These quick pickled beets are easy to make and so flavorful! Perfect for eating straight from the jar, on salads, or in sandwiches. I love this recipe because unlike many canning recipes, you only have to wait 24 hours before consuming them (many pickling recipes take several days!).
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“This recipe is excellent, and I am so glad to have tracked it down again, after having made them last fall. These were one of my son’s first favorite solid foods, I wonder if he’ll love them again?!” -Ben, FoodieCrush reader
This Is the Easiest Way to Pickle Beets!
I am a pickle fanatic. Anytime, anywhere if I see them they go on my plate. From bread and butter pickles to refrigerator pickles, I just love the acidic punch that pickles take on, all while maintaining a crisp, firm texture.
Quick pickled beets are the latest in a long line of pickle loves. This version infuses the beets with an herbaceous brine perfumed with anise seed, coriander, dried dill, onion, rosemary, and bay leaves.
My favorite way to eat them is in salads and on charcuterie boards. They’d also make a lovely appetizer with fresh ricotta or goat cheese and crostini, or make any burger next-level.
Enjoy!
Heidi’s Tips for Recipe Success
You can use any variety of beets you’d like. Red, golden, candy-striped — use whatever you’ve got.
Feel free to play around with the spices in the pickling brine. Don’t alter the amount of water and vinegar in the brine, but everything else can be adjusted to suit your tastes.
I like to refrigerate these quick pickled beets instead of canning them. They only take about a day to absorb the full flavor and I figure they’d be gone as soon as a bottle was opened anyway, so why bother with the extra sweatiness?
What’s in This Recipe?
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Beets — I use red beets, but you could use golden, or do a mix.
- Apple cider vinegar — Provides a milder, sweeter flavor that enhances the natural sweetness of the beets. Do not sub with balsamic or another strong-tasting vinegar.
- Granulated sugar — To help sweeten the brine just enough, and balance the tang of the vinegar.
- Onion — I like using red onion here, but you could use any type.
- Spices — A blend of bay leaves, whole black peppercorns, coriander, dill, anise seed, and rosemary add herbaceous flavor while crushed red pepper flakes add a hint of heat.
How to Make Pickled Beets
- Cook your beets. Before pickling, you’ll need to cook them. I find the easiest way to cook them is to roast the beets in the oven. Or, you can boil them in water until tender but still slightly firm (you don’t want them to turn to mush after being pickled). Drain the beets, then peel and slice them.
- Make your brine. Add the brine ingredients to a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, then strain and cool the liquid.
- Pack and can. Pack the sliced beets into jars and top with the brine. Leave the pickled beets in your fridge for at least 24 hours before diving in.
Ways to Eat Them
A few of our favorite ways to nosh on these babies include:
- Straight from the jar
- On sandwiches (add sliced egg and some herbed goat cheese)
- In a shaved Brussels sprouts salad or beet, avocado, and goat cheese salad
- Atop farro veggie bowls
- On a crudité platter, cheese board, or charcuterie board
- Atop turkey burgers or bison burgers
- With hard-boiled eggs or scrambled eggs
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating on this recipe below and leave a comment, take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
THE BEST Quick Pickled Beets Recipe
Ingredients
- 5 pounds beets , stems removed, rinsed, and patted dry
- 5 cups apple cider vinegar
- 2 ½ cups water
- 2 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 1 large onion , diced into 1-inch cubes
- 5 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorn
- 2 tablespoons dried dill
- 1 tablespoon whole coriander
- 1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon whole anise seed
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
Instructions
- Cook the beets. You have two options: To roast (my preference): Place the whole beets in a baking dish and cover tightly with foil. Roast at 450ºF for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the beets are easy to pierce with a fork. To boil: In a large pot, cover beets with water and cook until tender, but still slightly firm. Drain.
- Peel and slice. Once the beets are cool enough to handle, peel off the skins (rubbing them with a clean paper towel makes easy work of this). Then, cut into ½ inch slices.
- Make the pickling brine. Add remaining ingredients to a medium-size saucepan, bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes, then chill and strain the liquid.
- Cover and chill for 24 hours. Add strained liquid to beets and allow them to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
FAQs
Yes! Since we’re “quick pickling” the beets and not canning them, they need to be stored in the refrigerator.
If stored in the fridge in an airtight container, these quick pickled beets should last up to 2 months.
These homemade pickled beets need about 24 hours in the fridge for all of the flavors to properly infuse.
More Easy Pickle Recipes You’ll Love
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Ben
This recipe is excellent, and I am so glad to have tracked it down again, after having made them last fall. These were one of my son’s first favorite solid foods, I wonder if he’ll love them again?!
Ashley Sorenson
I sure hope so!! I am glad you found it again too!
Siggi
sounds so amazing, i will try it in the next days !!
but how long can i keep them in the refrigerator until they will foul ?
Stefanie @ Sarcastic Cooking
I have never had pickled beets! I love anything pickled and I do love beets so I have to try this. All those pickling spices look wonderful!
Michelle
We love beets here! I think I will have to try these. I’ve always been nervous to try my hand at pickling because I worry about those final steps to canning right. But if they’re just going in the fridge to be eaten right away, then that works for me. I just tried made pickled red onions and they lasted all of 2 days since everyone was snacking on them right out of the fridge!
ashley - baker by nature
Pickled beets sound like an amazing snack idea! Can’t wait to get my hands all purple making these.
Gerry @ Foodness Gracious
I love beets just as is or in a goat cheese salad!!
Averie @ Averie Cooks
I LOVE beets. And I love pickled things. This would be inhaled by me. Bravo to you for dealing with red beet juice that was, no doubt, everywhere :) They are a pain to work with but so worth it!