Fermented radishes bring the sass to your plate. This is a beginner-friendly lacto-fermentation recipe that turns humble radishes into tangy, crunchy, and yummy gems good for your gut. You can make a small batch in minutes and enjoy it for weeks — now that’s my kind of slow food that works fast 😉!
What you’ll love about this recipe
If you tried my fermented cauliflower or my pink sauerkraut, you already know that I have a thing for bright, crunchy pickles. And lately, lacto-fermented vegetables are becoming very trendy. Because our gut and well-being are so interconnected, and more research is highlighting the benefits of gut-health to our overall health.
I will say it again: at heart I am just a girl that loves pink 💗 so pink foods bring me joy, I get such a buzz when I see the translucent pink slices after they the radishes pickled!
- Seriously Pretty – As they ferment, radishes turn an irresistible shade of pink. They look almost too good to eat. Almost.
- Gut-Friendly Goodness: You already know how serious I am about gut health, the microbiome needs feeding! Radishes are loaded with vitamins and antioxidants to keep you feeling awesome!
- Deliciously Light: I am no calorie counting fanatic, but I am health conscious without the compromise on taste.
- Versatile meals: Toss them on rice or grain bowls, in wraps, with eggs, or on avocado toast. They elevate everything. II mostly serve them next to brunch or breakfast omelettes.
- Homemade is best: Homemade naturally fermented pickles are the real deal. You know what goes in and make sure those bacteria are still live when they reach your gut. Not to mention more affordable!
- The gift that keeps on giving: A batch lasts in your fridge for several weeks.
- No special fermentation gear: You don’t need fancy utensils for my fermented radishes recipe, a jar with a lid is all you need. Although, if you do get serious about fermentation, a fermentation weight will be useful.
Ingredients you’ll need
- Radishes – any color radishes you like, white or purple, or pink. Just be mindful that if you mix the colors, the brine will take on those strong hues.
- Garlic – peeled and sliced thickly.
- Peppercorns– I love mildly fragrant pink peppercorns, but black will also work.
- Nigella seeds – they are my favorite, that aroma is hard to beat. If you can’t find them, replace them with mustard or coriander seeds.
- Chili – I used a mild Jalapeno pepper, leaving some of the seeds. Depending on how hot your choice of chili is, you might want to hold some back, especially that some types of radishes are a little spicy too 🌶️🥵!
- Water and salt (the secret to natural lacto-fermentation) – the simplest brine ever that helps the good bacteria grow and ferments your veggies. And the salt keeps the bad bacteria from growing, protects the vitamins in the veg and keeps your veggies crunchy!
How to ferment radishes
Time needed: 7 days
These punchy pink radishes ferment in a week and will last for ages in the fridge — if you don’t snack them all by then 😉!
- Clean & prep the radishes:
Wash the radishes thoroughly and trim off the ends. Slice into thick rounds or halves (or keep them whole if they’re tiny).
- Make the brine
Dissolve the salt in the water to make a brine.
- Prepare the garlic, herbs and spices
Peel the garlic, slice each clove in thick slices and set aside. Give the dill a quick rinse under the cold water tap. Slice the chili if adding. Measure the spices.
- Stuff the jar
In a jar (approximately 1 liter capacity) add dill, a few garlic slices, then start stuffing with the radish slices. Don’t force them too much, but press gently to pack them tight enough so they don’t float above the brine. Add more garlic, herbs, peppercorns and chili slices midway through filling and in any gaps. The slices should be wedged just under the jar neck. If you have a fermentation weight you can place it on top.
- Pour the brine and let the fermentation begin!
Add the brine over the radishes until everything is fully submerged. Cover with a lid and set on the counter at room temperature, but not too close to any heat sources or sunlight. Put the jar on a tray or plate, because some of the brine may leak during fermentation.
- Burp daily 🫧
After 1-2 days (depending on how warm your kitchen is, you will notice the brine in the jar getting pink (if you have pink radishes that is 😄) and slightly cloudy.
Every day for the next week, use a clean straw to gently blow into the jar to release gases formed by the friendly bacteria. You may notice the radishes tend to float, just push them down gently. With a clean spoon taste the brine daily from day 3 onward to see how sour you like it. - Move the pickled radishes to the fridge
After a week, your fermented radishes are ready! Give them a taste to make sure you like how tangy they taste, because if you want them more sour you can extend the fermentation for an extra day.
They should be slightly sour, acidic, a little fizzy and very tasty 😋. They will keep in the fridge for at least 3 weeks. Don’t worry if there is a slight sediment settled at the bottom of the jar, it’s normal.
Pro Tips and variations
- Make sure all the utensils and recipients you use are clean.
- It’s a good idea to remove the seal from the lid, so that gas can escape during fermentation.
- When you burp the brine, make sure you push the radishes down gently, so the liquid is covering them fully. If you have a fermentation weight, it will be useful to keep things submerged.
- You can add other spices. like fennel seeds, or red pepper flakes.
- Remember that some types of radishes are a little spicy too 🌶️🥵, so watch how much chili you add!
Preparation time
It takes around 10 minutes to prepare the vegetables.
Then another 5 minutes to prepare the brine. I am being generous here, because I know myself (not always super organised 😉).
Fermenting time
The fermentation takes around a week, but it will still continue to ferment very slowly in the fridge. I noticed that the radishes tend to get sour even after 3 days, they will be a little bendy, but still keeping a crunch.
Total time
This means that in one week you can have a healthy nourishing condiment to add to any meals, I often have them for breakfast 😉.
Servings
This recipe uses around a 400-500 g (around 1lb) of radishes and should be enough for at least 10 servings.
Nutritional goodness
This plant-based dish counts towards the 30 plants a week which are wonderful news for your gut health! Not to mention all the good lactic acid bacteria (LAB)!
What to serve with fermented radishes
- I cram quite a few types of vegetables early in my day, you will often find radishes next to my eggs and toast or any natural pickles I have in the fridge at that point. Don’t be surprised that I have fermented radishes with my Moroccan Shakshuka for breakfast.
- Layer a few slices in my buttermilk chicken burger, or tuck into tacos or wraps.
- And you can never go wrong with adding them to loaded salads, like this zingy potato and asparagus salad.
- Dice them finely and stir into creamy dips, mixing up the flavors in these lamb koftas or pairing with summery zucchini and feta fritters.
- I use the liquid as a vinegar replacement to liven up salad dressings or soups!
- Garnish canapes for your garden parties or even weddings! I made these beautiful and light puff pastry canapes for our Easter brunch, they were filled with whipped feta and garnished with both raw and pickled radishes and dill fronds, such a joy to eat!
- Top your lunch boxes with pickled radishes, not only they add delicious goodness, but your coworkers will be equally impressed.
Make these fermented radishes in just minutes! They’re crunchy, beautifully sour , and great for your gut—plus they look so pretty 🩷!
- If you are just getting started with fermented vegetables, this recipe is an easy one!
- If you make my recipe, take a snapshot for your Instagram, I’d love to see your pretty pink jars.
- Post and tag me @candyflossiecooks😉🤗!
- Don’t forget to rate my recipe! It will make my day!
recipe FAQ
You can make pickled radishes by steeping them in apple cider vinegar for example, but the fermented radishes get sour naturally. If you are looking at labels, you should just see water, salt, maybe spices and vegetables. They will normally be in the chilled cabinets of the supermarkets.
At least 3–4 weeks in the fridge, but they never make it that long in our house 😄.
After a few days the brine in the jar will get a little cloudy and pink because of the fermentation activity of the friendly bacteria. This is normal.
Absolutely not! That brine is so tasty and teaming with good bacteria. You can even have a little sip, I know I do 🤩!
Fermented Radishes Recipe
Equipment
- 1 jar approximately 1 liter capacity, with lid
- 1 funnel optional
- 1 measuring jug
- 1 scale to weigh the salt
Ingredients
- 500 g radishes
- 1 liter of water
- 25 g of salt
- 2 garlic cloves sliced thickly
- 20 g dill
- 1 tsp pink peppercorns
- 1 jalapeno sliced
- 1 tsp nigella seeds optional
Instructions
Clean & prep the radishes
- Wash the radishes thoroughly and trim off the ends. Slice into thick rounds with a mandolin or cut in halves (keep them whole if they’re tiny).
Make the brine
- Dissolve the salt (25g per liter of water) in the water to make a brine. You may have some brine left after filling the jar.
Prepare the garlic, herbs and spices
- Peel the garlic, slice each clove in thick slices and set aside. Give the dill a quick rinse under the cold water tap. Slice the chili if adding. Measure the spices.
Stuff the jar
- In a jar (approximately 1 liter capacity) add dill, a few garlic slices, then start stuffing with the radish slices. Don’t force them too much, but press gently to pack them tight enough so they don’t float above the brine.
- Add more garlic, herbs, peppercorns and chili slices midway through filling and in any gaps.
- The slices should be wedged just under the jar neck. If you have a fermentation weight you can place it on top.
Pour the brine and let the fermentation begin!
- Add the brine over the radishes until everything is fully submerged.
- Cover with a lid and set on the counter at room temperature, but not too close to any heat sources or sunlight. Put the jar on a tray or plate, because some of the brine may leak during fermentation.
Burp daily 🫧
- After 1-2 days (depending on how warm your kitchen is, you will notice the brine in the jar getting pink (if you have pink radishes that is 😄) and slightly cloudy. With a clean spoon taste the brine daily from day 3 onward to see how sour you like it.
- Every day for the next week, use a clean straw to gently blow into the jar to release gases formed by the friendly bacteria. You may notice the radishes tend to float, just push them down gently.
- With a clean spoon taste the brine daily from day 3 onward to see how sour you like it.
Move the pickled radishes to the fridge
- After a week, your fermented radishes are ready! Give them a taste to make sure you like how tangy they taste, because if you want them more sour you can extend the fermentation for an extra day.
- They should be slightly sour, acidic, a little fizzy and very tasty 😋. They will keep in the fridge for at least 3 weeks. Don’t worry if there is a slight sediment settled at the bottom of the jar, it’s normal.
Notes
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