Encurtido {Honduran Spicy Pickled Vegetables}

Encurtido is an amazing and delicious spicy Honduran side dish that is so addicting and easy to make. Once you try these spicy pickled vegetables, you can’t stop eating it!

I learned this incredible recipe from my Honduran neighbor and it is the perfect garnish for so many dishes! In addition to being delicious, it’s also a fantastic way to get more veggies into your meals.

What is Encurtido?

It is a side dish of pickled veggies like beets, jalapenos, carrots, cauliflower, and onions.

Traditionally it is served with homemade tamales and meat dishes. I serve it with (um, everything) Lentil Nachos, Pressure Cooker Chicken Tacos, Cauliflower Patties, and actually as a side with Make-Ahead Scrambled Eggs.

I cannot get over how this simple little dish instantly makes everything taste so much better. I find myself sneaking into the fridge at all hours to pull out a piece of veg.

Pro Tips/Recipe Notes

• 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!
• 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.
• To make these even faster, you can use some frozen veggies. Related: How to Freeze Carrots and How to Freeze Onions.
• I have a small stove, so I make Instant Pot Beets while I’m cooking the other veggies.

More Recipes Like This

• Quick Pickled Cauliflower
• Refrigerator Pickled Beets
• Refrigerator Dilly Beans
• Spicy Sweet Potato Fries
• Air Fryer Cauliflower
• Fried Cabbage With Bacon
• Nana’s Cucumber and Onion Salad
• Air Fryer Zucchini Chips
• Spicy Green Beans
• Hasselback Roasted Beets With Goat Cheese

WEIGHT WATCHERS POINTS

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

Print Recipe

4.8 from 5 votes

Encurtido {Honduran Spicy Pickled Vegetables}

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time25 mins

Total Time45 mins

Encurtido is an amazing and delicious spicy Honduran side dish that is so addicting and easy to make.

Servings: 25

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Fusion

Keyword: How to Make Encurtido

Calories: 111kcal

Author: Sarah Cook - Sustainable Cooks

Ingredients

• 5 cups white onion {sliced}5 cups white onion {sliced}
• 4 cups carrots {peeled and sliced into coins}4 cups carrots {peeled and sliced into coins}
• 3 medium-sized beets {tops and ends removed, peeled, and sliced into coins}3 medium-sized beets {tops and ends removed, peeled, and sliced into coins}
• 3 cups cauliflower {cut into florets}3 cups cauliflower {cut into florets}
• 1 24 oz can pickled jalapenos1 24 oz can pickled jalapenos
• 1 cup cilantro {roughly chopped}1 cup cilantro {roughly chopped}
• 1 tbsp dried oregano1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp coarse ground pepper1 tbsp coarse ground pepper
• 2 tbsp table salt2 tbsp table salt
• 1.5 cups white vinegar1.5 cups white vinegar
• 2 cups water - for the beets2 cups water - for the beets
• 1.5 cups water - for the brine1.5 cups water - for the brine
• water - for boiling water - for boiling

US Customary - Metric

Equipment

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

Instructions

Prepping the veggies

• Cut the ends off of onions and remove the skin. Cut them in half and then slice thinly.
• Peel and thinly slice the carrots.
• Chop the tops and ends off of the beets, and slice the skin off. Cut the beets in half and slice the beets into coins.
• Chop the cauliflower into bite-sized pieces.
• Roughly chop the cilantro.

Making Encurtido

• 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. Set aside.
• Fill a small saucepan with 2 cups of water and the beets. Cook on medium heat for 20 minutes. Set aside to cool to room temperature. Do not discard the water the beets were cooked in.
• 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. Drain into a strainer and immediately rinse with cold water. Set aside.
• Place all veggies (including beets and their cooking liquid) in a large mixing bowl and add the can of pickled jalapenos including the juices.
• Toss lightly with tongs. Sprinkle salt, pepper, and oregano over the top of the veg. Add 1.5 cups of water, vinegar, and cilantro. Toss to distribute the seasoning and brine.
• 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

Encurtido {Honduran Spicy Pickled Vegetables}

Amount Per Serving

Calories 111

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

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This recipe was originally published in February 2018. It has been retested and updated with reader feedback. New photos have been added. For reference, this is one of the photos from the original post:

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