Dairy Free Classic Relish
Bright, tangy, and packed with garden-fresh flavor, this homemade relish is the kind of condiment that makes everything it touches taste better — from hot dogs and burgers to grain bowls and sandwiches. The combination of English cucumbers, colorful bell peppers, and yellow onion gives it a satisfying crunch and a beautiful jewel-toned color that no store-bought jar can match. A brine of white distilled vinegar, sugar, mustard seed, celery seed, and turmeric brings that classic sweet-and-sour punch with just the right amount of warmth and depth. The salting step is key — drawing out excess moisture from the vegetables before cooking means your relish thickens up beautifully rather than turning watery. Since every ingredient here is naturally plant-based, there's zero guesswork about hidden dairy derivatives that sometimes sneak into processed condiments. It comes together in a single saucepan and stores easily in glass jars in the fridge, making it a genuinely practical recipe to keep on rotation. Once you've made your own, going back to the store-bought stuff is going to feel like a real step down.
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Learn more →Ingredients
16 servings
- 4 cups english cucumbers, finely chopped (about 3 medium cucumbers)
- 1 cup yellow onion, finely chopped (about 1 medium onion)
- ½ cup green bell pepper, finely chopped
- ½ cup red bell pepper, finely chopped
- 2 tbsp kosher salt
- 1 cup white distilled vinegar
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp mustard seed
- ½ tsp celery seed
- ¼ tsp ground turmeric
Instructions
- 1
Combine the chopped cucumbers, onion, and both bell peppers in a large mixing bowl. Sprinkle the kosher salt over the vegetables and toss to coat. Let stand at room temperature for 1 hour, until the vegetables have released a significant amount of liquid.
- 2
Transfer the salted vegetables to a colander and rinse thoroughly under cold running water. Press firmly with your hands or the back of a spoon to squeeze out as much liquid as possible — the vegetables should feel noticeably drier.
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