Quick-pickled radishes are my go-to taco topping. I'm not the biggest fan of radishes, but once they've sat around in a vinegar bath for a while they basically turn into pure gold.

Pickled radishes add bright, tangy flavor and a satisfying crunch to tacos, burrito bowls, salads, and breakfast hashes. Whenever I make them, the jar is empty within days!

This recipe is fundamentally identical to my quick-pickled jalapeños recipe, but with radishes and garlic. I was so enamored with the pictures I took that I decided to make two separate posts...just to showcase the pictures.

The addition of a couple smashed garlic cloves lends a stimulating scent to these quick-pickled radishes.

And yes, you can eat the garlic, too! As a matter of fact, you could make a whole jar of just pickled garlic cloves...okay, I really need to stop before I get too off track.

As mentioned, pickled radishes make an awesome topping for tacos, nachos, or burrito bowls.

You could also slice them into strips before pickling and add them to a slaw—now that I mention it, I have to give that a try!

Make It Your Own

If you're feeling adventurous, pickling is a great opportunity to play around with flavors.

You can add peppercorns, mustard seeds, fresh herbs, or even a different kind of vinegar.

Pickling is fun. Change things up and find your perfect combo!

📖 Recipe

Garlicky Quick Pickled Radishes

Author: Chelsea at Do You Even Paleo
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 1 jar of pickled radishes 1x
Category: Side dish
Method: pickled

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Ingredients

Scale

~2 cups halved and sliced radishes
2 garlic cloves, smashed
½ cup vinegar
½ cup water
2 tablespoons sugar or honey (optional)

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Instructions

Clean the pint-size mason jar you're using in warm soapy water and set aside to dry or hand dry.
Pack all of the sliced radishes and garlic cloves into the mason jar, leaving at least ½ inch of head space.
Add the vinegar and water to a small saucepan. Heat over medium to medium-high heat until it's just about to boil (but not quite boiling). How do you know when it's just about to boil? You should be able to hear the water audibly "roaring" and there will be bubbles forming in the bottom of the pot. They may try to make their way to the surface, but they don't pop on the surface. If they're popping on the surface and splashing, the water is boiling—just reduce heat to bring it back to just-before-boiling.
Remove from heat and add the sugar or honey, if using. Stir until the sweetener completely dissolves. Let the pickling liquid cool for up to 10 minutes.
Pour the pickling liquid over the sliced radishes and garlic, making sure they're all immersed in liquid. Cap off the jar and let cool a bit before putting it in the fridge.
The radishes should be pickled and ready to use after a couple days, and will last for months when kept refrigerated!

Keywords: Garlicky Quick Pickled Radishes