Korean Pickled Vegetables

Come try my Korean Pickled Vegetables recipe, also known as Jangajji, a delightful side dish that combines the perfect blend of sweet, tangy, and salty flavors. These pickles are a cherished part of Korean cuisine, often enjoyed as traditional banchan alongside your main course. What makes them even more appealing is their versatility, as they’re a favorite at Korean BBQ restaurants, and the pickling brine can even double as a dipping sauce!

Korean style vegetable pickles being pickled in a pickling jar.

Why I Love This Recipe

My easy and simple-to-make Korean Pickled Vegetables are a flavorful representation of Korean cuisine, featuring cucumbers, jalapenos, radish, and more, marinated in a sweet and tangy brine inspired by the flavors found in my Korean BBQ Dipping Sauce! This dish is a versatile side that adds an explosion of flavors to your dining experience. It’s the ideal accompaniment to Korean BBQ-style dishes just like my Korean Pickled Garlic recipe, enhancing their taste with its sweet and tangy profile.

I crafted this recipe with just four straightforward ingredients for the pickle brine, requiring less than 5 minutes of preparation and highly customizable to pickled the vegetables you like! Much my Asian Pickled Vegetables and Japanese Soy Sauce Pickled Garlic, it’s a delightful addition that’s easy to make. Prepare to enhance your meals with the explosion of flavors delivered by my Korean Pickled Vegetables recipe!

Ingredients

Ingredients

  • White Vinegar – distilled white vinegar.
  • Soy Sauce – low-sodium Soy Sauce preferred. Can also use tamari for gluten-free.
  • Sweetener –  use your preferred sweetener.
  • Water – filtered water.
  • Jalapeno – fresh and sliced.
  • Cucumber – Persian, Japanese or baby cucumbers work best.
  • Korean Radish – A plump, round radish variety typically available at Asian grocery stores.
  • Onion – yellow, red, or brown onion.
  • Garlic– freshly sliced garlic.

Additional Vegetable Add Ins

You can add Carrots, Celery, Cabbage, and Daikon Japanese Radish to this pickling brine for a flavorful twist. Feel free to customize with your preferred veggies for a unique batch.

Japanese radish daikon, garlic, jalapeno and cucumber ready for pickling.

Essential Kitchen Equipment

Directions

Step 1 In a stove-top pot, combine water, white vinegar, sweetener, and soy sauce. Bring it to a boil, then remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature. This step ensures the sweetener dissolves completely in the brine.

Ingredients for Korean picked vegetables.

🌡️ Brine Temperature Pro Tip

For the best crunch in your pickled vegetables, it’s advisable to wait until the brine cools to Room Temperature before adding them. While some may add the vegetables while the brine is still hot, my testing has shown that cooling the brine results in crunchier vegetables.

Step 2 In a pickling jar, place sliced cucumbers, jalapeno, radish, onion, and freshly sliced garlic.

Korean picked vegetables in a pickling jar.

Step 3 Pour the cooled pickling brine over the vegetables until they are fully submerged. Cover the jar and let them marinate for at least 24 hours in the fridge.

Korean picked vegetables in a bowl.

📄 Recipe Notes

For the best flavor, it’s recommended to wait at least 48 Hours or 2 Days before enjoying the pickled vegetables.

Paring Recommendations

These pickles pair excellently with various Korean BBQ-style dishes, enhancing their flavors with their sweet and tangy profile. Consider serving them alongside dishes like Korean BBQ Garlic Pork Belly, Grilled Pork Belly, or Short Ribs Marinade. Additionally, you can use the pickling juice as a dipping sauce for Pan Seared Brisket, Beef Brisket Stir Fry, or my Korean BBQ Pork Jowl dishes adding an extra layer of taste to your meal!

Pickled Korean vegetables in a side dish bowl being picked up with a pair of chopsticks.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a specific type of vinegar I should use for the brine?

You can use distilled white vinegar for the brine. It's readily available and works well in this recipe.

Can I adjust the level of spiciness in these pickles?

Certainly! You can control the spice level by adjusting the amount of jalapeno you use. Removing the seeds can make them milder.

Are these pickles served cold or at room temperature?

These pickles are typically served cold directly from the refrigerator to preserve their crispness.

Storage Tips

To store leftovers, simply place them in a pickling jar with the lid closed and store it in the fridge. They will stay fresh for 4-6 weeks.

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Watch How To Make It

Pickled Korean vegetables in a side dish bowl being picked up with a pair of chopsticks.

Korean Pickled Vegetables

Elevate your meals with my Korean Pickled Vegetables recipe. Discover the art of making Korean pickles with this simple and delightful recipe. Perfect as a side dish, it's a Korean pickle recipe that adds a burst of sweet, tangy, and salty flavors to your dining experience.
5 from 7 votes
Course: Pickles, Side Dish
Cuisine: Korean
Keyword: Korean pickle recipe, Korean pickled vegetables, Korean pickles
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 1 day
Total Time: 1 day 5 minutes
Servings: 10
Print Recipe
Calories: 6kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 Cup Soy Sauce
  • 1/4 Cup Water
  • 3 tbsp White Vinegar
  • 1/4 Cup Sweetener your preferred sweetener
  • 1 Jalapeno
  • 3 Cucumbers Persian, Japanese or baby cucumbers
  • 3 Inch Korean Radish can sub with Japanese radish daikon
  • 1/4 Onion
  • 5-8 Garlic

Instructions

  • Gather all the ingredients.
    Ingredients for Korean picked vegetables.
  • In a stovetop pot, add water, white vinegar, sweetener, soy sauce, and bring to boil on high heat. Once boiling, remove from heat and set aside to cool down.
    Brine for Korean picked vegetables.
  • Prepare all the vegetables by slicing them into bite size pieces. Note - you can de-seed jalapeno if you prefer less spicy.
    Sliced jalapenos.
  • Transfer prepared vegetables to a glass pickling jar (doesn't have to be packed) and pour in cooled pickling liquid from step 2).
    Korean picked vegetables in a pickling jar.
  • Transfer to a refrigerator and let it pickle at least 24 hours. Note - for optimal flavors, wait 2 days.
    Korean picked vegetables in a pickling jar.

Nutrition

Calories: 6kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 131mg | Potassium: 37mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 18IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 1mg

*Values Based Per Serving

2 Comments

  1. I wonder how hard boiled eggs would taste with this brine? 🤔 Sounds yummy with the vegees or eggs, I’m going to give it a try.

5 from 7 votes (7 ratings without comment)

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