These spicy pickled carrots make for a tasty side dish or a healthy snack. Pickled with chillies, garlic, dill, coriander seeds & peppercorn
Do homemade pickles make a wonderful gift?
Edible homemade gifts to me are special to me because it’s one of those gifts that are from the heart. No one would gift an edible gift they had no confidence in, right? So it’s safe to say that most edible gifts are brilliant. I don’t think I had one I didn’t like, to be honest.
When you think of edible homemade gifts for Christmas, what comes to mind? Chocolates, cupcakes, toffee, fudges and probably jams, right? Nope, not this time… let’s go with a little unique. We’re talking about pickled Dutch carrots!
Depending on how you stand with pickles, this may be a wonderful gift or a horrible one.
So, here’s the thing my parents and I would say ‘OH YES’ to homemade pickles, but my husband, Tomi, would most likely try to re-gift it to someone else.
Pickles is no doubt one of those things people love or hate. So before gifting this beautiful jar of homemade pickles, it’s best to make sure they’re a ‘pickle person’ or things maybe turn out a little awkward because they now own a 2kg/4.4lb jar of pickles they don’t want. …and well, you may find yourself in a pickle. I know, sorry for the lame joke, but I just had to!
These cute Dutch Carrots are pickled with chillies, garlic, dill, coriander seeds & peppercorn. They make a delicious and healthy side dish, or a quick snack to munch on. They come out spicy, aromatic, crispy and DELICIOUS!
Do I have to sterilise my jars?
ALWAYS sterilise your jars! Yes, it can be an inconvenience and take up a bit of time, but trust me, it’s worth it. I’m a lazy cook, but one thing I am always mindful of is food safety. I want to eliminate any possibility of having my family and friends sick from my cooking.
Why do I need to sterilise jars?
Jars may look clean, but there may be some bacteria and contaminants that we can’t see that may cause severe illness. Therefore, it’s important that we take that crucial step to sterilise all jars and their lids before canning our goods. Also, sterilising jars preserve our food longer.
How do you sterilise jars?
There are a few ways to sterilise jars. We had to replace our old dishwasher that died with a new one. Our new dishwasher has a hygienic wash setting that sterilises our jars. I prefer to sterilise my jars this way because of the large size of the jar and plus, it’s convenient too.
How to sterilise jars in the oven – Preheat oven to 110°C (230°F). Wash your jars and lids in a soapy bath and rinse them out. Place the jars upright on a baking tray and bake for 15 minutes or until the jars are dry.
For the lids, boil them for 15 minutes in a saucepan. Leave the jars and lids to cool on a clean tea towel.
Here are some dishes that would go great with these pickled carrots
Pork chops & Apples
Korean-style Pork Ribs
Spicy Korean Wings
Spicy Sticky Chicken Wings
Ingredients for Spicy Pickled Baby Carrots
Carrots – I got excited seeing bunches of rainbow baby carrots, but don’t make the same mistake and get these. Although they were still delicious, they’re a bit too woody for pickling. Stick with Dutch carrots or use regular carrots (cut them into long sticks). I peeled the larger carrots and left the peel on the smaller ones.
Chillies – These pickles come out quite spicy, but the heat level depends on the chillies you have. Adjust the amounts of chillies in this recipe to suit your taste.
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How to make Spicy Pickled Baby Carrots
Step-by-step guide with photos
Put all the ingredients for the pickle water into a saucepan, and place it over medium-high heat. Bring it to a boil then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, fill a separate large saucepan 2/3 full with water and bring it to a boil over high heat. Wash and peel (optional) the carrots, then trim their stems, leaving approximately 1cm on. Prepare a large bowl of iced water or just cold water.
Once the water is boiling, place in the carrots and blanch them for 1-2 minutes or if the carrots. Don’t blanch for too long, as you want the carrot to maintain some of its crispiness.
Remove the carrots from the boiled water with a large slotted spoon or a strainer and plunge them into the iced water for 2 minutes, then drain the water from the carrots.
Assemble the carrots nicely into a large 2kg/4.4lb sterilised jar, then push in the chillies into the jar near the glass for a nice presentation. Push the garlic and dill firmly over the top of the carrots. Carefully fill the jar with the hot pickle water (including its spices) all the way to the top so it covers the vegetables, then cover the jar with its lid.
Leave the pickles at room temperature until it’s cool enough to touch, then transfer them to the fridge. Chill for 2 days before serving. These carrot pickles should keep for up to 3 months when stored in the fridge.
I’ve used a third-party application to calculate the calories and nutritional information, so please use this as an approximate guide only.
Cooking measurements are in Australian standard spoon and cup measurements. For specific details and conversions, visit our Australian Cooking Measurements page.
I would love your feedback and support if you made this recipe. To do this, please rate this recipe and provide a comment by scrolling down this page or by clicking that green circle on the bottom left. An email address is required (for spam), but it won’t be published. I would also love to see your dish, so don’t forget to tag me on my Instagram account ‘3catsfoodie’
Cheers – Cat T
Pickled Carrots (spicy pickled Dutch carrots)
Ingredients
- 800 gm Dutch carrots (baby carrots) (NOTE 1)
- 3 large long red chillies (halved) (NOTE 2)
- 5 stems fresh dill
Pickle water
- 2½ cup white wine vinegar
- 2½ cup water
- 4 cloves garlic (crushed)
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 2 tsp dried chilli flakes
- 2 tsp whole coriander/cilantro seeds
- 2 tsp whole black peppercorns
- 3 tsp salt
Instructions
- Put all the ingredients for the pickle water into a saucepan, and place it over medium-high heat. Bring it to a boil then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, fill a separate large saucepan 2/3 full with water and bring it to a boil over high heat. Wash and peel (optional) the carrots, then trim their stems, leaving approximately 1cm on. Prepare a large bowl of iced water or just cold water.
- Once the water is boiling, place in the carrots and blanch them for 1-2 minutes or if the carrots. Don't blanch for too long, as you want the carrot to maintain some of its crispiness.
- Remove the carrots from the boiled water with a large slotted spoon or a strainer and plunge them into the iced water for 2 minutes, then drain the water from the carrots.
- Assemble the carrots nicely into a large 2kg/4.4lb sterilised jar, then push in the chillies into the jar near the glass for a nice presentation. Push the garlic and dill firmly over the top of the carrots. Carefully fill the jar with the hot pickle water (including its spices) all the way to the top so it covers the vegetables, then cover the jar with its lid.
- Leave the pickles at room temperature until it's cool enough to touch, then transfer them to the fridge. Chill for 2 days before serving. These carrot pickles should keep for up to 3 months when stored in the fridge.
