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This recipe makes amazing and delicious spicy quick pickled vegetables that are so good, and easy to make. Once you try these tasty pickled Honduran vegetables, you can’t stop eating them!

3 jars of pickled vegetables and vegetables on a white board.
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I learned this incredible Honduran pickled vegetables recipe, AKA Encurtido, from my Honduran neighbor, and it is the perfect garnish for so many dishes!

In addition to being freaking delicious, these quick fridge pickles are also a fantastic way to get more veggies into your meals.

I cannot get over how these simple, quick pickled veggies instantly make everything taste so much better. I find myself sneaking into the fridge at all hours to pull out pieces to snack on.

What is Encurtido?

Encurtido is a side dish of pickled veggies like beets, jalapeños, carrots, cauliflower, and onions. Traditionally, it is served with homemade tamales and meat dishes.

Pro Tips/Recipe Notes

  • This recipe will keep for ~6 weeks in the fridge. But they’re so tasty that I guarantee you’ll eat them before that!
  • You can easily adjust the ratio or types of veggies to fit your tastes. I usually double or triple the beets because they’re my favorite!
  • If you have enough burners on your stove and feel comfortable managing the various cooking times of the veggies, feel free to cook them all in their separate pots at the same time.
  • Closely follow the cooking times in the recipe card. You do not want to overcook the veggies, or they will be soft when pickled instead of crisp.
  • If cutting onions makes you cry, refrigerate them for an hour before slicing.
  • To save time, I make Instant Pot Beets while I’m cooking the other veggies.
a jar of colorful fridge pickles.
4.88 from 8 ratings

Spicy Pickled Vegetables {Honduran Encurtido}

Servings: 25
Prep: 20 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
Total: 45 minutes
3 jars of pickled encurtido and vegetables on a white board
This recipe makes amazing and delicious spicy quick pickled vegetables that are so good, and easy to make. Once you try these tasty pickled Honduran vegetables, you can't stop eating them!

Ingredients 

  • 5 cups white onion {sliced}
  • 4 cups carrots {peeled and sliced into coins}
  • 3 medium-sized beets {tops and ends removed, peeled, and sliced into coins}
  • 3 cups cauliflower {cut into florets}
  • 1 24 oz can pickled jalapenos
  • 1 cup cilantro {roughly chopped}
  • 1 tbsp dried oregano
  • 1 tbsp coarse ground pepper
  • 2 tbsp table salt
  • 1.5 cups white vinegar
  • 2 cups water – for the beets
  • 1.5 cups water – for the brine
  • water – for boiling

Instructions 

Prepping the Vegetables

  • Cut the ends off of the onions and remove the skin. Cut in half and then slice thinly.
    5 cups white onion
  • Peel and thinly slice the carrots into coins.
    4 cups carrots
  • Cut the tops and ends off of the beets, and slice the skin off. Cut the beets in half and slice the beets into coins.
    3 medium-sized beets
  • Cut the cauliflower into bite-sized pieces.
    3 cups cauliflower
  • Roughly chop the cilantro.
    1 cup cilantro

Cooking the Vegetables

  • Set aside a very large mixing bowl.
  • Fill a large saucepan with three inches of water and bring it to a boil. Add the onions and cook for 30 seconds. Drain into a strainer and immediately rinse with cold water. Place in the mixing bowl.
    water – for boiling, 5 cups white onion
  • Bring a small saucepan with 2 cups of water to a boil. Add the sliced beets, reduce the heat to medium, and cook them for 20 minutes, or until they’re tender.
    2 cups water – for the beets, 3 medium-sized beets
  • Scoop the beets out of the water with a slotted spoon and transfer them to a strainer. Do not drain the water the beets were cooked in. 
  • Run cold water over the beets until they cool down. Add them to the mixing bowl with the onions.
  • Fill the large saucepan with three inches of water again and bring to a boil. Add the carrots and cauliflower and cook for 10 minutes.
    4 cups carrots, 3 cups cauliflower, water – for boiling
  • Scoop the carrots and cauliflower out of the water with a slotted spoon and transfer them to a strainer. Run cold water over the veggies until they cool down. Add them to the mixing bowl with the onions and beets.

Making the Pickled Vegetables

  • With all the veggies in the large mixing bowl, you’re going to add: beet cooking liquid, canned jalapeños, water, vinegar, salt, pepper, oregano, and chopped cilantro.
    1 24 oz can pickled jalapenos, 1 tbsp dried oregano, 1 tbsp coarse ground pepper, 2 tbsp table salt, 1.5 cups white vinegar, 1.5 cups water – for the brine
  • Toss with tongs to combine all the ingredients
  • Allow the mixture to sit at room temperature for two hours, and then transfer veggies and the liquid to air-tight containers. Store in the fridge.

Notes

  • Will keep in the fridge for up to six weeks.

Nutrition

Calories: 111kcal

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: Fusion
Tried this recipe?Mention @sustainablecooks or tag #sustainablecooks!

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About Sarah Cook

I'm here to help you make easy, seasonal, and no-fuss recipes for yourself and your family.

Whether it's a quick one-pot dinner or if I am teaching you how to can and preserve local produce, you can consider me your elder millennial grandma

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4.88 from 8 votes

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20 Comments

  1. I made your picked vegetables yesterday, and they turned out delicious.  I had never cooked fresh beets before and  they were so good.  I will definitely make this again.  Thanks for another great recipe, Sarah.  5 stars

    1. So glad you liked it, Ann. And good job on trying a new cooking method for veggies! Pickled beets are sooooo good.

  2. Holy sh!t, Sarah, this was amazing. We had the saddest looking beets at the grocery store but I forged ahead and now I’m kicking myself for not trying this earlier. Delicious!5 stars

    1. I feel like this is one of the best-kept secrets out there. Glad you’re now part of the “cool kids” club.

      We always ALWAYS have a half-gallon jar of this in the fridge.

  3. I am Canadian, so I don’t think we have 24 oz cans of pickled jalapeños here. Is this the same as jarred pickled jalapeños? The canned ones that I see here are in tiny cans and are usually quite mild while the jarred ones are spicier. Which would work better in this recipe? I am thinking the jarred ones but want to be sure. Thanks!

    1. I guess it would go to what you prefer – mild or spicy. Go with your preferences!

      Here in the states, the canned version is the same level of spice as any jarred jalapenos.

  4. Hi, thanks for the recipe, just want to know how to canned to preserve this encurtido. Thank you very much.5 stars

    1. Hi Martha, I have never canned it. The (canning) processing time for each individual vegetable varies for safe canning, so I don’t think it would be possible. The good news is the pickling brine preserves it for months and months in the fridge.

  5. Did I miss something? I didn’t see what you did with the beet water that you told us to save it.

    1. Hi M, thanks for bringing that up. I updated step 5 to make it more clear that you add the beets and their cooking water with the rest of the veggies. The “beet water” is what gives the Encurtido the beautiful coloring!

  6. This was fun to make and it tastes delicious right away…can’t wait to try it in a few days when the flavors have a chance to really “marry” (is that the correct term???).4 stars