How to Make Pickled Beets (Easy Homemade Recipe)
Learn how to make pickled beets with this easy homemade recipe. Sweet, tangy, and great for preserving your garden-fresh beets.
My vegetable garden has produced an abundance of beets this year. I enjoy eating them fresh in salads, oven-roasted, and, of course, in borscht soup. My mom always canned her beets; it was the only way my dad would eat them. This is a pickled beet recipe that has been handed down through the generations, so you know it’s good!
Ingredients
Only 6 simple ingredients in this old-fashioned pickled beets recipe!
- fresh beets – freshly harvested are firm and juicy.
- white vinegar (with at least 5% acidity. This level is essential for creating a safe acidic environment that inhibits the growth of harmful bacteria and spoilage.)
- sugar
- pickling salt
- pickling spice
- water
* see recipes card for measurements
how to make pickled beets
Step 1: Prepare the beets
Scrub the beets clean and trim them leaving about 1 inch of the stem attached. Do not peel them. Save the beet greens; they are tasty and nutritious tossed in a salad!
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the beets, and cook until fork tender. The fork should be able to pierce the beets, yet they should still feel firm. Overcooking will result in mushy beets. Depending on the size of the beets you use, this can take between 15 and 30 minutes. Larger beets will take longer.
Remove the beets from the boiling water and immerse them in ice-cold water. This will make removing the skins easier.
Remove the skins and stems from the beets, either with a vegetable peeler or by rubbing the skins off.
Cut into 1-inch cubes or thick slices and pack into sterilized jars.
Step 2: Prepare the pickling brine
- While the beets are cooking, prepare the pickling brine.
- In a large pot, add the vinegar, water, sugar, pickling salt, and pickling spice.
- Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Pour the hot pickling brine into the jars, completely covering the beets and leaving ½ inch of headspace.
- Wipe the tops of the jars with a clean, damp cloth and seal.
Step 3: Processing the beets
- Place the jars into a canner of slow boiling water and process for 30 minutes.
- Remove jars from the water and let cool.
What if I don’t have a canner?
If you don’t have a canner, you can use any deep pot that covers the jars completely with water. Place a trivet or rack in the bottom of the pot. You will also need a canning jar lifter or a long set of tongs strong enough to lift the jars from the hot water.
How to sterilize jars for canning
The only method I use to sterilize jars is immersing them in boiling water for 10 minutes. For complete instructions on canning safety, check out these sites.
Storage
This recipe for pickled beets requires that they be processed. Processing them makes them shelf-stable, so they do not require refrigeration. Store canned beets for up to 12 months.
Once opened, they must be refrigerated and will last about 1 week.
Ways to Enjoy Pickled beets
- As a snack, chilled and straight from the jar.
- Use as a side dish for pork, chicken or beef mains.
- Add them to salads and poke bowls; they are exceptional when paired with goat cheese or feta.
- Dice them and add to wraps, sandwiches or burgers.
- Add some delicious colour to charcuterie boards.
Helpful tips
- Use fresh, firm beets. Frozen beets will not work for pickling.
- Cover your countertop; beets can stain! I use a plastic tablecloth. You may also like to use rubber gloves when peeling the beets.
Pickling recipes
Pickling food adds a zesty flavour to vegetables, meats and eggs.
How to Make Pickled Beets
Ingredients
- 3 lbs fresh beets
- 3 1/2 cups white vinegar at least 5% acidity
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 3 teaspoons pickling salt
- 2 tablespoons pickling spice
Instructions
Prepare the beets
- Scrub the beets clean and trim them, leaving about 1 inch of the stem attached. Do not peel them.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the beets, and cook until fork tender. The fork should be able to pierce the beets, yet they should still feel firm. Overcooking will result in mushy beets. Depending on the size of the beets you use, this can take between 15 and 30 minutes. Larger beets will take longer.
- Remove the beets from the boiling water and immerse them in ice-cold water. This will make removing the skins easier.
- Remove the skins and stems from the beets, either with a vegetable peeler or by rubbing the skins off.
- Cut into 1-inch cubes or thick slices and pack into sterilized jars.
Prepare the Pickling Brine
- In a large pot, add the vinegar, water, sugar, pickling salt, and pickling spice.
- Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes.
Processing the Beets
- Pour the hot pickling brine into the jars, completely covering the beets and leaving ½ inch of headspace.
- Wipe the tops of the jars with a clean, damp cloth and seal.
- Place the jars into a canner of slow boiling water and process for 30 minutes. Remove jars from the water and let cool.
Nutrition
