Pickled carrot ribbons are awesome, too.
The nice thing about quick pickles is that they’re ready almost right away, but beware that boiling vinegar will stink up your kitchen. I’ve learned that the thinner you slice the vegetables, the sooner they soak up the flavors of vinegar and spices. I caved and bought a mandoline for such tasks—it makes super thin slicing quick and easy, but it’s also a good way to lose a fingertip. A sharp chef’s knife works well, too. Quick pickles keep well for a few weeks in the refrigerator, which is enough time for this single lady to polish them off.
Watch How to Make Spicy Quick Pickled Radishes
Thanks for reading, and please let me know how these pickled radishes turn out for you in the comments!
On a pickling kick? Don’t miss my quick-pickled onions, jalapeños and veggies! You might also enjoy my fresh jalapeño relish recipe, and these delicious refrigerator pickles.
Spicy Quick Pickled Radishes
Super simple, spicy pickled radishes that are ready to eat immediately! These pickled radishes are amazing on tacos, burgers, salads and more. Recipe as listed below yields about 1 ¼ cup pickles.
Ingredients
- 1 bunch radishes
- ¾ cup white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- ¾ cup water
- 3 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (this yields very spicy pickles, so use ½ teaspoon for medium spicy pickles or none at all)
- ½ teaspoon whole mustard seeds (optional)
- Optional add-ins: garlic cloves, black peppercorns, fennel seeds, coriander seeds
Instructions
- To prepare the radishes: Slice off the tops and bottoms of the radishes, then use a sharp chef’s knife or mandoline to slice the radishes into very thin rounds. Pack the rounds into a pint-sized canning jar. Top the rounds with red pepper flakes and mustard seeds.
- To prepare the brine: In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar, water, honey or maple syrup and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally, then pour the mixture over the radishes.
- Let the mixture cool to room temperature. You can serve the pickles immediately or cover and refrigerate for later consumption. The pickles will keep well in the refrigerator for several weeks, although they are in their most fresh and crisp state for about 5 days after pickling.
Notes
Recipe adapted from The First Mess and Bon Appetit.
Make it vegan: Substitute maple syrup or agave nectar for the honey.
Change it up: To the best of my knowledge, you can pickle any thinly sliced vegetables in this manner. Try carrot ribbons, cucumbers, red onions, cabbage and/or fennel! The thinner you slice the vegetables, the faster they absorb the vinegar solution and taste like pickles.
That jar, though! It’s a Weck jar.
Can I can it? No. This recipe is a “refrigerator pickle” recipe. It is not designed for canning in a water bath, and it has not been tested for canning safety. Please do not attempt! Follow a recipe specifically designed for canning instead.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Wow. Loved them and so easy! My husband normally won’t eat radishes but this is so different. Don’t be afraid to try. You will be pleasantly surprised!
Pickled foods change the flavor of the raw version for sure! Nice topping for salads, tacos, and so much more. What did you pair with your radishes, Julie? Thank you for your review!
I used on a hamburger…delicious!
Hi!
Thanks for the recipe – I’m hoping to try this tonight! Just curious to know approximately how many radishes are used in this recipe?
Thank you,
Brittany
Hi Brittany! It’s really dependent on the bunch (they try to get them closer match by weight) and I don’t remember exactly for this one. Sorry! I think there can be anywhere from 8-14 from my experience.
This recipe was fantastic! Just don’t do what I did and accidentally use the organic vinegar with the “mother” in it. That was the most foul screw up I have made in the kitchen in a long time. It stunk up my entire house when I opened the container. I’m going to try it again with normal vinegar! :)
Let me know how you like it when you do :)
The vinegar you used is not the culprit. Pickled radishes just give of a distinctly “farty” smell when you open the lid DESPITE the fact that they still taste GREAT. But once you’ve had them, you realize you are willing to get “past the gas” as the deliciousness that is the pickled radish is worth it. It makes for a great ice breaker at a pot luck, as you explain your dish to your gang. Then put them on everyones plate!
Ha ha ha! That is the one thing about this recipe that is a turn off. They stink when you open the container! But they taste delicious! Just made another batch of them last night.
Can I leave them out of the fridge for a couple of days, or do they have to go straight into the fridge?
They last the longest in the refrigerator and are in their most fresh and crisp state for about 5 days after pickling. Hope this helps!
Horrible, but thanks
I am sorry to hear you think so, Charlie. Is there something specific you didn’t like or didn’t seem to turn out well?
Great recipe! Made it for BBQ and the whole batch was gone in no time. Got more radishes today, making a double batch this time ☺️
Sounds like a delicious combination, Liza!
I think the link you have for the Weck jars is out of date. I used it & the store website it takes you to doesn’t seem to sell them anymore in any size. I did however find them on Amazon! :-)
On another note, I am new to your site & all your recipes look great! I can’t wait to try this pickled radish one!
I just Made these! Thx for the recipe
You’re welcome, Lauren.
Kate hope your still on here. Can I mix white radishes n red radishes for this recipe
Sure! White radishes tender to be a little milder so might not be a spicy.
Made this a few weeks ago and holy cow, it’s amazing. So simple and quick (especially with a mandolin) but so good. I even got my husband, who is a total baby about vegetables :p, eat some with his lunches for work. They lasted a good long time too. Excited to try other veggies using this method. With just me and my husband, leftovers and produce can sometimes stack up quicker than we anticipate. Ty for the great recipe :)
Great to hear! Thanks so much for you comment.
Hey I.m Jeff,
Great blog My refrig is just is just like yours. You are so cool. Great
thoughts. You will find a good one.
Hi! I know this is an old recipe but I was just wondering and couldn’t find an answer- once the pickles are done can I reuse the vinegar mix to make new pickles or should I start from the beginning and just dump it out? Thanks!!! They are so good.
Hi Ella! I would suggest making a new batch. This is meant to be used just once.
Can I use this recipe to pickle radish and onionn together?
I haven’t tried it! That could be interesting.
I quite literally just made these and snuck a taste while the radishes were still warm–they’re amazing! The salt, sweet, and heat all complement each other absolutely perfectly :)
I’m so happy you liked it! Thanks for commenting, Nelson!
Made mine with hand cur radishes that I lacto-fermented with sea salt and a bit of organic citric acid. I then added homemade cider vinegar and let it sit for another day. Beautiful rosy color and tasty. Took it another step and pureed them in the blender with ripe (red) Thai chiles. OMG! Spicy with the radish flavor…almost like horseradish and very pretty. Lots of uses for this. Btw, I don’t do sweet but this had so much flavor that wasn’t needed! Happy, happy, happy! Thanks!!
*cut
Thanks for mentioning that the sweet isn’t needed. Theses are in my very near future.
Hi K
I tried making some radishes in Apple cider vinegar, and another small batch with rice wine vinegar. Both had small slices of ginger also. They now have a very slight off smell after 2 weeks in the fridge… Have I done something wrong???
Hey Elissa, I don’t think you did anything wrong. I would use your best judgment as to whether they’re still good or not. The pickles definitely have the best flavor within about 5 days of making, and can last 2 to 3 weeks in the fridge. It’s unlikely that something with so much vinegar will really go bad, but they do lose flavor with time.
Suggestion: If you will leave about 1″ of the stems on the radish, hold that at the end of the slicing, you will get less waste and reduce the risk of sliced fingertips and fingernails.
Thanks for sharing, Dean!
I prefer really sour pickles and have never liked pickles that tasted the least bit sweet. Could I leave out the honey altogether or does it do something special for the radishes? Also, thanks for tips on additional add-ins – coriander would go so well with radishes, I think!
Hey Summer, I hate sweet pickles, too. Without the honey, the vinegar flavor is quite powerful. You can scale back or omit completely if you want, though.
Hi, I love the radish recipe.
My question is about doing a water bath for preservation.
Will radish stand up to that?
Thanks
Are you meaning to wash them prior to putting them into the jar?
They’ll be scrubbed good before slicing.
Once they’re in the sterilized jar, hot brine added, then sealed. I’m asking if the jars of radish can be put in a 10-minute water bath to seal the jars
Hi Stephen, I’m not an expert when it comes to canning. Sorry I don’t have specifics for you here.
I know this comment was a year ago but I wanted to leave this here for people thinking of canning quick pickles. Brine requirements for canned pickles are more stringent than they are for quick pickles. Acidity is really important for controlling anaerobic bacterial growth (like botulism). You really should just pick up a canning book somewhere or find a recipe from an edu site.
By the way, enjoyed the recipe, threw some ginger and onions and it was great.
Quick thought–don’t cut the tops off your radishes, although you may need to trim them. Use the top as a handle while slicing on the mandoline. Save those fingers! This is a yummy recipe–we took it camping and it was great in the heat!
Thanks for sharing, Kat!
These are delish and also the fact that you have the scaling thing on your recipes is AH-MAZING. I haven’t ever seen that before.
I’m glad you like that new feature, Kat!
I Actually have a question. Does cooking radishes take flavor (the hot spicy) from them or add to it at all
I think they still have the kick, especially if you follow the recipe.
My bosses receive fresh veggies weekly from a farming coop. After receiving a third week of radishes, your spicy radish recipe caught my eye.
I halved the pepper flakes. You were absolutely right! They pack a punch!
I think they will be well received after cooling completely. Thanks for posting.
You’re welcome, Dusti!
This is so yummy! Perfect crunch and taste! Could I pickle fresh ginger this way too?
Also I used a protective glove when using the mandoline, which works great to provide an extra layer between my hand and the blade.
I haven’t tried it with ginger! Good thought, though.
I’ve suddenly been on a radish kick in recent months, and look forward to trying your pickle recipe. Incidentally, I, too, once caught a baby by the ankle, as she suddenly stood up in a stroller. She’s none the worse for wear – working on her PhD now. Thanks for the fun read!
You’re welcome! Thank you for commenting Carolyn. I hope you enjoy this recipe!
Yum! Super easy and goes with anything. We had them on a vegetarian Korean burger and now using in sandwiches and salads. It’s a great way to use up raddishes when recipes only need a couple – but this is going to be my go-to pickle recipe from now on.
Great to hear, Kylie! I appreciate your review.
Hiya, can you use granulated sugar in place of the honey please? I have very little in the way of liquid sweeteners but an abundance of sugar. Thanks!
You can try it!
Dear Cookie & Kate, I loved the pickled radishes, they’d be a great addition to a coleslaw recipe, I’ve been a Certified Gourmet Chef for over 46 years now, and one thing I like to do is find foods that work well together, thank you
These pickled radishes are very good. I used VT maple syrup and left out the mustard seeds.
Hello. Can I freeze these to extend their shelf life ? Thanks.
I’m not sure these would freeze well, sorry!
Hi Kate!
Can you leave out the sweetener? I do not like sweet pickled vegetables and was wondering if you think it would taste okay without.
Hi! You could try it, but may be a little overpowering. Let me know what you think.
I love your website! Every time I am looking for something to do with an ingredient and I google it, your website always pops up because I must share your taste in food! In fact, I had used a number of your recipes before I saw the bean salad post where you mentioned med imports in OKC. I used to work there and also grew addicted to a lot of the foods there! Anyways keep it up!
Sorry, we did not enjoy the flavour of these pickles. I think the vinegar clashed with something else and they had an earthy flavour.
So I bought some turnips in the near-empty store (I think they are turnips!) not knowing what do with them. I decided to do a Lockdown experiment and tried to make pickles/ferments using salt/brine and this recipe.
This recipe was hands down the best! I am eating them in my flat, in Costa, South of Lisbon with Japanese curry rice. Yum :D
Muito obrigada Kate!
I made this – my first time eating/making pickled radish – and I ate the whole jar at the weekend. Not even sorry for it. Just made another two jars. I also made a coleslaw pickle with the leftover pickle juice from the weekend. Tastes delicious! Excellent recipe.
Hey, Kate!
These turned out great for my Korean inspired tacos (Korean inspired in the sense that they love their pickeled foods). Love your recipes, thanks!
-Tom
Hi there.. I just harvested what turned out to be a bumper crop of radishes. I ran across your recipe, & I’m ready to try it out, but I don’t have canning jars. Can I use other containers, such as used pickle jars? Can I store them in Tupperware, etc? Please let me know the “do’s & don’ts” of containers..thanks for a great website!
,
Hi Laurie! If you have a glass container with a lid, that should work well!
Oh wow, I am in love with these. I am going to have to plant more radishes in my garden. These are amazing. They would be incredible in place of a pickle on a sandwich or a burger and on tacos these would be great also. Thanks for the recipe.
I’m usually a fan of hot pickles and vinegar based slaws. But this was terrible I followed the recipe almost exactly. Used white wine vinegar and cut red pepper in half. Also did not have mustard seed so used 1/4 tsp ground mustard. They were extremely hot and bitter. I was so excited now I’m so sad.
Hi Krista,
Not sure if you will see this, but the bitter taste is due to the addition of ground mustard. It has a totally different flavour profile to mustard seeds and can be very overpowering in even small amounts.
Also, although I like spicy food, I think the peppery taste of radish does not need the addition of any other hot spices. Hope this helps.
Comments like this are so disappointing. You didn’t follow the recipe. If you don’t have, I would say, an intermediate knowledge of cooking and a broad experience of flavours then you shouldn’t go about substituting ingredients then blaming the chef for your mistake. I’m a very accomplished cook and I spend almost an hour researching the various substitutions I would have to make in the event I don’t have all the ingredients to hand.
Can you put them in a water bath to preserve them for an extended shelf life?
Hi Ellis! I’m not a canning expert, sorry.
Can you reuse the brine to pickle more veggies? Trying to reduce the waste considering how fast they are being consumed. Thanks!
Hi Cassie! I find this is best as one time use.
If I wanted to preserve these, instead of quick, would i need to add anything and how long in water bath do you recommend?
Hi Donna, sorry I’m not a canning expert.
Hi! Approximately how many weeks do they last in the fridge?
The pickles will keep well in the refrigerator for several weeks, although they are in their most fresh and crisp state for about 5 days after pickling.
We have a specialty oil and vinegar shop in town, where I enjoy picking up flavored vinegars for salads. I can get quite a collection of vinegars, so decided to use one for this recipe. I chose a lemongrass mint vinegar an added only a 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes. I also used my food processor to shred the radishes. I topped my pork tacos with it, but my husband just ate it straight. No leftovers. My next experiment will be with a Serrano honey vinegar!
That sounds interesting! I’m excited you got creative and enjoyed the result. I appreciate your review, May!
I don’t usually like radishes at all but received two bunches in my veggie box. I made these pickled radishes and have to say these are really good! I just did the basic recipe and halved the red pepper flakes but I will not shy away from making these again and may mix up the spice next time!!
Thank you for letting me know you enjoyed them, Amy!
These were so easy and so yummy! I didn’t have any plain peppercorns, so I used a corned beef spice mix (which makes a great tofu marinade, btw), and they came out delicious! Thanks for the post!
Love this recipe! Made it last year and it was one of our faves. This year we had extra radishes and ended up with a triple batch. We will be challenged to eat then in their 5 day “crisp window,” but any idea how long they’ll last?
Hi Casey! The pickles will keep well in the refrigerator for several weeks, although they are in their most fresh and crisp state for about 5 days after pickling.
Hey i wanna say that on polish Lidl side somebody stole this recipe :/ try to translate it, this women even say that this radish is best after 5 days…
Pickled radish in Poland is not popular so I am confused
https://kuchnialidla.pl/marynowane-rzodkiewki-i-salatka-ziemniaczana
I’m sorry to hear that and I appreciate you sharing. I will have to investigate.
I used honey and added a clove of garlic,a little peppercorn and some dried fennel.
Thank you for this recipe.
So simple fast and super delicious x
Can you can these?
Hi Emily! I’m not a canning expert so this wasn’t designed for that. But, these do keep well for awhile.
Amazing! I followed the recipe step by step, and it came out great!
How do you recommend adding the garlic? Chopped or whole or sliced? Thanks, it looks so nice and I have masses of radishes at the moment.
Hi CA! Since it would just be a flavor addition to the brine, I would leave them whole or slice in half. Let me know what you think!
I see you need someone to help with your leftovers.