Pickled beets are a summer favorite that's easy to make with a sweet and sour combination. Traditional pickled beets are made by pre-cooking, peeling and preserving/pickling in the refrigerator for about a week before the pickles are ready to eat. In a pinch, you can make "pickled" beets that are marinated or fully seasoned that are ready to eat the same day you make them. If you like pickled beets and want to keep them for up to a year, also follow the beets canning instructions at the bottom of this article.
Ingredients
Traditional Pickled Beets
- 1361 g whole fresh beets
- 2 cups apple cider vinegar
- 2 glasses of water
- 2 cups sugar
- 3 cloves of garlic, halved
Instant Pickled Beets
- 1 bunch of beets (4-5 pieces)
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
- Salt and pepper
Step
Method 1 of 3: Making Traditional Pickled Beets
Step 1. Wash and chop the beets
Fresh beets usually still have some soil on them, so use a vegetable brush if necessary to clean them. Place on a cutting board, removing leaves and stems using a sharp knife.
- When you select the beets, make sure they are firm and not bruised. Beets that are tender to the touch or discolored are not fresh enough to pickle. Be sure to use fresh, high-quality beets.
- If the beets still have leaves, you can save the leaves as a vegetable and cook them into a delicious dish. Beetroots taste delicious when chopped and sautéed in butter or olive oil.
Step 2. Boil the beets
Beets need to be cooked before pickling, and the most common method is to boil them. Place the beets in a medium-sized saucepan of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer so that the water only boils slowly. Cover the pot and let the beets simmer for 25-30 minutes.
There is another way to cook beets, which is roasting them. This will result in a slightly different texture and final taste to the boiled one. To roast the beets, wrap the beets in aluminum foil and bake at 177°C for about an hour, until the beets are cooked through
Step 3. Drain the boiled beets and peel them
The beets should be soft, and the skin should be able to peel off easily with your hands. You may want to let them cool for a few minutes before starting to peel them.
Step 4. Cut the beets on a cutting board
Generally, pickled beets are thinly sliced, but you can also cut them into quarters or bite-size pieces. Whole beets will take longer to fully pickle than sliced beets. When you're done, place the beets in one or more large jars.
- Glass Mason jars are the best storage containers for pickled beets, as the glass won't react with the brine in the pickle.
- Do not use metal or plastic containers, as these can react with the salt water and contaminate the beets.
Step 5. Make the pickle liquid
Add the vinegar, water, sugar, and garlic to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally, then reduce heat to a slow simmer. Let the mixture cook for five minutes, then remove it from the stove and let it cool completely.
Step 6. Pour the cooled liquid into the beets in a jar
Pour just enough to completely cover the beets. Close the jar and put it in the fridge.
Step 7. Leave the pickled beets in the refrigerator for at least a week
Stir the mixture occasionally so that the pickle liquid hits all sides of the beets. Pickled beets can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three months.
Method 2 of 3: Making Instant Pickled Beets with Marinade
Step 1. Wash and chop the beets
Remove the dirt on the beets using a vegetable brush. Place on a cutting board and cut the beet leaves. Save these leaves for separate cooking later if you wish.
Step 2. Boil the beets
Place the beets in a medium saucepan, cover with water until completely submerged and boil the beets for 30 minutes. Remove from stove and let cool. The beets should feel soft when finished boiling and the skin should be able to peel off easily.
Step 3. Peel and slice the beets
Remove the beets from the water and use your hands to peel the skin off, which should come off easily. Slice the beets into thin round shapes on a cutting board.
Step 4. Make the pickle marinade
Combine apple cider vinegar, sugar, olive oil, and dry mustard in a small bowl. Mix the ingredients, add salt and pepper to taste.
Step 5. Mix the beetroot and pickle marinade
Stir together in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil. Let the beets marinate for 30 minutes at room temperature.
Step 6. Chill the beets in the refrigerator
If you prefer not to serve them at room temperature, keep the beets covered in the refrigerator for about an hour, and serve chilled.
Step 7. Done
Method 3 of 3: Canning Pickled Beets
Step 1. Clean the jars that will be used for canning
You can boil the jars for 10 minutes or simply put them in the dishwasher if you have one, and run the wash cycle on the hottest setting. Be sure to clean the cap and ring as well. When you're done, lay out the jars on a clean napkin until you're ready to fill them.
Step 2. Heat your canner
Follow the canner's manufacturer's heating instructions. You can use a water-immersion canner or a pressurized canner.
Step 3. Boil and peel the beets
After cleaning and removing the leaves, place the beets in a large saucepan and soak them in water until they are completely submerged. Boil the beets for 30 minutes, until the skin begins to peel off on its own. Let the beets cool before peeling them.
Step 4. Slice the beets into 0.6 cm thick strips
Slicing the beets into smaller pieces will allow you to fit more of the beets into each canning jar and the marinade will also absorb more easily.
Step 5. Make the pickle liquid
Using the traditional method of making pickled beets, combine the vinegar, water, sugar, and garlic in a large saucepan. Bring the liquid to a boil until it really boils.
Step 6. Add the beets to the pickling liquid
Carefully place the beet slices into the simmering pickle liquid and cook for 5 minutes. Make sure the mixture boils before you pour it into the jars.
Step 7. Put the beets and pickling liquid into the jars
Fill each jar until it is less than 1.25 cm from the lip of the bottle. It's important to leave an empty space at the top so the jar doesn't burst open under pressure during storage. Attach the lid and ring to the jar until it fits snugly, but not too tightly.
Step 8. Put the filled jars into the canner to process them
Operate the canner according to the manufacturer's instructions. The standard processing time for beets is 30 minutes, but this can vary depending on the type of canner you are using and the altitude above sea level which affects the pressure.
Step 9. Allow the jars to cool after processing
Remove the jar from the canner using the jar lifter and let it sit on the counter until it reaches room temperature.
Step 10. Check the lid before storing
If the jars are canned properly, the lids should be sucked down so that they are slightly concave. Remove the ring from the jar without removing the lid to make sure the lid is securely in place. If the jar of beets has been properly tinned, store it in a cool, dark area of the kitchen for storage. These canned beets have a shelf life of up to about a year if stored in a dark, cool condition.
If the lid sticks out and opens when you remove the screw ring, it's a sign that the canning process wasn't done properly. You can still eat the beets in these jars if you place them right away in the refrigerator, but you can't store them for a year with other beets that have been properly canned
Tips
- To ensure even results, buy beets of uniform size.
- Save the beetroot and use it to make lettuce or add to stir fry
