Healthy Pickled Beets Recipe
These quick pickled beets are tangy, naturally sweet, and easy to make. This refrigerator version avoids the large amount of sugar found in some traditional pickled-beet recipes.
Ingredients
- 3–4 medium beets
- 1 cup apple-cider or white vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon honey or sugar (optional)
- ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 small garlic clove (optional)
- A few slices of red onion (optional)
Directions
- Cook the beets: Roast or boil until fork-tender. Cool, peel and slice.
- Make the brine: Combine vinegar, water, salt and optional honey/sugar in a saucepan. Heat until the salt dissolves.
- Pack: Put the sliced beets, peppercorns and optional garlic/onion into a clean glass jar.
- Add the brine: Pour the warm brine over the beets until they’re completely covered.
- Refrigerate: Let cool, seal and refrigerate for at least 24 hours. The flavor becomes stronger after a few days.
🧊 Important safety note
This is a refrigerator pickle, not a shelf-stable canning recipe. Keep it refrigerated and don’t store it at room temperature. For long-term storage, use a tested canning recipe from a reliable food-preservation authority rather than improvising the vinegar-to-water ratio.
❤️ Why they’re a healthy addition
Beets provide fiber, folate and potassium, while vinegar adds flavor without requiring much added sugar. Pickled beets can be a nutritious side dish, although they’re not a treatment for high blood pressure, anemia or other diseases.
