Quick pickled beets: beets, vinegar, water, salt, spices – roast the beets first, and a day later you've got a jar of earthy-sweet, tangy pickled beets.
Put them on anything that needs a bit of tangy brightness or eat them straight from the jar. I love setting them out during cocktail hour — the dreamy colors — and alongside anything rich, like during my latke smashed potato party, with my brisket and lamb shoulder.
Two kinds of pickles exist: quick pickles (vinegar-based, what we're doing here) and fermented pickles (salt, time, naturally developing acid like sauerkraut and kimchi). Both ancient. Both delicious. This is the quickie kind. No special equipment, no sterilizing jars.
Beets need to be cooked before pickling. I roast mine — the dry heat caramelizes and concentrates their natural sugars, so they come out sweeter and more intensely beet-y than boiling or steaming. Wrapped in foil at 400° and roast about an hour, until a fork easily pierces through — exact time depends on beet size. I go for the smallest beets I can find — not for flavor, just because they slice into more apropos pickled beet wedges.
Your beets just need: vinegar, water, salt, spices. And to be cooked before.
Note what’s omitted: sugar.
Beets are one of the sweetest veggies around, and roasting concentrates their natural sugars even more, so we’re not adding any sugar in the brine this time.
For this edition: mustard seeds for subtle pungency, peppercorns for a little kick, bay leaves for herbal depth, and fresh dill for that classic pickle flavor. The dry spices go into the brine as it heats; the fresh dill goes straight into the jar with the beets. If you're mixing beet colors — golden, chioggia, red — separate them into different jars unless you want them all to appear marvelously magenta — which is not a bad thang in my world.
One more thing: don't toss the brine once the beets are gone. Use it like a vinegar in salad dressings — just keep in mind we skipped the sugar, so it's tart. I'd add a sweetener (honey is my go-to, maple or agave work too), mustard, and minced shallots — let the shallots sit in the brine first, then add the rest. Voilà — a delish dressing repurposing the brine is made.
My Pickling Wisdom
- For the cutest little pickled beet wedges, use the smallest beets you can find.
- Since beets are so naturally sweet, and made even sweeter with roasting, we’re omitting sugar in the brine.
- If using different beet colors, separate them into different jars unless you want them all to appear marvelously magenta.
- Don't toss the brine — repurpose it as your vinegar base for salad dressing.
I beet every which way — roasted, hummus form, focaccia form, dip form, pureed into soup, cured into salmon. Hope ya enjoy this pickling edition.
If you try this pickled recipe, I'd love to hear about it - leave a comment below and let me know, and tag me on IG, @danielagerson, so I can see too!
Keep exploring for more seasonal recipes and colorful produce guides designed to inspire ya to play in the kitchen.
Let’s make waves in the kitchen.
Pickled Beets
Ingredients
- 1 – 1½ lbs small beets any color
- a few sprigs fresh dill
- 1 cup distilled white vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon mustard seed
- ½ teaspoon mixed peppercorns
- 1-2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Roast the beets: wrap whole beets in foil and roast at 400°F for 45–60 min, until a fork pierces through easily. Cool, peel, and slice into wedges.
- Pack the sliced beets and dill into a pint jar.
- Heat the vinegar, water, salt, mustard seed, peppercorns, and bay in a small pot over medium until the salt dissolves. Let cool slightly.
- Pour the warm brine over the beets. Cover, cool to room temperature, then refrigerate.
- Better the next day. Keeps up to a month in the fridge.
Notes
- No sugar – beets are sweet enough, especially roasted.
- Dry spices go in the brine; fresh dill goes in the jar.
- Pre-cooked beets work too – just make sure they're tender before pickling.
- Don't toss the brine – repurpose it as the vinegar base in salad dressings.
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