Root vegetables like daikon are especially delicious in winter months, so let’s grab daikon at a Japanese/Asian grocery store and make some simple Pickled Daikon!
In Japan, pickles, or we call it Tsukemono (漬物), are a staple for Japanese meal. They are usually served with rice and considered as a necessary accompaniment to Japanese meals. There are a wide variety of Tsukemono, from simple Pickled Cucumbers preserved in salt to delicate vegetables preserved in rice bran. There is even a Tsukemono (called Fukujinzuke 福神漬) that goes with Japanese Curry!
Daikon (大根) are large white radishes used in Asian cooking. They taste like radishes but milder. The thickest green part of the root closest to the top is the sweetest whereas the narrow bottom area of the root is peppery and pungent. The texture varies depends on how you cook it – crisp when raw and tender when cooked.
Although they are often sold without their tops at Asian market, the entire plant is edible. Usually Japanese stores sell whole daikon including leaves, and I like to chop the leaves into small pieces and add in Miso Soup (so good!). Daikon tastes the best when it’s juicy. To select good daikon, the skin should be smooth and it should feel heavy. The dried daikon might taste peppery, so be careful when you select daikon at a store.
Daikon are available in all year around but they are extra juicy and have a milder taste during the cold winter months. You can cut off whatever amount you need for your cooking, and place the remaining in a plastic bag and keep in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 weeks. Daikon is a versatile and convenient root vegetable; I use it in soup, nabe, garnish, and Oden to name a few dishes.
When you pickle daikon, it will turn into an amazing side dish. All you need is the right amount of rice vinegar, sugar, and salt (sake and red chili pepper are optional). Even the peppery daikon you might have unfortunately ended up with sometimes will mellow out nicely with this sweet and salty flavor.
The amount of sugar or salt might look too much for your standard pickle dish. However, during pickling process daikon releases lots of water and dilutes the condiments. Also, the Japanese always eat pickle dishes with rice. These salty sweet pickles and plain rice complement each other very well. Therefore, these pickles are not meant to eat alone like a salad. We consider pickles as a palate cleanser between dishes and we call this kind of dish “Hashi Yasume” (literally, chopstick rest 箸休め).
Oh by the way, if pickles are not your thing or you prefer to eat daikon raw, then try my Daikon Salad. Crunchy texture is fun and addicting to eat and so refreshing! Remember to soak in cold water especially if your daikon tastes more peppery than your preference. Hope you enjoy cooking with daikon!
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. daikon (Japanese white radish)
- 1 red chili pepper
- 2 Tbsp. rice vinegar
- 1 tsp. sake (optional)
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/3 cup (8 Tbsp.) sugar
- 1 Ziploc bag
Instructions:
- Peel daikon and cut into 1/4 inch slices.
- Cut the chili peppers into small pieces and discard the seeds if you prefer less spicy.
- Put all the ingredients in a Ziploc bag and rub well.
- Remove the air from the bag and close it. Keep in the refrigerator for 1-2 days. We like to pickle daikon for 2 days. Enjoy!
Notes
Pickled Daikon can be stored in the refrigerator for a month.
Itadakimasu!
Hi, I'm Nami. Thanks for stopping by Just One Cookbook. You can read little bit more about me 
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You know Nami my grandmom use to make daikon pickle with garlic n red pepper like really spicy…
This looks fabulous…. .
Yum !
Next time I will try to use the top part for pickling! I pickled some daikon recently using just rice vinegar and sugar.
Yes it is not easy to find daikon with the leaves tops in the supermarket. But sometimes I do get lucky in the farmer’s market. I usually use the leaves tops in soups. So good! and very nutritious too.
I like this
I have never seen pickled diakon so easy. How amazing
Nami, we eat a lot of white radishes around here and as a child I always found them too strong and pungent tasting and preferred the small red ones, today I have come to appreciate the palate cleansing abilities and health benefits of white radishes and we, like you do in Japanese cooking, always soak in water and add quite a bit of salt but that salt does extract a lot of water from the vegetable and makes it much more pleasing to the palate. I think it is time, a try an Asian variety of a radish dish, it looks so much more appetizing than the way I present it. Your photography of this dish is amazing – love the colors and the added “greenery”!
Have a great Wednesday!
I love eating dill pickles with my hamburgers and sandwiches! I’m sure I’ve tried daikon before, but I can’t remember exactly. Haha.
I’m sure I have been meaning to visit your website for a long time now, since I saw your comment in one of the blogs..I’m new to japanese cuisine, but always scared to try them out at home! Your recipes and stunning pictures make them look so inviting. Will visit often now:-)
What an exotic pickling to add to a meal
Cheers
CCU
I love this radish, especially when it’s pickled. But I didn’t have a recipe for it so I’m very grateful for yours! xx
You make it looks so easy! Great homemade pickles in a flash! I am a huge Japanese pickle fan when I lived in yokohama one of my favorite things to do was to go to the sogo department store on B1 and taste test all the pickles. However some of the best pickles I have ever tasted was in Kyoto and Kamakura. Wha tis your favorite kind?
Hi Bam! There are so many pickles shops in Japan and I always enjoy tasting in each region. I miss SOGO in Yokohama! My favorite kind? It’s so hard to choose. My mom is into pickles and she buys from different pickle stores all the time. We always have at least 3 kinds of pickles at dinner table.
I like the one with a hint of shiso flavor… now that I can’t get fancy kinds here, I definitely miss special flavors.
hm I love daikon, the recipe is so simple and i think i will make it with additional bird eye chili. i had some experiment the other day, cookin daikon in Indonesian way as daikon curry with fresh coconut milk base. it was not bad at all
The sugar salt combo gives this that extra something-somtehin
I like the dual purpose behind these pickles — “chopstick rest”/palate cleanser — a nice reminder to put the fork (or chopsticks) down and thoroughly enjoy what you’re eating. Thanks for your storage tips, too, Nami!
I’m usually not a fan of pickled foods, but I do like pickled daikon! Great post!
Healthy and refreshing. I have eaten very spicy ones in Korea. They come in cubes. I think I prefer them sliced into sticks like the ones in the picture above here. Thanks very much for sharing.
I want the Daikon leafs in my Miso soup right now, it must be soo good! Great pickling tips Nami. I thought some complicated process will come up but you just surprised me with an easy recipe.
i would pickle cucumber with the sugar-vinegar-chili combo and it would be so good. will try with daikon soon.
Beautifully plated! We also have pickles and chutneys to accompany our meals. So I totally understand this as part of your meal. I must try this.
Thanks for sharing this recipe Nami. I am going to make them, I love the spiciness of this radish and pickled sounds really tasty. Beautiful photos as always. Have a wonderful day.
I love pickled daikon! My grandmother made it all the time, but I haven’t tried making it myself yet. In our family, we also pickle slivers of carrot with the daikon. Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Hi Kimmi! Yes, the carrot makes it bright and pretty! You can add cucumber and carrot to this recipe as well, in case someone is interested in more colorful look.
Thanks Kimmi!
I’ve had daikon at restaurants but I’ve never worked with it at home. This is great!
That is SO pretty!! I’ve never tried it, but it sounds wonderful. It always amazes me just how different Japanese cuisine is from all others… in my opinion. Thanks for sharing, my friend! xo
I am sure finished off my pickled daikon whenever we take meal at the Japanese restaurant. Thanks for sharing your lovely recipe.
I always wonder how to make picked daikon we only eat them in the restaurant. Thanks Nami this looks easy and delicious will buy the ingredients yay! Oh question Nami sometimes I have seen them colored yellow in the restaurant do they have added food coloring? Thanks again have a great day!!!
Yes…there are some that naturally colored, but try to avoid buying unnatural color ones. They are extremely yellow, or red, or… you can tell.
I love this pickles daikons and it looks very lite, Nami. The sugar and the vinegar counter the bit of bitterness of the vegetable. That’s what makes this side dish special because the ingredients compliments each flavors. Thank you, Nami and I hope you are having a good week!
I love your simple pickled vegetables!
such beautiful photos! and we love daikon, i bet they are absolutely fantastic pickled! i need to try this!
Just what I was looking for, a quick tsukemono recipe.
Would like to see recipes with koji, tsukemono, chicken, fish, vegetables…..
Thank you for your request, Carolai! I put it on my list.
Beautiful, Nami! This looks like such a refreshing combo!
I do enjoy pickled daikon from time to time. Quick question: are daikon radishes same as Chinese radishes? Can they be substituted and get the same results? Thanks, Nami!
Hi Jen! I *think* they are same. I’ve bought daikon from an Asian market before, but I want to say the quality is not the same as daikon I can get in Japanese market. I rarely find juicy daikon from Asian market. I don’t know why. It could be just the one I go to…. but I cut daikon in the middle and I see completely dry surface. When I cut daikon from Japanese market, it’s always filled with water and it’s so refreshing. I stopped buying at Asian market for that reason. Is your daikon (Chinese radish) juicy?
I never knew you could eat daikon leaves! I’ll definitely try them. And I’ll try this recipe, too. I eat daikon only occasionally, and have never made the pickled version. It sounds wonderful, and is easy, too. I really like this – thanks so much.
I love pickling vegetables Nami! This method makes them last longer and their flavor is so unique. I am sure this daikon tastes like this!
We make a lot of pickles in India too. We call this vegetable ‘Muli’ and Muli pickles are quite popular as well, though they are most used in stuffed flatbreads called Parathas. This sounds delicious.
Oh lovely! I’ve been craving all things pickled during my pregnancy, and I always order sushi rolls with pickled daikon. I can’t wait to try this! Thank you for sharing! I hope you are having a lovely week!
Yum! I love daikon and this recipe is so easy. =)
Thank you Candice!
Scrumptiously crumchy and so flavorful!
Cheers,
rosa
This daikon pickle sounds so good and so easy! You’d better believe I am trying it out–especially since I’ve never made any Japanese-style pickles at home before.
Thanks for the great info!
Hi Nami! I love Daikon and surprisingly it is always available here. Thanks for sharing this great recipe. I’m going to pick up some this week. xx
I’ve never pickled anything before. I learned a ton from this – especially on picking and storing the Daikon. I love that it lasts for 2-3 weeks. That would be so helpful in my house.
Perfect timing. I was just looking at all the Daikon at the market thinking to myself that I needed to make something with it!
Wow, I had no idea how popular pickled daikon was ;0) – I’ve got to get on it! Just saw this lovely Japanese pickled root over on Sissi’s blog (although she used ‘dried’ daikon…sounds like a very interesting method/twist). I love pickled vegetables of all kinds. The closest approximation I could find over here would probably be parsnip which I think would work nicely. Beautifully illustrated and photographed Nami!
I checked your post this morning and didn’t have time to leave the comment here. Anyhow…yes pickled daikon is so good, and yours is very simple and delicious. Must try soon! Oh and I love your post as well as pictures…nom nom!
I never see daikon before, we have something that looks similar and called it nabo, but not the same.
Nice post. I love a pickled element to my food. Pickled Daikon is great, I have never tried on my own but will definitely now. Thanks.
Your presentation is always so neat and beautiful! I am not much into diakon at all, but the pickle works wonder with sandwich at times.
Hi Nami – Love the chopstick rest play on words! And love pickled anything. Going to make my next pickle with the sake addition, thanks for the good idea.
I have some catching up to do reading blogs, been so busy training my two new rescued dogs. Looking forward to reading your current posts that I have missed…
Hope you are well,
LL
Nami, I love daikon, and always look to try new recipes with it. I am going to make this one over weekend, thanks!
I actually bought a daikon a couple of weeks ago with the intention of pickling it (it would have been the first time). I was confident that I would find a recipe here for it. Unfortunately, I never got around to using the radish and had to throw it away and now here you are sharing the very type of recipe I wanted to try. Perfect! Now I must go back to the store and pick up a radish!
It sounds wonderful. I remember my mom use to grow daikon in our garden
but we had no idea it can be pickled!
いい感じ。さわやかシャキシャキ。きれい！
ご主人にお子さん見てもらって、ショッピングにでも行って、羽をのばしたらどうですか？ 私ならそうするかも。
Never knew daikon’s can be pickled. The recipe is so simple and I love any sweet and salty combination. A must try.
I was just looking for daikon radish yesterday but our market didn’t have it. I ended up having to use regular red radish in my recipe. I’m bookmarking this for when I am more successful.
I’m excited to make these pickles, Nami! I love to grate daikon into salads, or slice it to snack on, but haven’t pickled it before. Also, haven’t seen it sold with the tops on – I’ll have to check our larger Asian grocery to see if they do. Thanks for sharing!
I was so excited when my CSA box started showing up with daikon radishes in it! I’ve got this bookmarked for the next time I get a daikon, I love the idea of having it as a pickled side dish with heavy and or spicy meals.
I love these simple quick pickled vegetable recipes of yours. We use daikon in Indian cooking all the time so will try this recipe for sure.
I’ve enjoyed this at restaurants before but I bet making it at home tastes even better! Thank you for sharing this delicious looking recipe, Nami!
Looks very yummy. Crunchy and salty. Perfect appetizer. We love radish in our house, I usually make salad with radish and cucumber. Outstanding presentation, Nami! Thank you for very delicious recipe.
Wow Nami. This dish is the King of Freshness
Thank you Serena!
It has been way to long since I bought some. It is a great idea for a different winter veggie. I did not know it was considered a palate cleanser. Lovely presentation!
I’d like to try the pickles and the salad.
Oishisou! I’ve never tried pickled daikon with the addition of something as spicy as diced red chili pepper, but I bet the spicy-sour combination is delicious.
Root veggies like daikon are at their best and sweetest in the winter. Pickle them like this and you can enjoy their deliciousness year-long.
Coincidence? Telepathy? Or simply Japanese pickles fans think of daikon when it’s cold? This pickled daikon looks fabulous! Such a humble vegetable and so many possibilities! Actually I have some daikon leftover from my harihari zuke, so I will pickle it your way tonight. I have fallen in love with this bowl. It has been a long time I haven’t seen such a beautiful thing! Daikon with tiny bits of chili looks breathtaking in it.
Thanks for responding to my e-mail.
I have question on the type of chili you are using. Is it fresh or dried.
I was thinking of trying the recipe.
Hi Twobacas! Thanks for asking! I use dried one, It’s dried one. I hope you enjoy this recipe!
The market had some beautiful daikon the other day which I was tempted to buy, but Bobby’s not too crazy about it. However, I think he would love these since he likes all things pickled. Thanks for sharing this. I’m going to give it a try.
Pickled daikon is my absolute favorite! I love eating it with fried chicken!
I also love daikon radishes for the winter, but I normally make a daikon soup. I do love pickled daikon so I will have to give this a try. =)
I loooooveeee pickled daikon :3 First time I had it was in a veggie roll at a restaurant, I fell in love as soon as I bit down into the crispy sweet tangy center. I asked the waiter what it was, because it was just called a “Japanese pickle” on the menu. He explained, and said you can either make it or buy it and it’s been love ever since <3
Hi Kuriicakes! Thank you for writing! There are many kinds of pickles in Japan, and each region has their unique kinds, too. Hope you find the flavor that you really like! It’s fun to experiment.
Thanks for your feedback!
I’ve never tried pickling my own veggies before but it looks like fun and a great way to preserve your vegetables!
Hi Nami, As a younger man I was friends with two lovely Japanese ladies and I spent many enjoyable times sharing meals and my favourite was always diakon pickes and anything green. I love green vegetables!
Hi Frank! I’m happy to hear you like Japanese pickles! Me too, I like all kinds of vegetables and I think my site needs more veggie dishes..
Thank you for your comment!
Dear Nami,
This is a great idea. I always don’t know what to do with such a huge daikon when I make soup with it and end up using the whole thing. This recipe would be perfect for the other half of the daikon when I next make my favourite pork bones soup with daikon and red dates.
Hi Nami! I’ve made this recipe twice now and it is great! My two kids even love it. Thanks again!
Hi Hatsuho! Yay! So happy to hear you and your children enjoy these pickles! They are little stinky in fridge but tasty especially with gohan! Thank you for trying this recipe!
I love pickled daikon… when I couldn’t find daikon, I would use turnips and add carrots, celery and a few pieces of shredded seaweed. Thank you Nami, I’m going to make some for my japanese valentine dinner for my husband.
Hi Diana! Yes that’s true. Japanese pickles are very versatile and we can use many kinds of vegetables. I hope you and your husband will enjoy this recipe!
I have to say I am really loving the sound of this. I had no idea daikon tasted like radish. I adore radish but they tend to be a bit strong for my tummy woes. I am wondering if this would be better for me. That way I get the taste I love but not the afterbite. Gorgeous photos Nami!
I made this for our birthday party last weekend. Daikon isn’t a common vegetable in Holland but your dish was the no. 1 hit of the party. Thank you for this easy recipe
Hi Patrick! Thank you for your feedback! I’m happy to hear you and your party guests enjoyed this recipe! I try to imagine how your guests think of these when they first taste it…
Thanks again for writing!
Thanks for the recipe. I have stayed in Japan for more than a year and love their 大根の漬物 so much. I have copied down your recipe and wish to try it in one day.
Hi Nami,
I have seen this one or two times which is a piece daikon about three inches with three holes in it and
red chilli peppers stuck in the holes. Was wondering what this was? do you pickle it or
slice it and pickle it. Thanks for your response….Twobacas
Hi Twobacas! I slice a chili (you can add more than one) and put it in the Ziploc (step #3) to pickle together. I’ve seen the method before to put the red chili pepper in the daikon, too, although I never tried it before.
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