These Pickled Eggs are a delicious and healthy snack that everyone will enjoy!
With no canning required, this recipe contains just the right combination of sweet, sour, and salty.
Pickled eggs are a great on-the-go snack or add them to a charcuterie board along with pickled asparagus and spicy dill dip.
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Ingredients for Pickled Eggs
- Eggs: You’ll want hard boiled eggs which can be done in an Instant Pot, on the stove, or in an air fryer. Peel the eggs and cool completely.
- Brine: The brine for this recipe is the perfect balance of sweet and sour. I use white vinegar but you can substitute apple cider vinegar if you’d prefer.
- Onion/Garlic: I add a little bit of onion and garlic to this recipe. Cooking the onion in the brine adds a little bit of extra flavor.
- Sugar: A little white sugar balances the vinegar.
- Spices: I love the addition of fresh dill to these eggs. Along with dill, you’ll need coarse salt, a bay leaf, and some pickling spices. If possible, choose pickling spices without cloves (or pick out cloves if you see them); cloves can discolor the eggs.
How to Make Pickled Eggs
This pickled eggs recipe is so simple, it doesn’t require canning or special equipment, just a very quick brine, a few slices of onion, and some boiled eggs.
- Boil eggs, peel, and cool completely.
- Prepare the brine by boiling on the stove for 2 minutes.
- Place the eggs in a jar and add the garlic, dill, and brine. Cool completely and refrigerate.
Holly’s Tips
- Hard boil the eggs using a pressure cooker or air fryer for perfect results every time.
- Choosing a pickling spice without cloves will help keep the brine from turning brown.
- You can substitute cider vinegar for the white vinegar.
- Using red onion or a few slices of cooked beets will make your eggs, pretty and pink!
- Add extra dill or even a few slices of peppers or jalapeno for a little bit of zip!
What to Do with Pickled Eggs
I love the look of homemade goods – they just look like they were made with love (and they always seem to be received with love too)! This homemade pickled egg recipe makes a great gift a hostess gift, simply tie a ribbon around the lid.
- Pickled Eggs are great as an appetizer, as a snack, or even chopped up and added to an egg salad sandwich!
- Pickled eggs are great as a snack with a cold beer.
- Add them to a charcuterie board, a salad, or sandwiches. They’re a great addition to potato salad too.
- Once your eggs are gone, be sure to keep the onions… they’re the most delicious addition to salads and sandwiches (I actually just love eating them right out of the jar)!
More Things to Pickle!
Did you make these Pickled Eggs? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Ingredients
- 12 large hard boiled eggs peeled and cooled
- 2 to 3 sprigs fresh dill
- 1 clove garlic
Brine
- 1 large white onion thinly sliced
- 3 cups white vinegar
- 1 cup water
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 teaspoons pickling spices
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, combine onion, white vinegar, water, sugar, salt, bay leaf, and pickling spices.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and let simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool slightly.
- Add a garlic clove to an empty glass jar, and place 3 hard-boiled eggs on top. Layer the eggs with some of the cooked onion slices and a sprig of fresh dill. Repeat this layering process until the jar is full.
- Pour the pickling liquid over the eggs.
- Close the jar and refrigerate for at least 3-4 days before eating (1 week is best).
Notes
- Cooked or canned sliced beets can be added to the eggs. If using canned beets, replace the water with the beet juice.
- You can add more or less sugar to taste.
- I use a 1 qt jar, if your jars are smaller, these eggs can be divided over several smaller jars.
- These will keep for weeks in the fridge. Enjoy the onions on salads or in sandwiches.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine American© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Hi Holly, love the recipe. I use quart jars for pickling and it takes very little liquid to fill the jars with the eggs in them. Could this recipe be for four quart jars?
As long as you have enough liquid to cover the eggs, it should work just fine. You may need to make a bit extra of the brine.
If I want to double or triple the amount of eggs, would I also double or triple the rest of the ingredients?
Yes, you’ll want to make sure the eggs are covered in liquid.
I can’t wait to taste them!i am a journey person cook and this is exactly how i would have done them!love garlic and onions and bay leaves!and not so much cloves ,i will save the excess liquid(brine)throw the cloves back in and pickle some beets!thank you for the wonderful recipe,Colin
You’re welcome Colin! Great idea about the beets
How should the onions be cooked? Looking forward to pickling the eggs!
The onions are cooked with the rest of the ingredients in step 1.
I just tried the red wine eggs that have been sitting for 2 weeks. Delicious.
I’m having trouble finding pickling spices. Do you make your own. If so can you share that recipe?
I don’t make my own, but you can find pickling spices here! Enjoy :)
I substituted 1 to 1 basalmic vinegar and water, no dill. Let sit for 7 days. Wonderful. Especially on a salad dresses with a basalmic based dressing.
That does sound wonderful James!
I followed this recipe & was pleased with the results. However, I think the sugar sweetens the brine. I prefer dill pickles over sweet pickles so next time I think I’ll substitute the sugar for extra Dill.
Thanks for the tip about the clove turning the eggs brown-eww gross! I hear things like red onion or beets brine well & also turn your eggs pink/red!
Definitely, the beets or beet juice make these super pretty! Let us know how it goes if you sub the sugar for Dill!
I want to add jalapenos, when would you suggest to do that?
I suggest adding your jalapeno slices when you add the garlic. Enjoy!
What color onion do you use? I’m so excited to try this recipe! :)
I prefer white onions (with the white papery skin).
I am trying your 12 egg recipe for the first time how big of a jar do i need for the eggs and all the ingredients.
Any size jar would work so long as all of your eggs fit. Enjoy Jerry!
i put 4 eggs in a 500 ml jar
Thank you.
That’s helpful.
So I don’t get what actually “pickles” these eggs?!??!! I mean hard boiled eggs will last a few weeks just in their shells alone without any refrigeration..! So yeah my self and many others here just do not get it!
You pickle these more for the taste, rather than actually preserving them. However, I’ve heard people doing experiments keeping pickled eggs in the fridge for up to a year. It was still edible! (not that I’d recommend trying that)
Pickle for taste. Can to preserve.
If you have the mason jars and lids boiling in a big pot to sterilize them, the lids will pop after filling with the eggs, will last a long time
Because they taste amazing! The longer you let them pickle, the stronger the flavor. I love them after at least a week or so. Add extra garlic, too, if you’re a garlic lover. (At least 3 cloves.) And the beet juice not only adds a lovely flavor but tints them the prettiest color.
I made these without sugar. … best recipe by far…. thanks!!
Glad to hear you enjoyed it Julie!
Holly…thanks,,,i live in Thailand so some things are hard to get…..i can get all of your stuff…..can’t waot to try it….new business in Thailand….Holly’s Pickled Eggs……ha ha…
LOL! Enjoy!
These pickled eggs look great! I’ve never made them at home before but this makes it seem easy and like something I could definitely do! Thanks for sharing!
Enjoy Billy!
In the receipe doesnt say what to do with the garlic actually?
The garlic is added to the jar along with the eggs.
Drop whole cloves in the jar with the other ingredients.
I never cover eggs or chicken while cooking is this a false hood from old wives
I made these and they are Great! Left them in the fridge for 1 week. My wife said that they tasted better than her mother’s, and her’s were Good!
A great compliment! So glad you loved them Warren!
Is it absolutely necessary to use a glass jar/jug or would a plastic container Work?
Yes, but probably only one time. At least that’s what I have often done with my own version of pickled eggs.
Anything air-tight and leakproof will do, but they look prettiest in a glass jar with lid.
Can you reuse the brine in the jars
I wouldn’t recommend it Don. If the pickled eggs were left at room temperature, even with adequate reheating of the brine, you could run the risk of botulism toxins. i always play by the motto of better safe than sorry.