Artificial Flavors Free Quick Pickled Vegetables with Turmeric & Ginger
These vibrant pickled vegetables get their bold color and warmth from real ground turmeric, freshly grated ginger, and cracked black pepper — no synthetic flavor packets or mystery additives anywhere in sight. The brine is built entirely from pantry staples you can actually pronounce: apple cider vinegar, honey, and sea salt, simmered together until the flavors meld into something bright and deeply satisfying. Cucumber rounds, carrot coins, cauliflower florets, radishes, and sliced garlic all get packed into jars and bathed in that golden brine, soaking up every bit of spice and tang as they cool. Store-bought pickles can be a minefield of artificial flavoring agents and preservatives, so making your own puts you completely in control of what goes into the jar. The process is genuinely simple — a quick simmer, a short rest on the counter, and then into the fridge — and the result is a crunchy, punchy condiment that works on grain bowls, sandwiches, cheese boards, or straight off a fork. That optional pinch of red pepper flakes adds a gentle heat that plays beautifully against the honey's sweetness, and the turmeric gives everything a gorgeous golden hue that looks as good as it tastes.
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Learn more →Ingredients
6 servings
For the brine
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp freshly grated ginger
- ½ tsp black pepper, freshly ground
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
For the vegetables
- 1 medium english cucumber, thinly sliced into rounds
- 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into thin coins or matchsticks
- 1 cup cauliflower florets, cut into small bite-sized pieces
- 4 radishes, thinly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
Instructions
- 1
Prepare the vegetables: slice the cucumber into thin rounds, cut the carrots into thin coins or matchsticks, break the cauliflower into small bite-sized florets, thinly slice the radishes, and thinly slice the garlic. Pack the vegetables snugly into two clean pint-sized mason jars (or one quart jar), distributing them evenly.
- 2
Combine the apple cider vinegar, water, honey, sea salt, turmeric, grated ginger, black pepper, and red pepper flakes (if using) in a medium saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until the honey and salt are fully dissolved, about 3–4 minutes.
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