Pickled daikon and carrots are a delicious combination of sour, sweet, and crisp. They pair perfectly with heavier meat dishes, but are also tasty tucked into a sandwich. This recipe needs only five ingredients, is super easy to make, and is a refreshing pick-me-up for the palate!
Ingredients
- Daikon radish
- Carrot
- Unsweetened rice vinegar
- Sugar
- Salt
See recipe card for quantities.
Equipment
You will need a 2-cup glass jar or container for storing the pickled daikon and carrots. I have used mason jars with reusable lids and glass jars with clamp lids (affiliate links). You can also use a resealable glass food container.
Instructions
Pour just-boiled hot water into a measuring cup. Add the sugar and stir until the sugar is completely dissolved.
Add the vinegar to the measuring cup and stir. Set aside to cool completely.
Peel the daikon and carrot. Peel enough of the opaque white layers from the daikon until it appears more translucent.
Cut the daikon and carrots into matchsticks.
Combine the daikon and carrots in a colander and sprinkle with the salt. Mix with your hands to distribute the salt. The vegetables will become wet.
Set the colander over a bowl and leave the daikon and carrots for 15 minutes, stirring with your hands halfway. The daikon and carrots will be wet from the salt drawing the moisture out from them and they will become flexible and bendable.
Rinse the salt off the daikon and carrots in the colander under running water. Shake off the excess water.
Transfer the daikon and carrots to your 2-cup jar or container and add the vinegar solution into the jar, packing the daikon and carrots down so they are completely submerged. Seal the container and store in the fridge overnight.
Hint: If, after pressing down the daikon and carrots, they are not completely submerged in the pickling liquid, you can add a bit more rice vinegar or water (or both) to the jar.
Commonly Asked Questions
You can make this with all daikon or all carrots. Onions are a good option, as are bell peppers. If you have a mix of red, green, orange, and yellow bell peppers, they would make a beautiful garnish!
The salt draws the moisture out of the daikon and carrots and allows more flavor (from the pickling liquid) to be soaked in. The water in daikon can also be a bit bitter, so drawing that flavor out will help the daikon taste better. Finally, salting softens the structure of the vegetables, making them bendable, which makes them more tender and nicer to eat.
As long as you still have approximately ⅔ cups total liquid, you can play with the amounts of each ingredient to achieve the amount of sweet vs. sour that you want. You can also scale up the amount of water slightly to make the overall flavor more mild. Many recipes call for equal amounts of vinegar and sugar, but I find that too sweet for my taste.
Keep the pickled daikon and carrots in a jar in the refrigerator for 3-4 weeks.
Other Recipes You Might Like
If you're interested in more recipes similar to the pickled daikon and carrots, check out these ideas:
What To Serve With It
As I mentioned, this dish pairs perfectly with heavier meat dishes and these are a few of my favorites:
- Crispy Crunchy Cornflakes Chicken
- Chicken Skewers with Thai Curry Dipping Sauce
- Dry Rub Roast Pork Neck
- Crispy Roast Pork Belly
- Slow-Roasted Dry Rub Ribs
- Korean Kalbi Short Ribs
It would also taste great stuffed into a homemade Vietnamese style banh mi sandwich!
You're going to love how crisp and tangy and sweet and refreshing this pickled daikon and carrots recipe is. I like having a jar of it in the fridge, ready to grab and serve with whatever meat dish I've made. And if you've ever wanted to try pickling vegetables, this is a super easy (and tasty) recipe to start with!
~ Lisa.
Pickled Daikon & Carrots
Ingredients
- 225 grams daikon radish
- 1 small carrot
- 1 teaspoon salt
Pickling Liquid:
- ⅓ cup hot boiling water
- ⅓ cup rice vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- Pinch salt
Instructions
Pickling Liquid:
- In a glass measuring cup large enough to hold 1 cup of liquid, add hot just-boiled water.
- Add sugar and salt to the hot water and stir until completely dissolved.
- Add rice vinegar and stir. Set aside and let cool to room temperature.
Daikon and Carrot:
- Peel daikon and carrot and julienne-cut them or cut into thin matchsticks.
- Place daikon and carrot in a colander set in a larger bowl or dish and sprinkle 1 teaspoon salt over the vegetables.
- Use your hand to massage the salt into the daikon and carrot. Let sit for 15 minutes. The daikon and carrot will look wet and liquid will accumulate in the bowl underneath the colander.
- Massage the daikon and carrots again to squeeze out any extra liquid.
- Rinse the salt off the daikon mixture in the colander under cold running tap water. Drain.
- Place daikon and carrot mixture into a jar or sealable food container and pour in the pickling liquid.
- Press daikon mixture down so it is fully submerged in the pickling liquid.
- Place the lid on the jar or food container and refrigerate overnight before serving.
Notes
- Daikon is also known as white radish, winter radish, Japanese radish, Korean radish, Chinese radish.
- You can use all daikon and skip the carrot, if desired. Recipe also works with onions, bell peppers.
- Adjust the amount of vinegar and/or sugar in the pickling liquid, depending on how sour or sweet you like it to be.
- If using less or more vinegar, adjust the amount of water accordingly to keep the amount of pickling liquid at ⅔ cup.
- Add a chili pepper to the jar if you like a bit of spice to your pickled vegetables.
- Add julienned cucumber to the mixture for some color and variety.
- Pairs perfectly with heavier meat dishes like fried chicken, roast pork belly, ribs, etc.
- Pickled vegetables will last about 3-4 weeks in the refrigerator.
- This recipe was developed/adapted/inspired by other recipes including, but not limited to White On Rice Couple, My Korean Kitchen, What To Cook Today.
**This recipe was originally published November 16th, 2020 and republished June 23rd, 2024 with updated photos and writing.
Catherine says
Can this recipe be canned so as to have on the shelf for another day?
Hi Catherine! I have never tried, but I think canning them would work fine. Thanks for the question!
rina says
Thank you for the recipe, I eat it when I was in China and could not get enough of it. Happy I finally made it myself. I did find another recipe a while ago but lost it again but I did get the right vinegar from my favorite Chinese grocer and veggie shop. I did add a deseeded chilli and and a few black peppercorns, Can't wait to try it
Hey Rina! I'm glad you found this recipe and I hope you like it when you make it! Thanks for your comment!
Sean says
YES! One of my very favourite pickle recipes! It always makes my fridge smell weird (daikon does that) but it's SO worth it. Thanks for the comments about adjusting the sweetness too. I feel like everyone has a different preferred level of sweet/salty/sour when it comes to this pickle. Cheers!
Thanks, Sean!
NANCY says
thanks for sharing this easy and appetizer recipe! I love adding this to my sandwiches and rice bowls!
Thanks, Nancy...me, too!
Ayngelina Brogan says
I love pickled daikon and carrot but I've never made it at home. I just bought 2lbs of carrots so I think this is on my weekend to do list!
It's on my to do list for this weekend, too, Ayngelina! I hope you like it!
Ryo says
How much sugar for this recipe? I don't see it on the list of ingredients...
Hi Ryo. The sugar is listed in the recipe under "Pickling Ingredients"...2 tablespoons.
Patricia says
What a great simple recipe! Finally tried it and am so pleased with the bright refreshing flavour which acts like a palate cleanser (just like the pickled ginger that accompanies sushi). I like to have it as a side dish with heavier meat entrees, or even as a quick snack to tide me over between meals. Thanks for another recipe winner!
I love how refreshing it is, too, and how it balances heavier dishes. Thanks for sharing, Patricia!