Pickled Vegetables Recipe {Encurtido}

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

As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

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

I learned this incredible pickled vegetables recipe, AKA Encurtido, from my Honduran neighbor and it is the perfect garnish for so many dishes!

How to Make Quick Pickled Vegetables

*I’ll walk you through it here with some photos and tips, and you’ll also find a printable recipe card at the bottom of the post with exact measurements, etc. You can click “jump to recipe” to skip down.

Most of the recipe follows the same pattern for prepping the vegetables. You’re going to cook or parboil (boil just until barely soft) the vegetables in hot water, and then cool them down to stop the cooking process.

If you feel comfortable multitasking while you cook AND your stove is big enough, you can cook most of the veggies at the same time. Just keep an eye on the specific cooking times.

Cooking the Onions

Bring a large saucepan or a dutch oven to a boil. Add the onions and cook them for 30 seconds. Yep, it’s a very short cooking time!

Scoop the onions out of the water with a slotted spoon and transfer them to a strainer. Run cold water over the onions until they cool down. Add them to a large mixing bowl.

Cooking the Beets

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.

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.

Cooking the Carrots and Cauliflower

Bring a large saucepan or a dutch oven to a boil. Add the carrots and cauliflower and cook them for 10 minutes.

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 the: beet cooking liquid, canned jalapeños, water, vinegar, salt, pepper, oregano, and chopped cilantro. Toss with tongs to combine all the ingredients.

Allow the bowl to sit at room temperature for 2 hours (the vinegar in the brine makes this safe from a food safety standpoint) and then transfer to air-tight containers in the fridge.

I use a half-gallon canning jar or multiple quart jars. If you have a large canning funnel, it will make this transferring process so much easier.

What to Serve With Pickled Vegetables

I serve it with dishes like Chicken Fajita Casserole, Lentil Nachos, Pressure Cooker Chicken Tacos, Cauliflower Patties, Air Fryer Chicken Taquitos, and actually as a side with Make-Ahead Scrambled Eggs.

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS

One serving of Spicy Pickled Vegetables has 0 WW Freestyle SmartPoints.

Print Recipe

4.88 from 8 ratings

Pickled Vegetables Recipe {Encurtido}

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time25 minutes mins

Total Time45 minutes mins

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

Servings: 25

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Fusion

Keyword: How to Make Encurtido

Calories: 111kcal

Author: Sarah Cook – Sustainable Cooks

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

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

US Customary – Metric

Equipment

• Mixing bowl
• Knife
• Cutting Board
• Silicone spatula
• Mandoline
• Dutch oven

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 Facts

Pickled Vegetables Recipe {Encurtido}

Amount Per Serving

Calories 111

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Shop this Post:

(may include affiliate links)

Lodge Enameled Dutch Oven

Glass Storage

Mandoline

Prep Once Cook Twice (cookbook)