Simple Pickled Turnips

Time to pickle again! This time, I’ve got another recent favorite of mine: Pickled turnips. They are a classic Levantine pickle, and now I know why. Lots of flavor, a great crunch, and a vibrant color, what could you want more from a pickle? Also, they are super easy and cheap to make as well. Let’s get right into it.

Ingredients for making Pickled Turnips

• Turnips
• Red beet
• White wine vinegar
• Water
• Salt
• Sugar
• Optional: Spices (bay leaves, chili, mustard seeds, other pickling spices)

While turnips are the main ingredient for this dish, it is traditional to sneak in some beetroot as well. The beetroot is a fantastic pickle itself (check out the pickled beetroot recipe) with a fantastic crunch and lots of flavor. In this recipe, the beet is responsible for adding a light flavor and a lot of color to the otherwise white turnips.

Aside from that, we are going to use a basic pickling brine. Plain cheap white wine vinegar, water, sugar, and salt are all you need for this.

This recipe leaves room to customize the pickling liquid with spices of your choice. I used a bay leaf and three cloves of garlic, and they tasted fantastic just like that.

How to make Pickled Turnips:

Making pickled turnips is super easy. Firstly, we will want to have our equipment nice and clean. You will want to wash and clean your pickling jars with boiling water before getting started with the recipe.

Next, we can take care of the turnips and beetroots. Peel them and then cut them into sticks. I like to keep them quite big (0.5 inch or a bit over a centimeter). They take a bit of time to pickle, but for me, that’s the perfect size for them. Add the turnips and beetroot to your pickling jar. If you want to add any spices, add them as well.

I’d recommend not overstuffing the jar with the vegetables so there is enough space for the pickling liquid to do its magic.

Finally, we will make the brine. Add equal parts of white wine vinegar and water to your saucepan and bring to a simmer. Next, add the sugar and salt and dissolve them into the brine.

When the brine is nice and hot, pour the hot liquid into your pickling jar. Make sure the turnips and beet are completely submerged in pickling liquid.

Close the jar and let it cool to room temperature before transferring it into the fridge. The pickled turnips will last for a month at least, if not longer. From my experience, you will most likely finish them much sooner anyways 😉

Serving Suggestions:

There are endless options on how to enjoy these pickled turnips. I am recently really into Lebanese-style breakfasts, where you get a plate of fresh vegetables and pickles with your meal.

A piece of za’atar manakish, a bowl of hot musabaha, flatbread, and a plate of sliced tomatoes, olives, pickled turnips, fresh onion, pickled cucumber, and a few stalks of mint is pretty much heaven on earth for a slow Sunday morning.

Otherwise, they are a typical and delicious addition to falafel wraps, which takes them to the next level!

But you don’t need to enjoy them Levantine-style: Having them on avocado toast, as a sandwich topping, in salads or bowls, or as a snack on their own: There are countless options!

I hope you like these pickled turnips as much as I do. I have been eating mine for weeks every day, and I’m still not tired of them. Let me know what you like to have in the comments!

Some Recipe Suggestions:

• Pickled onions
• Do Chua
• Pickled cauliflower
• Pickled red cabbage

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