11 Homemade Pickles That Punch Up Your Plate

These pickle recipes run the gamut from quick pickled vegetables to fermented pickles, but they all lend a lot of crunch and flavor to your food.

If you’re craving the ultimate make-ahead, healthy snack, then look no further than pickled vegetables. While the dill-spiked cucumber variety tends to set the standard, that’s just the tip of the spear. Pretty much any veggie is perfectly suited to take the plunge in a bath of brine.

Some pickles are great to enjoy on their own, while others are better suited as a pairing with a rich, savory, meaty companion. Keep things quick and simple or let fermentation work its magic for added complexity. Focus on a single vegetable or a combine a few for a mix of flavor and texture.

In other words, your pickled vegetable recipe options are seemingless endless. But to get started, pucker up to some of our favorites.

Easy Quick Pickles

If you’ve never tried D.I.Y. pickling, start here. Whatever your veggie surplus happens to be, if it takes a dip in apple cider vinegar infused with herbs and spices, you’ll have a go-to munchie for weeks, even months. Get our Easy Quick Pickles recipe.

Momofuku Beet Pickle

That David Chang sure does love his pickles. The Momofuku maestro has recipes for veggies of all stripes—turnips, carrots, cucumbers, even ramps. But his pickled beets absolutely can’t be, well, beat. So grab that mandoline slicer, some kombu, and a dark apron (beets do like to make their mark). Get the Momofuku Beet Pickle recipe.

Pickled Red Onions

Rosy pink, slightly crunchy, and 100 percent tangy, a scattering of pickled red onions can take a dish from drab to fab. Try them on tacos (especially cochinita pibil), with barbecued meat, or over scrambled eggs. Get our Pickled Red Onions recipe.

Easy Napa Cabbage Kimchi

This Korean classic takes time (fermentation doesn’t happen overnight), but it is absolutely worth it. While many vegetables can be used for kimchi if traditional seasonings and preparations are applied, cabbage is the O.G. foundation. Make Umma proud and fix up your own batch. Get our Easy Napa Cabbage Kimchi recipe.

Garlic Dill Pickles

Are you really gonna let a cartoon stork who sounds like Groucho tell you what dill pickles to eat? The homemade version of the deli staple earns far better marks than store bought. Serve alongside a pastrami on rye or enjoy a spear solo as an anytime snack. Get the Garlic Dill Pickles recipe.

Tangy Cucumber Pickles

Also known as ah-jaht, these Thai chili-infused pickles are sure to spice things up. It’s the perfect picnic pleaser, but also keep a couple of extra jars in your fridge to top your burger or go traditional and pair them with grilled chicken satay. Get our Tangy Cucumber Pickles recipe.

Amazuzuke

Japanese-style pickles (tuskemono) are some of the best in the world particularly when they incorporate the sweet and sour technique known as amazuzuke. The combo of sugar and rice vinegar works exceptionally well with crunchy daikon. It makes for an excellent make-ahead amuse bouche or a post-feast palate cleanser. Get the Amazuzuke recipe.

Torshi

This fetching cornucopia of mixed pickled veggies is a staple across the Balkans and Middle East. Though recipes vary, this version inspired by the grandmother of Cardamom and Tea blogger Kathryn Pauline incorporates an intoxicating blend of spices such as turmeric, coriander, and caraway. Get the Torshi recipe.

Mexican Pickled Carrots

Ah, pickled carrots. The unsung hero of the salsa cart also known as what you hangrily munch on while you patiently wait for your al pastor. Don’t forget the jalapeños if you want to get picante. Get the Mexican Pickled Carrots recipe.

Easy Sauerkraut

Cabbage and salt. That’s all it takes (plus some time for fermentation) to add that zingy exclamation point to your brats, dogs, and reubens. Get our Sauerkraut recipe.

Spicy Jamaican Pickled Peppers

Anyone familiar with the fiery wonder that is jerk seasoning knows that Jamaicans love to bring the heat to the kitchen. Their version of pickled peppers carries the torch: Ginger, peppers, and vinegar join forces with an assortment of vegetables to become this colorful Caribbean condiment. Get the Spicy Jamaican Pickled Peppers recipe.