Escabeche (Mexican Pickled Vegetable Recipe)

Pickled vegetable escabeche is mouth-wateringly addictive.

These ultra flavorful Mexican pickled vegetables make the perfect appetizer or side dish whenever you’re serving up Mexican food. I don’t know about you, but my mouth is already watering.

Depending on where you live, you might see vegetable escabeche in different ways. In SoCal, you can find this spicy side made with mostly carrots with some jalapeños and onions. NorCal escabeche is mainly made with pickled jalapeños and a few carrots and onions.

This escabeche recipe makes a large batch of mixed pickled vegetables. 

You can use a variety of vegetables when making escabeche. The foundation comes from onions, jalapeños, and spices. The rest is up to you.

I’ll give you a few of my favorite versions, and you can also check out my Spicy Carrots and Jalapeños, made with the Lacto fermentation method.

What you need to make escabeche

You can change the types of vegetables that you want to pickle. This recipe starts with approximately 8 to 10 cups of raw vegetables.

The basic escabeche sauce is made by pickling jalapeños, garlic, onions, vegetables, and spices; marjoram, oregano, thyme, and bay leaves in vinegar.

I make this all the time using only the carrots, which might be my favorite way to make this recipe. But I also love the mushrooms and the pickled cauliflower. So yummy! All of the remaining vegetables can be your choice.

• Oil for sautéing the vegetables. You can use light olive oil or vegetable oil.
• White vinegar
• Water
• Spices; marjoram, thyme, oregano, and bay leaves.
• Garlic. 5 to 6 garlic cloves, sliced.
• Jalapeños. 7 to 8 large jalapeño peppers, halved or quartered. To reduce the amount of spiciness, remove the seeds and the membranes. (8 ounces)
• Onions. I like to use pearl onions in this recipe. You’ll need 25 to 30 pearl onions. Or one whole white onion halved and sliced. (12 ounces)
• Carrots. 3 to 4 large carrots, peeled and sliced. (12 ounces)
• Cauliflower. About one-half of a head of cauliflower. (8 ounces)
• Mushrooms. Small button mushrooms or baby Bellas. (8 ounces)
• Zucchini. 3 to 4 small zucchini or other summer squash. (12 ounces)

How to Make Pickled Vegetables

You’ll need a half-pound of jalapeños and then 3 to 3 ¼ pounds of other vegetables. The combination that I have here is just one version of escabeche. Swap out any of the veggies to create a combo that you like.

You can use the same process for making Mexican pickled vegetables to make taqueria-style spicy pickled carrots and jalapeños.

1. In a large skillet or dutch oven, heat the oil to medium heat. Add the garlic and the carrots and sauté for 2 minutes.
2. Add the jalapeños, onions, and mushrooms. Sauté for another 3 minutes.
3. Add the herbs and the salt and pepper. Stir well.
4. Add the vinegar and the water. Bring the mixture to a boil. Lower to. Simmer and cover the escabeche. Allow the vegetables to simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Remove the escabeche from the heat and allow it to sit covered for 15 minutes.
6. Allow the vegetables to marinate for at least 12 hours before serving.

How to store escabeche

Escabeche will keep for several months in the fridge. I usually store mine in Weck jars (affiliate link) or Mason jars (affiliate link).

You can also can escabeche if you want to store it for longer.

Recipe Variations

The spices, vinegar, and water will be the same as listed in the recipe. The ratio of vegetables will change for each version. Check out the Easy Taqueria Carrots and Jalapeño recipe.

Taqueria Carrots and Jalapeños

• 3 pounds of carrots
• 1 white onion
• 5 to 6 cloves of garlic
• 7 to 8 jalapeños

Pickled Jalapeños

• 2 pounds of jalapeños
• 1 white onion
• 5 to 6 cloves of garlic

FAQs and Expert Tips

What To Serve With Escabeche

Escabeche is traditionally served as an accompaniment to Mexican food. Serve it with all of your favorite Mexican Recipes.

I especially love it with tacos. Make sure to try one of my many taco fillings; shredded beef tacos, chipotle chicken taco meat, ground beef taco meat, and of course, fish tacos.

More Pickled Vegetable Recipes

Both of these pickled vegetable recipes are fermented using a classic Lacto fermentation method. This fermentation method is super easy and gives all of the healthy bacteria you’re looking for in traditional sauerkraut and other fermented vegetables.