Spicy Pickled Cauliflower (quick pickles!)
A quick, easy recipe for spicy pickled cauliflower, made with just 6 simple ingredients! Add to any meal for a crunchy-tangy-spicy flavor element!
Ingredients
- 1/2 head cauliflower to yield about 3 cups, chopped
- 1 large jalapeño
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon sugar maple or honey work well, too
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- If starting with a whole head of cauliflower: cut in half, and reserve half for future cooking (or double the recipe to use the whole head!). With the remaining half, cut out the core, and cut the cauliflower into bite-sized flourettes. Cut the jalapeño in half length-wise.
- Pack the cauliflower and jalapeño into a 32oz/4cup mason jar.
- Place the water, salt, and sugar in a small pot on the stove. Heat on high until steaming, and salt and sugar are dissolved.
- Turn off heat, add vinegar to the pot, and pour into the jar of cauliflower. If your cauliflower isn't fully submerged in liquid, add more water until it's completely full.
- Put the lid on the jar, give it a shake, and let sit at room temperature until cool.
- Store in the fridge, where it will keep for months. You can eat these right away, but their flavor is best if you wait at least 2-3 days before trying them. They'll get more flavorful as time goes on!
Notes
The jalapeño is kept mostly whole here to add heat without actually eating slices of jalapeño in every bite. If you'd prefer to have pickled jalapeño slices along with your cauliflower, feel free to thinly slice the jalapeño before adding it to the jar. Know that doing so will make every bite considerably more spicy- you may want to only use half a jalapeño in this case!