Today, my friends, I”m going to share a delicious recipe with you that’s a little out of the ordinary—pickled apples! Yes, you heard that right. Apples aren’t just for pies and crisps; they can be pickled to mouthwatering perfection.
Pickling: More Than Just Cucumbers!
In this world, there are two types of people: pickle lovers and pickle haters. Until the past few years, I fell into the hater category. I loathed pickles of all kinds! So, what changed my mind and my palette? I was served pickled cranberries on a salad during the holidays. Luckily, I didn’t realize they were pickled, or I probably would have avoided them altogether. That burst of tart and tangy flavor was a total game-changer for me!
While you might’ve thought pickling was all about brining dill pickles, the truth is, you can pickle almost anything, including apples.
The art of pickling goes way back and was initially a way to keep food fresh when fridges weren’t a thing. These days, it’s not just about preservation; it’s about taking your taste buds on a wild ride. Pickled apples are a blend of sweet, tangy, and crunchy, all rolled into one.
Pink Lady Apples: The Ultimate Pickling Apple
Over the past few years, I’ve been branching out and making all sorts of fruity pickles in my own kitchen, and these pickled apples are my newest creation.
I have learned that Pink Lady apples are the perfect apple for pickling because they are very firm and dense in texture and have a wonderful tart flavor that I just love! Plus, Pink Lady apples resist browning when you slice into them, which means you can take your time making the perfect pickle slices.
The process of making these quick pickled apples is simple!
1. First, you make the brine which consists of equal parts water and vinegar with some sugar, pickling spices, and a bit of salt. Not sure what pickling spices are? Most well-stocked grocery stores sell pre-made pickling spices which contain a blend of yellow and brown mustard seeds, allspice, cinnamon, bay leaves, dill seed, cloves, ginger, black peppercorns, star anise, coriander, juniper, mace, cardamom and crushed red pepper. Once you have all of these ingredients combined in a saucepan you want to bring them to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for 8-10 minutes so the the sugar dissolves and the brine is infused with the flavors of the pickling spice.
2. While your brine is simmering, slice the apples. I prefer to slice mine on a mandolin so that I have thin, uniform slices, but you can simply slice them with a knife too. I opted to leave the core in my quick pickled apples, but you can remove the core if you wish. If you do decide to leave it in though, be sure to remove any seeds or seed fragments before adding the apple slices to the brine.
3. Now, transfer the apple slices to a large bowl and pour the brine through a strainer over the apple slices. This will strain out all of the pickling spices and leave you with a nice clear pickling brine. Add a few cinnamon sticks and star anise pods to the bowl and allow the pickles and brine to come to room temperature. Since apple slices float, you will need to create a weight of some kind to make sure they stay submerged. I did this by placing a smaller bowl inside of the large bowl and then covering the whole thing with plastic wrap.
4. Once everything is cooled transfer the apple slices to a pickling jar along with the star anise pods and cinnamon sticks and pour the brine over the top. Your brine will now be a gorgeous shade of pink from the peel of the Pink Lady apples! At this point you will have a bit of leftover brine, feel free to discard it or get really creative and make cocktails or drinking vinegars with it.
These quick pickled apples are tart, tangy, sweet, and a bit sour all at the same time making them the perfect pop of flavor to brighten up salads, layer on to sandwiches, or an unexpected addition to charcuterie and cheese boards. While they’re delicious enough to stand alone, they can also provide a much needed burst of acidity when paired with rich meaty mains like pork roast.
If you’ve tried this Quick Pickled Apples Recipe, I would be so grateful if you would rate the recipe. Let me know what you think in the comments below. I just love hearing from you and your reviews and comments really help others that visit This Mess is Ours!
Want to be a part of our online community outside of the blog? It’s easy!! All you have to do is follow @THISMESSISOURS on FACEBOOK, INSTAGRAM, TWITTER, YOUTUBE, or PINTEREST to see cooking demos and peeks into our day to day life.
Quick And Easy Pickled Apples Recipe
These quick pickled apples are tart, tangy, sweet, and a bit sour all at the same time, making them the perfect pop of flavor to brighten up salads, layer on sandwiches, or as an unexpected addition to charcuterie and cheese boards.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 12 servings 1x
- Cuisine: European, American
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup white vinegar
- ¾ cup sugar
- 2 tsp. pickling spice
- ½ tsp. kosher salt
- 2 Pink Lady Apples
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 2 star anise pods
Instructions
- Combine water, vinegar, maple syrup, pickling spice, and kosher salt in a small to medium sauce pan.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low; cover and simmer for 8 – 10 minutes.
- Wash apples, core them if desired (no need to peel them). Transfer the slices to a quart sized bowl.
- Add star anise pods and cinnamon sticks to the bowl with the apple slices.
- Pour the brine through a strainer into the bowl with the apple slices, then cover and let come to room temperature.
- Once they have cooled to room temperature, transfer the apple slices, cinnamon sticks, and star anise pods to a pint-sized glass jar.
- Fill the jar with brine, and discard any left-over brine. Cover and refrigerate.
Notes
- The apples will float – to keep them submerged, set a smaller bowl inside on top of the apple slices and wrap the two bowls tightly with a layer of plastic wrap. This should keep the apples submerged.
- They are good for 2-3 weeks in the fridge
What are the health benefits of apples?
The apple, especially with the skin left on, is packed with necessary nutrients that reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes, and improve gut health. The high fiber and water content in apples can also help with weight loss, because they are so filling.
Click here more information about the health benefits of apples.
Frequently Asked Questions