Pickling your garden fresh veggies like cucumber and beets works great for making them last even longer (and pickled beets are absolutely delicious!). Today I’ll be sharing my go to recipe for making the best pickled beets you’ll ever try. This has been a staple in my repertoire for quite some time now because they turn out so well.
How to Make Pickled Beets
- Preheat the oven. Preheat your oven to 425℉.
- Wrap the beets. Wrap the beets individually in aluminum foil.
- Place on the baking sheet and bake for about an hour. Tip: To check if they’re done, gently pierce the beets with a fork. It should be tender.
- Remove from the oven and let it cool completely.
- Prepare the beets for pickling.
- Peel the beets and then cut into wedges.
- Make the hot brine mixture. You’ll need water, white vinegar, honey. Bring to a boil.
- Pack. Pack the beet wedges, mustard seeds, and black peppercorns into a jar.
- Pour. Pour the hot vinegar mixture over top of the beets. Put the lid on the jar and wait for it to cool completely.
- Refrigerate. Refrigerate the beets for a minimum of 5 days before eating.
2 Great Health Benefits of Pickled Beets
Beets are already a nutritional powerhouse to begin with; pickling does nothing to change that fact. With that in mind, here are 2 great benefits offered by pickled beets:
- Good for gut health. Beets are already rich in dietary fiber, which provides numerous benefits for your gut health. Pickling the beets also encourages the growth of beneficial bacteria and probiotics, which further helps to protect your gut and improve digestion.
- Prevents blood sugar spikes. Pickled beets are a great food to eat for anyone who is trying to keep their blood sugar levels under control. Numerous studies have found that vinegar can reduce blood sugar levels (as well as insulin resistance) after a meal.
Are Pickled Beets Good for You?
Pickled beets are very good for you and the pickling process produces good bacteria and probiotics that will benefit your gut health.
With that in mind, pickling your beets does come with some noticeable differences compared to eating raw or cooked beets, such as:
- Pickled beets tend to provide an intensely tart flavor that helps to offset the more ‘earthy’ flavor that beets are known for. They also tend to taste slightly sweeter, depending on what other ingredients you pickle them with.
- Pickled beets will have a higher sodium content due to the pickling process, which is something to keep in mind for individuals who have been advised to reduce their sodium intake.
- Pickled beets will have a much longer shelf life compared to both raw and cooked beets.
How to Store Pickled Beets for Later
The best way to store your pickled beets is to simply leave them in the fridge inside the jar that they’re pickling in; they will stay good for up to 1 month when stored like this.
You can also freeze your pickled beets if you want to make them last longer than 1 month.
You’ll still want to give them a minimum of 5 days in the fridge after preparing them. Afterwards, transfer the beets into either freezer-safe airtight containers or heavy duty bags.
Make sure to include a little bit of the brine mixture with the beets when freezing them; about ¼ should be fine. You can also freeze the leftover brine in a separate container to use again.
The Best Pickled Beets Ever
Ingredients
- 1 pound beets
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 1 cup water
- ¼ cup honey
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp mustard seeds
- ¼ tsp black peppercorns
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Wrap the beets tightly in aluminum foil.
- Place the beets on a baking sheet.
- Bake the beets for 50-60 minutes or until easily pierced with a knife.
- Peel the beets and cut into wedges.
- In a saucepan combine the water, vinegar, honey and salt.
- Bring to a boil over high heat.
- In a jar pack the beets, mustard seeds and black peppercorns.
- Pour the hot vinegar mixture over the cucumbers.
- Put the lid on and leave to cool.
- Refrigerate for at least 5 days before eating.
- Store in the fridge for up to 1 month.
