Crunchy pickled daikon radish is a combination of sweet and sour flavors. It makes for a simple side dish to serve alongside your other favorite Korean dishes or simply enjoy as a light snack!
I was a teenager when I went to a Korean restaurant for the first time. It was right next door to our favorite Japanese place. When my mom and I went for lunch one day and found the Japanese restaurant closed, we ventured to the Korean place next door.
Neither of us was too familiar with Korean food at the time.
We sat down and looked at the menu, and being first-timers, both decided on the bibimbap. To our surprise, before our entrees came out, we were given a plate of selected side dishes. Later we found out these sides are called banchan or bansang.
It included radish pickles and other vegetables such as kimchi, soybean sprouts, and even a small side of potato salad!
We were both delighted at the assortment of new tastes to try! We were hooked! Korean cuisine was now one of our new favorites.
When I go out for Korean-style food, I look forward to the banchan just as much as the rest of the meal!
When I was at the store and saw a gorgeous daikon radish, I thought, why not try to make a pickled daikon recipe at home? This recipe is super simple! It has a beautiful crunch and makes for a light snack any time of the day!
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Why This Recipe Works
- Simple Pantry Ingredients
- Easy Korean Side Dish
- Unique Daikon Flavor
- Cool and Crisp
- Crunchy Texture
- One Day Quick Pickles
- Naturally Vegan and Gluten-Free
- Low in Calories
- Easy Recipe
Ingredients and Notes
Large Daikon Radish: Depending on the size of the radishes in your grocery store, you may need one or a few. You’ll need about one pound in total. Daikon is a white radish that is long in shape and resembles fatter carrots. Their flavor is milder than other varieties, with a sweet and spicy finish. They come in various colors, although white is the most common.
Organic White Sugar: I prefer organic white sugar to regular sugar because I know it is made without bone char. You do need to use white sugar for this recipe and not brown sugar, coconut sugar, or another sweetener. Colored sugars or sweeteners will dye the daikon, and you want to keep it a bright white!
White Vinegar: For this recipe, I also recommend using white vinegar as opposed to apple cider vinegar or other colored vinegar. If you don’t have white vinegar, rice vinegar would also work. This helps retain the bright white color.
Filtered Water: When making pickles, always use fresh filtered water for the best results.
Kosher Salt or Sea Salt: A touch of salt gives it flavor and bite!
Tools and Equipment
- Cutting board and knife to chop the daikon.
- Vegetable peeler to peel the daikon.
- Mason jars for storing the radishes
- Large Bowl to combine the ingredients.
Instructions To Make Pickled Daikon Radish
Prepare Daikon: Clean and peel the daikon radish. Cut it into ¼ inch small cubes. If you prefer, you can cut the daikon into slices.
Dissolve Sugar: In a large bowl, combine water, white vinegar, sugar, and salt. Whisk until sugar dissolves.
Place in Jars: Add the daikon radishes to your mason jars.
Add Pickling Juice: Pour the vinegar mixture over the top. Seal the jar with the lid.
Store in Refrigerator to Pickle: Transfer to refrigerator. Allow pickling for 24-48 hours. It needs more than a couple of hours to get the best flavor. The longer you leave in the pickled daikon radish in the liquid, the stronger the flavor.
Recipe FAQS
This side dish is low in calories. Although it uses sugar, the sugar is dissolved in the water, and the extra sugar is discarded once drained. Daikon radishes are exceptionally high in vitamin C, folate, calcium, and magnesium. See the recipe card for complete nutrition information.
No, they are not the same thing. There are several varieties of white radishes available. A Korean radish, also known as a Joseon radish, is shorter and fatter than daikon. It has a pale green coloring that starts at the top and goes halfway down the radish, while the rest is white. It has a more robust flavor and a more dense flesh. Daikon radishes, on the other hand, are longer and skinnier. They come in other color varieties. Their flavor is more mild and sweet.
In Korean, picked radishes are called chicken mu (치킨 무). This is because they are often served with Korean fried chicken or other heavy foods as a light accompaniment.
You can find them in most grocery stores with extensive produce sections, like Whole Foods. If you cannot find them in your local grocery store, you can find them at Asian grocery stores or Korean markets. If you prefer the Joseon Korean radish, you can substitute that type for the daikon. These are more difficult to find but should be available in Korean or Asian grocery markets.
Radishes will last in the refrigerator for 7-10 days when stored in an airtight container.
Allow pickling for a minimum of 24 hours. However, I recommend 48 hours for best results. The longer you leave the radishes in the pickling liquid, the stronger the flavor.
How to Serve
Serve at room temperature or cold with any of your favorite Korean dishes! Or enjoy it as a light and refreshing snack. This pickled daikon is often served alongside heavy dishes like Korean BBQ because it is light and crunchy and makes a nice contrast to spicy dishes.
Expert Tips
- Make sure sugar and salt are dissolved in the water and vinegar before pouring over the cubed radishes.
- Use mason jars for ease of use and storage.
- If you don’t want your radishes to become too strong, pour the liquid out of the jars after 48 hours.
- If you like the robust pickled flavor, allow the radishes to keep in the liquid. They will become more flavorful with each passing day.
- These are best enjoyed between days 2-4 but last for up to 7-10 days.
More Healthy Korean recipes!
Recipe
Pickled Daikon Radish
Ingredients
- 1 lb daikon radishes
- ⅓ cup organic white sugar
- ⅔ cup white vinegar
- ⅔ cup filtered water
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- Clean and peel daikon radish. Cut into ¼ inch cubes.
- In a mixing bowl, combine white vinegar, sugar, water, and salt. Whisk until sugar and salt are dissolved.
- Add the daikon radishes to mason jars.
- Pour the pickling liquid over the top. Seal the jar with the lid.
- Transfer to the refrigerator. Allow to pickle for 24-48 hours. The longer you leave in the pickling liquid the stronger the flavor.
- Radishes will last in the refrigerator for 7-10 days. To stop the pickling, drain the liquid from the mason jars.
Video
Notes
- Make sure sugar and salt is dissolved in the water and vinegar before pouring over the cubed radishes.
- Use mason jars for ease of use and storage.
- If you don’t want your radishes to become too strong, pour the liquid out of the jars after 48 hours.
- If you like the strong pickled flavor, allow the radishes to keep in the liquid. They will become more flavorful with each passing day.
- These are best enjoyed between day 2-4, but will last for up to 7-10 days.
Nutrition
Your Friend
I hate your site. Please cut out all the BS and make the recipe more accessible without scrolling past your memoirs and dumb FAQ. It’s a simple recipe.
Alison Corey
When I first read this unkind comment, I entertained the idea of not responding at all. However, I think it’s important for my readers to understand why I write what you call the “BS” and “dumb FAQ.” First of all, there is a Jump to Recipe button at the very top of the post. If you click this button it will take you directly to the recipe card where you will find the simple recipe so you don’t have to scroll through the entire post. Secondly, the reason that I write the posts the way that I do is so that the recipe can be found on Google. It’s called SEO or search engine optimization. If I didn’t write this information and only provided you with the recipe, you would never find it. Google ranks recipes that give detailed information for those readers that find it helpful. I know that not everyone wants to read all of the helpful information in the post, hence the reason for the “Jump to Recipe” button. If you don’t like the formatting of recipes on blogs such as mine, you are always welcome to purchase a cookbook where you’ll get the recipe and nothing else.
Sherri
I love to read your history of the recipe and don’t find it BS or Dumb!!! Just remember it is small people who have small minds. If they don’t like it, they can go somewhere else. Please keep up the interesting stories.
Alison Corey
Hi Sherri,
Thank you so much for the support and kind words! I greatly appreciate it!
Suzy
We love trying new recipes and this hit it out of the park! Super easy!
Heather Johnson
Sounds great – I love the Banchan too! Can’t wait to add this to my BiBimBap next time I make it!
Shadi Hasanzadenemati
So delicious! Thank you for this amazing recipe!
Michaela
I can’t believe how simple this pickled Daikon is to make. It’s truly perfect for snacking.