Pickled Beets Recipe

A jar of pickled beets. Behind the jar in the background is a raw red beet and in front of the jar is a striped kitchen towel.

4.64 from 41 votes

Refrigerator quick pickled beets made with just 3 ingredients and no added sugar! They are ready in about 4 hours and make the perfect additions to salads, power bowls, breakfast, and more. Gluten-free, dairy-free, and vegan.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword how to pickle beets, pickled beets, pickled beets recipe, quick pickled beets, refrigerator pickled beets

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 45

Resting Time 4

Total Time 5

Servings cups

Calories 32kcal

Author Kelly Nardo

Equipment

large wide-mouth jar

Ingredients

5-6 small-medium red beets (about 500 grams)
1 cup white vinegar (amount will depend on how you slice your beets)
1/2 teaspoon salt
optional additions - spices of your choice or sweetener

Instructions

Clean and cut your beets. Rinse off any excess dirt and cut off the stem and root. I suggest finding ones that are similar in size to ensure even cooking. If some are larger than the others, which is bound to happen, slice the larger ones into smaller pieces so they can cook evenly.
Cook beets. Add water to a large pot with a steamer basket and steam for 30-45 minutes until tender. The time will depend on how large the beets are. They are done when you can easily pierce them with a knife. Remove from the pan and let them cool for a few minutes.
Peel beets. With the beets being warm, the skin should peel right off. To get it started, slide a knife in between the skin and the bulb, and then use your hands.* Once you get it going, it should easily come off.Slice beets into 1/4-1/2 inch thick pieces.
Slice beets into 1/4-1/2 inch thick pieces.
Pickle your beets. Place beets in a wide-mouth jar (make sure it has a lid) and add salt. Pour vinegar over them so they are just barely covered. Cover with a lid and let them sit in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours up to overnight. The longer they sit, the stronger they will be.
Enjoy! Store in the refrigerator as they are not shelf-stable.

Notes

*wear gloves to prevent turning your hands and fingers purple. It will wash off after a couple of times if you don't have gloves. I also like peeling them on a baking sheet with parchment paper so they don't stain anything.

If you don't like a lot of acid flavor (vinegar), you can use half vinegar, half water.

This recipe is no shelf stable and must be kept in the refrigerator.

Nutrition