This homemade giardiniera recipe is so delicious!
A blend crisp and colorful fresh veggies are quick-pickled in an easy brine.
We all love giardiniera as a snack, a side dish, and especially to top our favorite sandwich recipes!
What is Giardiniera?
Giardiniera (pronounced jar-din-era) is a tangy mix of pickled veggies. Adjust the serrano peppers and red chili flakes to make it hot or mild.
It is not canned in this recipe but rather made more like a quick pickle.
How to Serve Giardiniera
Perfect as a side dish or on an antipasto platter, it pairs beautifully with artisan bread, cheese, olives, and wine. Of course it’s perfect on an Italian beef sandwiches or muffulettas!
A scoop or two of homemade giardiniera is a tasty topper for sandwiches, burgers, or even hotdogs or on pizzas.
Ingredients for Giardiniera
Veggies
Giardiniera is often made with a wide variety of fresh veggies. Cauliflower, carrots, serrano peppers, and olives are a must! We add bell peppers, onion, and celery.
Brine/Marinade
- White Wine Vinegar: A subtle, tangy base for the pickling mix. You can substitute white vinegar if needed.
- Light-tasting Olive Oil: A smooth complement to the vinegar. Replace olive oil with canola oil.
How to Make Giardiniera
- Cut veggies into small pieces and refrigerate them in salt water overnight.
- Drain veggies well and place in a glass jar. Add seasonings and fill with vinegar and olive oil.
- Keep giardiniera tightly covered in a mason-style jar in the fridge, continue to marinate at least 3 days before serving.
How to Serve Giardiniera
- Serve giardiniera alongside grilled meats or cured meats on a buffet table.
- We like it with a cheese plate or a charcuterie board.
- It’s great as a topping for an Italian sub!
- Serve it on a sandwich board or as a condiment to go alongside pulled pork or shredded beef.
Tips for Success
- The method of soaking the ingredients overnight in salt water was adapted from Jeff Mauro and truly makes a better giardiniera (although we do prefer to add vinegar to our oil mixture).
- Since giardiniera is essentially pickled vegetables, it will keep for up to 1 month in the refrigerator.
- Marinate at least 3 days before serving, longer is better!
Perfectly Pickled
Pickled Red Onions
Refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickles
Did you love this homemade Giardiniera? Be sure to leave a comment and a rating below!
Giardiniera
Ingredients
- 3 cups water
- 3 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups cauliflower florets broken into small pieces
- 1 rib celery sliced
- 1 carrot sliced
- 2 serrano peppers or to taste, thinly sliced
- 1 red bell pepper sliced
- ½ onion sliced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ½ cup green olives with pimentos, sliced
- ½ cup white wine vinegar or white vinegar
- ½ cup light olive oil or vegetable oil
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
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Mix water and kosher salt in a medium bowl. Add cauliflower, celery, carrots, serrano peppers, bell peppers, onion, garlic, and green olives. Toss to combine and refrigerate overnight.
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Drain vegetables and rinse very well. Place in a large jar.
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Whisk together vinegar, olive oil, oregano, and chili flakes. Pour over the vegetables and refrigerate at least 3 days before eating.
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Keep up to 1 month.
Notes
- Oil can be changed for any light tasting oil. Vinegar can be substituted with white vinegar.
- Marinate at least 3 days before serving, longer is better!
- The oil in this recipe will solidify in the fridge as you store it. Remove the jar and let it sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes and then give it a good shake before serving.
- Nutritional information includes 10% sodium from the overnight soak. Actual sodium may vary.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine American, Italian
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Would you please tell what size jar to use. A Mason Jar comes in different sizes.
Thank You :)
Hi Marilyn, you can make this recipe in various sizes. It will fill approximately two 1L jars or one of the large 1.9L mason jars.
Can this recipe be canned for large batches?? If so what do you recommend hot bath or pressure cooker? TIA
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure Kim. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out!
A comment was made about botulism bacteria, Its never around that long to be worried about. Goes fast in this house.
can i omit the oil in the recipe altogether?
Hi Angela, we have only made this recipe as listed.
Just made a batch of this giardiniera last week.
It is so delicious, thank you for this recipe.
So glad you enjoyed it, John!
I’m assuming the brining process is what protects against botulism from storing fresh vegetables in oil?
Hi Tristan, that is correct. If done properly the acid and the salt prevent the growth of the botulism bacteria.
Great I am going to make them.
My niece sent me this llink to make Giardiniera just a few moments ago. I know I’ll love it. Thanks.
Enjoy it Elayne!
My only complaint is that I am addicted to it. I only brine the veggies for 3 hrs and I add the Sliced Spanish queen olives after I rinse the veggies. I add a little olive juice to the brine, but the olives are already perfect. Thanks for the recipe.
You’re welcome Ed! So happy to hear that type of complaint!
We found it to be way too oily and vinegary. After it was in the fridge for a few days, we decided to cut the brine with an equal amount of water and skim off most of the oil. We liked it better after that.
I am hooked on this recipe. I cut the brine soak time and add the sliced olives after the rinse. This goes well with just about anything. Yum.
I love this. Even all by itself.
Me too Ed, it’s delicious as a snack!
I love the giardiniera. I changed a couple of things. I only soak the veggies for 6 hours. After rinsing I add the olives, oil and vinegar mixture.
So glad you loved it Ed!
Oh my. Is that sodium content correct? More than 5500mg a serving?
Sorry for the confusion, the recipe has been updated. Most of the sodium is discarded with the overnight soak. Hope that helps.
A weak 3*s rating, mainly b/c the sodium content per serving is through the roof (5541 mg.)!!?? We use a lot of this, so I usually buy a name brand, and the sodium is only 339 mg. per serving. Also, it does not contain Serrano peppers or olives. It’s a popular Italian brand, so I’m sure it’s pretty authentic. Perhaps using olives & serranos (considerably) raised the sodium level, or is that a misprint? My DH would love this hotter version, but I’m hesitant b/c of the sodium. What do you think, Holly?
The sodium content has been updated, most of the sodium is discarded with the overnight soak. Hope that helps.