Pickled Beets Recipe
Classic refrigerator pickled beets with cider vinegar, warm spices and optional pickled eggs. Ready after a week. Store in fridge up to 6 months.
My mom has always made these pickled beets every summer and I've carried on the tradition with my family.
You can keep them in the refrigerator and add more cooked beets to the liquid when they start to get low. We also add shelled, hard-boiled eggs to the juice in this pickled beets recipe, and after 2 to 3 days, they are a beautiful purple all the way down to the yolk (and taste divine!). Slice these eggs, and they are a stunning garnish to salads.
Submitted by: Katherine Gicante from Petersburg, TX
Yield: 3 quarts
- Cook beets until fork-tender, peel, slice and cover with a hot vinegar-sugar-spice brine.
- This is a refrigerator pickle. Chill at least one week before eating and keep refrigerated.
- Add hard-boiled eggs to the brine for 2 to 3 days for purple eggs. Refill with cooked beets as needed.
Spices
Featured in this Recipe
Preparation Instructions:
thespicehouse.com
More About This Recipe
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do these pickled beets keep in the refrigerator?
Stored in the fridge in a sealed jar, the beets keep up to 6 months. Flavor is best in the first 1 to 3 months. Always use clean utensils to avoid contamination.
Can I can this recipe for shelf storage?
No. This recipe is for refrigerator pickles only. To make shelf-stable jars you must use a tested canning recipe and follow USDA or trusted extension service guidelines for acidity and processing times.
What vinegar should I use?
Use real apple cider vinegar with 5 percent acidity. That level ensures proper flavor and safety in this style of pickling. Do not substitute with flavored vinegar unless it has the same acidity.
Can I add more cooked beets to the brine later?
Yes. You can add more sliced, cooked beets to the jar. For best results reheat the brine to a boil before adding large amounts, then cool and refrigerate. Topping up with small amounts is fine, but avoid diluting the vinegar too much.
How soon can I eat the pickled beets?
Let the beets sit in the brine at least one week before tasting. They develop better flavor with a week or longer.
How do pickled eggs work and how long can I keep them?
Add peeled hard-boiled eggs to the brine for a vivid purple color and tangy flavor. Use those eggs within 2 to 3 days for best texture. Left too long they become rubbery and less pleasant.
Do I need to peel beets before cooking?
No. Cook the beets whole until tender, let them cool slightly, then slip the skins off with your hands or a paper towel. Peeling raw beets is harder and messier.
Can I change the spices or reduce the sugar?
Yes. You can swap or omit spices to taste and lower the sugar for less sweet beets. Keep the vinegar acidity and salt roughly the same to maintain flavor and safety.
How long do these pickled beets keep in the refrigerator?
Stored in the fridge in a sealed jar, the beets keep up to 6 months. Flavor is best in the first 1 to 3 months. Always use clean utensils to avoid contamination.
Can I can this recipe for shelf storage?
No. This recipe is for refrigerator pickles only. To make shelf-stable jars you must use a tested canning recipe and follow USDA or trusted extension service guidelines for acidity and processing times.
What vinegar should I use?
Use real apple cider vinegar with 5 percent acidity. That level ensures proper flavor and safety in this style of pickling. Do not substitute with flavored vinegar unless it has the same acidity.
Can I add more cooked beets to the brine later?
Yes. You can add more sliced, cooked beets to the jar. For best results reheat the brine to a boil before adding large amounts, then cool and refrigerate. Topping up with small amounts is fine, but avoid diluting the vinegar too much.
How soon can I eat the pickled beets?
Let the beets sit in the brine at least one week before tasting. They develop better flavor with a week or longer.
How do pickled eggs work and how long can I keep them?
Add peeled hard-boiled eggs to the brine for a vivid purple color and tangy flavor. Use those eggs within 2 to 3 days for best texture. Left too long they become rubbery and less pleasant.
Do I need to peel beets before cooking?
No. Cook the beets whole until tender, let them cool slightly, then slip the skins off with your hands or a paper towel. Peeling raw beets is harder and messier.
Can I change the spices or reduce the sugar?
Yes. You can swap or omit spices to taste and lower the sugar for less sweet beets. Keep the vinegar acidity and salt roughly the same to maintain flavor and safety.
You have the exact recp. as my Mom. Yiu don,t come by that too often.
I found this recipe to be very easy to follow. It provided just the right sweetness and tartness to my beets. My children have a hard time eating vegetables, but I couldn’t get them to stop eating the beets. They were very delicious!!!!!
@ Paula – I just let the spices freely float with the beets. They tend to float on the surface so I find its easy enough to keep them in the jar and off of the beets you are getting ready to eat! Bon Apetite!
I have a question. Do you seperate the liquid from the spices before adding the beets to the liquid? I wouldn’t want to have to pick the spices of the beets before eating them but you don’t specify whether or not to drain it first.
Loved this recipe!
Great recipe! So reminiscent of the pickled beets my dearly departed father made. Unfortunately I never got his recipes for many dishes. This recipe helps keep his memory alive. Thank you.
An afterthought: I prepared the brine while the beets boiled. The beets lose quite a bit of color to the water while boiling. Next time I will hold off making the brine until the beets are boiled and cooling, so I can use 2 cups of the reddened boiling water in the brine. Perhaps they will re-absorb some of the color? Just a thought.
Add: Sorry about the last comment, the boiling water does not retain the redness I had hoped. A la Roseanne Roseannadana: “Never mind.”
I’ve made these several times and they’re absolutely wonderful! I am, however, a little leery of reusing the brine once it’s had eggs in it. Your thoughts on that?
Couldn’t wait a week to try them. I tried them their second day in the refrigerator and they are great!! I haven’t had a good pickled beet in 20 years and I love them.