Pickled cauliflower is a seriously underrated pickle. It is crunchy and tastes fantastic. Also, it is super simple and quick to make. The pickled cauliflower keeps forever in the fridge, and it is an easy hack to introduce lots of flavor to your dishes. No matter if you make salads, sandwiches, tacos, or soups, pickled cauliflower can give your dishes a certain something! This recipe comes together in about 20 minutes, and you can easily make a lot of it without a hassle! Are you sold? Then let’s pickle some cauliflower!
Ingredients for this Pickled Cauliflower Recipe:
- Cauliflower
- White wine vinegar
- Salt
- Sugar
- Optional: Pickling spices (bay leaves, pepper, mustard seeds, etc.)
For this recipe, you can use any cauliflower you like. Purple cauliflower can look super cool when pickling, which can be especially nice if you want to make this pickled cauliflower as a nice-looking condiment. I am going with white cauliflower today. While you can theoretically pickle with any vinegar, I like to keep it simple by using cheap white wine vinegar. It is my go-to when pickling. For me, it is usually not worth spending the extra buck for something like apple cider vinegar when pickling. Regarding pickling spices, there is no right or wrong either. You can use whatever you like to infuse your cauliflower with extra flavor. I am going with a trusted mix of bay leaf, mustard seeds, and black peppercorns. If you want to make a specific version of this recipe as a condiment, you might even go for more exotic flavors!
How to make Pickled Cauliflower:
Making the pickled cauliflower is super simple. Give the cauliflower a thorough wash before breaking it up. Add the florets into sterile pickling jars. I am using two 500ml mason jars today, for which I needed only half a medium-sized cauliflower. Also, add the pickling spices of your choice. I might use the leftover cauliflower to make some delicious miso-glazed cauliflower!
Making the Pickling Liquid:
Add equal parts water and white wine vinegar in a pot until hot. Dissolve the sugar and salt in the brine. Then, pour the hot liquid into the pickling jars. Make sure the cauliflower is submerged in the liquid. Finally, close the jars and let the pickled cauliflower cool to room temperature before transferring it into the fridge for storage. They should keep well for weeks, if not months, if stored in the refrigerator.
Serving Suggestions:
This pickled cauliflower is something special. The pickling liquid softens the cauliflower, but a nice little crunch remains. Depending on how the pickling liquid is flavored, it takes on a lot of that flavor. So, depending on how you customize this recipe, you can use the pickled cauliflower for different things!
My favorite uses are adding it to salads and bowls, thinly slicing it on sandwiches like this avocado toast with pickles, or adding it to dishes like falafel wrap. Thinly slicing it as a topping for soups is fantastic, too.
But there are no limits to your creativity. Let me know what you used your pickled cauliflower for in the comments below.
Some Recipe Suggestions:
- Pickled Onions
- Pickled Radish
- Do Chua – Vietnamese Pickle
- Pickled Beets
- Pickled Cucumbers
- Pickled Garlic
- Pickled Red Cabbage
Pickled Cauliflower Recipe
pickled cauliflower is a seriously underrated pickle. It is super easy to make and has a delicious crunch.
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 500ml jars 1x
Ingredients
1/2 cauliflower (medium-sized)
150ml water
150ml white wine vinegar
2 tbsp salt
2 tbsp sugar
2 tsp mustard seeds
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp peppercorns
Instructions
Give the cauliflower a thorough wash before breaking it up. Add the florets into sterile pickling jars. Also, add the pickling spices of your choice.
Heat the water and white wine vinegar in a pot until hot. Dissolve the sugar and salt in the brine. Then, pour the hot liquid into the pickling jars. Make sure the cauliflower is submerged in the liquid.
Close the jars and let the pickled cauliflower cool to room temperature before transferring it into the fridge for storage.
Notes
You can switch or substitute the spices to infuse the cauliflower with other flavors.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: pickle, condiment
- Method: Pickling
- Cuisine: International
- Diet: Vegan