Carrot Pickle Recipe (Indian Gajar Ka Achar)
This homemade carrot pickle recipe is so easy to make and it’s so much better than bottled stuff! Made with fresh carrots, green chilies, ginger, Indian pickle spices, sugar, and tamarind. This carrot green chili pickle is crunchy, spicy, with a balance of sweet and sour taste.
It called Gajar ka achar in Hindi. Here carrot=gajar and pickle=achar. Serve with any boring Indian meal to jazz up!
About This Gajar Ka Achar
What does summer really mean? As being an Indian, it means the pickle making time. I have seen my grandmother making big batches of different pickles like Gujarati mango pickle (methia keri), mango chunda.
Most of the time the whole process takes a few days to mature pickles under the sunlight. But here in the USA, I am not blessed with consistent sunlight, so I always find a way to make the instant pickles like this sweet mango pickle and now today I am sharing Instant carrot pickle.
Since carrot and green chilies are available all year round, it doesn’t have to be a summer season to make it. You can make it any time of the year and enjoy it with your meal.
The carrot pieces are soft yet crunchy and they have a bite in this carrot pickle) This gajar ka achar has khatta meetha taste (meaning sweet and sour). The sweetness comes from sugar and sourness comes from tamarind.
Ingredients for Carrot Pickle
- Carrot: always use fresh, firm carrots. Do not dare to use baby carrots. Baby carrots won’t stay crunchy in the pickle. Instead, it will wilt down and becomes soft.
- Green chilies: you can use jalapenos or serrano chilies. If you prefer really spicy then you can use thai green chilies.
- Ginger: I like its strong taste, but if you do not prefer you can skip.
- Oil: You can use any flavorless, less pungent oil e.g. canola oil, corn oil, peanut oil, safflower oil.
- Split mustard seeds (rai na kuria): easily available in Indian grocery stores. Substitute: Coarsely grind the whole mustard seeds.
- Red chili powder
- Salt
- Sugar
- Tamarind: Adjust the amount of tamarind pulp according to how thick and concentrated yours it. If yours is really thick and concentrated vs mine (shown in stepwise photo) then use less. The consistency of mine is similar to the thick tomato puree.
How to make Carrot Pickle Recipe? (Stepwise)
1) Wash the carrots, green chilies, and ginger well. Pat dry completely. Peel the carrots and ginger. Now chop the carrots into 1 ½ inch long and medium thick sticks. Do not make too thin otherwise, it may get wilted, soft and soggy once pickle is ready. We want soft yet there should be some crunch.
2) To prepare green chilies, first, slit chili into half and then cut into 1 ½ inch long pieces. Make ginger sticks of the same length but keep them thinner than carrots since ginger has a strong flavor.
3) Bring the water to a rolling boil in a saucepan on high heat. Once starts boiling, add carrots and cook for exactly 2 minutes. Drain the water immediately.
4) Spread the carrot sticks on the clean kitchen towel and let it dry out completely. Means there should be no moisture on them to increase the shelf life. If you have access to the sun then you can keep in the direct sunlight for 1 hour. Or let them dry at room temperature on the kitchen counter for 1 day or overnight. If in a rush, pat dry with a paper towel.
5) Now in a bowl, take rai kuria, red chili powder, salt, and sugar.
6) Mix everything well.
7) Add tamarind pulp.
8) Also, add oil.
9) Mix the pickle masala really well.
10) Add dried carrots, chilies and ginger.
11) Mix well. 
12) Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it mature for 1 day in the refrigerator. Do stir once or twice. You will notice the green chilies will become darker in color. Also, the oil will starts to float on top.
The carrot pickle will taste better and better after a few days of maturing. Store in airtight, clean, dry glass jar or container.
Shelf life of carrot pickle
- It stays good in the refrigerator for 6-8 months if followed below tips.
- Store the gajar ka achar in a clean, dry (moisture-free) glass jar or container. A day before, wash the jar well, let it dry out completely. You can keep under the sun for an hour.
- Always use a clean, dry spoon to take the pickle.
- If you have made the big batch then store some pickle in a small jar for everyday use. So you don’t need to open the big jar every day and this way it increases its shelf life.
- As soon as you take out the portion needed, immediately close the jar with a lid and put it back into the refrigerator.
Did you try this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Leave a review in the comment section below.
Carrot Pickle Recipe (Indian Gajar Ka Achar)
Ingredients
- 1 lb or 500 grams Carrots Cut into sticks **shown in above step by step photos
- 25 grams or 6 Green chilies slit and cut into 1 ½ inch pieces
- 25 grams or 2 inch piece Ginger cut into thin 1 ½ inch long sticks
- Water for cooking carrots
- 25 grams or 3 tablespoons Split mustard seeds (Rai na kuria)
- 25 grams or ¼ cups Red chili powder
- 25 grams or 2 tablespoons Salt
- 125 grams or ½ cup Sugar
- 25 grams or 2 tablespoons Tamarind pulp
- ¾ cup Oil use any of the following – corn, canola, vegetable
Instructions
Preparation:
- Wash the carrots, green chilies, and ginger really well. Pat dry completely.
- Peel the carrots and ginger. Now chop the carrots into 1 ½ inch long and medium thick sticks. Do not make too thin or too thick.
- To prepare green chilies, first, slit chili into half and then cut into 1 ½ inch long pieces.
- Make ginger sticks of the same length but keep them thinner than carrots since ginger has a strong flavor.
Making Carrot Pickle Recipe:
- Bring the water to a rolling boil in a saucepan on high heat. Once starts boiling, add carrots and cook for exactly 2 minutes. Drain the water immediately.
- Spread the carrot sticks on the clean kitchen towel and let it dry out completely. Means there should be no moisture on them to increase the shelf life. If you have access to the sun then you can keep in the direct sunlight for 1 hour. Or let them dry at room temperature on the kitchen counter for 1 day or overnight. If in a rush, pat dry with a paper towel.
- Now in a bowl, mix rai kuria, red chili powder, salt, and sugar.
- Add tamarind pulp, oil and mix with pickle masala.
- Add dried carrots, chilies and ginger and mix well.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it mature for 1 day in the refrigerator. Do stir once or twice. You will notice the green chilies will become darker in color.
- The carrot pickle will taste better and better after a few days of maturing.
- Store in airtight, clean, dry glass jar or container.
Notes
- Keep the length and size of the carrot, green chili, and ginger same for a uniform look.
- I have used store-bough tamarind pulp (concentrate) which is easily available in Indian grocery stores or online at amazon.
- Adjust the amount of tamarind pulp according to how thick and concentrated yours it. If yours is really thick and concentrated vs mine (shown in above stepwise photo) then use less. The consistency of mine is similar to the thick tomato puree.
Authentic and very tasty, this bottle won’t last and will soon be eaten up in my household.
Happy to know that you liked this pickle.
What is Rai kuria
In English, it is split mustard seeds. Easily available in Indian grocery stores.