Carrot Pickle Recipe (Gajar ka Achar)

This instant Carrot Pickle is the easiest you can ever make! It is going to spice up and add zing to your meal! Traditionally summer time is the pickle season but you can transform any time of the year with this quick and fast Indian Carrot Pickle. This recipe is an instant version meaning it requires no sunlight or aging the pickle is necessary. Make it today, let it soak up the flavors for a day or two and you are good to enjoy it.

In Indian cuisine, we make many kinds of pickles. Mango Pickle, Andhra Avakaya, Lemon Pickle, Amla Pickle and Tomato Pickle are some popular kinds but all these are made the traditional way and letting the pickle mature is essential.

About Carrot Pickle

Carrot Pickle is made by mixing fresh chopped carrots in hot oil along with ground spices. A generous amount of lemon juice or vinegar is used to add tang and improve the shelf life of the pickle.

A small amount of natural citric acid can also be used to extend the shelf life.

Though this recipe is the instant kind, it uses the same ingredients as the traditional Andhra pickle – avakaya. Red chili powder, mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, fresh garlic or ginger and turmeric are used in this recipe.

In Indian homes, pickles are made in larger batches to store for a year. But I make carrot pickle, cabbage pickle and lemon pickle in smaller batches since these are available all-round the year.

This Carrot Pickle tastes slightly spicy, hot and tangy with sweet notes of carrot. It can be eaten with Khichdi, Curd-rice, Dal-rice or as a side in any kind of meals.

Photo Guide

How to Make Carrot Pickle (Stepwise Photos)

Preparation

This recipe makes a small batch. If you want you may make a large batch and store in multiple jars for the best shelf life.

1. Wash and peel 1 medium carrot. Wipe dry completely with a clean kitchen tissue or cloth, just to keep it free from excess moisture. Chop to tiny cubes, set aside. Do the same with garlic or ginger. I prefer using 2 tablespoons ginger here. If you want to use lemon juice in place of vinegar, wipe dry the lemon very well and extract the juice.

2. If you have pre-made mustard and methi powder you can leave out this step. Heat a pan and lightly roast ¼ teaspoon methi seeds until they turn fragrant. Transfer to a plate. Switch off the stove. To the same pan, add 2 teaspoons mustard seeds and stir until they turn warm. Do not roast them. Cool them and powder together.

Make the Pickle

3. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a pan.

4. Make sure the oil is sizzling hot first (not smoking hot), add chopped ginger or garlic and carrots. Mix the carrots and ginger in this hot oil. Turn off the heat. This step is only to increase the shelf life else the pickle may go bad soon. This step also keeps the carrots crunchy until the pickle ages. If you prefer softer carrots, simply cook them in the oil for a few minutes (3 mins).

5. Add the following spices:

• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ⅛ teaspoon turmeric
• 2 teaspoons Kashmiri chili powder
• Mustard powder (1 tsp mustard powder)
• Methi powder (2 generous pinches powder). I had methi and mustard powder done separately, so I used it. To have more gravy in the pickle, double the quantity of red chili powder, methi seeds powder, mustard powder. Add salt and oil only as needed.

6. Mix up everything well. Taste test and add more spices and salt if required. When you taste you must get the salt, hot and pungent taste from the pickle.

Watch the quantity of methi powder, adding a lot can make the pickle taste bitter. Cool completely then add lemon juice or vinegar for the tang & shelf life. You can also add a bit of amchur if you do not have lemon juice. This will change the flavor but that tastes good too. If the pickle looks dry, add more oil.

Store Carrot Pickle in a clean air tight glass or ceramic jar. Avoid plastic containers including Tupperware. Day by day the pickle turns dry since there would be no moisture released by carrots. So you may need to add oil as needed just before serving. Refrigerate and use after 2 to 3 days.

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This Recipe was first published in Nov 2015. Updated in July 2023.