How to Prepare Quick Pickled Garnishes
Quick pickled garnishes are the secret weapon every home cook should know. They’re fast, easy, and they bring life to any plate.
A splash of color. A burst of flavor. A little crunch. Suddenly, your meal looks and tastes like something from a restaurant.
Pickling doesn’t have to be a long, complicated process. Quick pickles skip the hours of canning and fermenting. Instead, they soak in a simple vinegar brine and transform in minutes or a few hours. You control the flavors—bright and tangy, lightly sweet, or spiced with heat.
These garnishes do more than decorate. They balance rich, fatty dishes. They cut through heavy flavors. They wake up grilled meats, tacos, grain bowls, and sandwiches. Even a humble salad feels special when topped with a few pickled onions or radishes.
They’re also a great way to use extra produce before it goes bad. That half cucumber, leftover carrot, or small bunch of herbs can shine again in a jar of brine.
In this post, you’ll learn how to make quick pickles in minutes. You’ll see flavor ideas and pairing tips. And you’ll find out just how much a little jar of tangy crunch can do for your cooking.
| Vegetable | Description | Why it works as a garnish |
|---|---|---|
| Asparagus | Tender tips and crisp stems take on brine well. | Elegant garnish for charcuterie boards and plated mains. |
| Beet | Earthy and sweet, colors brine a deep magenta. | Striking color and flavor boost to salads and sides. |
| Bell Pepper | Sweet and juicy, softens slightly without losing brightness. | Vibrant color variety enhances presentation. |
| Carrot | Sweet and firm, holds up well in brine. | Adds sweetness, texture, and bright orange color. |
| Cauliflower | Soaks up brine flavors while retaining a firm bite. | Unique shape and color variety for visual interest. |
| Cucumber | Classic pickle choice, absorbs flavor quickly and stays crisp. | Fresh, cooling contrast to spicy or rich foods. |
| Fennel | Mildly sweet with a hint of licorice flavor. | Adds a delicate, aromatic note to seafood or light dishes. |
| Green Bean | Firm and snappy, holds shape and color. | Perfect for adding crunch and freshness. |
| Radish | Bright and peppery, it keeps its crunch after quick pickling. | Brings bite and a pop of red or pink to plates. |
| Red Onion | Thinly sliced, it turns a vibrant pink in brine with a mild tang. | Adds color, crunch, and a mellow sharpness to many dishes. |
Simple Marinated (Pickled) Cucumbers
Ingredients
- ¼ garden cucumber
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cut the cucumber in half length wise and then thinly slice crosswise. Transfer to a bowl.
- Add the vinegar, season with salt and pepper and toss to coat.
- Let this sit for at least 10 minutes, stirring every once in a while.
- Use as a garnish.
Notes
Pickled Radishes and Cucumber Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cloves garlic
- 3 ounces radishes about 4
- 2 Persian cucumbers or ⅓ English cucumber
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1½ teaspoons brown & yellow mustard seeds
- ¼ cup water
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Peel the garlic and smash it carefully with the flat side of a chef's knife or with a small pot.
- Cut the ends off the radishes and thinly slice them.
- Halve the cucumbers lengthwise and thinly cut crosswise.
- In a small sauce pot, combine the smashed garlic, vinegar, sugar, mustard seeds and ¼ cup of water.
- Bring to a boil and cook for a couple of minutes while stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat.
- In a small bowl, add the radishes and cucumbers and cover with the marinade.
- Let sit for at least 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
- Serve as garnish.
Quick Pickled Beets
Ingredients
- 4 ounces cooked beets diced
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ¼ cup water
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Dice the cooked beets, small dice is best.
- In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar, sugar and water. Bring to boil and cook for 1 minute until the sugar is dissolvede. Stir frequently.
- Remove from heat.
- In a small bowl, add the diced beets and pour the vinegar/water mixture over them. Stir to cover beets.
- Let sit for at least 10 minutes remembering to stir every once in a while.
- Serve as garnish.
Pickled Radishes
Ingredients
- 3 ounces radishes
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Slice the radishes in half lengthwise and then thinly slice them crosswise. Transfer to a small bowl.
- Add the vinegar and sesame oil, season with salt and pepper and stir to coat.
- Let this sit for at least 10 minutes then serve as garnish.
Pickled Shallots for Garnish
Ingredients
- 1 shallot peeled and sliced thin
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- ¼ cup water
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Slice the peeled shallot into thin slices. Transfer to a small bowl.
- In a small sauce pan, combine the vinegar, sugar and ¼ cup of water. Season with salt and pepper.
- Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for one minute until the sugar dissolves. Stir frequently.
- Remove from heat and pour mixture over the reserved shallots.
- Let sit for at least 10 minutes for the shallot to pickle.
- Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
- Serve as garnish.
Quick Pickled Grapes
Ingredients
- 2 ounces red seedless grapes sliced
- 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Cut the grapes into slices
- Combine the vinegar, sugar and salt in a small bowl.
- Stir to combine ingredients and the sugar dissolves.
- Add the sliced grapes to the bowl and stir to combine.
- Let this sit for at least 10 minutes to pickle the grapes.
- Serve as garnish.
Why Add a Pickled Garnish to a Recipe?
I like to add a garnish because it makes the plate look more appetizing but there are several more reasons to add them.
| Reason | Description | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Brightens flavor | Acid in the brine adds a clean, tangy note to ingredients. | Acidity wakes the palate and prevents dishes from tasting flat or heavy. |
| Balances richness | Pickles cut through fat and oil with sharp, refreshing contrast. | They make rich dishes feel lighter and more layered. |
| Adds texture | Quick pickles keep a crisp, snappy bite. | Contrast lifts mouthfeel and keeps each bite interesting. |
| Boosts color & plating | Vivid pinks, reds, and greens make plates pop. | Visual appeal heightens appetite and signals freshness. |
| Extends produce life | A quick brine preserves vegetables for days to weeks. | You waste less and get more mileage from leftovers. |
| Easy flavor variation | Change sugar, spice, or herb levels to shift the profile. | One technique yields many complementary garnishes for different dishes. |
| Simple, fast prep | Quick pickles take minutes to make and hours to mellow. | You can prepare them on the fly and use them the same day. |
What is Pickling?
Pickling is a process to preserve food by way of brine or vinegar. The most popular example of pickling is a pickle but history shows pickling goes way back in time as early a 2400 BCE in India.
The two most common ways of pickling are brine fermentation or immersion in vinegar. The process not only preserves the ingredient but also changes its taste and flavor. A pickled cucumber tastes so much different than a non-pickled cucumber. Both are good but different.
Today, there is a lot of talk about the health benefits of pickled foods. You hear about the benefits of eating fermented foods because they are full of probiotics that are good for your stomach.
How Long Does It Take to Pickle Something?
Depends on what process you are using for pickling. If you are fermenting your ingredients in a salt water brine, it can take days or weeks for the fermentation process to complete its task.
If you are pickling in vinegar, it can take as little as ten minutes or up to 5 days depending what you are pickling and what you are using to do the job. The pickling I’m talking about for this post is quick and easy and can be done while you are preparing the rest of the meal.
To learn more about pickling, check out this site – How to Pickle.
Did you know Americans eat more than 2.5 billion pounds of pickles each year?
“In a Pickle”
We’ve all heard the expression being “in a pickle” and know it to mean being in a difficult situation but do you know where this idiom comes from? If you do, let me know because I’ve been looking all over the Internet and have not found a reliable meaning.
The best history I’ve found is from Bon Appetit and includes the Dutch expression “in de pekel zitten” and Shakespeare’s “How camest thou in this pickle?”.
The author concludes the expression comes from the English use of the word “pickle to refer to what any American hot dog vendor would call “relish”…..Like the veggies in the relish, if you’re in a pickle, you’re in a state of jumbled disarray.”
Pickled or Marinated
If you marinate sliced cucumbers in a mixture of vinegar and a little bit of oil, is that pickling? I would say yes.
This week I marinated diced Persian cucumbers in apple cider vinegar with a touch of olive oil, salt & pepper and let them sit for 10 minutes. I would call these pickled diced cucumbers.
A few weeks ago I combined vinegar, garlic, sugar and water in a small pot and brought it to a boil for a couple of minutes and then let it cool. I poured this into a bowl with sliced radishes and cucumber and let it sit for 10 minutes. I would call this pickled radish and cucumbers.
Both made great garnishes for the dishes we were preparing, providing color and a wonderful layer of flavor.
Pickled Radishes
Ingredients
- 3 ounces radishes
- 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Slice the radishes in half lengthwise and then thinly slice them crosswise. Transfer to a small bowl.
- Add the vinegar and sesame oil, season with salt and pepper and stir to coat.
- Let this sit for at least 10 minutes then serve as garnish.
