Quick Pickled Beets

4.67 from 6 votes

Easy quick pickled beets made with just 3 ingredients. No added sugar and ready in about 4 hours in the refrigerator, although the longer you let them sit, the better. They make the perfect additions for salads, power bowls, breakfast, and more. Gluten-free, vegan, paleo, and Whole30 approved.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword how to pickle beets, pickled beets, quick pickled beets, refrigerator pickled beets

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Resting Time 4 hours

Total Time 4 hours 50 minutes

Servings cups

Calories 54kcal

Author Kelly

Ingredients

5-6 small-medium red beets (about 500 grams)
1 cup white vinegar (amount will depend on how you slice your beets)
1/2 teaspoon salt
optional additions - spices of your choice or sweetener

Instructions

Rinse off any excess dirt and cut off the stem and root. I suggest finding ones that are similar in size to ensure even cooking. If some are larger than the others, which is bound to happen, slice the larger ones into smaller pieces so they can cook evenly.
Add water to a large pot with a steamer basket and steam for 30-45 minutes. The time will depend on how large the beets are. They are done when you can easily pierce them with a knife.
Remove from the pan and let them cool for a few minutes. Next, you will need to peel them. With the beets being warm, the skin should be able to peel right off. To get it started, you can slide a knife in between the skin and the bulb and then use your hands.* Once you get it going, it should easily come off.
Slice them into 1/4-1/2 inch thick pieces. Then place them in a wide-mouth jar. Pour vinegar over them so they are just barely covered.
Let them sit in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours up to overnight. The longer they sit, the better they are!

Notes

*wear gloves to prevent turning your hands and fingers purple. It will wash off after a couple of times if you don't have gloves. I also like peeling them on a baking sheet with parchment paper so they don't stain anything.

If you don't like a lot of acid flavor (vinegar), you can use half vinegar, half water.

This recipe is no shelf stable and must be kept in the refrigerator.

Nutrition