Pickled Apple Recipe: How to Make Pickled Apples

Pickled apples are a briny, sweet-and-sour dish made by soaking apple slices in a pickling liquid made of vinegar, salt, maple syrup, and fall-friendly spices. These semi-sweet quick pickles can be prepped in minutes and kept in the refrigerator for up to a month. You can serve them in a variety of sandwiches, salads, and grain bowls; served as part of a cheeseboard; or snacked on straight from the jar for a light, snappy autumnal snack.

Once you get the hang of pickling your own produce, the sky’s the limit for potential pickles. Use these tips to make the most of your preserved apples.

1. 1. Use fresh, firm apples. Pickling is the perfect way to preserve seasonal produce at its peak. Opt for fresh, firm apples with no browning or soft spots. Wash the apples thoroughly before you pickle them.
2. 2. Experiment with different apples. Different kinds of apples will provide a different pickle flavor. Start with a neutral-flavored, semi-sweet apple with a crisp texture, like a pink lady. Once you’ve mastered the pickling basics, you can switch up the produce to tart green apples, sweeter varieties, and everything in between.
   
3. 3. Use a mandolin. To create thin, consistent apple slides use a mandoline to slice your fruit, rather than a knife. This will ensure that your slices are approximately the same side and will pickle consistently.
4. 4. Experiment with different flavors. You can vary the flavor profile of your pickled fruit by changing up your brine. Experiment with different kinds of vinegar—like rice vinegar and red wine vinegar—or add different combinations of whole and ground spices for a unique pickle taste every time. Some potential sweet and savory seasonings include black peppercorn, cardamom, coriander, red pepper flake, allspice berries, and bay leaves.
5. 5. Store them properly. Store your quick-pickled apples in an airtight glass canning jar that has been washed thoroughly. Allow the brine to cool completely before storing it in the refrigerator for up to a month.