Spiced Pickled Beets

Whether preserving a summer harvest or making homemade food gifts for the holidays, these spiced pickled beets are nostalgic, unique treats that taste as if they came straight out of Grandma’s kitchen. This easy canning recipe transforms fresh beets into sweet, tangy beet pickles infused with cloves, warm cinnamon and allspice.

The process is as easy as boiling the beets, simmering them in a simple brine made with vinegar, sugar, water and spices, and tucking them into jars for a quick water bath. If you’ve never canned before, no worries. You can use this recipe to make quick pickled beets and keep them stashed in the fridge instead for a perfect flavorful addition to salads, sandwiches or snack plates.

Ingredients for Spiced Pickled Beets

• Beets: Look for firm, medium-sized beets with smooth skins free of blemishes or soft spots. Red beets are classic, but you can use golden or striped beets. If the beets come with green tops, trim them off and try our sauteed beet greens recipe for a simple, nutritious side.
• Sugar: Granulated sugar enhances the beets’ natural sweetness and balances the vinegar’s acidity. Don’t reduce the amount of sugar if you plan to store the beets in the pantry—it acts as a natural preservative.
• Water: We add extra liquid to the brine to mellow the acidic vinegar and ensure the finished beets have the right amount of punch.
• Cider vinegar: Apple cider vinegar gives the brine its signature tangy flavor and a sweet, fruity note.
• Spices: A trio of warming spices—cinnamon, cloves and allspice—infuses the beets with a cozy, spiced flavor perfectly fitting for fall, winter and the holiday season. Use cinnamon sticks and whole spices to keep the brine clear.

Directions

Step 1: Clean and cook the beets

Mark Derse for Taste Recipes

Scrub the beets and trim the tops to 1 inch. Place the beets in a Dutch oven and add enough water to cover them. Bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover the pot and simmer for 25 to 35 minutes or until the beets are tender.

Editor’s Tip: If you prefer the deeper, caramelized flavor of roasted beets, you can cook them in the oven, then peel them and proceed with the recipe. Just be sure to dry roast them without added oil or seasonings.

Step 2: Peel the beets

Carefully remove the beets from the pot and drain the hot water. When the beets are cool enough to handle, remove the peels, slice off the tops and cut each beet into quarters.

Editor’s Tip: If your beets are large, cut them into 1/2-inch cubes or 1/4-inch slices after quartering for faster pickling and easier eating. Smaller beets, around 1 inch in diameter, can be left whole if you prefer. No matter how you cut them, the key to great pickled beets is keeping them uniform in size.

Step 3: Simmer the beets in the brine

Mark Derse for Taste Recipes

Return the beets to the Dutch oven. Add the sugar, water and cider vinegar.

Mark Derse for Taste Recipes

Place the spices in the center of a double layer of cheesecloth. Gather the corners to form a pouch, then tie securely with kitchen string to create a spice bag.

Mark Derse for Taste Recipes

Add the spices to the pot.

Mark Derse for Taste Recipes

Bring the brine to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover the pot and simmer for 10 minutes. Discard the spice bag.

Step 4: Transfer the beets and brine to jars

Mark Derse for Taste Recipes

Carefully pack the beets into four hot pint jars. Ladle the hot brining liquid over the beets, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace at the top of each jar. Remove any air bubbles and adjust the headspace, if necessary, by adding more brine. Wipe the rims, then center the lids on the jars and screw on the bands until they’re fingertip tight.

Editor’s Tip: Overfilling the jars is a common canning mistake, so pull out a ruler if needed to ensure you leave enough headspace to achieve a good vacuum seal.

Step 5: Seal the jars

Mark Derse for Taste Recipes

Place the jars in a canner with simmering water, ensuring that they are completely covered with water. Bring the water to a boil and process the jars for 35 minutes. Remove the jars and let them cool.

Editor’s Tip: Label and date the jars to know when they were made.

Mark Derse for Taste Recipes

Recipe Variations

• Add a citrus twist: Slip a few strips of orange or lemon zest into the brine or the spice bag to add a bright, citrusy note that pairs well with the warm spices.
• Switch the spices: In addition to the cinnamon, cloves and allspice, try adding sliced fresh ginger, a bay leaf and/or whole peppercorns to the spice bag for deeper flavor.
• Use a different vinegar: Customize the flavor of your pickling brine by swapping in other varieties of vinegar. Browse our collection of pickling recipes for tried-and-true vinegar-based brines.
• Pickle more than beets: Hard-boiled eggs or thinly sliced onions can be layered with the beets for extra flavor and color contrast. They pickle well in the same brine and add more flavor.

How to Store Spiced Pickled Beets

Store cooled unopened jars of spiced pickled beets in a cool, dark location, such as a pantry or cabinet. Once you open a jar, store it in the fridge.

How long do spiced pickled beets last?

When properly canned, pickled beets can last up to a year. Once opened, the canned spiced pickle beets recipe needs to be kept in the fridge and eaten within a few weeks.

Spiced Pickled Beet Tips

Mark Derse for Taste Recipes

Does processing time depend on altitude?

Yes, processing time—the amount of time you must heat jars in boiling water for safe, long-term storage—depends on your altitude. This recipe calls for a processing time of 35 minutes, which is appropriate for elevations up to 1,000 feet. If you live at a higher altitude, you’ll need to increase the processing time as follows:

• add 5 minutes for up to 3,000 feet
• add 10 minutes for up to 6,000 feet
• add 15 minutes for up to 8,000 feet
• add 20 minutes for up to 10,000 feet

Can you use this recipe to make quick pickled beets?

You can use this recipe to make quick pickled beets (also called refrigerator pickled beets) with no water bath processing required. Quick pickle recipes are faster to make than their canned counterparts, but they’re not shelf-stable and must be refrigerated. They should last for two to three months in the refrigerator.

To make quick spiced pickled beets, cook, peel, and cut the beets as directed and put them into a bowl. Then, prepare the brine and bag of warming spices as directed. Instead of simmering the beets in the brine, boil the brine with the spices for about five minutes or until the sugar dissolves. Pour the brine over the beets and refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight before eating. The flavor will intensify the longer they sit in the fridge.

How do you serve spiced pickled beets?

These spiced pickled beets make a tasty snack right out of the jar, and there are plenty of dishes that you can add them to for a punch of sweet and tangy flavor. Use them instead of pickles on a sandwich or as a healthy salad topping, similar to this harvest salad with cherry vinaigrette or winter beet salad.

You can also serve pickled beets as a side dish with roasted or grilled meats, like Thanksgiving turkey or oven-baked brisket. Pickled beets make a vibrant addition to charcuterie boards and savory toast recipes—try them on top of crostini spread with goat cheese or ricotta for an easy appetizer or snack.