These easy pickled beets can be canned or made as quick pickles. Perfect for eating straight from the jar, or atop salads, sandwiches, and more!
Easy Pickled Beets
It’s about time I got on the pickling train, and there’s no better recipe to start than with these pickled beets from The Burr Trail Grill in Boulder, UT.
Two years ago we made a trip down south to Torrey, UT for a music festival some of my husband’s old band buddies were in. After the gigging was done, we went exploring and landed about an hour east of Torrey in Boulder, UT, the gateway to the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument (look at this landscape!), Capital Reef National Park, and the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area including Lake Powell.
While the stunning red rocks contrasting the bright blue sky and wooded canyon lend to amazing outdoor adventure that brings world wide travelers to the area, in my opinion the real deal here is the the local eateries, including the renowned Hell’s Backbone Grill.
We tried to grab some lunch at Hell’s Backbone while we were there, but since they were open only for dinner that weekend, we skipped next store to the Burr Trail Grill for tasty burgers and the most amazing polenta with caramelized onions, grilled red peppers, and goat cheese appetizer. Seriously, I still think about that thing.
But what really rocked my socks was the sides of pickled veggies and pickled beets they served with their sandwiches and burgers.
I am a pickled beet fanatic. Anytime, anywhere if I see them they go on my plate. So asking the waitress to ask the owner for the recipe was really a no-brainer for me. All she could do was say no, right? But she didn’t.
While the establishment has since changed hands, and I’ve yet to revisit, I’m hoping these beets are still on the menu but even if they aren’t their legacy lives on.
With beets fresh from my friend Sherrie’s garden, we headed up to her cabin over Labor Day to do some serious cooking and feasting, and these ruby jewels were at the top of our recipe to-do list.
Since we didn’t quite have 5 pounds of beets as the recipe calls for, we ended up with a quart of extra brine which we saved to make a few more rounds now that we’re back in the city and able to do another garden raid.
They’re perfect right out of the jar and I’m loving them. And if you’re a beet freak like me, you should too.
What’s Needed to Pickle Beets?
Pickling vegetables is incredibly easy and requires only a handful of ingredients:
- Beets
- Apple cider vinegar
- Water
- Granulated sugar
- Onion
- Bay leaves
- Whole black peppercorn
- Dried dill
- Whole coriander
- Crushed red pepper flakes
- Whole anise seed
- Fresh rosemary
How to Pickle Beets
Before pickling the beets, you’ll need to 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.
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 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.
How Long Will Pickled Beets Last?
If stored in the fridge in an airtight container, these quick pickled beets should last up to 2 months.
Ways to Eat Pickled Beets
Like regular pickles, these easy pickled beets can be enjoyed so many ways. A few of our favorite ways to nosh on these babies include:
- Straight from the jar
- On sandwiches
- Tossed in salads
- Atop grain bowls
- On a crudite platter
Tips for Making Pickled Beets
Note that you can use any variety of beet you’d like in this recipe. 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.
We chose to refrigerate these quick pickled beets instead of canning them, given they only take about a day to absorb the full flavor and we knew they’d be gone as soon as a bottle was opened so why bother with the extra sweatiness?
More Easy Pickle Recipes You’ll Love
- Killer Spicy Garlic Dill Pickles
- Zesty Bread and Butter Pickles
- Sweet and Sour Asian Pickled Cucumbers
- Quick Pickled Onions
- Pickled Green Beans
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram with #foodiecrusheats.
Burr Trail Grill Pickled Beets
Ingredients
- 5 pounds beets
- 5 cups apple cider vinegar
- 2 ½ cups water
- 2 ½ cups 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
- In a large pot, cover beets with water and cook until tender, but still slightly firm.
- Drain and let beets cool, peel off the skins, and cut into ½ inch slices.
- 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.
- Add strained liquid to beets and allow them to marinate in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours before serving.
Nutrition
More Recipes That Showcase Beets
- Baked Beet Chips
- Beet, Avocado, and Fried Goat Cheese Salad
- Shaved Brussels Sprouts Salad with Beets, Pecans, & Goat Cheese
- Green Salad with Shrimp, Beets, Pecans, & Goat Cheese
- Beet, Carrot, & Pomegranate Salad
We send good emails. Subscribe to FoodieCrush and have each post plus exclusive content only for our subscribers delivered straight to your e-mail box.
Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter for more FoodieCrush inspiration.
As always, thank you for reading and supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you. There are affiliate links in this post of which I receive a small commission. All opinions are always my own.
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?!
I sure hope so!! I am glad you found it again too!
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 ?
.
Leżał obecnie z Werbująca maszyny. zamkniętymi oczami, czekając, aż budowa (wirevicus.com) możny lek przeciwbólowy
zadziała. Wagner po raz kolejny usiadł poniżej ścianą, bawiąc
się precyzyjnym biegiem
wymodelowanym w korporacji Heckler und Koch.
Rosjanie sami nie produkowali pistoletów maszynowych. Atrakcyjna pepesa nie
doczekała się sporo następców, seryjnie produkowano tylko i wyłącznie ppS, kolt
puliemiot Sudajewa, Społem z wstrz.
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!
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!
Pickled beets sound like an amazing snack idea! Can’t wait to get my hands all purple making these.
I love beets just as is or in a goat cheese salad!!
I have never had beets. I know, how is this possible? No idea! Well actually, my family is picky and says they do not like beets, therefore I do not cook with them. I am thinking it may be time to change their minds though! These sound awesome and I least need to give them a try!
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!