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If you love a little crunch and a pop of bright, tangy flavor on your tacos, quesadillas, or even a bowl of New Mexican posole, these quick pickled radishes are just what you need. They come together in minutes with simple ingredients and add the perfect contrast to rich, savory dishes.
Unlike traditional pickling, which takes time to develop flavors, this method is fast. It’s similar to how I make my Easy Refrigerator Dill Pickles. Just chop, mix, and let them sit for about an hour. The smaller you chop the ingredients, the quicker they’ll absorb the flavors. Or, for more of a slaw-style topping, thinly slice everything instead like I do for my quick pickled Curtido recipe.
Why I Like to Make This Recipe
These pickled radishes are incredibly easy to make and pack a ton of flavor. With just a few ingredients, you can transform basic radishes into something fresh, tangy, and slightly spicy.
- Easy and fast – No boiling, no waiting days for the flavors to develop. Just mix and marinate. You don’t even need to heat the brine like I do for my Pickled Beets recipe.
- Customizable – Adjust the spice, acidity, or saltiness to fit your taste. See below for variations. You can treat this recipe as a garnish or a salad.
- Simple ingredients – Just a combination of fresh radishes, red onion, jalapeno, cilantro, lime juice, and salt. No pickling spice is required.
- Great for tacos and more – These add a fresh, crunchy bite to everything from grilled meats like Grilled Chicken Thighs with Jalapeño Honey Lime Marinade to avocado toast.
Exact quantities are listed in the recipe card below. The recipe card also allows you to easily scale the recipe, and ingredient amounts will automatically adjust.
How to Make Quick Pickled Radishes
Always refer to the recipe card below, but here’s the general process:
1. Chop or slice the ingredients
Smaller pieces pickle faster, while thin slices give a slaw-like texture.
2. Mix everything together
Radishes, jalapeño, red onion, lime juice, salt, and cilantro all go into a bowl.
3. Let it marinate
You can eat them right away, but they taste best after about an hour.
Variations and Substitutions
This recipe is easy to tweak based on what you have on hand. Small changes can create different flavors and textures while keeping the same fresh, tangy base.
- Switch up the vinegar – If you want a more traditional pickling flavor, add a splash of apple cider vinegar to add some sweetness or distilled vinegar to add more acid.
- Make the spice level milder – Skip the jalapeño or use a milder chili for just a hint of heat.
- Add extra crunch – Try tossing in thinly sliced carrots or daikon radish for variety.
The Perfect Topping for So Many Dishes
These pickled radishes aren’t just for tacos. They’re a great way to add acidity and crunch to all kinds of meals:
- Quesadillas – A fresh contrast to melty cheese and crispy tortillas. I always make this recipe when I make my Barbacoa Quesadillas using my Instant Pot Barbacoa Beef recipe.
- Posole – The perfect finishing touch on a warm bowl of hominy and broth.
- Charcuterie Boards – Pile them onto a platter with cheese, meats, and crackers. Here’s an example of How to Make the Best Charcuterie Cheese Board.
- Grilled Meats – Serve alongside steak fajitas, or grilled pork for an easy, flavorful garnish.
Store in an Airtight Container
I’ve made the recipe countless times and have experimented with the length of time the mixture marinates. We don’t like to waste leftovers and there have been times when I’ve made way to much of this recipe, so I have plenty of experience with eating this leftover.
They’ll keep for several days in the fridge, though they’ll soften over time as they release liquid.
Leftover quick pickled radishes will eventually all turn a bright pink color due to the natural hues of the radish skin and red onion. Keep in mind that leftover marinated radishes don’t smell wonderful, but they still taste great.
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 radishes chopped (number of radishes doesn't have to be exact)
- 1 jalapeno stem and seeds removed, diced
- 1 small red onion chopped
- 1 lime juiced
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro thick stems removed, minced
Instructions
- Prepare the pickled radishes by combining the chopped or diced 8 radishes, 1 jalapeno, 1 small red onion, juice from 1 lime, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 cup fresh cilantro in small bowl. Note: you can add more or less of any of the ingredients depending on your taste preference. For this recipe, it's the combination of ingredients that provide the great flavor and texture; the quantities are easily changed.
- Taste the mixture and adjust any of the ingredients as needed. If it's too acidic, add more salt. If it's too salty, add more lime juice. If you need more spice, add more jalapeno. If it's too spicy, add more of all the other ingredients.
- Quick pickled radishes be eaten right away, but they are best if they are allowed at least an hour to marinate.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
can you use parsley instead of cilantro?
Actually, I don’t always have fresh cilantro so I make these without any greens. I often just combine the radishes, jalapeno, and lime juice and don’t even bother with the red onion.