Pickled Beets Recipe
Published August 10, 2022. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
These easy-to-make Pickled Beets recipe in vinegar brine will become your new favorite snack and side dish. I love eating these straight out of the jar as soon as they’re ready.
Pickling is such a fantastic way to add so much to any vegetable, and not-too-mention is an excellent alternative when you have a lot of leftover fresh produce. If you’re new to pickling or looking for new recipes, check out my Pickled Red Onions or Dill Pickles.
Pickled Beets
Pickled beets are cooked fresh beets covered in a hot, sweet, and salty vinegar brine to help preserve their shelf life. The brine’s flavors infuse into the beets, giving them fantastic flavor. This recipe is for refrigerator pickled beets, meaning as soon as they’re cooled to room temperature, they are placed in the refrigerator for 24 hours before they are ready to eat.
These can be eaten as a snack from the jar, served as a side dish, or even on a charcuterie board, salad, or antipasto platter. Watch my video below to see how to roast the beets precisely and easily peel them.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Beets – You can use any color of fresh beets for these. However, I used red.
- Sugar – This will help add flavor and preserve.
- Salt — I always use coarse salt in my recipes, which helps season and preserve the beets.
- Water – You will need cold water to help cut down the vinegar flavor.
- Vinegar – I used white distilled vinegar in my recipe.
- Mustard Seeds – These add fantastic flavor and texture to the recipe.
- Peppercorns – Some whole peppercorns will add a bunch of spice to the beets.
How to Make Pickled Beets
Slice off the stem end of the beets.
Place them in a pan or pot cut side down along with water.
Cover and roast in a preheated oven for 1 hour at 350°.
Remove them from the pot and let them cool for about 30 minutes. Then, using gloves, clean hands, or paper towels, remove the outside peelings of the beets.
Cut the beets into thick slices or wedges and place them into clean, sterilized jars.
Next, make the brine and bring it to a boil over high heat. Ensure the salt and sugar are completely dissolved before removing them from the burner.
Pour the brine over the beets in the jar and submerge them. Cool them to room temperature before wiping the jar rim dry, adding the seal and lid, and giving it a firm twist using your fingertips. Place them in the refrigerator to completely cool before eating.
Optionally, these beets can be used for long-term storage. Add the sealed jars to a large pot of boiling water with a rack in the bottom, ensuring they are submerged by one inch. Process them for 30 minutes at sea level. Remove them from the water bath and cool to room temperature. Store in a cool, dark place for up to 6 months.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: You can make these up to 3 weeks ahead of time.
How to Store: Place the pickled beets sealed in the jar with the lid in the refrigerator for 4 to 6 weeks. These will not freeze.
Chef Notes + Tips
- Once the brine and the beets are in the jar, use a butter knife to help move the ingredients around.
- Wait 24 hours before eating the pickled beets for the best flavor results. The longer you wait, the more intense the flavor they will get.
- Make sure your jars are completely clean and sterilized before using them.
- Depending on the size of the beets, you may need more or less to fill the jars.
More Vegetable Recipes
Video
Pickled Beets Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 bunches, or about 8 fresh medium to large sized beets
- 1 ½ cups water + 1 cup for beet roasting
- 1 ½ cups white distilled vinegar
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°.
- Slice off the stem end of the beets. Place them in a pan or pot cut side down along with 1 cup of cold water.
- Cover with a lid or foil and roast in the oven for 1 hour at 350°.
- Remove them from the pot and let them cool for about 30 minutes on a plate or platter.
- Using gloves, clean hands, or paper towels, remove the outside peelings of the beets.
- Cut the beets into thick slices or wedges.
- Place the cut beets into clean and sterilized jars.
- Next, bring the water, vinegar, sugar, salt, mustard seeds, and peppercorns to a boil in a large pot over high heat. Make sure the salt and sugar are completely dissolved before removing it from the burner.
- Pour the brine over the beets in the jar making sure to submerge them.
- Let cool to room temperature before wiping the rim of the jar dry, adding on the seal and lid, and giving a firm twist using only your fingertips. Place them in the refrigerator to completely cool before eating.
- To optionally can these beets for long-term storage, add the sealed jars to a large pot of boiling water with a rack in the bottom, making sure they are submerged by one inch. Process them for 30 minutes at sea level. Remove them from the water bath and cool to room temperature. Store in a cool, dark place for up to 6 months.
Had some fresh beets and decided to pickle them. This recipe was my choice and glad I did chose this – they came out fabulous. Easy and very tasty. Going to try the pickled carrots next.
Thank you for giving the recipe a try!
From Web MD 😂
Because pickled beets are fermented, they are rich in probiotics. Probiotics are “friendly bacteria” present in your digestive system. Probiotics can help improve some digestive illnesses and condition
Thanks for the recipe, I’m trying to eat more fermented foods, I’m guessing that when you put the beats through this process they are considered fermented?
Pickled, not fermented.
This Yankee prefers to not add sugar. And I add hard boiled eggs… LOVE red beet eggs!
The recipe is so vague, do you boil it or put it in the oven with water?
In the oven with water, like in the pictures 🙂
Can I water bath them to store in my cold pantry?
For Sure!
These are one of my favorites!!!
Can you boil the beets instead?
you can
I made this recipe for pickle beans with some adjustments and I will try to let you know some future time how they turned down. It looks like a very simple. I actually use pickling spices which come from McCormick company and then I added some peppercorns and some pieces of onion and looks like it’s going to be OK. Good thing to eat. I’m 95 years old so I hope that’s true. Thank you for a nice recipe Ralph.
I can’t wait to eat these. I already know they will be delicious thank you so much.
The best pickled beet recipe. Thank you.