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.
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/
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.