Name: Making homemade pickles has never been easier with this recipe
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 20 min
Ingredients: 2 cups white wine vinegar; 2 cups water; 2 Tbsp sea salt; 1/2 cup caster sugar; 2 Lebanese cucumbers, thinly sliced; 400g baby carrots, peeled, halved; 2 red onions, thinly sliced; 1/4 cup fresh dill sprigs; 2 tsp yellow mustard seeds; 2 fresh bay leaves; 1 tsp fennel seeds; 1/2 bunch fresh thyme; 1 tsp black peppercorns

If you’re going through your jars of gherkins and pickled onions like nobody’s business, then it’s time to try out making them yourself. This easy pickle recipe will give you jars and jars of delicious pickles in just 20 minutes (apart from the overnight marinating).

Ingredients

2 cups white wine vinegar

2 cups water

2 Tbsp sea salt

1/2 cup caster sugar

2 Lebanese cucumbers, thinly sliced

400g baby carrots, peeled, halved

2 red onions, thinly sliced

1/4 cup fresh dill sprigs

2 tsp yellow mustard seeds

2 fresh bay leaves

1 tsp fennel seeds

1/2 bunch fresh thyme

1 tsp black peppercorns

Method

Step 1

Combine vinegar, water, salt and sugar in a saucepan on medium heat until sugar and salt dissolve.

Step 2

Divide cucumber, carrot and onion among three sterilised 500ml jars. Add dill and mustard seeds to cucumber jar. Add bay leaves and fennel seeds to onion jar. Add thyme sprigs and peppercorns to carrot jar.

Step 3

Pour vinegar mixture over vegetables. Seal, then cover and refrigerate for at least 1 day.

Pickle slicing options

There are heaps of different shapes that your pickles can be cut into – it all depends on what you’re using them for!

Rounds or discs

Rounds of cucumber, carrot, or radish work well for burgers and when added to antipasto boards. Often called ‘pickle chips’, this shape is easy to make – simply cut into thin slices. If you’d like more texture and crunch to your rounds, use a crinkle cutter.

Spears

Spears are great for snacking on! The best vegetable for this shape is a cucumber. Slice the cucumber lengthways and then cut into quarters, creating a ‘spear’ that holds lots of pickly goodness and crunch.

Sandwich slices

Sandwich slices are best for cucumbers, carrots and other long, cylindrical vegetables. Use a potato peeler or mandolin and cut down lengthways to create thin slices that can drape easily onto a sandwich. This thickness will pickle very quickly, so you won’t have to leave them overnight. For a thicker sandwich slice, use a knife and cut around 6mm thick.

How to sterilise jars

To sterilise jars, wash jars and lids in hot, soapy water.
Rinse, then put on a tray in a 120°C oven for 10 minutes or until dry. (Remove rubber seals first!)
To sterilise rubber seals, put them in a container and cover with just-boiled water.

pickle recipe with cucumber pickles, carrot pickles and pickled onions in three separate jars — *(Photography: Tim Roberts, Styling: Lucy Busuttil, Recipes: Clare Maguire)*

What is the 321 rule for pickles?

The 321 rule for pickles refers to the ratio of ingredients used. Pickle recipes have a basic formula of 3 parts vinegar, 2 parts water, and 1 part sugar. You can then add in other flavour pairings, such as dill, mustard seed, bay leaves and other herbs.

Clare Maguire

Food editor Sarah Murphy Food editor

Sarah began her career in the Australian food media industry 14 years ago. She is now the Food Editor for Better Homes and Gardens, Woman’s Day and Take 5 and loves creating clever and achievable recipes for readers (that will still impress too!)