Yield: about 1 large 1-liter jar
Prep: 20–25 minutes
Pickling: best after 12–24 hours
Difficulty: Easy
Ingredients
Vegetables
3 medium cucumbers, sliced into 4–5 mm rounds
1 medium carrot, thinly sliced
1 small red onion, thinly sliced into rings
1 small orange/yellow bell pepper, sliced
1–2 fresh red chilies, sliced
1–2 green chilies, optional
2–3 tbsp fresh cilantro/coriander, chopped
1 tbsp fresh dill or parsley, optional
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced or lightly crushed
Pickling liquid
For approximately 500–600 ml brine:
1 cup (240 ml) 5% white vinegar or apple-cider vinegar
1 cup (240 ml) water
2 tsp salt
1–2 tbsp sugar, depending on how sweet/tangy you want it
1 tsp black peppercorns
½ tsp mustard seeds
½ tsp coriander seeds
½ tsp chili flakes, optional
A roughly 1:1 vinegar-to-water refrigerator brine is a common approach for crisp quick pickles.
M
Modernist Fermentation
+1
Optional “extra flavor” additions
1 bay leaf
½ tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp celery seeds
Small piece of fresh ginger
1–2 tbsp lemon juice for extra brightness
Detailed Method
1. Prepare the vegetables
Wash the cucumbers, carrots, peppers and herbs thoroughly.
Slice the cucumber into rounds. Keep them relatively thick rather than paper-thin so they remain crunchy.
Slice the carrot and peppers thinly. Separate the red-onion rings.
Tip: If your cucumber has very large, watery seeds, you can remove some of the seed center before slicing.
2. Make the brine
Add:
vinegar
water
salt
sugar
peppercorns
mustard seeds
coriander seeds
to a saucepan.
Heat until the salt and sugar dissolve and the mixture just reaches a simmer.
Don’t boil it for a long time.
Heating the brine helps dissolve the salt/sugar and can speed up flavor development.
M
MedlinePlus
+1
3. Pack the jar
Use a clean glass jar.
Layer:
Garlic
Carrot
Cucumber
Red onion
Bell pepper
Chili
Cilantro/dill
Repeat until the jar is full.
Don’t compress the vegetables so aggressively that you crush the cucumber.
4. Add the brine
Pour the vinegar mixture over the vegetables until they’re completely covered.
Leave approximately 1–1.5 cm of space at the top.
Gently tap the jar against a towel-covered counter to release trapped air bubbles.
5. Refrigerate
Allow the jar to cool, close it, and place it directly in the refrigerator.
You can taste it after a few hours, but 12–24 hours gives substantially better flavor. Refrigerator-pickle recipes commonly recommend at least 1 day for the flavors to develop.
M
MedlinePlus
+1
Pakistani/Indian-Style Version
If you want the jar in your picture to have a more desi achar-style flavor, add:
½ tsp roasted cumin seeds
½ tsp crushed coriander seeds
¼ tsp kalonji (nigella seeds)
¼ tsp red chili flakes
¼ tsp turmeric
1 small green chili
1 tbsp lemon juice
For a richer achar taste, you can add 1 tbsp mustard oil, but this changes it from a very light vinegar pickle into a more traditional pickle-style preparation.
Nut Information
The basic recipe contains no nuts.
Nut-free ingredients
Cucumber
Carrot
Onion
Bell pepper
Chili
Garlic
Vinegar
Salt
Sugar
Herbs
Mustard/coriander/cumin seeds
Important allergy note
Mustard seed is not a tree nut, but mustard is a significant allergen for some people. If you’re preparing this for someone with allergies, check the vinegar, spice mixes and any commercially prepared ingredients for cross-contact.
If you want a strict nut-free version, use plain vinegar and individual spices rather than a premixed seasoning blend.
Nutrition
The vegetables themselves are naturally low in calories and provide fiber, water and micronutrients. The main nutritional consideration in this recipe is sodium from the salt/brine and, if used, added sugar.
The exact nutrition depends heavily on how much brine is actually consumed rather than discarded.
For a lower-sodium version, don’t simply reduce the salt dramatically if you’re relying on a tested preservation recipe; instead, treat this as a fresh refrigerated pickle/salad, keep it cold, and consume it relatively quickly.
Q&A
Q: Can I eat it immediately?
Yes, but it will taste more like fresh vegetables with dressing. Give it at least several hours; overnight is better.
Q: How long does it last?
For this homemade mixed-vegetable version, I’d use a conservative 1-week refrigerated window for best quality unless you’re following a specifically tested recipe with a longer storage recommendation. Some tested refrigerator-pickle recipes give longer periods, but formulations differ.
H
HappyHealthy
+1
Q: Can I keep it outside the refrigerator?
No. This recipe is a refrigerator pickle, not a shelf-stable canned pickle. Keep it refrigerated.
V
Vermont Agency of Agriculture
Q: Can I use apple-cider vinegar?
Yes. It gives a slightly fruity, softer flavor. White vinegar produces a sharper, cleaner pickle taste. Both are commonly used in refrigerator-pickle recipes.
A
A Southern Soul
+1
Q: Why are my cucumbers soft?
Usually because they were sliced too thin, exposed to a very hot brine for too long, or stored for too long. For maximum crunch, use firm fresh cucumbers and a cold or just-warm brine; refrigeration is essential.
M
Modernist Fermentation
Q: Can I add tomatoes?
I wouldn’t put ripe tomatoes in the jar for long-term pickling. Add fresh tomato immediately before serving instead.
Q: Can I add cabbage or radish?
Absolutely. Thinly sliced radish, cabbage, cauliflower and carrots work particularly well in quick-pickled vegetable mixtures.
A
A Southern Soul
Q: Can I make it without sugar?
Yes. Sugar is primarily for balancing the acidity rather than being essential to the basic refrigerator-pickle concept. Use less or omit it according to taste.
Q: Can I reuse the brine?
For safety and quality, don’t repeatedly reuse the same brine for fresh batches. Make a fresh brine.
Q: Why did the onion turn pink?
That’s normal. Red/purple onion pigments can change color in acidic vinegar and may turn pinkish.
Q: What does the black material on the vegetables look like?
In the picture, some of the dark specks appear to be black pepper or other whole spices, rather than nuts.
Best version for the picture
For the closest-looking jar, I’d use:
Cucumber + carrot + red onion + orange bell pepper + red chili + garlic + cilantro + black pepper + coriander seed + a 1:1 vinegar/water brine.
Keep the cucumber pieces relatively large and layer the colorful vegetables against the glass. That will give you the green, orange, purple and red appearance shown in the photograph while keeping the vegetables crisp.