These delicious homemade pickled beets are a delightful addition to salads, sandwiches and so much more.
This is my go to pickled beet recipe, and it is as easy as boiling water.
Sometimes I slice the beets in strips, sometimes I leave out the onions and sometimes I mix up the spices based on what is in my spice cabinet at the moment.
Use the beets in salads or sandwiches. Or eat them straight out of the jar like my kid brother when I send him a jar once or twice a year.
Canning Basics
Because of the vinegar in the brine this recipe is safe to use a boiling water canner. You could go out and buy a canner or just use a pot that is big enough to hold the jars with an inch or two above it.
For more details on water bath canning check out this post from the experts at Ball Mason Jars.
BONUS TIP: When I am done canning, I usually pour the boiling water on the weeds in the cracks in my driveway and walkways. Boom! gone in a few hours.
If you aren't comfortable with canning, make a smaller batch of the the recipe up to the canning part and store them in a glass container in the fridge for a few weeks. You could use a plastic container, but don't blame me if it turns purplish pink.
Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 pounds beets
- 3 cups thinly sliced onions
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 sticks cinnamon (broken into large pieces)
- 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon whole allspice
- 1 teaspoon whole cloves
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 ½ cups cider vinegar
- 1 ½ cup water
Instructions
- Clean the beets and trim off the tap-root and all but about two inches of the greens (save them for eating later – prepare like any other green).
- Boil until tender. Drain, slough off the peel and trim ends. Slice into thin slices.
- In a large sauce pan combine onions, sugar, spices, vinegar and water. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Add beets and cook until hot throughout. Remove cinnamon sticks.
- Pack hot beets in jars leaving a ¼″ head space. Ladle hot liquid over beets to ¼″ head space. Remove air bubbles by sliding a knife along the inside of the jar.
- Process for 30 minutes in boiling water canner.
Notes
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Until next time, happy eating.
~Audrey
JeanMarie
This is it! I’m so excited! I’ve been searching for my mom’s pickled beets recipe and if this isn’t the exact recipe, it’s darn close. I have an abundance of beets right now and will be making this within the next day or so.
Audrey
Yeah! I hope you like them as much as your mom's. I rarely get to eat any I make since I am a nice big sister and send them to my kid brother who eats them in a day or two. 😉
melissa a ortiz
I'm going to be trying these today. I don't see you mention the onion. Does it go into the liquid with the beets and then get put in the jars after warm like the beets?
Audrey
I updated the recipe to clarify. Originally I wrote "add all of the other ingredients to the pot." After cooking and cutting your beets you just throw everything else in the pot and boil it for a bit then add the sliced beets.
Melissa
Thank you for the clarification 😃
Deb
How much does this make?
Audrey
About 4 pints for 4 pounds of beets. It depends on how tightly you pack them.
Colleen Henson
What type of onion do you use?
Audrey
I typically use yellow onion since that is what I usually have on hand.
Kelly
Made today with my tiny harvest of beets. Husband isn’t a fan of beets, so all for me! I only got 2 pints in Weck jars but saved the pickling vinegar to use on another pickled veg.
Thanks!
Jason
Seems to have stumbled on this recipe late as I'm the first comment in four years. This recipe as is is delish! I make it every year around the holidays given the spices involved. But for those who feel it tastes a bit too "Christmassy," and want to use these as a side on a Sheppard's Pie or a charcuterie board, I tweaked it for "regular" use 🙂
I peel and then bake the beets, seasoning with olive oil and salt and pepper. This also brings out the sugars, I believe, so when making the bring, I use a few tablespoons of agave or honey to add to the sweetness but eliminate the 2 cups of sugar. It also means you need less salt later since they're already seasons. One, or one and a half cinnamon sticks and temper the cloves, but up the mustard seed. It's a hit. Don't mean to rewrite an already great recipe, but these tweaks have proven to be a hit, too. Thanks for the inspiration!
Audrey
Thanks for sharing your variation. I never even thought of this as a Christmas recipe except when I make some for my brother for a present. We enjoy it year round.