How to Pickle Carrots

Co-authored by Jessica Gibson

Last Updated: June 11, 2019 Tested

If you love the vinegary sweetness of pickled vegetables, try pickling carrots at home. You can start with a basic brine and adjust the seasonings or choose a Mexican or Vietnamese inspired brine. Bring your choice of brine to a boil and add sliced carrots. Let the carrots cook very briefly so they begin to absorb the brine. Then pack the carrots with brine in jars and chill the pickled carrots before you serve them.

Ingredients

Basic Pickled Carrots

1 pound (450 g) carrots, peeled
1 ¹⁄₄ cups (300 ml) water
1 cup (240 ml) cider vinegar
1/4 cup (50 g) sugar
2 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
1 1/2 tablespoons (25.5 g) coarse sea or kosher salt
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 teaspoons (3 g) fennel or dill seeds, optional

Makes 1 pint (500 ml) jar

Mexican Pickled Carrots

2 pounds (910 g) carrots
2 large jalapeños
1/2 medium white onion
5 cloves garlic, diced
1 ¹⁄₂ cups (350 ml) white vinegar
1 ¹⁄₂ cups (350 ml) water
6 bay leaves
10 peppercorns
2 teaspoons (4 g) dried Mexican oregano
1 teaspoon (5.5 g) kosher salt

Makes 3 pint (500 ml) jars

Vietnamese Pickled Carrots

¹⁄₂ pound (230 g) daikon, peeled
¹⁄₂ pound (230 g) carrots, peeled
1 teaspoon (5.5 g) kosher or sea salt
1 cup (240 ml) unseasoned rice vinegar
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons (33 g) sugar
1 cup (240 ml) water

Makes 1 pint (500 ml) jar

Sweet Pickled Carrots

4 cups (490 g) baby carrots
2 ³⁄₄ cups (650 ml) white distilled vinegar 5%
¹⁄₂ cup (120 ml) water
1 cup (200 g) sugar
1 teaspoon (5.5 g) coarse sea salt
1 1/2 tablespoons (9 g) pickling spice

Makes 2 pint (500 ml) jars

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:
Basic Pickled Carrots

1
Trim the carrots into sticks. Use a vegetable peeler to peel 1 pound (450 g) of carrots. Cut each carrot in half lengthwise and lay them flat on your cutting board. Cut each piece in half to create shorter sticks that will fit in your jar.^{[1]
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2
Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Fill a medium pot three-quarters full of water. Add a few pinches of salt and turn the burner to high. The water should begin to bubble vigorously.^{[2]
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- Avoid using a copper or cast iron pot because the metal reacts with the food.
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3
Boil the carrot sticks for 1 minute. Carefully lower the trimmed carrots into the boiling water and cook them for 1 minute. The carrots should soften just a little.^{[3]
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4
Drain and rinse the carrots under cold water. Set a colander in the sink and drain the carrots into it. Run cold water over the carrots for at least 30 seconds. The cold water will stop the carrots from cooking and ensure that they stay bright orange.^{[4]
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5
Bring the water, vinegar, sugar, garlic, salt, bay leaf, and fennel to a boil. Measure these brine ingredients into the same pot on the stove. Turn the heat to high and bring the brine to a boil.^{[5]
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6
Reduce the heat and simmer the brine for 2 minutes. Once the liquid boils, turn the burner down to medium so the brine bubbles gently. Simmer the brine for 2 minutes so the salt and sugar dissolve.^{[6]
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7
Turn off the heat and add the carrot sticks. Transfer the drained carrot sticks from the colander to the pot with the brine. Stir the carrots and let them sit in the hot brine until the mixture cools to room temperature.^{[7]
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8
Transfer the pickled carrots to a jar. Get out a clean pint (500 ml) jar and spoon the pickled carrots and brine into it. Cover the jar with a tight-fitting lid.^{[8]
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9
Refrigerate the pickled carrots for at least 1 day. Put the jar in the refrigerator to chill before you serve the pickled carrots. Store them in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks.^{[9]
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Method 2

Method 2 of 4:
Mexican Pickled Carrots

1
Slice the carrots and onion into ¹⁄₄ inch (0.64 cm) slices. Use a sharp knife to cut 2 pounds (910 g) of carrots into diagonal slices that are ¹⁄₄ inch (0.64 cm) thick. You'll also need to peel 1/2 of a medium white onion and cut it into ¹⁄₄ inch (0.64 cm) thick slices as well.^{[10]
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2
Trim and slice 2 large jalapeños. Take a paring knife and trim the stems off of the jalapeños. Cut the peppers into thin slices that are ¹⁄₄ inch (0.64 cm) thick. Set the peppers aside.^{[11]
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3
Combine the garlic, vinegar, water, bay leaves, peppercorns, oregano, and salt. Place 5 diced cloves of garlic into a large stock pot. Pour in 1 ¹⁄₂ cups (350 ml) of white vinegar and 1 ¹⁄₂ cups (350 ml) of water. Stir in:^{[12]
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- 6 bay leaves
- 10 peppercorns
- 2 teaspoons (4 g) of dried Mexican oregano
- 1 teaspoon (5.5 g) of kosher salt
4
Heat the brine over high heat and add the vegetables. Turn the burner to high so the brine begins to boil. Stir in the sliced carrots, onion, and jalapeños.^{[13]
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5
Reduce the heat and simmer the mixture for 15 minutes. Turn the burner to medium-low, so the brine bubbles gently. Cook the pickled vegetables with the lid off of the pot.^{[14]
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6
Cool the Mexican pickled carrots and transfer them to jars. Turn off the burner and let the vegetables come to room temperature. Scoop them into 3 clean pint (500 ml) jars. Pour brine in each jar so the pickled carrots are submerged. Tighten lids on each of the jars.^{[15]
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7
Refrigerate the pickled carrots for at least 3 hours. Chilling the pickled carrots will let them absorb flavor from the brine. You can store the pickled carrots in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks.^{[16]
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Method 3

Method 3 of 4:
Vietnamese Pickled Carrots

1
Cut the daikon and carrots into matchsticks or coins. Take ¹⁄₂ pound (230 g) of peeled daikon and ¹⁄₂ pound (230 g) of peeled carrots and cut them into matchstick pieces or coins. If you want to cut them into coins, they should be 1/4-inch (6mm) thick.^{[17]
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- If you prefer, you can substitute more carrots for the daikon.
2
Whisk the vinegar, salt, sugar, and water. Pour 1 cup (240 ml) of water into a large bowl. Whisk in 1 teaspoon (5.5 g) of kosher or sea salt, 1 cup (240 ml) of unseasoned rice vinegar, and 2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons (33 g) of sugar. Keep whisking until the sugar and salt dissolve.^{[18]
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3
Stir in the vegetables and let them sit for 1 hour. Add the carrots and daikon to the bowl with the brine and stir them so they're coated. Let the carrots and daikon sit and marinate for at least 1 hour before you serve them.^{[19]
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- Refrigerate the leftover Vietnamese pickled carrots in an airtight jar for up to 5 days.
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Method 4

Method 4 of 4:
Sweet Pickled Carrots

1
Bring the water, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pickling spice to a boil. Pour these brine ingredients into a large pot and turn the burner to high so the brine comes to a boil.^{[20]
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2
Add the baby carrots and cook them for 4 to 5 minutes. Stir 4 cups (490 g) of baby carrots into the boiling brine and boil them until they're slightly softened. Turn off the burner.^{[21]
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3
Rinse the carrots under cold water for 1 minute. Set a colander in the sink and use a slotted spoon to remove the carrots from the brine. Transfer the carrots to the colander and run cold water over them so they stop cooking.^{[22]
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4
Pack the carrots and brine in jars. Get out 2 clean pint (500 ml) jars and divide the carrots between them. Position the carrots so they're standing upright. This will allow you to fit more carrots into the jars. Pour enough brine in each jar to leave ¹⁄₂ inch (1.3 cm) of space at the top.^{[23]
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5
Put the lids on the jars and bring the carrots to room temperature. Screw the lids on the jars and let the sweet pickled carrots sit for about 1 hour. The jars should be room temperature when they're ready to refrigerate.^{[24]
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6
Refrigerate the sweet pickled carrots for at least 1 day. The carrots will absorb the flavor of the brine as they chill. You can refrigerate the sweet pickled carrots for up to 4 weeks.^{[25]
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