These sweet & spicy pickled cucumbers are the perfect combination between sweet and spicy – snack on them or add them to a pulled pork sandwich – yum!
It’s best to use very thin-skinned cucumbers – preferably Persian or English Cucumbers, and slice them very thin, whether by hand or using a mandolin.
Here in Arizona we spend a good majority of the year basking in the hot summer sun. While our winters do manage to stay under 80 degrees, our spring usually starts in mid-February and summer kicks in not long after. Summer temps that can reach 115 if not more – so hot!
Just the sheer mention of summer has me thinking about spending time outside – whether at the lake, grilling out in the backyard or gardening.
Despite the high temps, cucumbers seem to thrive here in the summer sun. This gives us the perfect opportunity to make these sweet and spicy pickled cucumbers.
These cucumbers are the perfect combination of sweet and spicy, and definitely don’t last long! The best thing is that they are super easy to throw together and they pair well with a juicy burger.
Sweet and Spicy Pickled Cucumbers
To make these cucumbers, combine the rice vinegar with brown sugar, lime juice, salt and red chili flakes. Bring to a boil in a small pot, and stir well to dissolve the sugar.
While that’s cooling, pull out your mandolin to slice the Persians very thin. Transfer to a wide-mouth quart canning jar along with the thinly sliced onion.
Once the vinegar mixture has cooled, add to the canning jar, leaving one inch headspace. Apply the lid and ring until finger tight. Allow to rest one hour, then transfer to the refrigerator.
(By the way, I love using these lids for pickles and short term storage!)
Enjoy your sweet and spicy cucumbers for up to two weeks (though they likely won’t be around that long!)
Sweet and Spicy Pickled Cucumbers
Ingredients
- 2 C. rice vinegar
- 1/3 - 1/2 C. brown sugar
- 2 ea medium limes juiced
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp red chili flakes
- 1 lb Persian or English cucumbers
- 1 ea onion sliced thin
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar, brown sugar, lime juice, salt, and chili flakes. Bring to a boil, stirring well to dissolve the sugar. Once dissolved, remove from the heat and allow to cool.
- Use your mandolin to slice your cucumbers very thin. Combine the cucumbers with the thinly sliced onions and transfer to a wide-mouth quart canning jar.
- Add the cooled vinegar mixture, leaving 1 inch of headspace. Add the canning lid and ring, and allow the jar to sit, undisturbed, for 1-2 hours before transferring to the refrigerator.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Notes
- Recipe makes 1 quart, or 16 servings of 1/4 C. each.
Nutrition
If you like pickles, you’ll love this Radish Relish – it’s super easy to throw together and so incredibly addictive!
Rosy Radish Relish
[…] is by pickling. You see, I’m a huge fan of pickled anything – whether it be carrots, or cucumbers, or radishes… heck, I have even pickled celery. Trust me, pickling makes everything […]