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Made this for my kids for breakfast and I asked him how many stars I should rate it and he said 1000.
I bought honey flavored goat cheese since it has a honey drizzle which was perfect.
Sarah
This is a brand new recipe that’s part of our Spring 2023 SOS Series – in other words, EASY recipes! View our full collection of SOS recipes here.
In This Post: Everything You Need For Pickled Strawberries
- Lindsay’s Notes
- Pickled Strawberries Video
- Pickled Strawberries Recipe
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Reviews
Lindsay’s Notes
Okay, hear me out.
Pickled strawberries are my love of the moment. It’s the end of May, the weather feels like summer, school and activity programs are wrapping up, and my interest in making a proper dinner is at an all-time low.
Enter: these delightful little pops of sweet vinegar-soaked strawberries, smushed gently onto grilled sourdough smeared with goat cheese, and finished with thyme and honey, eaten on the deck at 4:30pm, and keeping us full and happy long enough to lounge around outside and enjoy the summer evening for a couple more hours. THESE ARE SO GOOD.
I debated including this recipe in the SOS Series – we usually do dinner recipes in this series, and this one initially looks and feels more like an appetizer or a snack.
But over the last year and a half as I’ve made these, I find that they often start as a pre-dinner snack… and just eventually turn into dinner. Lol. I can’t count the number of times I’ve thrown a jar of these strawberries together in the afternoon, assembled some toasts for a summery outside snack at that magical (challenging) 4pm hour, and then watched as everyone devoured enough bread, cheese, and strawberries to be happy for the rest of the evening. Works for me.
They are simple, unexpected, and honestly just plain fun. It’s the perfect way to sneak a little bit of delight into the week!
Have more strawberries to use? 🍓 This strawberry pie is everything.
Pickled Strawberries Video
Pickled Strawberries
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
Unexpectedly delightful little pops of sweet vinegar-soaked strawberries on grilled sourdough with goat cheese, thyme, and honey!
Ingredients
For the Pickled Strawberries:
- 1 1/2 cups halved strawberries (enough to fill a jar)
- 1/3 cup white balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon peppercorns
- water to fill the rest of the jar
For Toasts:
- 6–7 slices sourdough
- one or two 4-ounce packages goat cheese
- some thyme leaves
- a honey drizzle
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Pickled Strawberries: Place the strawberries in a jar. Add the vinegar, sugar, peppercorns, and salt. Fill to the top with water. Secure the lid and shake gently to combine.
- Wait Time: Place in the refrigerator for 2 hours, or up to 2 days. (I prefer these within the first 12-24 hours so they don’t get too mushy.)
- For Serving: Fry or grill the bread. I fry a few slices at a time in olive oil on my griddle until nice and golden and crispy. Smear the goat cheese on the toast and top with a few strawberries. Smash them gently with a fork. Sprinkle with bits of thyme, a drizzle of honey, and a hit of salt. Mwah!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Appetizer
- Method: Marinate
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: pickled strawberries, strawberry recipe, strawberry crostini
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I Have To Use White Balsamic Vinegar?
I think you could achieve a similar end result with a different vinegar (apple cider vinegar or champagne vinegar, for example), but I love the white balsamic because it’s naturally sweet and mild. I go out of my way to buy a bottle or two each summer and then just keep it stocked specifically for this recipe!
Do You Eat The Peppercorns?
I do like the peppercorns! They get softened a bit and I think they add the perfect bite of peppery crunch on the toasts, which is why you see them in the picture. That’s how I eat them!
However, I know that’s not for everyone and you can definitely leave them off your final toast creation if you prefer it without anything too peppery.
Could I Use Something Else Besides Goat Cheese?
Cream cheese or ricotta cheese are both great!
Do Your Kids Like This?
They LOVE it. We actually started them on it with a yogurt version – just smeared some whole milk Greek yogurt on the toast with the strawberries and they were so into it.
How Do You Make This Gluten-Free or Dairy-Free?
Use a gluten-free bread, or a dairy-free creamy element. We love Kite Hill cream cheese!
How Else Can You Use These Pickled Strawberries?
There are so many ways to use these – they are awesome just eaten plain, in a yogurt bowl with granola, or on a salad!
More Summer Snackies
- Extra Good Puppy Chow (no summer is complete without making this favorite)
- Elote Queso (this with a big ol’ bag of crunchy tortilla chips? yes, please!)
- Loaded Mediterranean Street Cart Fries (one of those very-filling-and-can-be-a-whole-meal recipes)
I made a double batch in a large jar. If I only use part of the strawberries, can I just leave the rest in the jar without the liquid? How long would they last?
Have you tried any of the flavored balsamic vinegar’s with this recipe. I have white apricot, and also a white cucumber vinegar. Whatcha think? TIA
Could I can these to preserve? We go strawberry picking and this sounds like a good alternative to my yearly preserves 🙂
Looks delicious! Could you substitute basil for thyme. Thanks.
Yes!
Are these safe to water bath can? I’d love to give these as Christmas presents!
I used red balsamic vinegar instead because it’s what i had on hand and it turned out delicious! Planning on putting these strawberries in a spinach goat cheese salad!
Would this work with other berries like blueberries or raspberries?
We haven’t tried that, but seems like it would well with blueberries – raspberries would have too much moisture.
I’ve been making these since you first posted the recipe—they are AMAZING! I’ve yet to find someone who doesn’t love them on first try. My favorite is to use Boursin cheese (original). A country bread, thick sliced and pan-toasted makes it perfect. Thank you for sharing it!
This was so ridiculously easy and decadent. ♥️♥️♥️♥️
Could you please post pictures of the process of pickling just the strawberries not with the toast
Nice recipie.. I need to try this
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Hi lindsay,
I am contacting you about a personal matter. I believe your husband cheated on you with my uncle. <3 <3
We’ve been on a pizza kick this summer with our new pizza oven. I used this as inspiration and we did a pickled strawberry pizza that was AMAZING!
Thank you 🍓 🤤
This Recipe looks very exquisite and delicious. Really looking forward to trying it. If I MAY ASK IF I COULD ADD CHOCOLATE SYRUP
What a unique and delightful recipe idea! Thank you for sharing this creative and easy-to-make recipe. Can’t wait to try it out!
Those Strawberries surely look good. 🙂
What a fantastic treat! Made tonight and highly recommend! 😻😻
I pickled cucumbers nearly a year and a half ago, using this method with the addition of boiling the jars in a large pot at a rolling boil for about 15 minutes. It seals the jar. I opened one a few days ago and they were fantastic.
Will you provide the approximate amount of water for less than a jar of strawberries? I want to make a small batch since I want to eat them fresh and I won’t eat a whole jar quickly.
It’s hard to say an exact amount depending on how much you’re planning to make, but generally, we’d recommend about 2/3 full of water for a regular 16-ounce jar, so it’d be a bit less depending on the vessel you’re using.
I have a dinner party coming up and saw this recipe and thought what a great idea, so I made it today as posted and could not wait for the 12 hour window 😏 I had purchased the feta honey and had this foe my dinner tonight. I love it! did not have fresh thyme so used dry to see if I liked the flavor combo before I purchase fresh.
I looking forward to how the flavors have melded tomorrow and I have some fresh mint to try with it.
I just purchased some fresh cherries and will try that next. Thank for a lovely simple idea.
I want to make a cake recipe
This was divine! I love the sweet and savory combo!
What a fun recipe! It has the potential to sound very strange, but I know that I can trust any recipe posted on this website! This is the perfect summer cocktail hour appetizer. It’s the best mix of creamy, crispy, tart, sweet… so good! I’ll definitely be making this over and over.
Not a big fan of berries but I realize their many benefits. Started buying little “flats” of blueberries washing them & freezing them to use in a “mash” if you will with lemon, ginger cinnamon & sometimes Turmeric blended together. Then I add flaxseed & or Chia seed for a mid morning snack. Saw your pickled strawberry recipe & thought I’d give it a try. WWWOOWW!! Whole new view of strawberries!! Love them pickled! Tomorrow I try your recipe with cheese etc. Truly enjoy all that you share!! Thank you for this!!
I am absolutely intrigued by the idea of pickled strawberries! I never would have thought of this combo. I’m definitely giving this a shot real soon. Thanks for sharing this fun recipe!