This is an easy pickled watermelon radish recipe perfect for adding peppery spice and crunch to your favorite dishes. These bright radishes benefit from a quick pickle that brings out their full flavor while toning down the bite that watermelon radishes are known for.
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Watermelon radishes are one of my favorite winter-to-spring veggies. I love their bright color and sharp flavor. I typically roast watermelon radishes (and yes you should try this recipe!), but every now and then you need a change.
A quick refrigerator pickle is the way to go! No waiting for fermentation!
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📖Why My Recipe Works
- No canning is required and these pickled watermelon radishes keep for a week in the fridge.
- Mild in flavor, but beware they have a very strong scent.
- These watermelon radish pickles are versatile and can be used in a plethora of dishes.
What Is the Quick Pickle Method?
Quick pickles, or refrigerator pickles, as they are often called are vegetables that are brined in vinegar, water, salt, and sugar mixture.
Quick pickles don't develop the intense flavor that fermented pickles do, but they also only require a few hours in the brine before they can be enjoyed. Hence the name refrigerator pickles.
🧾Ingredient Notes
- Watermelon radishes- Any size works. The fresher the radish the crisper the crunch. Save the tops of the radishes to make my easy sauteed greens recipe.
- You can also use this recipe with other types of radishes.
- Vinegar- This recipe calls for distilled white vinegar but you can use any light vinegar like rice vinegar, white wine vinegar, or champagne vinegar to make pickled watermelon radishes. I have tried both red wine vinegar and apple cider vinegar but they discolor the radishes and the color is the best part of this dish!
- Salt & Sugar- All quick pickles need a balance of sweet and salty.
- Bay leaves, Peppercorns & Other Seasonings- Seasonings can be altered to your taste. Typically, I use bay leaf and peppercorns. But you can use whole peeled garlic, coriander seeds, mustard seeds, whole cloves, or crushed red pepper in place of the black pepper. The total spices should be 1 tablespoon per pound of watermelon radishes.
⏲️How to Pickle Watermelon Radishes
Because you are using a quick pickle rather than a fermentation method these pickles can be ready in under 20 minutes.
However, depending on how I am planning on using them I sometimes make them several hours in advance so they can chill in the fridge. The pickles get better with a longer time to chill.
Step 1- Prep Radishes
Rinse your watermelon radishes well and trim the ends. Cut the radishes to your preferred shapes.
I usually do rounds because I can cut them smaller later if needed. But feel free to do half rounds or matchsticks. The key to the cut is consistency in size so they pickle evenly and quickly.
Step 2-Prepare The Brine
Heat equal parts water and vinegar in a small pan until lightly boiling. Add in equal parts salt and sugar, and stir until both are dissolved.
Place the sliced radishes and seasonings in a heatproof jar or bowl. Personally, I like to use a wide-mouth mason jar. Pour the heated mixture over the radishes.
Step 3-Pickle
Push down the radish slices to ensure they are completely submerged. You can add more water if necessary.
Once cool, allow the watermelon radishes to chill in the fridge for a minimum of 20 minutes before using. The recommended wait time is 2 hours.
Note that when you open the lid, they will smell extremely pungent but will have a light bright flavor.
How to Use Pickled Watermelon Radishes
Use these pickles as you would any radish pickle. A few ideas include on tacos, especially fish tacos or pollo asado. Julienned and added to my favorite spicy coleslaw or jazz up a garden salad, poke bowl, or grain bowl.
You can also use them in place or regular cucumber pickle, like as a garnish on a spicy Indian curry like my lamb vindaloo. Or topping a wagyu burger or grilled spicy chicken sandwich
Expert Tip
Don't rush the pickling process. The radishes will be perfect if you give them just a few hours as opposed to the quick 20 minutes.
More Spring Vegetable Recipes
Common Recipe Questions
Want to know more about watermelon radishes? Check out my watermelon radish recipe guide featuring a round-up of my favorite pink vegetable!
For the best pickles, it is recommended to use distilled water to ensure it is free of contaminants and additional unwanted flavors. Regular tap water is fine, but try filtering it first.
Did you enjoy making this recipe? Show it some love with ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a comment! Hungry for more? Get more flavorful recipes!
📖 Recipe Card
Pickled Watermelon Radishes
Ingredients
- 1 pound watermelon radishes
- 1 cup distilled white vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 1 Tablespoon kosher salt
- 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 Tablespoon whole black peppercorns
Instructions
- Wash and trim both ends of the watermelon radishes. Cut the radishes into thin rounds or your desired shape. Place in a heatproof jar or bowl with the bay leaf and peppercorns.1 pound watermelon radishes, 2 bay leaves, 1 Tablespoon whole black peppercorns
- Heat vinegar, water, sugar, and salt in a small pan until the mixture comes to a boil and the salt and sugar are dissolved.1 cup distilled white vinegar, 1 cup water, 1 Tablespoon kosher salt, 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- Pour the mixture over the radishes, Push the radishes down until completely submerged. Add more water if needed. Allow the watermelon radishes to rest in the fridge for 20 minutes. Pickles will keep up to a week in the fridge.
Video
Notes
- The pickling spices can be adjusted to your tastes. Try fresh herbs or dried chili peppers. Use approximately 1 tablespoon of spices per pound of radishes.
- Any light-colored vinegar like rice vinegar or white wine vinegar can be substituted for white vinegar.
Patrick says
For some reason mine lost color and turned everything pink. I used normal white vinegar. Could it be the temperature? I added it while hot.
Jen says
The pink will bleed into the white and turn the brine pink. The longer they sit the duller the pink becomes but I have never had them lose color totally.
Robin Cassel says
Loved the ease of this recipe, but the radishes tasted kind of blah when I first tried them, so I added fresh smashed garlic cloves and fresh minced ginger. A game changer! They are so, so good now! Will definitely make again with added ingredients.
Jen says
Yes- in the post I talk about adding more flavors. The possibilities are endless.
Krista says
Hi! So I just tried these but subbed the sugar with allulose (sugar sub) as I follow the Keto diet. They taste good but they smell absolutely terrible! They’re in a sealed glass Tupperware and they make the entire refrigerator smell! Is that normal or do you think maybe it’s the allulose? I’ve never pickled anything before so I just have no idea!
Jen says
They typically do not emit an off-gas or smell. Yes, it could be the Allulose. I have never worked with it before. The other cause could be the radishes were stored next to a fruit or vegetable that emits ethylene and that caused the radish to start breaking down before you got to pickle it.
Abi says
Pickled radishes often smell very strong, so I wouldn't be concerned. I've been growing and pickling radishes for many years, including many different varieties and recipes and they always smell strong. An example of the scent profile is pickled daikon, a Japanese root like radish. I wouldn't be concerned, there can be a lot of things that differ in the pickling process and the types of radish. It should be safe to eat unless you see strange mold or any kind of unusual visual, or it smells like rotting.
Happy pickling!
Jen says
Abi- thanks so much for the input!
Kacey Perez says
I really want to try and get my hands on these this summer. They add so much beauty to recipes!
Emily Liao says
Pickled radishes are the best! This method is one I use all the time and the results are always great.
Jan says
But boy do they stink !
Pam Greer says
We love quick pickles and these watermelon radishes are not only delicious, but they are so pretty to look at!
Shannon says
I just tried pickled radishes for the first time this week and WOW are they good. Thanks for posting this recipe because I need these in my life!
Jacqueline Meldrum says
I am blown away by those radishes. I've never seen those before. They are so gorgeous! Great idea to pickle them. I've used this techniques with onions before, I must try this too.
Sharing!
Tawnie Kroll says
These were so fun to make and they are so pretty!!
Jen says
Our most popluar radish recipe, perfect for tacos!