These quick Japanese Soy Sauce Pickles (Shoyuzuke) are super easy to make at home and ready in just 3 hours. Crunchy and refreshing, they‘re so delicious with steamed rice and miso soup. Let‘s make 4 easy variations!
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The Japanese pickles, or Tsukemono, are a staple in our daily meal. When you serve steamed rice and miso soup, you will always see a small plate of pickles accompanying them. Many families make their own pickles at home as it’s easy to make and a great way to enjoy more vegetables!
Today, I’ll show you 4 Easy Soy Sauce Pickles. That’s right, four kinds! I just couldn’t pick one, so you get to try them all.
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Why You Should Make These Soy Sauce Pickles
- So ridiculously easy
- Only use pantry ingredients
- Fun to eat with plain steamed rice
- Always good to have a healthy add-on dish to bring more appetite and diversify the nutrients
- Versatile with ingredients and flavors
What You Will Need to Make Soy Sauce Pickles
1. Four Main Ingredients for Pickling
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- Soy sauce – I use Kikkoman® Gluten-Free Tamari Soy Sauce to make it gluten-free.
- Rice vinegar – It’s mild and works great for Japanese recipes. If you use other types, reduce the amount since they are more acidic.
- Sugar – I use organic cane sugar.
- Salt – It’s used to remove moisture from the vegetables.
2. Add-on Flavors
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- Sesame oil
- Ginger
- Garlic
- Red chili peppers
- Katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes)
3. Vegetables for Pickling
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- Komatsuna (Japanese mustard spinach) – It’s available in Japanese grocery stores, especially winter months.
- Celeries
- Daikon radish
- Japanese, Persian, or English cucumbers – They have small seeds. If you use other kinds of cucumbers, please remove the seeds before pickling them.
4. Mason Jars and Glass Weights
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- Wide-mouth 32-oz Mason Jars – Mason jars keep homemade pickles well and it’s easy to store in the refrigerator.
- Plastic Storage Caps for Wide-mouth Mason Jars – This is not necessary but I think it’s convenient to have.
- Glass Weights – The glass weights fit perfectly to the Mason jars! Use 1-2 weights per jar.
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How to Serve Soy Sauce Pickles
Typically, pickles are served in a bigger bowl or plate and shared communally at the center of the table. You can also serve each pickle on individual small plates. It’s all personal choice, depending on the dinner setting or how you’d like to present the meal.
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The Japanese tableware includes Mamezara (豆皿), which is a tiny plate, about 3 inches in length. They come in various sizes, colors, and shapes, which work great for pickles.
Enjoy making your own Soy Sauce Pickles at home. Your steamed rice will never be boring if you keep these delicious pickles around!
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4 Easy Soy Sauce Pickles
Ingredients
For the Soy Sauce Pickling Solution (per batch)
- 4 Tbsp soy sauce (I used Kikkoman® Gluten-Free Soy Sauce)
- 2 Tbsp rice vinegar (unseasoned)
- 2 Tbsp sugar
For the Daikon Soy Sauce Pickles
- 1 lb daikon radish (⅓ daikon)
- 2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 dried red chili pepper
For the Cucumber Soy Sauce Pickles
- 1 lb Japanese or Persian cucumbers (3 pieces)
- 2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 dried red chili pepper
- 1 knob ginger
For the Celery Soy Sauce Pickles
- 6 oz celery (5 stalks)
- 2 cloves garlic
- ½ tsp toasted sesame oil (I used Kikkoman® Sesame Oil)
For the Komatsuna Soy Sauce Pickles
- 6 oz komatsuna (1 bunch)
- 1 Tbsp katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes) (skip for vegan/vegetarian)
Instructions
- Gather all the ingredients.
To Make the Soy Sauce Mixture
- This soy sauce pickling solution recipe is for one batch of pickles. If you are going to make all 4 kinds, you have to make 4 times this recipe. If you are making just 2 kinds, make double. In a small saucepan, combine 4 Tbsp soy sauce and 2 Tbsp rice vinegar (unseasoned).
- Add 2 Tbsp sugar, and bring it to near boiling point over medium heat. Mix (or swirl) the sauce a few times to melt the sugar until dissolved. Set aside to let cool completely.
To Make Daikon Soy Sauce Pickles
- Peel and cut 1 lb daikon radish into quarters lengthwise, and cut them into ¼-inch (6-mm) slices.
- Place the daikon slices in a sieve (I use a flat sieve). Sprinkle 2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt over the daikon and spread it evenly. Set aside for 30 minutes to draw out the liquid from the daikon.
- Meanwhile, remove and discard the seeds from 1 dried red chili pepper and cut it into thin slices.
- Once the moisture is removed from the daikon, quickly rinse under water to get rid of the salt. Then, transfer the daikon to a clean towel or paper towel.
- Dry the daikon with the towel and transfer it to a mason jar.
- Add the chopped red chili pepper and cooled soy sauce mixture.
- Put two glass weights on top of the daikon and close the lid. Mix the daikon and soy sauce mixture by swirling the jar.
To Make Cucumber Soy Sauce Pickles
- Slice 1 lb Japanese or Persian cucumbers into ¼-inch (6-mm) slices and sprinkle with 2 tsp Diamond Crystal kosher salt. Set aside for 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, remove and discard the seeds from 1 dried red chili pepper and cut it into thin slices.
- Peel 1 knob ginger, slice it into thin slabs, and then cut into julienned pieces.
- After 15 minutes, quickly rinse the cucumber slices under water to remove the salt. Transfer to a clean towel.
- Dry the cucumber with the towel and remove the moisture.
- Transfer the cucumber slices to a mason jar and add the cooled soy sauce mixture.
- Add the chopped chili pepper and julienned ginger.
- Put 2 glass weights on top and close the lid. Mix the cucumber and soy sauce mixture by swirling the jar.
To Make Celery Soy Sauce Pickles
- Cut 6 oz celery into ½-inch (1.3-cm) pieces and transfer them to a mason jar.
- Peel 2 cloves garlic. Add the soy sauce mixture to the mason jar.
- Add ½ tsp toasted sesame oil and the garlic cloves.
- Put one glass weight on top and close the lid. Mix the celery and soy sauce mixture by swirling the jar.
To Make Komatsuna Soy Sauce Pickles
- Cut 6 oz komatsuna into 2-inch (5-cm) pieces and transfer to a mason jar.
- Add the cooled soy sauce mixture and 1 Tbsp katsuobushi (dried bonito flakes).
- Mix the katsuobushi and komatsuna together with chopsticks. Put one glass weight on top and close the lid. Mix the komatsuna and soy sauce mixture by swirling the jar.
To Store and Enjoy Soy Sauce Pickles
- Store the pickles in the refrigerator. They are ready to consume after 3 hours (depending on the vegetable and thickness of the cut). Strain the liquid off when you feel the pickles are about to get salty, but it‘s all up to your preference. Consume within 3–7 days (denser vegetables like daikon tend to keep longer without getting too salty, while cucumbers or leafy veggies get saltier quickly). For the daikon pickles, store them in a jar or container with a tightly sealing lid to minimize the odor; I recommend consuming them sooner as the odor gets stronger over time.
Nutrition
Other Japanese Pickle Recipes
- Shiozuke (塩漬け) – with salt
- Amazuzuke (甘酢漬け) – with sugar and vinegar
- Misozuke (味噌漬け) – with miso
- Kasuzuke (粕漬け) – with sake kasu (lees)
- Shiokojizuke (塩麹漬け) – with rice koji/mold-cultured rice
I tried this with daikon, cucumber, and celery, and I just want to say: they’re all amazing, but the cucumbers are absolutely ADDICTIVE. (Side-note that I ended up replacing the chilis with 1/2 tsp of gochugaru, so the flavor may be a bit different, but the pickles still ended up absolutely delicious.)
Hello, Dandelion. Thank you for trying Nami’s recipe and sharing your feedback with us!
We’re delighted you enjoyed this dish as much as we did. Using Gochugaru also sounds like a wonderful idea.🙂
I was wondering where you got the basket to place the veggies on as you salt them. Thank you!
Hi Lee Ann! This particular one was a gift from my high school friend in Japan, so it’s not available here. However, you can find similar ones on MTC Kitchen. Use JOC10 to get 10% off. 🙂 I have Bonzaru from them and love the quality.
https://mtckitchen.com/search.php?search_query=bamboo§ion=content
I was wondering if any of these recipes would work with garlic. I miss being able to get the pickled garlic I found at the Japanese markets on the west coast.
Hi Cynthia! Thank you very much for reading Nami’s post and trying her recipe!
Sure, you can use this Soy Sauce Pickling Solution to pickled garlic but feel free to adjust the sugar amount for the garlic pickles or use this recipe: https://www.justonecookbook.com/shiso-garlic-soy-sauce/
We hope you enjoy this.😉
This recipe has made our family into voracious celery eaters! The salty crunch of these pickles are just unbeatable.
Hi runawayeater! We are so happy to hear your family enjoyed the pickles!
Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and for your kind feedback!
The taste was great even with half the amount of sugar. This is the first time I actually enjoy the taste of celery.Thank you very much for sharing those recipes!
Hi Anna! Aww. We are so happy to hear you enjoyed the pickled celery!
Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe and sharing your experience with us.
Hi. Can other greens be substituted for the komatsuna? I have some fairly mature looking mizuna and am wondering if it could be pickled this way or if it would not have a good texture. I’ve made the cucumber version a few times and they are so delicious!
Hi Ann! Thank you very much for trying Nami’s recipe!
Mizuna has more soft green leave than Komatsuna, and sometimes it gets too soft after pickling. The substituted item we can recommend is Napa cabbage, Daikon leaves, and spinach, etc. We hope this helps!
Hi, can i add spring onion/ or leeks leaves to cucumber? Thanks!
Hi Bella, Spring onion/leeks leaves will be very soft after pickling, but if you would like, you may add them too.
Thank you for trying Nami’s recipe!
Hi Nami! I’ve been wondering if you need to strain the liquid off after pickling and store without the liquid or is it better to leave the liquid in the jar?
Thank you for the information!
Hi Amanda,
Thank you very much for trying this recipe!
You may store it with liquid, but the pickles will get saltier each day. So it’s up to your preference to straining the liquid or not.
We hope this helps!
Hi Nami! Is it essential to salt the vegatbles beforehand to remove water? Is it to change the texture of the vegetables or to prevent the pickling solution from being diluted too much from the water in the vegetables? Greetings from Germany, Tim
Hi Tim!
Yes! Your thoughts are correct. And other reasons for salting the vegetables to remove the water are:
The sauce is easier to soak in, it will last longer, the color of vegetables will be beautifully finished, and you can pickle more vegetables because the volume will be less.
Hope this helps!