This recipe for beet pickles is considered a refrigerator pickle or quick pickle recipe. These won’t last as long as pickles that have been processed in a water bath canner, but they come together much faster—and easier. You don’t need to sterilize any jars, prepare a water bath or wait weeks to enjoy the fruits of your labor. These beet pickles are ready to eat after just an hour in the brine.
The process for quick pickling is pretty straightforward. Simply cook the beets, and slice them into the desired shape. Thin slices are nice for sandwiches, but chunky cubes are great for salads or charcuterie boards. Then, prepare a simple pickling brine with vinegar, salt, sugar and any desired pickling spices. Pour the hot liquid over the beets, and refrigerate to let the flavors come together.
Please note that canning recipes are different from quick-pickled recipes, so we don’t recommend using traditional canning for these pickled beets. Instead, use a recipe specifically formulated for canning, like spiced pickled beets.
Ingredients for Pickled Beets
Beets: Look for beets free of blemishes, bruises or soft spots. Larger beets can have tough cores, so aim for medium-sized beets about 2-1/2 inches in diameter. If the roots came with the greens intact, don’t throw them away! Store beet greens in the crisper bin for up to three days, and saute them in oil like spinach or kale.
Vinegar: You can use any type of vinegar to make refrigerator pickles. Cider vinegar is my favorite for its subtle sweetness. Experiment with the flavor profile using sharp and tangy red wine vinegar, complex sherry vinegar or mild rice wine vinegar.
Sugar: Granulated sugar brings out the beet’s natural sugars and balances the acidity in the vinegar. You can cut back on the amount of sugar, but the pickles will be very tart and slightly sour (which is exactly what some people prefer!).
Cloves and allspice: Warming spices accentuate sweetness and give the beets a cozy character.
