Quick Pickled Kohlrabi Recipe (2024)

Published: / Modified: by Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN / This post may contain affiliate links / Leave a Comment

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If you’re wondering about preserving kohlrabi, you have to try this pickled kohlrabi recipe! It’s crunchy and zesty with tons of flavor in each spear. Plus, it keeps for a while in the refrigerator so you can enjoy kohlrabi for weeks.

Quick Pickled Kohlrabi Recipe (1)

Pickling vegetables is one of my favorite methods of preserving them for later use, especially if I have too much of something on hand and want to avoid food waste. Some of my favorites include my Quick Pickled Red Onions and Pickled Celery, but this new pickled kohlrabi is already climbing the ranks!

It turns out that kohlrabi has the perfect texture for pickling. It’s refreshingly crisp and becomes even more so after soaking in a quick vinegar brine. Plus, you can cut kohlrabi into spears — the ideal pickle shape!

So if you find yourself with a lot of kohlrabi in your CSA share box or if you just picked it up at the farmers market for the first time, this recipe is for you. Enjoy it as a snack or use it in recipes like salads and slaws. Whatever you do, remember to report back and let me know! For another way to try kohlrabi, see the Sautéed Kohlrabi.

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  • Ingredients and Substitutions
  • Variations
  • Instructions
  • Storage
  • Serving
  • More Kohlrabi Recipes
  • 📖 Recipe
  • 💬 Comments
Quick Pickled Kohlrabi Recipe (2)

Ingredients and Substitutions

  • Kohlrabi: You can use purple or green. If you have a lot of bulbs, double or triple the recipe. Just remember that you’ll need more or bigger jars!
  • Vinegar: I used white wine vinegar, but you can substitute red wine or apple cider vinegar.
  • Water: Use equal parts water and vinegar for the brine.
  • Sugar: Granulated sugar works best in pickled vegetable recipes IMO, but you can sub other types of sugar.
  • Salt: Table, kosher, or sea salts all work.
  • Dried dill: Substitute fresh (1 to 2 teaspoons instead of ½ teaspoon dried) if that’s what you have.
  • Whole peppercorns: Omit these if you don’t want a little spice. Whole peppercorns are preferred, since they infuse the brine with flavor, but you can use a few shakes of ground black pepper if that’s what you have.
Quick Pickled Kohlrabi Recipe (3)

Variations

Pickled kohlrabi is so easy to customize! Keep the main brine ingredients the same (vinegar, water, salt, and sugar), but feel free to play around with the other seasonings you add. You can add mustard, celery, or fennel seeds, red pepper flakes (for some heat), garlic, or fresh herbs.

Instructions

The full recipe card with ingredient quantities is at the bottom of the post. Here’s a preview of the steps with photos to guide you.

Quick Pickled Kohlrabi Recipe (4)

Peel and cut the kohlrabi into thick matchsticks/spears. See How to Peel Kohlrabi for tips. If you don’t want spears, you can also pickle kohlrabi in cubes or thin, slaw-like pieces.

Quick Pickled Kohlrabi Recipe (5)

Combine the brine ingredients, except the dill, in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes until the salt and sugar dissolve.

Quick Pickled Kohlrabi Recipe (6)

Stuff the spears into a wide mouth glass jar, at least 16 ounces. I like to use these Ball mason jars. If you only have smaller jars, you can divide the ingredients into 2 of them.

Quick Pickled Kohlrabi Recipe (7)

Stir the dill into the prepared brine, then pour it over the kohlrabi spears. Seal the jar and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to cool. Then, transfer the jar to the refrigerator.

Storage

Pickled kohlrabi lasts for at least 2 weeks in the refrigerator (and likely longer, if you don’t eat it all first). Remember that this recipe is not intended for making canned kohlrabi that’s shelf-stable. It is a quick/refrigerator pickle recipe.

Quick Pickled Kohlrabi Recipe (8)

Serving

If you’re wondering what pickled kohlrabi tastes like, it’s similar in texture to broccoli stems and tastes like a cross between broccoli and pickled cabbage. The dill provides a hint of that signature pickle taste too. I like to eat pickled kohlrabi straight from the jar, but you can also cut it up into thin matchsticks for a kohlrabi slaw or use it in salads (even egg or chicken salad!) and on charcuterie boards.

More Kohlrabi Recipes

  • Sautéed Kohlrabi (with the greens)
  • Lemon Dill Kohlrabi Fritters
  • How to Peel Kohlrabi (with Video)
  • Whole Roasted Kohlrabi with Pomegranate Reduction

See more Kohlrabi →

I’d love to hear how you like this recipe! Rate/review using the stars on the recipe card or in the comments, and follow the Veg World on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Looking for something totally different? Browse the recipe library.

📖 Recipe

Quick Pickled Kohlrabi Recipe (13)

Quick Pickled Kohlrabi

Refrigerator pickled kohlrabi is a delicious way to preserve this unique vegetable! Vinegar, dill, and peppercorns contribute a ton of flavor to every spear.

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 5 minutes mins

Resting Time: 30 minutes mins

Total Time: 50 minutes mins

Servings: 8 ¼-cup servings

Calories: 25kcal

Author: Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN

Equipment

  • Wide mouth glass jars (at least 16 ounces)

Ingredients

  • 1 pound kohlrabi - about 1 medium bulb
  • ½ cup white wine vinegar - can sub red wine or apple cider vinegar
  • ½ cup water
  • 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon whole peppercorns
  • ½ teaspoon dried dill - can sub 1 to 2 teaspoons fresh

Instructions

  • Peel and slice the kohlrabi into spears/thick matchsticks. See How to Peel Kohlrabi for more tips.

  • In a saucepan, combine the white wine vinegar, water, sugar, salt, and peppercorns. Bring to a simmer and cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sugar and salt dissolve. Remove from heat.

  • Stuff the kohlrabi spears into a wide mouth glass jar, at least 16 ounces. If you only have smaller jars, divide the kohlrabi across 2 or 3 of them.

  • Mix the dill into the brine. Pour the brine over the kohlrabi spears. You may have a little extra brine.

  • Seal the jar(s). Let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes to cool before transferring to the fridge.

  • You can enjoy the kohlrabi right away after 30 minutes or let it chill in the fridge overnight before eating.

  • Leave a rating or review by tapping the stars on this recipe card (above) or in the comments section (at the end of the post)!

Notes

  • Keep the sealed jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. Pickled kohlrabi can often last longer than 2 weeks, but inspect it for any signs of mold or soiling before eating. Keep in mind that this is not a canning recipe and is not intended to make shelf-stable kohlrabi, so you have the store the jar in the refrigerator.
  • Enjoy the spears on their own as a snack, sliced into thin matchsticks for a slaw, or added to charcuterie boards.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.25cup | Calories: 25kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 0.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.01g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.03g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 304mg | Potassium: 210mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 26IU | Vitamin C: 35mg | Calcium: 17mg | Iron: 0.4mg

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Quick Pickled Kohlrabi Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Which vinegar is best for quick pickling? ›

Distilled white vinegar is the most commonly used, because it has a clean, crisp flavor that retains the produce's original taste and color best. Apple cider vinegar lends a milder, sweeter flavor if you don't mind the darker color. White wine, red wine and champagne vinegar all are great to use with pickling.

What is the best pickling ratio? ›

The classic ratio is super easy to remember and is easily scale-able depending on how many pickles you're making. It's 100% vinegar, 50% water, 25% sugar and 12.5% kosher salt by weight. So for example, 200g vinegar, 100g water, 50g sugar and 25g kosher salt (again, you can scale this up or down!).

What is the difference between pickling and quick pickling? ›

Quick pickles don't develop the deep flavor that fermented pickles do, but they also only require a few days in the brine before they can be enjoyed. Quick pickles also do not require canning when refrigerated.

How to prepare kohlrabi? ›

There are several ways to cook kohlrabi, most of them similar to how you cook potatoes: boiled, steamed, roasted, fried or mashed. Slices and sticks can be stir-fried, and the whole stem can be hollowed out and stuffed with a veggie and rice or meat filling and baked like stuffed peppers.

Can I use regular vinegar instead of pickling vinegar? ›

Don't use vinegar for home canning unless you are sure of its acetic acid content. It should be 5%. Don't use homemade vinegar when you make pickles because the acetic acid content is unknown and variable. Only use a 5% acid vinegar found in the food aisle of your local grocery stores.

Which is better for pickling, white vinegar or apple cider vinegar? ›

Because apple cider vinegar is made from apples rather than barley, corn rice or wine, it gives pickles a mellower taste. Using a white distilled vinegar, for example, will create a harsher flavour. But as well as being gentler on your palate, using apple cider vinegar also adds health benefits to pickles.

What is the most important ingredient in pickling? ›

Vinegar: Use white distilled or cider vinegars of 5% acidity. Any kind of vinegar with unknown acidity should not be used. White vinegar is usually preferred when a light color is desirable. The level of acidity in a pickled or fermented product is as important to its safety as it is to taste and texture.

Do I have to boil vinegar for pickling? ›

Vinegar-based pickling is a much faster process than fermentation pickling. In its quickest form, you'll just boil a vinegar solution, pour it over the the object of your pickling desire, let it all cool and stash it in the fridge.

What is the 321 pickle rule? ›

This is a basic 3-2-1 pickle recipe—three parts vinegar, two parts water, one part sugar. Salt and spices are totally up to you. You can also reduce the amount of sugar for a more savory pickle brine.

How do chefs pickle so quickly? ›

Quick pickling is simply the act of storing fresh produce in a brine of vinegar, salt, water, and sometimes sugar, in the refrigerator. These pickles are not canned and are ready to eat mere hours after making, though I usually wait at least a day or two.

How long does a quick pickle take? ›

Also known as refrigerator pickles, these pickles are not “canned,” rather they're made in around 15 minutes and then kept in the refrigerator for a few weeks to be enjoyed just like you would a canned or storebought pickle. They're packed with flavor and retain a classic pickle crunch.

Are quick pickled vegetables good for you? ›

Did you know that pickled and fermented foods are actually really good for you? Not only are they delicious but they're packed full of minerals, vitamins and good bacteria.

Is kohlrabi a laxative? ›

Kohlrabi is a good source of both soluble and insoluble fiber. The former is water-soluble and helps maintain healthy blood sugar and cholesterol levels. On the other hand, insoluble fiber isn't broken down in your intestine, helping add bulk to your stool and promote regular bowel movements ( 19 ).

Why is my kohlrabi bitter? ›

The best quality kohlrabi—sweet, crisp, juicy—results from fast growth without heat or moisture stress. If the plants are overheated or struggling to take up water, they will produce chemicals that have strong, bitter flavors.

How do Germans eat kohlrabi? ›

Throughout Europe and around the globe, kohlrabi is considered a typical German vegetable. Kohlrabi goes very well with roasts, steaks, Schnitzel, poultry, fish, and egg-dishes.

How to pickle something quickly? ›

Use a ratio of at least equal parts vinegar to water, or 2 to 1 vinegar to water, depending on how strong you want the vinegar flavor to be. Add pickling spices, I usually add a tablespoon or 2 per cup of liquid. Salt is added, about a 1/2 teaspoon per cup, and a touch of sugar is optional.

What is the difference between distilled vinegar and pickling vinegar? ›

Pickling vinegar is more acidic than regular vinegar. It makes pickles crispier and their shelf life longer.

Is white vinegar the same as distilled vinegar? ›

Most people agree that the basic difference would be the level of purity. Simply put, distilled vinegar has been purified more than white vinegar. More than that, there are also dissimilarities when it comes to chemical structure, production and usage. White vinegar is sometimes also called spirit vinegar.

What is the best acidity vinegar for pickling? ›

Vinegars come in various acidity levels. Vinegar used for pickling must at least 5% acidity. Look at the label to be sure that the vinegar you are using is 5% acidity.

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