Easy Pickled Beets

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How to make pickled beets in the refrigerator. A quick brine and fridge soak make the best pickled beets for salads, sandwiches, and snacks!

Why you'll love this recipe

Refrigerator pickled beets are the easiest way to enjoy tangy pickled beets relatively quickly compared to traditional pickling methods.

Just like my refrigerator dill pickles and this very popular Asian pickled carrots recipe, you only need a few everyday kitchen tools to make pickled beets.

The process is as simple as pouring hot brine over cooked beets and cooling to room temperature. The hands-free pickling magic happens in the refrigerator where the pickled beets soak and get better by the day!

You'll love to enjoy chilled, pickled beets as a side, salad ingredient, or snack.

What you'll need

• cooked beets - Use any method to cook beets, including steaming, boiling roasting, or pressure cooking using this Instant Pot beets recipe.
• vinegar - White vinegar or apple cider vinegar are very popular for pickled beets.
• water - Filtered or distilled water are recommended to reduce unwanted flavors and/or chemicals.
• sugar - Use white sugar or preferred sugar for this recipe.
• sea salt - or Kosher salt.

How to make pickled beets in the refrigerator

This pickled beets recipe only takes ten minutes to assemble and lasts for several weeks in the refrigerator.

Step 1. Peel the cooked beets and slice them to desired thickness. Pack beets into sterile jars, leaving one half inch of space at the top.

Step 2. To make the brine, whisk together VINEGAR, WATER, SUGAR, and SALT. Heat this mixture on HIGH using a microwave or stove just until boiling. Pour warm brine over the beets leaving one half inch space at the top and use any utensil to remove air bubbles.

Step 3. Allow beets to cool to room temperature, which will take about 2 hours depending on the jar size. Cover and refrigerate up to 6 weeks or longer at your discretion.

How long should pickled beets soak?

Pickled beets can be enjoyed as early as 24 hours of soaking in the refrigerator. However, I find the sweet spot of readiness occurs in about 7 days. This is because the brine has had enough time to infuse its well-balanced flavor into the beets and vice versa. Of course, I encourage you to sample the beets often to find your sweet spot.

Recipe tips

• Beet variety - Any beets can be quick pickled, including red, golden, or white beets. Of course, red beets remind me of Grandma's pickled beets, so they're a first choice.
• Use fully cooked beets - Since refrigerator pickled beets rely on quick pickling, it's important to use fully cooked beets from any method, including roasted, boiled, steamed, or pressure cooked beets.
• Pickled beet math: One medium-sized beet is about 3 inches in diameter and 8 ounces in weight. When sliced, it fills a 1-pint canning jar and requires about ¾ cup brine.
• Use heat-safe jars - When using glass jars for this recipe, it's imperative to use heat-safe jars, such as traditional canning jars because they can withstand the heat of the brine used in the process.
• Store excess brine - The more beets you stuff into a jar, the less brine you need. So, feel free to store excess brine in the refrigerator to use at a later date.
• How long do they last? - Quick pickled beets are optimal for up to 6 weeks in the refrigerator, or longer at your discretion. I recommend labeling jars with a date for food safety purposes.

Recipe variations

• spices - Add your favorite pickling spice or any combination of black peppercorns, cloves, star anise, etc.
• add other vegetables - Add sliced onions, raw shredded carrots, or other vegetables to this recipe.
• pickling brine liquids - Feel free to swap the white vinegar for apple cider vinegar or flavored vinegar for variety.

Serving ideas

Pickled beets are so versatile. The bright red color and tangy beet juice complement other side dishes, such as coleslaw, cucumber salad, and creamy macaroni salad. Serve pickled beets with proteins like pressure cooker BBQ pork and corned beef for the ultimate sweet and savory flavor treat.

📖 Recipe