Sweet, spicy and tangy- these Mexican pickled vegetables (aka Escabeche) are an absolute riot of flavors. Just a couple of spoonfuls of this condiment can elevate your favorite tacos, Mexican deviled eggs and other Mexican dishes and take them to the next level.
Best of all, this quick and easy recipe comes together in under 20 minutes!
Quite recently, I’ve developed an inclination towards pickles and condiments. They’re packed with flavor, and can be a super side dish to put together with any of your simple mains.
And when I tried my balsamic pickled onions and Mexican pickled carrots, my family was legit obsessed, so of course, I had to try my hands at something else too.
Quick Look: Mexican Pickled Vegetables
- 🔪Prep time: 10 minutes.
- ⏲️Cook time: 10 minutes.
- 👪 Servings: 6 servings.
- 📋Main ingredients: Carrots, jalapenos, red onion, radish, garlic, apple cider vinegar, black peppercorn, bay leaf, oregano, lime juice.
- ♨️Cooking method: Slice veggies 🡢 prepare brine 🡢 pour brine over the veggies 🡢 allow to rest 🡢 serve.
- ⭐Difficulty: Easy.
- 🥣Serving ideas: Spoon over your Tajin shrimp tacos to take them to the next level.
Jump to:
What's So Great About the Recipe?
- Escabeche has the perfect sweet and spicy flavor. The texture from the slightly crunchy veggies is another big plus.
- You can batch make these hot pickled veggies and they can stay good for weeks, just like my lime pickled onions.
- Plus, since this one’s a quick pickle, you don’t need to go through any of that water bath canning process too!
Recipe Ingredients
Veggies: You’ll need to start with some fresh veggies including carrots, red onions, radishes, jalapenos and garlic to make the vegetable escabeche.
Apple cider vinegar: Apple cider vinegar, with its fruity flavor, is the perfect choice to make the pickling liquid base.
Lime: A dash of lime juice also helps bring some citrusy flavor to the spicy pickled vegetables.
Spices: To add some earthy undertones, I added about 8-12 whole black peppercorns and a single bay leaf.
Sugar: You’ll also need a bit of sugar to balance out the tanginess from the brine and the heat from the jalapeños.
Oregano: I also added a pinch of Mexican oregano because I had it at hand. You can skip adding it if you don’t have it.
See recipe card for quantities.
Variations & Substitutions
- If you don’t have apple cider vinegar, you could stick to using your regular white vinegar instead. You can also use hot pepper vinegar if you want it to be even more spicy.
- Experiment with other veggies like cauliflower, jicama and other peppers like serrano peppers if you want to make the Escabeche super spicy.
- If you don’t have a lot of veggies and want to keep it simple, just stick to using pickled carrots and jalapenos to make the quick and easy Escabeche.
How to Make Mexican Pickled Vegetables
Step 1: Start by slicing all your veggies.
Step 2: In a pot, combine the vinegar, sugar, garlic, whole spices, oregano, lime juice and some water and bring to a boil.
Step 3: Add carrots to the slightly hot mixture and let cool.
Step 4: Pack all the veggies in a mason jar or a glass jar.
Step 5: Pour the pickling mixture over the vegetables and refrigerate for 24 hours or more before serving.
💭Top Tip
To add a nice pop of color to the Mexican pickled veggies, you can also add some chopped cilantro into the mix.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- I used whole garlic cloves for the recipe, but you can also choose to slice them up if you want to- like I did when I made my quick pickled radish.
- Depending on your personal taste preference, you can also increase or reduce the amount of jalapenos you’re adding to make the brine a little less spicy.
- Regardless of how many vegetables you’re using, make sure you cut the vegetables such that they’re roughly the same size.
- Remember to use enough of the pickling liquid to cover all the veggies.
- If you suspect you don’t have enough liquid, use a mix of vinegar and water to make the brine.
- You can also experiment with the way you cut these veggies. I love cutting them into rounds like these, but you could also try chopping them into sticks- like I did when I made my carrot ginger pickle and pickled shredded carrots.
- To make slicing the veggies easier, you can use a mandolin slicer.
Serving Ideas & Suggestions
Traditional Escabeche is served as a side with almost any and all Mexican recipes. In my opinion, the spicy pickled carrots and other veggies taste great on tacos and in burritos and enchiladas. I love using them as a topping over my Air Fryer walking tacos and Mexican baked potatoes.
These tangy and spicy veggies can also be a great topping on your breakfast toast or when teamed up with some scrambled eggs. I also love serving these with the classic Mexican Migas and with my Huevos Rancheros, and sometimes even on my burrito bowls.
Troubleshooting & FAQs
Storing the Escabeche is super easy. All you need to do is make sure you use clean glass jars and containers, preferably ones with an airtight lid, and then keep it refrigerated at all times. Another important tip to take note of is to always have the veggies submerged in the brine.
You don’t necessarily need to, but it is recommended for slightly harder veggies like cauliflower florets, carrots and radishes. If you prefer a bit of a crunch factor, you could totally skip that step.
If you’re running short of just a teeny bit of the liquid, just wait for an hour to let the veggies become tender, and then using a spoon, push them inside to make sure the brine covers them nicely.
More Mexican Recipes
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
If you tried this Mexican pickled vegetables or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Mexican Pickled Vegetables
Ingredients
- 1 carrot
- 2 jalapenos
- 1 red onion
- 1 radish
- 2-3 garlic
- 8-12 black peppercorns
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 lime juiced
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon oregano
Instructions
- Start by slicing all your veggies.
- In a pot, combine the vinegar, sugar, garlic, whole spices, oregano, lime juice and some water and bring to a boil.
- Add carrots to the slightly hot mixture and let cool.
- Pack all the veggies in a mason jar or a glass jar.
- Pour the pickling mixture over the vegetables and refrigerate for 24 hours or more before serving.
