Quick pickled daikon and carrots are the perfect combination of flavors - sweet, salty and spicy. They make perfect toppers for sandwiches, salads and stir fries. They're easy to make and very addictive.
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Famed for their starring role in the famous Vietnamese sandwich, banh mi, these pickles have rose to fame quickly!
And deservedly so...the beauty of this recipe is that it's quick and uncomplicated and so versatile. I love to eat them in sandwiches, salads, tacos, burritos and falafel wraps or as a garnish for stir fries.
This morning I made a fantastic breakfast burrito and threw a handful of pickled daikon and carrots in. It's great to have a jar of these in the fridge. You'll find endless uses for them.
Reasons You'll Love This Recipe
✅Pickled daikon and carrots are a great snack to have in the fridge. I like to eat them on flatbread or crackers.
✅Need to jazz up a sandwich? These are a creative addition to any sandwich.
✅They're super easy to make.
What Is Daikon?
Daikon is a winter radish native to Asia, but it's now grown around the world. It's most commonly used in Asian cuisine, particularly Japanese cuisine. It has a sweeter, less spicy flavor than a traditional Western radish.
Daikon are tubular vegetables, much like a carrot that comes in a variety of colors. You can find red, green, pink and white daikons.
Daikon is traditionally used in the following ways:
- They're added to spring or summer rolls for their mild taste and crunchy texture.
- They make a brilliant addition to curries and soups.
- Pickled daikon is used in many traditional recipes.
- They're served raw with dips.
- Daikon is one of the ingredients in Korean kimchi.
- Grated over salads.
Ingredients
- Carrots: Carrots are both sweet and bitter making them perfect for this pickle, which gains its great taste profile from opposing flavors.
- Daikon: Daikon means "large radish" in Japanese. It's basically a carrot shaped radish with a milder flavor than a red radish. I order mine online from an Asian grocer, but if you can't find one, it's fine to substitute another veg like turnips or jicama.
- Vinegar: The best vinegar for pickling is plain old white vinegar. This recipe calls for a combination of rice wine vinegar, which is milder, less acidic and slightly sweeter in taste than white vinegar, but, If you don't have rice vinegar on hand it's fine to just use all white vinegar.
- Sugar: I've just used normal sugar here, but if you prefer to use coconut sugar, that also works. I've tried it.
- Salt: Salt is key to pickling. You can use normal kosher salt or sea salt. Both work equally well.
*Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Pickled Daikon And Carrots
- The first step is to combine the water, vinegars, sugar and salt in a saucepan and boil it until the sugar is dissolved. This will only take two to three minutes. Take it off the heat and allow it to cool.
- Now, julienne your carrots and daikon. I like to use a julienne tool like in the photo above. You'll find them so useful, but if you don't have one you can also use a peeler, a mandolin or just a sharp knife. If you use a kitchen knife, be sure to cut the carrots and daikon into thin matchsticks; if they're too thick, they won't pickle as quickly.
- Put the carrots and daikon into a sterile jar...you can do this by running it through the dishwasher or simply filling it with boiling water and dumping it out. Now pour the brine over the carrots and daikon, put the lid on and give it a little shake to ensure that all your veg is covered in brine. Leave it to sit for several hours before moving it to the fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes.
- Enjoy your pickled daikon and carrots. See my serving suggestions below for ways you can use this pickle.
Serving Suggestions
There are so many ways you can use pickled carrots and daikon. Here's a few of my favorite ideas:
🧡Serve pickled daikon and carrots on nachos. Check out my popular vegan nachos recipe.
🧡Add to your favorite salad.
🧡Make yourself a lemongrass tofu banh mi sandwich.
🧡Use pickled daikons and carrots as a tangy addition to ramen.
🧡Try this fantastic pickle as a sandwich topping.
Frequently Asked Questions
Daikon is a mild Asian radish that's tubular in shape, much like a carrot. If you can't find daikon, you could substitute turnips, jicama, parsnips or cabbage. Traditional Western radishes have a much spicier flavor than daikon, and don't make an adequate substitute for daikon.
A daikon radish has a milder taste than a traditional Western radish. Daikon is mildly sweet with a hint of spicy.
Yes, you can eat daikon raw, grilled, steamed, roasted, pickled or air fried. You can eat all parts of the daikon, not just the root; The greens can be used in stir fries or salads. Daikons do not need to be peeled before eating.
Craving More Easy Vegan Recipes?
Vegan Bahn Mi Bowl With Crunchy Tofu
Quinoa Pilaf With Miso Dressing
Homemade Pickled Mustard Seeds
📖 Recipe
Quick Pickled Daikon And Carrots
Ingredients
- 1 cup carrots julienned
- 1 cup daikon julienned
- 1 cup water
- ½ cup white vinegar
- ½ cup rice wine vinegar
- ½ cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons salt
Instructions
- Boil the water, vinegars, sugar and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat. Boil until the sugar is dissolved, about 1-2 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- Julienne the carrots and daikon and put them in a sterile jar.
- Pour the cooled brine over the carrots and daikon, close the jar and allow to rest for 2-3 hours.
- Put the jar in the fridge for 30 minutes to chill.
Notes
- Pickled daikon and carrots should stay fresh in the fridge for up to two weeks.
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