These Apple Jicama Pickles steeped with real vanilla bean, cardamom pods, black peppercorns, and allspice berries create a unique condiment for charcuterie boards, salads, and more.
It’s time to take the quick pickle plunge with that apple harvest!
We’ve had a fun summer making pickles with all the fresh produce available and pickling fruit has been some of our most creative adventures. This pickle recipe unabashedly leans into the fall season with flavors of baking spices and a distinct peppery finish.
We pair jicama with apple due to their similar texture and predisposition for infusion. Both maintain their crunchy texture while taking on the nuances of the spices added.
You will love how the apple and jicama translate the floral notes of vanilla bean, the autumnal multiplicity of allspice, herbaceous cardamom, and the piney bite of black pepper.
Can you really pickle fruit?
When I say you can pickle anything, I do mean anything. Pickling fruit may sound strange, but it is a truly creative part of the pickling world. Due to the sweeter nature of fruits, their partnership with a vinegar brine is unique and dynamic.
Pineapple, tomatoes, watermelon rinds, pears, strawberries, plums, and cherries are a few examples of fruit options for pickling.
The flavor of the fruit stands out when infused with the bright acidity of the vinegar brine and, at the same time, quells some of its intensity with its natural sugars. The spices you choose for pickling fruit also invite a broader spectrum of flavors.
Today’s pickled fruit features crisp autumn apples and a crunchy root vegetable called jicama.
In this recipe, we leave behind the familiar savory pickling flavors of dill, garlic, and mustard seed, for fruit-friendly nuances of cardamom, vanilla, allspice, and black pepper.
What is Jicama?
This root vegetable is so unremarkable in appearance you’ve probably skipped over it a thousand times in the grocery without a glance. Its brown paper bag exterior makes it look like a big potato and its crisp, pearly white flesh even looks similar in texture to a potato or apple.
The outer skin is quite fibrous, so it is best peeled. When you take a bite of it raw, you’ll notice it is crisp and sturdy enough for party dips and, of course, quick pickles.
Plain as it may appear, jicama is nutrient-dense, low-carb, high in prebiotic fiber, and quite versatile in how it can be prepared. It can be baked, fried, boiled, or eaten raw (my favorite). If you don’t like it raw, you might try other jicama recipes like these baked jicama fries.
TIP: These pickles get more flavorful with time. They are ready within 24 hours but try them again about 2+ weeks after you make them (if they last that long). The infusion of flavor is more prominent and they only get more delicious with that extra time. These pickles will last up to 1 month in the refrigerator.
What does jicama taste like?
Jicama tastes like a cross between an apple and potato—crisp and juicy with a slightly sweet, earthy quality. This mild, neutral vegetable also reminds us of the flavor of water chestnuts or pear.
Got that? Like an apple, but not as sweet. Like a potato, but not as starchy. Like a water chestnut, but not as earthy. Like a pear but not as juicy.
That’s jicama. And that’s why we like it so much—especially raw with our favorite hummus.
What kind of apples should I use for quick pickles?
Firm, crisp apple varieties like Fuji, Braeburn, Jazz, Pink Lady, or Honeycrisp are ideal for this quick pickle recipe because they are firm enough to retain their crisp texture.
Granny Smith apples are also a good option if you like a bit more tart over sweetness.
Whatever apple you choose, just make sure the flesh is firm and not mealy or bruised when making quick pickles.
How to prepare apples and jicama for pickling?
The apples are pickled with the skin, so you’ll remove the core and slice them into thin ¼” pieces. The jicama will need to be peeled in the same fashion as you’d peel a potato.
Remove the tough outer skin with a vegetable peeler and cut it into sections that mimic the approximate size of apple slices (typically in half or thirds, depending on the size of the jicama) and do the same to them: ¼” pieces.
5 Ways to Serve Pickled Fruit
I enjoy them as a snack as they are, but these sweet-tart apple jicama pickles shine when combined with other foods:
- Garnish green salads
- Toss with coleslaw
- Layer in sandwiches with a funky cheese
- Mix into fruit salad
- Serve on a charcuterie board
The sour-sweet aspect of pickled fruit, in tandem with the baking spices used in the brine, gives these pickles a tangy, sweet, vanilla-spiced flavor.
If we love pickles on a hamburger, why not pickled apples and jicama on a sourdough grilled cheese?
Adding a touch of acid (pickles!) to food can perk up routine dishes that have become a little boring, like salads, sandwiches, tacos, or cheese boards.
Step By Step:
- Heat the brine ingredients.
- Slice the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds from inside each half.
- Divide the cardamom, peppercorns, and allspice in the bottom of each jar.
- Slice the apple thinly; peel and slice the jicama into similar-sized pieces. Gather the apple and jicama, alternating each piece, stacking them into the jar standing on end, then stacking sideways on top to fill the jar.
- Guide half the vanilla bean using into the jar along the inside with a chopstick or spoon handle.
- Pour the hot brine over the contents in the jar to just below the rim (the brine should cover all the vegetables). Allow to cool to room temperature, screw on the lid, and refrigerate for up to 1 month.
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TIP: It is important to keep the pickle contents below the brine to discourage mold or spoilage. Some vegetables are dense enough to sink, but others do not. Because of this, I use fermentation weights made from glass for use in wide-mouth pint jars. Pickle weights are inexpensive and simple to use as the weight sits right on top of the vegetables to keep them under the brine. These pickle weights have a small inset knob to make it easy to remove from the jar to use the contents.
Recipe Variations:
- Use different types of apples. Apples contain different levels of sugar content depending on the variety, so Fuji apple pickles taste different from Granny Smiths, which would be different from Red Delicious.
- Substitute carrots for the jicama. Carrots will have a markedly different texture but meld with the flavor of apples and baking spices. Cut them into thin slices as coins or long strips.
- Substitute whole cloves for the allspice or cardamom.
- Substitute pink peppercorns for the black.
MORE Condiment and Pickle Recipes You’ll Love:
Apple Jicama Quick Pickles
Ingredients
Basic Brine
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
Jar Contents (Divided into 2-pint jars)
- 2 medium apples , sliced
- 1 small jicama , peeled and sliced
- 1 vanilla bean
- 6 cardamom pods
- 2 tablespoon black peppercorns
- 2 teaspoons whole allspice
Instructions
- Mix the brine ingredients in a saucepan over med-high heat about 5 minutes to dissolve sugar and salt.
- Divide the cardamom, peppercorns, and allspice in the bottom of each jar. Slice the apple thinly; peel and slice the jicama into similar-sized pieces. Gather the apple and jicama, alternating each piece stacking them into the jar standing on end, then stacking sideways on top to fill the jar.
- Slice the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the seeds from inside each half. Add the seeds and half the pod to each jar. Using a chopstick or spoon handle, guide the vanilla bean into the jar along the inside (so you can see it from the outside).
- Once the jar is prepped, heat the brine to a boil. Pour the hot brine over the contents in the jar to just below the rim (the brine should cover all the vegetables). Allow to cool to room temperature, screw on the lid, and refrigerate for up to 1 month.
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Notes
- Use different types of apples. Apples contain different levels of sugar content depending on the variety, so your Fuji apple pickles taste different from your Granny Smiths, which would be different still from Red Delicious.
- Substitute carrots for the jicama. Carrots will have a markedly different texture but meld with the flavor of apples and baking spices. Cut them into thin slices as coins or long strips.
- Substitute whole clove for the allspice or cardamom.
- Substitute pink peppercorns for the black.
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