Refrigerator Pickled Beets are so easy to make and last up to 6 weeks, so you can always have some available for a side, salad, or healthy snack!
Remember those fantastic pickled beets your grandma used to make? Well, now you can make them too!
These refrigerator pickled beets are a little different than formal canning recipes, where you have to sterilize the jars, process in a boiling water bath, and store at room temperature. For these, you simply roast your beets, slice them, make the brine, and poor it over the vegetables, then store in the refrigerator.
While this pickled beets recipe doesn’t have that super long term storage as the former, they do last up to 6 weeks, and since they’re so easy to make, you can quickly whip up another batch!
Once you’ve made my roasted beets recipe, making these pickled beets is practically effortless!
Recipe Variations
- Any type of beet works – I just use table beets (red beets), but golden beets or gorgeous Chioggia would be great, too.
- You can boil, steam, or pressure cook the beets, but I prefer roasted beets, which helps preserve all their wonderful flavor and color.
- I always use cider vinegar for the brine, but regular white vinegar or rice wine vinegar are great substitutes.
- Feel free to play with the spices or herbs in the brine. Sugar, salt, peppercorns, and ground mustard are my preference, but I’ve seen onion and garlic added, red pepper flakes, a cinnamon stick, bay leaves, dill, etc.
Recipe Tips
- Make sure all the beets are completely covered with the brine during the pickling process. This keeps everything safe and edible.
- When you’ve finished off the beets, the brine can be brought back up to a boil and reused for another batch. Or do what I do and marinate hard boiled eggs in it to make Beet Pickled Eggs – SO GOOD.
- I prefer using wide-mouthed jars for pickled beets, which makes for easier access when you just need a few. But any glass jar with a tight fitting lid will do. (This particular recipe fits nicely into a 1 liter sized jar.)
- To be clear, this recipe for quick pickled beets is NOT shelf stable and must be stored in the refrigerator. If you are pickling to can and store, there is an entirely different process. This is for the refrigerator, only.
Can The Amount of Sugar be Reduced?
This recipe calls for a 1/3 cup sugar (and before that shocks you, I’ve seen brines made with 2 whole cups!), so…perspective. The sugar can be reduced, but I really don’t recommend it. The sugar balances out the vinegar and if you cut back too much, the beets will taste too vinegary. And if you cut back too much on the vinegar, you won’t have a good brine. It’s important to remember that the sugar acts as a marinade and you don’t actually drink it.
How Soon Can Pickled Beets Be Eaten?
You can eat them right away, but in order to let the flavors deepen I would recommend waiting at least a couple days. After filling the jar with the beets and brine, I let it sit on the counter for half a day or so, then I move it to the refrigerator.
How To Store Refrigerator Pickled Beets
Pickling is a way to preserve food, so luckily pickled beets will last in the fridge quite a long time. This particular recipe will keep up to 6 weeks.
Luckily beets are available year round, so you have no excuse not to have pickled beets in your refrigerator at all times!
Use pickled beets and beet juice for these recipes!
I hope you love this delicious and easy recipe – be sure to give it a review below! Also don’t forget to follow Belly Full on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube!
How To Make Refrigerator Pickled Beets
Refrigerator Pickled Beets
Ingredients
- 4 medium roasted beets , cooled, peeled, and sliced (<< click that link for how to make roasted beets)
- 1 cup cider vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 1/3 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon (dry) ground mustard
- 5 whole black peppercorns
Instructions
- Bring the vinegar, water, sugar, salt, and mustard to a boil in a medium saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Simmer for a few minutes; take off the heat and allow to cool a bit.
- Add peppercorns and beets to a clean glass jar with a tight fitting lid. (This particular recipe fits nicely into a 1 liter sized jar.) Pour the brine in, covering all the beets.
- Cover and set aside for several hours (or up to 24), then transfer to the refrigerator.
Video
Notes
- This particular recipe will keep up to 6 weeks in the refrigerator.
- For recipe tips and variations, please refer to the full article.
I made these this weekend using my instant pot and half the sugar called for. They were great!
Really good! Will definitely keep this in stock!
Great recipe. Will use this many times.
Ready to try these (I love pickled beets!) but can I use canned beets?
As long as they’re not already seasoned and they’re completely drained, sure, I’m sure that would be fine.
wow, this is a fabulous recipe but best of all – quick & easy! I love pickled beets, hubby so so. He told me to double the recipe next week. My grandma did old fashion style canned beets-too much work. I cooked the beets in my Instant Pot. Thanks so much!
Hello I love this recipe. my whole family loves them. I was wondering if i can water bath can this the way it is/ I have looked at other recipes an they call for boiling the beets I don’t like that I
like the flavor of the roasted beets better.
Hi Joshua! We like roasted better, too. This recipe is specifically for quick pickled beets and is NOT shelf stable and must be stored in the refrigerator. We haven’t tested a water bath method on it, which is a different process. This is for the refrigerator, only.
This the perfect recipe! Just like my mom used to make! And i love adding boiled eggs. I just kerp making more and adding to the jar just keeps developing flavors! B
Love this recipe
My mother in law used store bought beets in a can( not pickled) then she would pickle those. They were the best pickled beets I’ve ever eaten. Do you have a recipe using regular non pickled beets in a can?
Hi Dondria – We don’t have a recipe for just canned beets, but you could follow our roasted beets recipe, slice them up and enjoy! https://bellyfull.net/how-to-make-roasted-beets/
Such a great recipe – loved these. Making another batch the second we go through this one.
I’m so excited to try these in a few weeks when my beets are harvest ready!
Excellent recipe. I used canned beets and added the beet juice in place of some of the water.
This is so much better than the canned beets you get in the store. Plus, I am staying away from sugar so I used Xylo Sweet natural sweetener instead of sugar and man just delicious. Thanks for the roasted beet and pickled beet recipes. These will be a mainstay in my home. Yum!!
Fantastic! I cooked my golden beets in an instant pot, the followed your recipe as written. After just 12 hours they are already delicious, and I will definitely be making them again. Thanks!
Great Recipe, 2nd batch didnt cook beets enough before pickleing . Best way to re cook beets?
Hi Larry – this is how we roast beets: https://bellyfull.net/how-to-make-roasted-beets/
GREAT recipe! Perfect flavor and way easier than I imagined. I will never buy them from the store again.
Love this recipe! I used ACV and a whole garlic clove, bay leaf and Italian spices. Would it be ok to leave on the counter instead of the fridge since the hot brine created a seal in the jar?
This recipe is not shelf stable and definitely needs to be refrigerated.
I’m making these again tonight. Every time I see beets on sale I grab a bunch and use this recipe. Very addicting!
Golden beets. So easy to make! Now I have to wait !
Looooved this recipe! I will never buy jarred pickled beets from the store again!
Great recipe! I used plain white vinegar and no mustard. Delicious! Question – can this recipe be used to make pickles? I would add some dill to make it tasty. Thank you!
Yes, absolutely! I also have a different recipe for Bread and Butter Pickles, here –> https://bellyfull.net/bread-and-butter-pickles/
Excellent. I subbed Splenda for the sugar, as I have a diabetic in the family. Added a few whole allspice, and finely sliced onion to the brine. They are a treat!
This recipe is fantastic. I made it a few times already using beets i grow in my garden.
These were so easy and delicious! I made them with the intention of adding to a salad, but I ended up snacking on all of them. Whoops. Guess I have to make more!
Easy and tasty. Although the measurements are spot on I do add a couple of smashed garlic and a few slices of red onion to the pickling brine. Delicious!
Easy and yummy! I tried putting in some onions (add to the brine when it’s simmering), bay leaves, cinnamon sticks and cloves. Also tried pickling the eggs and they were gorgeous and tasty. I’m definitely on a pickling kick now. Thanks for the inspiration!
So easy and so tasty. Kudos. My husband just eats them up.
Really good and I used white wine vinegar and rice vinegar! No spices as my mom canned them without spices. I did the whole oven thing (roasted) cause I’ve never done that. Peeled skins off this morning. Thank you! Sent recipe to niece in NY
These are soooooo good! And easy to make. We cooked the beets in the InstaPot, let them cool, the pulled the skin off. The brine recipe is perfectly spiced. The 2 of us (well… mostly me) ate the whole jar in a few days time. So we’re making a double batch today.
How long did you cook the beets in the InstaPot?
This is a great recipe! I boil my beets in the skin which comes off easily when they are done, then cut the beets into quarters or smaller. I only use water, apple vinegar, and sugar….no spices. I add hard boiled eggs so I use the beet cooking juice for the water for deeper colored eggs.
So easy! I mixed up flavor with cloves and amazing. Base recipe is awesome!
I really like the peppercorns in there. Added a little fresh garlic and some red onion too. Thanks for sharing.
Next is Pickled Eggs!
Just made these beets, they smell so good. Can’t wait to try them!
This is my second time making this recipe. Needless to say, it was a hit with the kids and the beets were finished within 1 week. Thanks.
Quick, easy, tastes amazing! I followed the recipe exactly. Thank you for sharing!
Super easy and super delicious! My family gobbled them up!
This was so easy and a wonderful way to eat beets. Can’t get enough of them. So delicious,
My son in law gave me a jar of pickle beets he grew and made it himself. I took a bite of one piece and wow I love it. I will start to make pickle beet as soon as I can with your recipe. Thanks for sharing.
Worked great.!!!!
I will never buy pickled beets in the store again!
I added pineapple instead of sugar. Turned out yummy and the pineapple was great to eat too!
I loved this recipe! I ate the whole jar in like 2 weeks. I will never buy canned beets again. About to make some more of the red and try a jar with yellow beets.
This recipe is so easy and delicious! It is such a perfect way to use small amounts of beets I receive from friends around harvest time.
Do you have to use peppercorns in the pickled beets
Hi Steve – this is my favorite brine, but I do list some alternate spices in the article.
Just like mom used to make – delicious!
Can I boil the beets instead of roasting them?
The flavor won’t be as deep, but yes, you can definitely boil them instead.
Delicious thank you!
Great flavor with a little kick!
Simple and super tasty!!!
Really great tasting beets and easy to make. I will be hard pressed to buy them again at the Farmer’s Market.
These beets are a tad too sweet and tangy for me on their own, but WOW do they add such a depth to sandwiches and salads! Really love how easy this recipe is, and now that they’re almost gone, I’m excited to make some pickled eggs with the leftover liquid.
Fantastic and easy! Family gobbled them up. Thank you.
Are you using a powdered ground mustard or like a stone ground mustard – like you would put on a hot dog/burger.
Ground mustard refers to the dry powder. Enjoy!
My store has been out of pickled beets for several weeks, so I bought regular sliced beets and used this recipe. DELICIOUS! Making a 2nd batch today.
I’ve never used beets before, but I love picked beets. Using already cooked and canned ones is a great idea!
I added half of a cinnamon stick to the brine, and used mustard seeds, personal preference.good, easy recipe. Thanks
How much mustard seed would you use?
Same question, how much mustard seed? Thanks.
Very good. I love it when we can cut down on the sugar content. Good way to preserve beets from the garden.
My question as I was reading your response. Do you cook beets ahead of time or you put them raw? I was little confused. ?
Thanks
You roast them first, as per the recipe instructions “4 medium ROASTED beets” and I’ve included a recipe link with instructions to do that. Hope that helps!
First time ever, and I’m old! Delicious, easy …nice~! Thank you for sharing.
(I did not put in the mustard, just a personal preference.)
My first time making pickled beets and with this recipe they were delicious!!!! Thanks! Cucumbers next!
Just finished making this recipe with beets from our garden. Smells and looks delicious! Can’t wait to eat them all up! Thank you for the recipe.
Every time I go to buy pickled beets these days, the ingredients have high fructose corn syrup :( which I absolutely will not eat. Looks like I’ll have to pickling my own. Thanks for the recipe.
Totally understand I am pickling my own homegrown beets right now. They taste so much better than store but nothing beats a home grown vegetable
We have a bunch of beets already small diced… could I roast them like that then pickle do you think?
Hi Bridget – you could definitely do that! Although I always roast my beets unpeeled and whole. You’d need to adjust your cooking time, so they don’t overcook and turn to mush.
Hi Amy!
You mentioned reboiling the liquid and reusing? Why reboiling and for how long? Do you have to reboil if using for eggs? Thanks!
Hi Jan! It’s just a good way to eliminate any bacteria that might have formed if they’ve been in the fridge for 6 weeks. But not necessary. And no, not necessary if you’re using the brine to marinate eggs. My favorite!
What do u do with the beet juice u Cooke the beets in ?
Just had some extra beets from Costco. Google hit your recipe. What a winner! Beets have never been a favorite…now they are right up there!
I made these a few weeks ago and they were great!
So much so that I am making another batch right now!
Excellent recipe! I have been longing for this great pickled beet taste made at home, not from the Supermarket! Thank you
I have a large, clean plastic jar. Could I use that?
Hi Elizabeth! Glass jars are best for pickled foods due to their acidic nature and is what I would recommend. But if your plastic container is food grade, BPA free, and has a tight-fitting lid that is made of nonreactive material, you should be fine. That’s what grocery stores use.
It’s a jar that formally housed pickled jalepenos, so I assume it’s food grade?
Do I peel the beats after they cook and tender
Hi Linda – Yes. Follow this link for how to roast and peel the beets https://bellyfull.net/how-to-make-roasted-beets/
Great recipe! Simple and great taste. I used 3 15oz cans sliced beets, drained. Left out mustard and increased sugar to 1/2 cup. Fantastic!
Can canned beets be used?
Sure!
love this recipe, I can’t have sugar so substituted 2 tablespoons monk fruit, and only made 1/2 recipe. thank you for a easy beet recipe.
I make these all the time. I only put in beets, water
White vinegar, and yellow onions. They are great.