Full of toasted sesame flavor, tangy, and crisp-tender, sweet and savory pickled broccoli is unexpectedly wonderful. Much like bread and butter pickles in taste, these brined, thinly sliced broccoli stems are great on salads, sandwiches, and cheese boards.

Pickled Broccoli

Can you pickle broccoli? Oh, absolutely!

I know a lot of folks don’t know what to do with broccoli stems and they often get tossed into the garbage or compost, but I’m here to tell you that you need to pickle them! They bring so much oomph and pizzazz to your food day.

And they’re budget friendly, too. You can have your Oven Roasted Broccoli one night for dinner and pickle up the stems for later use in salads or snacking. Future you will be grateful – I can guarantee it!

Pickled Broccoli Stems

These quick pickled stems only require the following ingredients:

• broccoli stems
• sugar
• rice wine vinegar
• lime juice
• sesame oil
• garlic

You want to peel the outside of the broccoli stems and cut away any woody ends before slicing it. After peeling, use a mandoline, sharp knife, or vegetable peeler to slice the broccoli very thinly.

Place the sliced broccoli stems in a heat-proof quart-size jar, or (2) 16-ounce jars. In a small stainless saucepan, combine the sugar, vinegar, lime juice, sesame oil, and garlic. Bring to a boil over medium heat.

Stir until the sugar completely dissolves. That will take just about 2 minutes.

Pour the hot brine over the broccoli stems, then set aside to cool. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

The pickled stalks will keep nicely in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. You may find yourself opening the refrigerator just to sneak a couple pickles!

Filed under: Appetizers & Snacks, Condiments, Recipes, Vegetables

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