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These bright orange spicy pickled carrots are easy to throw together and make the perfect snack straight from the jar. Add them to sandwiches, wraps, salads, tacos, and more!

a jar of picked carrot with the lid closed

What are Pickled Carrots?

Pickled carrots are crunchy, tangy, spicy, and sweet. This easy pickled carrots recipe comes together in just a few minutes. Customize the level of spiciness and sweetness to suit your taste. Pickling carrots adds flavor as well as extends their shelf life. If you have a bunch of carrots that you're not sure you'll use before they go bad, pickle them! Quick pickles, also known as refrigerator pickles, are easy to make and will be ready to eat within a few hours, and will continue to deepen in flavor as they rest in the fridge.

a jar filled with carrots and a small bowl with spices

Ingredients needed for Quick Pickled Carrots

Carrots. The star of the show! You can use smaller baby carrots with the stems still attached, or you can use large carrots and cut them into sticks
Flavoring Spices.Coriander seeds, mustard seeds, fennel seeds, black peppercorns
Make it Spicy. Aleppo pepper or red pepper flakes will give your brine a touch of heat. If you like things spicier, simply add more Aleppo or red pepper flakes to your jar
Boiling Water. Balances the acidity from the vinegar
Apple Cider Vinegar. This is what gets the pickling process started and lends that signature tang to the finished recipe
Sweetener. Sugar, agave, or maple syrup. Helps to round everything out, giving the pickles a deeper and more nuanced flavor
Salt. Brings out the flavors from each of the ingredients and works with the vinegar in the pickling process

Easy Instructions for Spicy Pickled Carrots

Grab a clean and dry 4-cup jar or mason jar or which you have a tight lid. We like to save the jars from olives, sauce, etc.
Place whole spices at the bottom of the jar
Place carrots into the glass jar. Make sure you press the carrots tightly into the jar; they should fit into a 4-cup jar.
Add boiling water, vinegar, salt, and sweetener and mix well until dissolved.
Pour liquid into the jar; if there's room for more water, add more boiling water until it reaches ¼" from the rim. Close the lid tightly, turn it a few times, let it sit on the kitchen counter for an hour, then place it in the refrigerator.

How to Eat Pickled Carrots

This crunchy, tangy, sweet, and earthy snack is so refreshing straight from the jar! You can also add spicy pickled carrots to your favorite dish:

As part of a cheese board or mezze platter, with hummus, olives, pita chips, labneh, stuffed grape leaves, and muhammara
Add them to a sandwich, wrap, or taco
Enjoy as a burger topping
Toss with a salad
Mixed into a healthy rice bowl or buddha bowl
As a side dish with your favorite protein
Bring them to your next Summer BBQ

How to Store Homemade Pickled Carrots

These easy pickled carrots are also called refrigerator pickles because they sit in their brine in the fridge for a few hours rather than on a pantry shelf for months. You can taste test after a few hours in the fridge, but the flavor will continue to develop and deepen over the next few days.

Keep them in an airtight container covered in brine for 2-3 weeks. Make sure to use a clean utensil each time you reach for one to keep the environment sterile.

a jar of picked carrot with the lid open

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