Pickled Beets are a wonderful way to preserve your garden harvest or fresh farmers market beets, to enjoy throughout the winter. The wonderful thing about pickled beets is how crunchy they stay through fermentation. Not to mention they’re a wonderful vegetable side dish packed with probiotics and phytonutrients.

pickled beets prepared by getting sliced beets in a quart jar, crock of salt with salt spoon, beetroot and leaves and rosemary and garlic sitting next to a tea towel on the counter top.

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Below is the printable recipe card, if you would like a more detailed description of this recipe and FAQ, scroll down. ENJOY!

Pickled Beets

Pickled Beets are a wonderful preserve, that maintain their crunch and make a vegetable side dish packed with probiotics & phytonutrients.

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Servings 1 Quart

Ingredients

3-5 Medium Beets
2 cloves of garlic sliced ¼-inch thick
2 tablespoons salt preferably Ancient Sea Salt
2 sprigs of Fresh Rosemary
2 Cups Filtered Water

Instructions

Wash your beets with cool water. Quarter and slice them 1/4 of an inch thick.
To make the brine, mix and stir the filtered water and salt in a bowl or measuring cup, until the salt is fully dissolved.
Pack the sliced beets, garlic, and rosemary sprigs into the quart jar. Pour the brine over the beets, leaving some headspace.
Add a fermentation weight to keep the beets below the brine. Cover loosely with a lid.
Leave on the countertop at room temperature for 4-7 days.
When the beets are finished fermenting, remove the fermenting weight, cover with a lid, and store in the refrigerator for up to three months.
Bon Appétite!

Notes

It’s perfectly fine if all the brine doesn’t fit into the jar, you can save it for another ferment.
I like to keep a plate underneath the jar in case the fermentation bubbles over.
Once a day I like to “burp,” my ferments, by loosening the lid, and then the bubbles/gas escape to the surface.
Topping the jar off with apple cider vinegar at the end of the fermentation process add a fun “pickled flavor.”

Equipment you may need:

1 Quart or 32 oz. Wide-Mouth Mason Jar with a lid
Fermenting Weights– I went years without having these. I used to collect rocks and put them in baggies and use them as weights, which has always worked great. Max just recently bought these Pickle Pebbles and they feel like a treat!
Cutting Board
Measuring Spoons
Measuring Cup

Ingredients you will need to make Pickled Beets:

3-5 medium beets
2 cloves of garlic- sliced 1/4-inch thick
2 tablespoons salt- preferably Ancient Sea Salt
2 sprigs of Fresh Rosemary
2 Cups Filtered Water

How to make Pickled Beets:

Step One: Chop

Wash your beets with cool water. Quarter and slice them 1/4 of an inch thick.

Step Two: Brine

To make the brine, mix and stir the filtered water and salt in a bowl or measuring cup, until the salt is fully dissolved.

sliced beets, sliced garlic and rosemary in a jar with beet leaves and a tea towel sitting on counter to make homemade pickled beets.

Step Three: Pack

Pack the sliced beets, garlic, and rosemary sprigs into the quart jar. Pour the brine over the beets, leaving some headspace. It’s perfectly fine if all the brine doesn’t fit into the jar, you can save it for another ferment.

folded cabbage leaves over the beets sitting in brine, in a glass quart jar on the counter top next to beet leaves and a tea towel to make homemade fermented pickled beets.

Next, take a few clean, fresh cabbage leaves if you have them. Fold them and place them on top of the beets, holding the beets under the brine.

a fermenting weight over beets in a quart jar sitting on a counter top next to beet leaves and a tea towel to make homemade fermented pickled beets.

Add a fermentation weight to keep the beets below the brine. Cover loosely with a lid.

Step Four: Wait!

Leave on the countertop at room temperature for 4-7 days. I like to keep a plate underneath the jar in case the fermentation bubbles over. You will notice lots of bubbles forming over the days. This is good!

When the beets are finished, remove the fermenting weight, cover with a lid, and store in the refrigerator for up to three months.

Bon Appétite!

A glass quart jar with fermenting homemade pickled beets on the counter top next to garlic heads, beet leaves and a tea towel.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What is the best salt for fermented vegetables?

These days, there are lots of additives in table salt, like anticaking agents, iodine, and dextrose. In Wildcrafted Fermentation by Pascal Baudar he explains, “Iodine can inhibit the growth of lactic acid in a ferment.” Baudar goes on to list mineral-rich sea salts such as pink Himalayan salt, Celtic salt, or even gray salt. I have worked with all three of these and have had beautiful results. My suggestion would be to read labels and always source quality salt not just for ferments, but all food preparation.

How long can you keep homemade pickled beets in the fridge?

They are best within three months after fermentation. The following are signs that your pickled beets might have gone bad

If you see signs of mold.
If the sauerkraut goes from crunchy to mushy
If it smells off.

If you enjoyed this recipe, give it 5 stars, please. And then go try my Saurkraut:

How To Make Saurkraut

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