Our Favorite Giardiniera Recipe

Our homemade giardiniera is outrageously good! This easy pickled vegetable relish, made with oregano, vinegar, and olive oil, will quickly become your go-to condiment for everything (it has for me!).

You can thank Chef Richard for this incredible recipe. It walks the line between Italian and Chicago style, giving you the best of both worlds. You’ll find the classic mix of crunchy veggies and herbs typical of Italian-style alongside the olive oil and a touch of heat that defines Chicago style giardiniera.

I love this pickled veggie relish, and honestly, I have a hard time not adding it to my dinner plate each night. It’s crunchy, thanks to the veggies. Herby, thanks to oregano, and perfectly punchy, thanks to the vinegar. I’m obsessed. For more veggie pickles, try our pickled carrots, dill pickles, or these pickled beets!

Key Ingredients

• Vegetables: The mixture of crunchy and colorful veggies really makes this homemade giardiniera so exciting. We use cauliflower, onion, sweet bell peppers (the multi-colored mini sweet peppers are my favorite for this!), carrots, and celery.
• Garlic and Oregano: Fresh garlic is the way to go. We use 5 cloves and mince it finely, this way the brine really takes on the garlicky flavor. Dried oregano is perfect for this, too. If you prefer to use fresh, that’s fine too. Just remember you’ll need more of it. A good rule of thumb is to start with 2 to 3 times the amount of dried oregano called for in the recipe and adjust to your taste.
• Salt and Sugar: We add a bit of salt and sugar to most of our pickles on Inspired Taste. The salt seasons the brine, and the sugar balances out the astringent qualities of the vinegar. Be sure to use sea salt or pickling salt, as table salt contains iodine that can sometimes cause discoloration or issues in pickling.
• Black Pepper and Red Pepper Flakes: Fresh ground black pepper makes the giardiniera taste more well-seasoned, and the red pepper flakes add a hint of heat. They are optional! You can use common crushed red pepper flakes (like those found at pizza restaurants) or try gochugaru (Korean pepper flakes). I love them and use them for homemade kimchi. They have some heat but are a little sweeter, so I’ve been using them in place of crushed red pepper flakes a lot in my cooking.
• Pimento Stuffed Olives: These might be my favorite part of Chef Richard’s giardiniera. You’ll slice them into rings and stir them in right before you transfer everything to a jar.
• Vinegar and Olive Oil: For the best flavor, reach for a good-quality white wine vinegar. When it comes to the oil, look for regular, more refined olive oil, not extra-virgin. Since you’ll be refrigerating these pickles, using regular olive oil helps prevent it from hardening significantly in the cold (though it may still firm up a little). If you notice the oil has solidified when serving, let the jar sit at room temperature for a bit to return to its liquid form.

How to Make Homemade Giardiniera

I prefer the vegetables to be chopped fairly small, more like a relish, so you will spend most of your time prepping them. Think tiny “trees” for the cauliflower (like in my cauliflower chickpea salad) and about 1/4-inch pieces for the other veggies. While chopping takes a little effort, this recipe makes a large batch, so you’ll be stocked for a while. Trust me, once your first jar is gone, you’ll happily head back to your cutting board to make another!

While it’s good right away, the true magic happens after a day or two in the fridge. The vegetables marinate, and the flavors meld, becoming even better. The carrots and cauliflower become ever so slightly tender. They are still crunchy, but not the same level of crunch as raw. I can’t wait for you to try it!