Pickled beets are a sweet and sour addition to a crudité platter, salad, or even a sandwich!
Beets are great for a healthy snack or as a colorful addition to other pickled veggies! Serve these at a cocktail party with some crackers & small cubes of feta cheese. Add to a platter with Pickled Asparagus, Refrigerator Bread and Butter Pickles, and some Pickled Red Onions.
Perfectly Pickled Beets
- We love this recipe because the beets come out tender, and mildly sweet and tart.
- This recipe is quick and requires no canning.
- It will last about 4 weeks in the fridge.
- This recipe retains a bright red color which makes them a pretty addition to any dish!
Ingredients and Variations
Fresh beets are sold year-round in supermarkets but they are also a great veggie for beginning gardeners!
VINEGAR Any kind of vinegar can be used, but apple cider vinegar will yield a sweeter result.
SUGAR Any kind of sugar to offset the vinegar will do, as long as it dissolves in the brine. We use regular granualted sugar.
CINNAMON A cinnamon stick slowly releases its flavor giving these pickled beets an extra touch warmth.
VARIATIONS Use pearl onions for a really colorful combination (boil them until tender first). Even hard-boiled eggs can be added to a jar of pickled beets! Black peppercorns can be added to the pickling juice for a little bit of a spicy flavor.
How to Pickle Beets
- Prepare beets & bake per the recipe below.
- Whisk together brine ingredients & bring to a boil.
- Cover beets with brine & refrigerate in an airtight container.
Tips
- Keep the beets the same size so they bake at the same rate.
- Avoid roasting them too long or they will not hold their shape when they are cut into slices.
- Once the beets are eaten, add a few boiled eggs to the jar and let them sit for a few days for a pretty pickled egg.
How to Store
Pickled beets taste best when they are cold so keep them in the refrigerator for up to 4 weeks. Keep them in their brine and if the beets aren’t fully covered by the brine, simply add a 1:1 ratio of vinegar to water to the jar.
Perfectly Pickled
- Pickled Red Onions – colorful & tangy
- Quick Pickled Jalapenos – fresh and spicy
- Easy Pickled Eggs – no canning required
- Pickled Asparagus – the perfect snack
- Refrigerator Pickles– so easy to make
Did you love these Pickled Beets? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Quick Pickled Beets
Ingredients
- 1 pound beets
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 cup water
- ⅔ cup white vinegar or cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar or to taste
- 1 cinnamon stick
- ½ teaspoon table salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Cut beets in half if they're large. Rub the skins with olive oil and place beets in a baking dish. Add ¼ cup water and cover tightly. Bake 45-60 minutes or until beets are tender.
- While beets are cooking, combine vinegar, water, sugar, cinnamon stick and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and let boil 1 minute. Remove from the heat, discard cinnamon stick.
- Once beets are cool enough to handle, rub the skins to remove and slice beets into ¼" slices.
- Place in a jar with a tight fitting lid and pour liquid overtop. Refrigerate at least 24 hours before serving.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to 30 days.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Appetizer, Side Dish
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Could this be made with an artificial sweetener? I love pickled beets, but try to stay away from granulated sugar
I haven’t tried it so I can’t say for sure Karen. Some artificial sweeteners such as Splenda are okay for pickling but others are not recommended so it depends on the sweetener chosen. If you try it I would love to hear how it turns out Karen!
I make pickled red beets and eggs often. I make them the way my mom did, what she called the authentic Pennsylvania Dutch way….vinegar, sugar, cloves, bay leaf. Takes at least 5 days for juice to get to the yolk. So so yummy. I find the idea of adding cinnamon interesting, will have to try that.
We would love to hear what you think of the cinnamon, Millie!
Very similar to the way I have been making them for many years. The main difference is that I boil the beets for about 20-30 minutes, until they are fork tender, then immerse the cooked beets in an ice water bath. This cools them quickly and the skin simply falls off with a bit of rubbing. While the beets are cooling and being peeled and sliced, I will bring the brine to a boil using water from cooking the beets instead of fresh water to add flavour and colour. I also make a small spice bag from cheese cloth and add a couple of cloves to the cinnamon stick. This way, I end up with a clear brine with no spices floating around in it.
I use the same pot that I boiled the beets in to prepare the brine. This way, I have only one cooking container to clean at the end, the bowl with the ice water bath simply rinses out.
Thank you for sharing Barcham!