Vietnamese Pickles Carrots & Daikon , My Family Recipe
This Vietnamese Pickles recipe is my go-to for so many dishes. Everyone knows that a family recipe is a special one, with special nuances and flavors unique to ones family history and story. My Vietnamese banh mi pickles are less sweet than most recipes, yet simple and delicious.
Easy Vietnamese Pickles Recipe
I never feel as if one family recipe is ever “better” than another. Each one is different and wonderful on it’s own merits because of what it has meant to those who made it over generations. And for those who grew up eating favorite family recipes, the flavors and comfort these dishes bring are priceless.
My Vietnamese recipes are usually rooted in family tradition, reflective of where I was born and the birthplace of my ancestors. Grandparents hailed from the Northern Viet-nam and escaped the Communist regime to Central Vietnam during the war. Family stories that were passed down from my elders who had survived the wars. Accompanied with each memory was a recipe that was a window to the past, a reflection of their lives back before I was even born.
Video: Vietnamese Pickles Recipe
My Inspiration: Mom’s Pickles
I always consider my Mom to be the queen of Vietnamese pickles. When mom gives a gift of love to those she cares for, I can almost guarantee that it would be in the form of pickles. And of course, all made from the heart. Her delicate touch and emphasis on fresh crunch in each jar of her pickles was passed down from my Maternal Grandmother. If you were to taste the pickles, you would know it’s brined in my family tradition and regional flair.
My Vietnamese Pickles Recipe is Less Sweet
The Vietnamese carrot daikon pickles I grew up with weren’t too sweet and more on the salty side. My father grew up in Northern Vietnam, where the foods were more subtle, less fiery and sweet than their Southern counterparts. When Dad would see Mom pickle huge jars of vegetables for her nail shop ladies (most of which grew up cooking in the sweet South), he was always remind her to “not to add too much sugar”! Over the years I’ve modified my Vietnamese carrot daikon pickles family recipe and found a balance that fit my eating lifestyle the most. I do love the salty brine of pickles, but am appreciating more of the slightly sweet balance in my pickles. This recipe is a reflection of both flavors.
Favorite Tool for Shredding Carrots and Daikon
You can cut the carrots and pickles thinly with a knife. It does take a little longer and sometimes inconsistent. To make these pickles super easy and quick, we use our favorite tool. It’s the julienne tool that cuts carrots so fast. More info here: OXO Julienne Tool
Easy Vietnamese Pickles for Banh Mi
I always grew up eating is Vietnamese pickled carrots and daikon radish and they’ve become a staple in my pantry. These Vietnamese carrot daikon pickles or (do chua) are most well known for making appearances in Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches. But I know them just as do chua and eat them with rice, noodles and spring rolls.
Chose your favorite dish and these wonderful Vietnamese carrots and daikon pickles will enhance any meal that needs that fresh, salty crunch. Thanks and lots of love to Mom, Grandma and preserved family recipes that make food and sharing so special. Have fun making this Vietnamese pickles recipe. Are there any special family recipes or traditions you hold close?
Some Favorite Vietnamese Pickles Ingredients and Tools:
It can sometimes be hard to find good Vietnamese ingredients and tools. Here’s some of the favorites for pickling and beyond:
This little tool makes julienning the carrots and other ingredients a breeze.
The Weck Jars have such a great style. They hold 1/2 liter each (about 2 cups) making them perfect for smaller batches of pickles and other tasties.
This has been our house fish sauce for decades. Great stuff! We’ll use it to make our dipping sauces as well as marinades.
100% all natural first press extra virgin Vietnamese fish sauce. One of the best craft fish sauce producers.
These are another of our favorite shapes of Weck Jars. A larger tulip shape, they hold 1 liter each (4 cups) making them perfect for bigger batches of pickles and other tasties.
Our house favorite hoisin sauce. Great flavor. We use it to make a dipping sauce for spring rolls.
Vietnamese Pickles with Carrot and Daikon Radish (Đồ Chua)
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb. (227 g) carrots – julienned or cut into thin match-like strips
- 1/2 lb. (227 g) daikon radish , cut same as carrots
- 4 cups (1 l) water , slightly warm enough to dissolve the salt and sugar
- 3 Tablespoons (45 ml) sugar
- 2 Tablespoons (30 ml) salt
- 1/2 – 3/4 cup (120-180 ml) distilled white vinegar or rice vinegar (or to taste)
Instructions
- Prep carrots and daikon, set aside. In large pitcher or large bowl, mix water, vinegar *see note at end of step, sugar and salt until everything is dissolved and combined well. (Start with 1/2 cup of vinegar and taste the mixture. If you like it more tangy/vinegary, add few more vinegar to taste.)
- Place carrots and daikon in a clean, sterile jar. Fill with vinegar mixture until carrots and daikon are completely covered in liquid.
- Cover jars and set in the refrigerator to pickle for at least overnight. Our ideal timing is to let the pickles sit for 3 days before eating. Pickles can last for about 3 weeks in the fridge. I like my pickles to sit for at least 5 days so that the carrots and daikon become more flavorful and sour. They will definitely be more pungent. You can eat them the next day and they'll be less vinegary, and definitely less pungent.
- Serve pickles in banh mi sandwiches, as a side dish or with a salad. There's so many differnet ways to enjoy these pickles.
Nutrition Information per Serving
Enjoy the pickles with Vietnamese Banh Mi Recipes Here.
Here’s my personal recipe for Vietnamese Fish Sauce Dip and click here for all our popular Vietnamese Recipes that are sometimes traditional and definitely sometimes not. Check out more Vietnamese Recipes Here.
Best Pickle Recipes
We really love pickles. If you’re pickle lovers like we are, check out more of our pickle recipes.
- Curry Cauliflower Pickles
- The best bread and butter pickles recipe EVER
- Sweet pea and asparagus pickles
- Quick pickled sugar snap peas with mint.
- Here’s more great pickle recipe ideas for you.
I love adding this to my sandwich and as just a regular garnish for anything. It’s so good.
I’ve always wanted to learn how to make these on my own. So glad I found this recipe.
Are you using a coarse kosher salt, pickling salt or more or a fine sea salt? I couldn’t tell from the vid.
Hi JJ, we’re using regular kosher salt. Thanks for asking!
Thank u very much for this recipe I went to a Vietnamese restaurant and had Vietnamese Pancake it was delicious there was a pickle served with the salad After a lot of research i found out that white radish was used Thank u i will definitely be making some xx
Hi Indira, so glad you enjoyed the crispy Vietnamese Banh Xeo “crepe/pancake”. It’s definitely one of our favorites!
Thank you so much for the recipe. I love eating Vietnamese spring rolls with pickled vegetables from my favorite Vietnamese restaurant. I have been wanting to make it myself. Canโt wait to try your recipe.ย
These are perfection!
Thank you Kirsten!
Hi there, it says 2 tablespoons of salt but in brackets 10ml which is 2 teaspoons. Could you please confirm if itโs 2 tablespoons or teaspoons? Thank you
Hi Ari,
Thanks for catching that conversion glitch. It is 2 tablespoons of salt. It should have read 30ml.
Hope you enjoy the family recipe!
Looks like a great recipe!
Just wondering if white vinegar can be used instead of distilled white vinegar?
Seems it’s a bit hard to find distilled white vinegar.
Would there be a big difference in taste if white vinegar was used instead?
Thank you.
Hi Maggie! Yes, you can use white vinegar for the recipe. White vinegar is a little more stronger than distilled white vinegar, so you might want to dilute it with a little bit more water. There’s not much flavor difference. The pickled daikons are pretty pungent, so that’s the smell and flavors you’ll be noticing first. ๐ enjoy!
Yay, thank you.
And thank you for the tip. ๐
I will definitely give this recipe a try! I love pickled vegetables! ๐
I found this recipe a few years ago with your banh mi. Iโve made both so many times since then and always delicious! Thank you for sharing!ย
Great starting point! I add one or two thai chili peppers, a couple of whole white peppercorns, 3 whole cloves and 3 bruised cloves of garlic. I never remember the measurements for the sugar/salt/vinegar, which is why I came here.ย
Hi Ellie: Sounds yummy. Do you have exact quantities for the other ingredients that you are using? My husband would rather ‘die’ than eat these sorts of delicious foods, so the result will be interesting to taste, and will be ALL MINE. Thank You. Gabrielle from Sydney, Australia.
Great basic recipe. I use it lot and start eating after soaking a couple of hours.ย
Thanks Steve, so glad you enjoy the recipe!
Thank you for this dish, I was craving it.
Just made it and now have to wait 3 days ๐
Excited to find this and thank you!