Shredded Kohlrabi Quick Pickle Recipe

A quick pickle that can be served as garnish or, with a drizzle of olive oil, as a salad.

Two stacked Weck canning jars filled with shredded kohlrabi quick pickle.

Serious Eats / Marisa McClellan

Why This Recipe Works

  • Covering the canning jars after adding hot brine helps them retain heat, which softens the firm kohlrabi, giving it the perfect level of crunch.

Growing up, kohlrabi was not on our vegetable rotation. My guess is that it just wasn't available at the grocery stores my mother frequented, because we ate nearly everything else.

I knew how to scrape the meat from a butter-dipped artichoke leaf when I was four and fell hard for the slightly sweet crunch of jicama when I was six. But we didn't eat kohlrabi.

A yellow enamel colander full of trimmed and rinsed purple kohlrabi.

Serious Eats / Marisa McClellan

I didn't come face to face with it until my first CSA share, sometime in the fall of 2008. That batch was a pale green and confounded me for a day or two, until I decided to just slice it up and eat it raw with hummus. It was clean tasting and was more about texture than flavor.

If you've never encountered kohlrabi before, it's a nearly round vegetable that is about the size of a tennis ball (though I have seen a few that are nearly softball-sized). You'll sometimes find it with its series of stems and leaves intact, though many farmers take the time to trim those away before bringing their crop to market. It comes in a variety of shades of green and purple.

Topped, tailed, and peeled kohlrabi in a colander, ready to slice into matchsticks.

Serious Eats / Marisa McClellan

A few weeks ago, I spotted a display of purple kohlrabi at one of my local farmers' markets. Remembering it to be a wonderfully crunchy vegetable, I bought a few to try as a quick pickle (hearty, crunchy vegetables make the best pickles because they retain their texture even after a bit of heat is applied).

Since then, I've made this pickle three times. I eat it by the forkful as if it were a pickled salad or coleslaw. Heap it into tacos. Stir it into chicken salad.

Because kohlrabi is in the brassica family, I made it as an unprocessed pickle to keep that signature cabbage stink from developing strongly. It seems to have worked, because I really can't keep my fork away from this one.

Before You Get Started

When you're picking out your kohlrabi, look for bulbs that are firm to the touch and without any sponge-y spots.

Before you shred your kohlrabi, use a paring knife to trim away any flaws. They don't need to be peeled, but the spots where the stems were attached have a tendency to get a bit slimy if stored for too long, so make sure to cut that away.

I used purple kohlrabi this time but have made this with green as well. They are interchangeable, so buy whatever looks best. If you can't find kohlrabi, try this pickle using broccoli stems. They're similar in flavor and texture.

November 2011

Recipe Details

Shredded Kohlrabi Quick Pickle Recipe

Active 20 mins
Total 2 hrs
Serves 32 servings
Makes 2 quarts

A quick pickle that can be served as garnish or, with a drizzle of olive oil, as a salad.

Ingredients

  • 2 pounds kohlrabi

  • 2 cups red wine vinegar

  • 2 cups water

  • 2 tablespoons honey

  • 2 tablespoons pickling salt

  • 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

  • 1 garlic clove, grated

  • 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns

  • 1/4 teaspoon red chile flakes

Directions

  1. Wash and dry two quart-size canning jars. Set aside.

  2. Clean and trim kohlrabi bulbs. Using a mandoline slicer or a food processor, slice kohlrabi into thin matchsticks.

  3. Divide the shreds evenly between the two canning jars.

    Kohlrabi matchsticks are divided evenly between two quart jars.

    Serious Eats / Marisa McClellan

  4. Combine vinegar, water, honey, pickling salt, ginger, garlic, black peppercorns and red chili flakes in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil.

  5. Once brine is boiling vigorously, remove it from the heat and carefully pour the brine over the kohlrabi.

    Boiling-hot brine is poured into the jars of shredded kohlrabi.

    Serious Eats / Marisa McClellan

  6. Place lids on the jars and let them sit until cool.

    Overhead view of the jars of pickled kohlrabi after the lids are affixed.

    Serious Eats / Marisa McClellan

  7. Once jars are cool to the touch, refrigerate the pickles and eat with salads, sandwiches or meat dishes.

Special Equipment

2 quart-size canning jars, food processor or mandoline slicer

Read More

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
15 Calories
0g Fat
3g Carbs
1g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 32
Amount per serving
Calories 15
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 0g 0%
Saturated Fat 0g 0%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 444mg 19%
Total Carbohydrate 3g 1%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 18mg 89%
Calcium 9mg 1%
Iron 0mg 1%
Potassium 108mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)