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Homemade low-sodium umeboshi — additive-free Japanese pickled plums made with 10% salt

How to Make Low-Sodium Umeboshi (Japanese Pickled Plums)

by Vegin Vegan Vegun!
A low-sodium umeboshi recipe made with just three ingredients — ripe ume plums, coarse salt, and shochu or ume vinegar.
At 10% salt, pickling and storage are both done in the refrigerator.
Less salty, more delicate — and still completely additive-free.
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Prep Time 1 day
Pickling + drying 13 days
Total Time 14 days
Course preserves
Cuisine Japanese

Equipment

  • Large bowl  for washing the ume
  • Plate or colander for drying
  • kitchen towel
  • Knife
  • Bamboo rack or net
  • Ziploc bag (medium size)
  • Container to hold the bag, catch any leaks, and act as a weight

Ingredients
  

  • 500 g ripe ume plums
  • 50 g coarse salt 10% of ume weight
  • 2 tablespoon shochu or vodka, or white ume plum vinegar

Instructions
 

Preparing the ume

  • Wash: Gently wash the ripe ume in water to remove any surface dirt.
    500 g ripe ume plums
  • Dry: Transfer to a plate or colander and let dry completely. Pat dry with a kitchen towel to speed things up.
  • Trim: Cut away any damaged or discolored spots with a knife. Remove the stem ends using a bamboo skewer or the tip of a knife.
  • Coat: Place the ume in a Ziploc bag. Add the shochu (or white ume plum vinegar), then the salt.
    50 g coarse salt, 2 tablespoon shochu
  • Mix: Loosely seal the bag and gently roll the ume around from the outside until the salt clings to every plum in a damp, even coat.
  • Weight: Place the bag seal-side up inside a container. Set another container filled with water on top as a weight — aim for 1–2 times the weight of the ume.
    • A container that fits neatly inside works best, so the pressure reaches every plum evenly. 
  • Refrigerate: Store in the refrigerator. Flip the bag once a day until the pickling liquid fully rises.
  • Wait: Once the liquid has fully risen, reduce the weight by half.
    Continue pickling until midsummer — ideally late July to early August, when heat and sunlight are at their peak.
    • At least one month of pickling lets the salt work its way through the flesh and the skins to firm up.

Drying the umeboshi

  • Arrange: Pick a run of at least three clear, sunny days. Arrange the ume in a single layer on a rack or net, making sure they don't touch each other.
    • Choose a spot with good airflow and direct sunlight.
    Pour the remaining liquid — white ume plum vinegar — into a clean jar and refrigerate.
  • Dry: Bring the ume indoors on the first and second nights.
    On the third night, leave them outside under the eaves to catch the night dew — this gives the skins a softer, more supple finish.
    • Flip each plum once a day to dry all sides evenly.
    The best time is in the morning, just before bringing them outside — the skins are less likely to stick to the rack and tear.
  • Store: On the morning of day four, transfer the finished low-sodium umeboshi to a clean container and refrigerate.
    They can be eaten right away, but a month of resting rounds out the saltiness nicely.
    • Ceramic or glass containers are best.

Notes

▶ Always use fully ripe ume
Unripe or firm ume won't release enough liquid. Always use fully ripe fruit.
If your ume aren't quite ready, ripen them at home:
  1. Spread them out in a single layer on a plate or colander, leaving as much space as possible between each plum.
  2. Leave in a cool, dark, well-ventilated spot for a few days.
  3. Turn them once a day if you can, so they don't sit in moisture.
Keyword homemade umeboshi, how to make umeboshi, japanese pickled plums, low sodium umeboshi