Tangy and mildly sweet Japanese Pickled Daikon is an easy beginner‘s recipe that‘s ready in 2 hours. Marinated in a rice vinegar solution, it makes a refreshing palate cleanser for traditional Japanese dishes or crunchy condiment for Asian-style sandwiches and BBQ.
Root vegetables like daikon radishes are especially delicious in winter months, so let’s grab some daikon at your local Japanese or Asian grocery store and make this easy Japanese Pickled Daikon!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Quick and so easy to make! Ideal for beginners who are new to pickling vegetables.
- Extremely versatile. Not only does it complement Japanese meals, but the sweet and tangy flavor also goes well with many Asian dishes. You could serve it with a rice meal or even as an accompaniment to your Asian-style pulled pork or meatball sandwiches.
- Ready in 2-3 hours. No long marination is needed.
- Store well in the refrigerator for up to a month!
What is Daikon Radish?
Daikon (大根), also known as winter radish or Japanese radish, is a variety of large white radish used in Asian cooking. It is especially popular in Japanese cooking.
What does daikon taste like? It tastes like regular red radishes but with a much milder flavor. When eaten raw, it has a refreshing crunch and a light peppery taste. Once cooked, it gets tender, sweet, and really juicy. Which makes it a great choice for soups, hot pots, and stews.
Why is daikon so healthy? In addition to its great flavor and versatility, daikon is known for its many health benefits and plays a big part in the nutritionally balanced meals in our culture. It is high in vitamin C, calcium, magnesium, copper, folate, and so on.
Eating pickled daikon has an added advantage as it offers an excellent source of probiotics that is good for your gut health.
How to Select and Prepare Daikon
Daikon radishes are available all year round but they are extra juicy and have a milder taste during the cold winter months.
To select a good daikon, the skin should be smooth and it should feel heavy. Look for a whole daikon that includes the green top if possible. The green leaves are the best part of this winter radish! I like to chop the leaves into small pieces and add them to Miso Soup or make Furikake (Japanese Rice Seasoning). So good!
One of the most popular ways to prepare daikon is to pickle it, like the recipe I shared here. Even the peppery daikon will mellow out nicely with a sweet and salty flavor when you pickle them. To remove the bitter & peppery taste of daikon, you can soak it in cold water.
Ingredients for Japanese Pickled Daikon
- Daikon radish
- Rice vinegar – Mild, slightly sweet, and delicate tasting and it’s most suited for Japanese and Asian cooking. I wouldn’t recommend using apple cider vinegar for this recipe.
- Sake (Japanese rice wine) (optional)
- Salt and sugar – We’ll need a decent amount of sugar and salt for this recipe as daikon releases lots of water during the pickling process.
- Dried red chili pepper – Optional but adds a little kick and color to the dish.
How to Make the Best Japanese Pickled Daikon
- Peel daikon and cut into thin half-moon slices.
- Cut the chili peppers into small pieces and discard the seeds if you prefer less spicy.
- Place all the ingredients in a resealable plastic bag and rub well. Remove the air before you seal the bag. You can start enjoying it after 2-3 hours!
What to Serve with the Pickled Daikon
This Japanese pickled daikon recipe is not meant to be eaten 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).
I often serve the pickled daikon as part of an ichiju sansai (one soup, three dishes) meal, especially if the main dish is deep-fried. But you can also enjoy it with Instant Pot Asian pulled pork, BBQ Short Ribs, Sticky Asian Ribs, and sandwiches.
FAQs
Q: Can I make a double batch of this recipe?
For my recipe, I used only half the size of a large daikon. Please go ahead to make a double batch if you prefer to use up the entire daikon.
Q: Do I need to peel a daikon?
For Japanese cooking, we typically peel the skin as it can be rather thick.
More Easy Pickles Recipes You’ll Like
In Japan, pickles, or what we call tsukemono (漬物), are a staple for Japanese meals. They are usually served with rice and considered as a necessary accompaniment to Japanese meals. Here are more pickle recipes you’ll love:
- Easy Pickled Daikon and Carrot with Sweet Vinegar
- Pickled Sushi Ginger (Gari)
- Japanese Pickled Cabbage
- Pickled Cucumber
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Pickled Daikon
Ingredients
- 1 lb daikon radish (about half a large daikon)
- 1 dried red chili pepper
- 2 Tbsp rice vinegar (unseasoned)
- 1 tsp sake (optional)
- 1 Tbsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- ⅓ cup sugar
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
- Peel 1 lb daikon radish and cut it in half lengthwise. Then, cut it crosswise into half-moon slices about ¼ inch (6 mm) thick.
- Cut 1 dried red chili pepper into small pieces. Discard the seeds if you prefer it less spicy.
- In a resealable bag, put the daikon, chili pepper, 2 Tbsp rice vinegar (unseasoned), 1 tsp sake, 1 Tbsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt, and ⅓ cup sugar. Rub well from outside the bag to distribute the seasonings. Tip: Alternatively, you can use a ceramic or glass jar with weights.
- Remove the air from the bag and seal it. Let it rest for 2–3 hours in the refrigerator. Remove from the pickling solution and enjoy!
To Store
- To minimize the odor, store the pickles in a jar or container with a tightly sealing lid. When the flavor gets too salty and strong, pour off the pickling liquid and reseal the lid. The pickles will keep in the refrigerator for up to a month, but I recommend consuming them sooner as the odor gets stronger as time passes.
Wow! I made this last night and am eating it with my lunch today. This recipe blew my expectations out of the water with how good it is (so much so that this is the only time I’ve ever felt the need to comment on a recipe online). This is the first thing I’ve made from this website but scrolling through the others I will definitely be trying out more. I’m so happy I stumbled upon JOC. Thank you for the amazing recipe!
Hi C R! Aww. We are so happy to hear you enjoyed this dish!
Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback!
We hope you continue to enjoy many recipes from our site. Happy Cooking!
These are great! I love expanding my rotation of side dishes and bento fillers 🙂 But I had a question. Do you know how this was made traditionally? I’m sure, for example, in Edo Japan, they didn’t have resealable plastic bags, so I’m wondering what they used. I have a fascination with preparing things in a traditional manner, so I’m very curious as I’ve seen a lot of recipes using Ziploc bags. Thanks!
Hi Maddie! Thank you very much for reading Nami’s post and trying her recipe!
In the old days, the Japanese used Ceramic pot and rock/stone for weight to pickle the vegetable. Now glass jars and weights have many different sizes available and are easy for quick picking if you want to avoid bags.
Example recipes:
https://www.justonecookbook.com/senmaizuke/
https://www.justonecookbook.com/how-to-make-umeboshi/
Glass jars and weights:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076V66FZ4?ref=exp_justonecookbook_dp_vv_d
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N1F2L3A?ref=exp_justonecookbook_dp_vv_d
We hope this helps!
Thank you so much, this is perfect <3
You are very welcome, Maddie!
Crisp and delicious! It reminds me of takuan, but the raw daikon in your recipe is even better. I used red chile flakes. I couldn’t even wait to make gohan and have been eating it straight from the jar.
Hi Elizabeth! We are so glad to hear you enjoyed homemade Pickled Daikon!
Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback!
Hi naomi
1)May i know why in the pickle recipe-Red Pickled Ginger (Beni Shoga), the ginger need to be blanched ,but in this recipe the daikon do not need to be blanched
2) what is the purpose of blanching
Thanks
Tab from Singapore
Hi Jesse, Thank you very much for reading Nami’s post!
There are many ways to make pickled, and you can make Pickled Ginger without blanching too. In Nami’s recipe, she blanched ginger to reduce the ginger’s spiciness. As for this Pickled Daikon, Nami used the upper part of Daikon, which is less spicy than the lower (end) part of Daikon, and the blanching was unnecessary.
We hope this helps!
Hi Nami, is this pickled daikon recipe the same as Takuan, only without the yellow food coloring?
Kaori
Hi Kaori! Thank you very much for reading Nami’s post!
This recipe is the type of Asazuke (quick pickle, not fermented) and not the same as Takuan. Asazuke uses less salt than Takuan.
We hope this helps!
I dont normally like pickled items but this recipe really works and taste very clean and balanced. I have extra radish from making tonjiru and using it to make this recipe. Super light, not over powering and a nice healthy snack during summer time (I finished a bowl in no time). Super cold picked radish, delicious! Thanks for the recipe Nami san.
Hi Lee! Yay!☺️ We are glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe!
Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and for sharing your experience with us!
Do you think I could use Chinese Shaoxing rice wine instead of the sake?
Hi Tanuja, Sure. You can use Chinese rice wine. We hope you enjoy these pickles!
Yay thank you Naomi! Bought daikon especially for this and I’ve tried two other tsukemono recipes on your site already and loved them!
Awesome! Thank you for trying many of Nami’s recipes, Tanuja!
Are the radishes good for a month in the fridge once they have been removed from the solution? Can you substitute regular radishes if you can’t find daikon?
Hi Gigi, If you removed the Daikon from the solution, we recommend consuming them within 1~2 days.
And yes, you can pickle regular radishes as well. Thank you for trying this recipe!
Hoping this might help someone–I tried this and the only sugar I had was natural turbinado sugar. Wow, it did not go well. It smelled like molasses mixed with vinegar and turned into a brownish, syrupy mess. So either I did something else wrong, or you should use plain white sugar for this.
Hi MJ, Thank you very much for trying this recipe and sharing your cooking experience with us.🙂
As you may know, the turbinado sugar comes exclusively from the first pressing of sugar cane and retains some of the original molasses. Therefore, your Daikon Pickled smelled molasses, and it turned brown. If the recipe is called for sugar, we don’t recommend using this type of sugar unless otherwise mentioned. We hope this helps!
Love this recipe. I used mirin instead of sake (yes, the real stuff I bought from a JP import shop) and added rainbow carrots. I know they’re meant for palate cleansers but I can’t stay out of them – and neither can my mother! Love your blog. 🙂
Hi Danyal, Thank you very much for trying this recipe and sharing your cooking experience with us! We are glad to hear you enjoy the dish!☺️
Hey!
I’ve pickled it in the jar, and now I’m wondering how long could I store it outside fridge (after first opening jar).
I’m polish, and I live in Poland… dunno how it goes in States or Japan but here “white raddish” (as it is often called) is available bassicly only during September-November (sometimes at beggining of December too)… So I wanted to make a stock of it next fall, but dunno how much could I do to be sure it won’t spoil in meantime. The small test jar kept in fridge still tastes perfect (though it stinks more, and more each day XD) after one month. But it is small. And kept in fridge.
Anybody knows how long could it be stored without fridge on shelf? or in basement?
And if it could be prepared in bigger jars?
Hi Michał, Thank you very much for trying this recipe. We recommend storing this type of pickles in a cool place as much as possible to avoid microbial growth. If you are using this recipe, it can be stored in the refrigerator for a month.🙂
Must I use sugar? I am diabetic.
Hi Kathy,
You may skip the sugar.
However, the flavor will be more vinegary, so please adjust the taste to your liking.🙂
As with every other receipe of yours this one was great. I paird it with your miso cod (but then salmon), Spinach Salad with Sesame Dressing, Tamagoyaki. All the dishes require little effort but they definiately achieve a wow effect. Thank you so much. Once again I am so happy to have found your website 🙂
Hi Afra,
Thank you very much for trying many of Nami’s recipes and for your kind feedback!
We are so happy to hear you enjoy Nami’s recipes.🙂
My mother is Chinese born in Korea and she said this recipe reminds her of Korean Takwan. I basically revived a dying vegetable from the fridge. Love the simplicity of it all.
Hi Maggie,
We couldn’t be happier to hear how much joy and excitement Nami’s recipe has brought to you!
Thank you for sharing your story! 🙂
I live in Mooresville ,NC and there are no Asian markets close by but I am able to buy Daikon whole in one of the grocery stores and usually include in stir fry and Kimchi but I always enjoyed Pickled Daikon and I imagine pickling the whole Daikon would require a lot of preparation. I notice that you don’t use very much Liquid in your pickling method and you pickle in a plastic bag .
I have always used Mason Jars for this type of operation with much more liquid .can you suggest a method using more vinegar or water to use larger slabs of Daikon for the recipe ?
Hi Vinnie! Now that I have glass weights for mason jars, I use mason jars more often (https://www.justonecookbook.com/easy-soy-sauce-pickles/). In Japan, most home cooks make “Asazuke” or quick pickles, which take just several hours to make compared to Tsukemono that takes a long time to prepare/pickle.
Just like western style pickles that can store for a longer time with vinegar solution, there are pickles that you can store for a longer time in Japan too. But the process is a bit different from the quick pickling, and you have to dry out entire daikon first under sun, then pickle in salt to dehydrate, and then actual pickling in whatever pickle agent (miso, nuka, salt, soy sauce, etc) starts.
It’s not something I normally do, and maybe one day I want to try… but it’s labor intensive so I haven’t done so (I need a big tsukemono tub etc). Maybe one day. There is a cookbook on pickling too, I think.