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.
OMG!!! I made them for my husband. He loves pickled everything so I had to try this recipe. It’s just perfectly easy and delicious. He couldn’t wait so start eating them the next day. But I made two jars and he wasn’t allowed to get into the second jar until the 4th day lol. I’m making more. He just can’t have enough. The first time I used dry dill cause I didn’t have fresh at hand, but today I’m using fresh from my garden. I went and buy two plants.
Thank you!!!
So happy to hear that these pickled eggs are such a bit hit Dulce! Great idea to buy a dill plant!
I making this in a few minutes and I’m so excited! Since I have 24 eggs I am doubling the recipe. My boyfriend LOVES pickled eggs so I am so happy to have found this recipe to make for him. Thanks so much for sharing it with us!
You’re welcome Jayme! Enjoy the eggs!
Loved the eggs! I added 3/4 cup of beet juice and just 1 Tbs of suger. I love the pink eggs! I also used apple cider vinegar . So good.
Could these be made without the sugar or a sugar substitute?
I have only made this as written. Other readers have tried without sugar, or with a sugar substitute with success. I haven’t tried it so if you do, please let us know how it works out for you!
How long will they keep unrefrigerated?
Hi Eileen, we recommend storing these in the refrigerator. There they will last a few weeks.
Question: glass or plastic jar?
Glass and plastic will both work!
Hello! I’m from the Phils and fresh dill is uncommon. So does pickling spices. Can I use commercially available dried dill instead? What can I substitute with pickling spices? Is cane vinegar be as good as white?
I’ve only used fresh dill, but dry should work. You’d want to use about a quarter of the amount. Pickling spices can be found at Amazon. You could add a combination of a cinnamon stick, a bay leaf, a couple cloves, and seeds like mustard, allspice, and coriander. Add a bit of spice by adding a small pinch of red pepper flakes. Hope that helps.
Hello Holly! Yes I have tried the recipe and I used dried dill. It worked! I added some of the spices you mentioned which are available here. Though, I added a little sugar. My boys want it a little sweeter. (Added a tablespoonful.) And lessened the vinegar, because I used cane, and I find it more sour than the white. I will try the white vinegar next time. It seems I will do the recipe again and again. Additional fave of the family even on breakfast. Thanks a lot for sharing!
Excellent Zetti! Thank you for the feedback and you are so very welcome! That’s a great thing about this recipe, it’s very adaptable!
Left out dill best I have ever had I will definitely make again soon
So easy and makes the best pickled eggs. Have made them so many times now x
One of best recipes I have used so far. I will keep thisone
Hi,
What kind of onion did you use in this recipe? I saw that you recommended red onion for color, but what is the normal onion you use?
I prefer white onions (with the white papery skin). Enjoy!
how do you cook onion
The onion is added to the saucepan with the ingredients in step 1. Enjoy!
Boom! Hit it out of the park here. Only thing did different was used 1/4C sugar instead of 1/3. Best pickled egg recipe out here yet
I’m going to try your recipe for pickled eggs but since I’m the only one eating them I want to try just 6 eggs first. Should I cut your ingredients in half or leave it as is. My only thought was that if I cut it in half I may be weakening the mixture too much. Just wondering.
You can cut all ingredients in half, you’ll just want to ensure you have enough liquid to cover the eggs.
Can anyone recommend a good pickling spice brand? I bought the Kroger brand pickling spice and the eggs turned out terrible. I hated the flavor of the spice blend.
McCormick is the best!!!
Where does it say to cook the onions?
1. Place all ingredients except eggs, garlic, and dill in a saucepan.
2. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Cool slightly.
Love it it’s been ages since I had a pickled egg, now I’m going to look for a recipe for the old-fashioned pub pickled sausages
How long is the actual shelf life of this version of pickled eggs?
They’ll last a couple of weeks in the refrigerator Karenine. Enjoy!
With the sugar included, is it similar to a sweet pickle brine?
I don’t find these to be sweet Nicole. Enjoy!
These pickled eggs were excellent. The onions in the jar were so good that I made a few jars of just pickled onions using this recipe. I used the pickled onions on Bavarian smokies and Ruben Sandwiches instead of sauerkraut. So good!!
Great ideas for the pickled onions, thanks for sharing!
Which pickling spice do you like to use for eggs? Thank you!
There are several varieties without cloves available on Amazon here (just double check the ingredients before purchasing).
what size jar
Any size jar will work as long as your eggs fit. Two smaller jars works fine too.