Mexican Pickled Carrots, or zanahorias en escabeche, are crisp, tangy, and mildly spicy with just the right amount of heat. They’re the classic pickled carrots you’ll find at Mexican restaurants and taco shops, and they’re incredibly easy to make at home.
Next time you’re at a taco shop, look for small bowls of these Mexican pickles next to pickled jalapenos and radishes.
Serve them as a side dish, snack, or topping for tacos, tortas, and your favorite Mexican dishes.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe ❤️
- Easy to make – Simple ingredients and one pot.
- Crunchy and flavorful – Tangy, spicy, and delicious.
- Make ahead – They taste even better the next day.
- Perfect with Mexican food – Great with tacos, tortas, and more.
-Maggie
🥕 Ingredients
- Carrots
- Jalapeño, sliced
- White onion, sliced
- Garlic cloves (whole)
- Olive oil
- White vinegar
- Water
- Bay leaves
- Dried oregano
- Salt
- Black peppercorns
🥣 Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat.
- Add the sliced carrots to the pan. Stir for about 5 minutes, ensuring they’re sautéed well.
- Next, add the jalapenos, white onions, and garlic cloves. Stir for 2-3 minutes or until the onions are soft.
- Add the vinegar, water, bay leaves, Mexican oregano (or regular oregano), salt, and peppercorns.
- Switch the heat to medium-low, and let the spicy carrots simmer. They’ll boil uncovered for 10 minutes.
🌶️ Adjusting the Heat
Cut the stem off the jalapeño peppers and slice them thinly. Adjust the heat level to your personal preference: For spicier pickled carrots, use 6–8 jalapeños or swap them for serrano peppers. However, if you’re aiming for a milder taste, limit the jalapeños to 2.
- Once cooked, allow the carrots to reach room temperature.
- Transfer them as well as the pickling liquid to clean, sterile glass jars or airtight containers, ensuring the rim of the jars is clean and devoid of any mixture residue.
- Keep the pickled carrots refrigerated until ready to eat.
Remember, the longer they sit, the richer the flavor – a testament to the culinary tradition of Mexican pickled vegetables.
Note: If more liquid is needed to cover add equal parts water and white vinegar.
📘 History
These veggies have deep roots in the culinary tradition of Mexico. Pickling was a popular method of preserving vegetables long before refrigerators came onto the scene. While various veggies (like cauliflower) have been pickled over centuries in Mexico, carrots found their special place due to their crunch and ability to absorb flavors. Over time, adding other spicy items became popular, giving this gem its spicy-sour flavor profile. Just like Mexican pickled red onions.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- Ensure you slice carrots uniformly.
- Feel free to experiment with the mixture of vinegars – like using half white vinegar and half apple cider vinegar.
- This pickled carrot recipe produces a condiment that can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a month.
- Make these in a big batch to share as a gift to fellow Mexican food lovers!
🙋🏻♀️ Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Baby carrots work well, but cut them into smaller pieces so they pickle evenly.
They’re best after 24 hours, but you can enjoy them after a few hours if you can’t wait!
Store them in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
🌮 Serve With
- Carne Asada Street Tacos
- Tacos de Bistec
- Torta de Jamon
- Tacos Al Pastor
- Chipotle Carne Asada
- Tacos de Camaron
These Mexican Pickled Carrots are one of those recipes you’ll want to keep in the refrigerator all the time. They’re crunchy, tangy, and spicy, and they make everything from tacos to tortas even better.
Make a batch today and let them sit overnight—the flavor gets even better the next day. ¡Buen provecho!
Mexican Pickled Carrots (Zanahorias en Escabeche)
Ingredients
- 1 lb carrots
- 2 jalapenos sliced
- ½ onion sliced (medium size)
- 3 garlic cloves (whole)
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup white distilled vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 5 black peppercorn
Instructions
- Peel and slice carrots diagonally, into large pieces.
- Slice onion into ¼ inch thick pieces.
- Cut the stem off the jalapeño and slice thin. Set aside.
- In a large stock pot, heat the oil over medium heat.
- Add the carrots.
- Cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Add the jalapenos, onion, and garlic. Stir constantly for 2-3 minutes, or until the onion is soft.
- Add the vinegar, water, bay leaves, oregano, salt, and peppercorns.
- Lower heat to medium-low. Cook for 10 minutes. Uncovered.
- Allow to cool completely and store vegetables and cooking liquid in clean, sterile glass containers with a lid.
- Keep refrigerated until ready to consume.
- Best if enjoyed the next day.
- The longer this sits, the better it tastes!
So simple and looks and tastes like the best Mexican Escabache!
I am traveling in Baja and used carrots, red onion and celery from the Mercado in La Paz, added 8 ounces of tinned escabeche for a mild version, delicious! Cooked the whole combination for 15 minutes as I cut the carrots 1/2 inch thick.
That’s great to hear! So glad you enjoyed them. La Paz is a dream….
Have you ever made these to can?
Yes, we used to do this all the time. There’s a process to do this, and I need another blog post. lol. Basically it’s adding the carrots and the juice in jars and sealing the jars by boiling the water.
“The longer this sits, the better it tastes.”
Just found a partial jar of these that is at least 6 months old. Given the vinegar content, I had no qualms about tasting them. Wonderful! (I hate exclamation points, and never use them.) The gentle heat lingers after 20 minutes of eating them.
Obviously, I need to make more tomorrow.
Happy Easter.
Joe
Yes, you do! lol. Thank you, Joe. Happy Easter!
Awesome so easy to make
Thanks! Yes, it’s an easy recipe. Glad you enjoyed the Mexican pickled carrots.
Hello Maggie,
These carrots are deliciousssss!!!!
I’m thinking of making a double batch and wondering about how long would they last in the fridge.
Thanks!
Hi Dora! Pickled veggies last a long time. It really depends on how you are storing them. If the jar is opened, they last in the fridge for up to one month. If the jar is not opened, in the fridge, they can last for 6 months. Hope you make this recipe!
These are great! Who would of thought that oregano simmering in vinegar could smell so exotic? Now, I just have to find a source for Mexican oregano seeds/plants. Devilishly hard to source here.
I put 1 jalapeno and 1 serrano in it, but next time will use 2 jalapenos, since it was a bit too spicy for us. I’ll add more salt, too, but overall: a keeper.
Thanks, Maggie.
JoeW
Glad you enjoyed the Mexican Pickled Carrots! Totally feel you on that oregano vibe – sourcing Mexican oregano can be a bit like finding treasure, but once you do, it’s totally worth it!
I was wondering if the Pickled Carrots are suitable to be canned ?
Yes, of course. That involves clean and sterilizing the can in hot water, then place the carrots inside, adding the liquid, and sealing them with a lid by adding them to really hot water. I should write a blog post just on how to can. It’s a bit of a process.
Wow! These Mexican Pickled Carrots look so delicious and very tasty! This is the way to store and make our carrots for the long run! I love the mixed sweet and spicy flavor too!
Me too. We love Mexican pickled carrots!! Thanks for your comment.
Such an easy way to pickle a carrot, and I can’t wait to try this at home!
Hope you do. It’s a great recipe!
I do make other pickled veggies, but I have not tried pickle carrots before. These sound delicious! Thanks for the recipe share!
You’ll love this recipe. Super tasty!
A delicious way to use my bumper crop of carrots from my vegetable garden! Yum!
That’s fantastic to hear! Using your homegrown carrots for this recipe sounds like a wonderful idea.