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Easy pickled carrots are crisp, tangy, and surprisingly simple to make with fresh carrots, dill, garlic, and a quick vinegar brine. Whether you want a crunchy snack ready for the fridge tomorrow or a shelf-stable jar to tuck away for winter, these colorful pickles are the perfect addition to any gathering.
Every year for the holidays, I love to host large family gatherings. A big tradition of mine is to have crunchy, yummy homemade pickled carrots and dill pickles at these events. I grow a large garden at our family farm just so I can make pickles and have healthy organic food for our family each year.
These yummy snacks are incredibly easy to make and are truly one of the best parts of the meal. Plus, it is always fun to gather a group of friends or get the kiddos involved and make them together. If you are starting a garden this year, carrots are one of the most rewarding things you can grow just for this recipe!
What Do Pickled Carrots Taste Like?
If you have never tried easy pickled carrots before, you are in for a treat! They are a total flavor explosion. Think garlicky, sour, salty, and a little bit sweet, all wrapped up in one crunchy bite.
You can start nibbling on the quick refrigerator version after just 24 hours. But trust me, if you let them sit for a couple of weeks in the fridge, the flavors get even better! They are packed with that classic dill pickle taste but with the satisfying snap of a fresh garden carrot.
Two Ways to Make Them: Fridge vs. Pantry
I get asked all the time if these are quick refrigerator pickles or shelf-stable canned carrots. The answer is that you can do either, but you need to follow the right method for each!
My classic family recipe below is a quick refrigerator pickle. It uses a simple vinegar brine poured over raw carrots. You just pop the jars in the fridge, and they stay incredibly crunchy. They are not shelf-stable, so they must stay chilled.
If you want to store your carrots in the pantry, I have also included a shelf-stable canning method. This version requires boiling the carrots first and processing the jars in a water bath to make sure they are completely safe to store at room temperature.
Before You Begin
Before you start slicing those beautiful carrots, take a moment to decide which method you are using. If you want the fastest, crunchiest result and have space in the fridge, go with the quick refrigerator method. If you want to stock your pantry shelves, you will need to set up your water bath canner and use the tested canning method.
Make sure your carrots are incredibly fresh. Limp, older carrots will not give you that satisfying snap, no matter how good the brine is! You will also want to gather your jars and make sure they are thoroughly washed. I love using wide-mouth pint jars because it is so much easier to pack the carrot sticks in tightly.
If you are looking for my favorite preserving tools, you can find all my essential kitchen items in my Shop. And if you are trying to simplify your kitchen routines before the harvest comes in, check out my eBook, Making Space, for practical tips on creating a home that works for you. Or, take my Home Decor Style Quiz to see how to display your beautiful canned goods!
Ingredients for Quick Refrigerator Pickled Carrots
You will need freshly picked carrots, sliced into sticks to fit your jars. The fresher they are, the crunchier your pickles will be! Check out my tips on when to harvest carrots if you are growing your own. For the brine, standard 5% acidity white vinegar gives the cleanest flavor, mixed with water to balance the bite.
| Ingredient | Amount |
| Large fresh carrots | 8, peeled and cut into sticks |
| White vinegar, 5% acidity | 1 cup |
| Water | 1 cup |
| Pickling salt | 1 tablespoon |
| Fresh dill | 4 to 6 sprigs |
| Black peppercorns | 1/2 teaspoon |
| Garlic | 2 cloves, peeled and lightly smashed |
You must use pickling salt rather than table salt, as the additives in table salt can make your brine cloudy. This amount makes approximately 4 cups, or two tightly packed 1-pint jars, depending on the size of your carrots.
How to Make Crunchy Refrigerator Pickled Carrots
Here is my simple recipe for making the best easy refrigerator pickled carrots ever:
1. Prep Your Jars and Carrots
First things first, wash your jars, lids, and rings thoroughly in hot, soapy water and rinse them well. Clean, peel, and cut your carrots into sticks so they fit nicely into your jars, leaving about an inch of space at the top.
2. Pack the Jars
Pack the carrot sticks upright in the jars. Pack them in as tightly as you can! Tuck in some fresh dill sprigs, a clove or two of garlic, and a sprinkle of black peppercorns into each jar.
3. Make the Brine
In a pot, combine the white vinegar, water, and pickling salt. Bring it all to a rolling boil, stirring until the salt is completely dissolved.
4. Pour and Cool
Carefully pour the boiling brine over the carrots, leaving about half an inch of headspace at the top of the jar. Wipe the rims clean and pop the lids and rings on. Let the jars cool on the counter. Once they reach room temperature, put them straight into the refrigerator!
And just like that, you’ve made your very own batch of easy pickled carrots!
Note: Even if the lids “pop” and seal as they cool, these are still refrigerator pickles and must be stored in the fridge.
The Shelf-Stable Canning Option
For the shelf-stable version, you will need 2 3/4 pounds of peeled carrots, 5 1/2 cups of white vinegar, 1 cup of water, 2 cups of sugar, 2 teaspoons of canning salt, 8 teaspoons of mustard seed, and 4 teaspoons of celery seed.
Instead of packing the carrots raw, you boil the brine, add the carrots, and simmer them until they are half-cooked (about 10 minutes). Then, you pack the hot carrots and spices into hot pint jars, cover them with the boiling liquid leaving a 1/2-inch headspace, and process them in a boiling water bath. Do not alter its vinegar, water, sugar, carrot, or jar-size quantities when preparing the shelf-stable version.
Tips and Tricks for Perfect Pickled Carrots
- Use super fresh carrots: The fresher your carrots, the crunchier your pickles will be!
- Cut evenly: Try to cut your carrot sticks evenly so they all pickle at the same rate.
- Add extra flavor: Feel free to add a pinch of red pepper flakes for a little heat or mustard seeds for extra zing.
- Let them sit: Even though you can start eating them after 24 hours, letting them pickle for at least 2 weeks really amps up the flavor.
- Double the batch: Trust me, one batch never lasts long. Make a double batch right from the start!
How to Store Easy Pickled Carrots
If you made the quick refrigerator version, they need to go straight into the fridge as soon as they cool down. They will stay crunchy and delicious in there for about a month. Just make sure you use a clean fork when you sneak one out of the jar!
If you went the extra mile and made the tested shelf-stable canned version, keep those sealed jars in a cool, dark place. I absolutely love using our cold cellar in our 1903 Victorian house for this. But a cool basement or pantry works just as well!
Once you finally pop open a jar of the canned ones, make sure you move it to the fridge to keep everything fresh.
How to Serve Pickled Carrots
Honestly, these are the perfect snack right out of the jar. But they are also amazing on a relish tray or charcuterie board when friends come over.
I love serving them alongside a healthy coleslaw or a fresh tomato mozzarella basil salad at summer barbecues. They also add a fantastic, tangy crunch to sandwiches and wraps. Or you can serve them as a bright side dish with easy baked Caprese chicken.
More Simple Recipes
If you loved making these, try some of my other favorite preserving and garden recipes! You can put up more jars with my homemade dill pickles or sweeten things up with my easy homemade strawberry jam without pectin.
For refreshing drinks from the garden, try making my simple rhubarb syrup, press a batch of fresh homemade apple juice, or mix up my favorite rhubarb juice recipe.088888878
I hope you enjoyed this simple pickled carrot recipe! These have to be one of the easiest types of foods to pickle, and they are rather foolproof, too! This recipe can be used for all different types of vegetable pickling, which makes it a great one to save to your Pinterest so that you can reference it again and again!
I would love to know if you give it a try, so be sure to let me know in the comments below!
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 8 Large carrots fresh picked, sliced to fit jars
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 cup of water
- 1 tablespoon pickling salt
- fresh dill sprigs
- 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 2 cloves of garlic
Instructions
- Bring a small pot of water to a boil to sterilize the lids of the jars. Clean or peel and cut the carrots to fit your jar size.
- Combine the appropriate amount of vinegar, water and salt in a pot and bring to a boil.
- Pack the carrot sticks upright in the jars leaving about two inches on the top and fill with herbs and garlic.
- Pour the boiling brine over the carrots, leaving about a 1/2 inch of space.
- Wipe the rims and apply the lids and rings.
- Set jars to cool. Most will seal on their own at this point however if you’re canning the pickles, process them for 10 minutes in boiling water.
- Remove jars from canner and let them cool.
Video
Notes
A Few Tips for Crunchy Pickled Carrots
Nutrition
Pin for Later
Love this!!! I’ll have to make this with the kiddos!
We are going to make a few more so we should do it together ❤️❤️
I made some sweet pickled carrots years ago and lost the recipe. That recipe was NOT a refrigerator pickle, but was processed in a water bath. It had mustard seed, white vinegar and sugar. Do you have a similar recipe?
Thanks for the message Kathleen. This one does not require a water! It’s a very easy recipe 🙂
darn my carrot thin sliced carrot pickles turned soft
but we water bathed….your recipe reminds me of my grandmas
recipe….darn were her carrots crunchy and pickles…
i made a hot spice version years ago…but lost recipe to house fire.
That’s too bad yours didn’t turn out! Next year! Ya once you find a recipe you like, ya stick with it!