The Best Pickled Eggs and Beets Recipe uses hard boiled eggs, an easy homemade brine, and that old fashioned Amish and Pennsylvania Dutch flavor so many of us grew up with. These beet pickled eggs have a simple southern feel and turn into a pickled red beet eggs recipe that's both keto-friendly and great for snacking. You'll learn how to make pickled eggs step by step so they come out right every time and truly earn the title of best pickled eggs recipe. Pin this now so pickled eggs and beets are always ready when you want something easy and classic.
Why is this the best pickled eggs and beets recipe
This easy pickled eggs and beets recipe is absolutely delicious! Those pink beauties are a perfect idea for any time of day. And, the longer you leave them in the brine, the pinker they get! I prefer not to eat mine until there is no white left.
This recipe makes the best pickled eggs recipe anytime! It's super easy to make and quick enough for busy weekdays. These pickled eggs are snackable and versatile: perfect straight out of the jar or sliced into salads and sandwiches.
This is an easy recipe for pickled eggs and beets. This recipe is as easy as hard-boiling a dozen eggs and heating a pot of brine. Pour them together, and that's literally all you have to do. it! This is a tried-and-true recipe, and I don't recommend changing, adjusting, or substituting a single thing. It's perfect just the way it is.
The ingredients for the dish are common and easy to find. You likely already have most of the simple ingredients for this easy pickled eggs recipe in your pantry. If you need an ingredient or two, you can easily find them in most local grocery stores or on Amazon!
This pickled eggs and beets recipe tastes amazing! These pickled eggs and beets have a flavor that deepens over time: The tangy-sweet brine gently penetrates the eggs over days, giving them a layered flavor. So it's perfect for anytime, any day of the week!
What you'll need to make pickled eggs and beets
Equipment
- 1-quart jar with tight-fitting lid - 32 ounces is the perfect size for holding a dozen eggs plus brine and beets.
- Medium saucepan - You may be able to use a smaller pan if you don't cook beets with your brine, but I always use the full jar of beets and juice and prefer a slightly larger pot.
Ingredients
- hard-cooked eggs - These should be cooked, cooled, and peeled.
- white vinegar - 5% acidity
- canned beets including the juice - You can certainly clean your own beets, roast and peel them, and chop or slice them. That's what my Grandma did. But I am all about quick and easy, and there is nothing quicker and easier than opening a can of sliced beets in juice to make this recipe.
- kosher salt - I recommend kosher salt because sea salt may contain impurities that could spoil your eggs.
- white sugar - Trust me on this. This brine needs sugar and a lot of it. I have experimented with this recipe with many different amounts of sugar, and I found that if you don't have enough, the eggs and beets taste bland.
- cinnamon stick - This is my grandma's recipe. I don't know why you use a cinnamon stick and whole cloves, and she didn't know why either. She said, "How the hell should I know why that's in the recipe? It just is. It tastes good." And so there you go. It just tastes good.
- whole cloves - See my grandma's quote above.
How to make the best pickled eggs recipe
- Make sure the eggs are hard-boiled, room temperature, and peeled. Set them aside. Do not use eggs with cracked or overly damaged whites.
- Pour boiling water into the jar for 3 minutes to sterilize it, then drain the water and let the jar air dry completely. Wash the lid with hot, soapy water, and rinse it thoroughly.
- In a medium saucepan, combine vinegar, kosher salt, white sugar, beets and beet juice, cinnamon sticks, and cloves. Bring the brine to a rolling boil for 4-5 minutes to bloom the spices. Remove the brine from the heat and let it cool for 10-15 minutes until it is warm but not hot (approximately 100-110°F). I recommend tasting the beets at this point.
I recommend you taste the brine at this point. Eat one of the beets and see how you like it. Your pickled eggs are going to taste exactly like that pickled beet, so if you don't like the beet, you're not going to like the eggs. If that is the case, put it back on the stove and add additional ingredients to balance the flavors to your liking. If it's too tart, add sugar. If it's too sweet, add vinegar. If you don't think there's enough flavor, add more beets (but probably not beet juice because you will overflow your jar) or more spices. Boil it for another 5 minutes and taste it again. - Gently place the cooled, peeled eggs into the sterilized jar. Carefully pour the warm brine and beets over the eggs until they are completely submerged. The beets should sit on top of the eggs to hold them down.
(The jar pictured below is smaller than 32 ounces.) - Seal the jar tightly with the lid and immediately refrigerate it. Allow the eggs to pickle for a minimum of 5 days before eating, with optimal flavor developing after 7 days. The eggs shown below were soaked for 5 days. If you want them to be pink to the yolks, soak them for 9-10 days or longer.
- Pickled eggs will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
Tips for the best beet-pickled eggs
Step 1. Sterilize the Jar
Pour boiling water into the jar for 3 minutes to sterilize it, then drain the water and let the jar air dry completely. Wash the lid and ring (if there is a ring) with hot, soapy water, and rinse it thoroughly.
Step 2. Make the Brine
In a small saucepan, combine vinegar, kosher salt, granulated sugar, beets and beet juice, cinnamon sticks, and cloves. Bring the brine to a rolling boil for 4-5 minutes to bloom the spices. Remove the brine from the heat and let it cool for at least 10-15 minutes until it becomes warm but not hot (approximately 100-110°F). You should be able to easily stick your finger in it and not get burned.
I recommend you taste the brine at this point. Eat one of the beets and see how you like it. Your pickled eggs are going to taste exactly like that pickled beet, so if you don't like the beet, you're not going to like the eggs. If that is the case, put it back on the stove and add additional ingredients to balance the flavors to your liking. If it's too tart, add sugar. If it's too sweet, add vinegar. If you don't think there's enough flavor, add more beets (but probably not beet juice because you will overflow your jar) or more spices. Boil it for another 5 minutes and taste it again.
Step 3. Fill the Jar
Gently place the cooled, peeled eggs into the sterilized jar.
Step 4. Add the Brine
Carefully pour the warm brine over the eggs until they are completely submerged. Arrange the beets so they sit on top of the eggs and hold them down.
Step 5. Seal and Refrigerate
Signs of spoilage: Eggs are spoiled if they have an off-smell (sour beyond normal vinegar tang, sulfurous, or rotten), if the brine becomes cloudy or develops mold, or if eggs become slimy or discolored.
Refrigerator only: These eggs are not shelf stable and must be stored in the refrigerator at 40°F or below at all times. Eat them within 3 weeks for best quality.
Use eggs aged 7-10 days: Eggs aged 7-10 days peel more cleanly than very fresh ones. Avoid using eggs that are older than 3 weeks. (If you're using the Instant Pot method, the eggs will peel cleanly no matter how fresh they are!)
Serving: Pickled eggs are served cold or at room temperature. Do not heat them.
Cool completely before peeling: Ensure that the eggs are thoroughly chilled in an ice bath before peeling. This makes peeling easier and prevents the whites from tearing.
Use warm (not hot) brine: The brine temperature should be 100-110°F. Hot brine can overcook or toughen the egg whites.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Why are my eggs pale (not pink)?
Either you didn't use enough beet juice, or they didn't sit in the brine long enough. To fix this, try increasing the beet juice or resting the eggs a few more days.
Why aren't the eggs pink to the yolks?
We photographed our eggs after just 5 days in the brine, and they were just pink on the outsides. I prefer to eat the eggs when they're pink the whole way through, and that is why I leave mine in the brine for at least 10 days before I eat them.
Can I reuse the brine for another batch of eggs?
I don't recommend doing this for food safety reasons. The brine may contain bacteria. I recommend making a fresh brine for each new batch of eggs.
Can this be shelf-canned (room temp) like pickled beets?
No. Your home-pickled eggs must be refrigerated at all times.
How soon can I eat them?
The minimum pickling time is 5 days, but optimal flavor and color develops after 7 days or more.
My eggs floated or got exposed. What should I do?
Make sure the beets are on top of the eggs. If there are no beets or there aren't enough of them to weigh down the eggs, place a piece of parchment or a clean food-safe object in the top of the jar to push eggs down. Always make sure to pour enough brine to fully submerge and leave empty space between the eggs and the lid (called headspace).
Substitutions & variations
I don't recommend any substitutions or variations. The recipe is the recipe. You need all the ingredients for it to work.
If you want a stronger or richer flavor, you can experiment by adding 1-2 teaspoons of "pickling spice" to the brine before you cook it. Pickling spice contains twelve different spices, including coriander seeds, mustard seeds, and peppercorns, and has a warm flavor. I don't care for it, but I know a lot of people do.
Storing leftovers
Freezing: Not recommended. Freezing will change the texture of the eggs.
Label and date: Always mark your jars with the preparation date so you can track freshness and optimal eating time. Pickled eggs should not be kept longer than 3 weeks.
Seal the container tightly with the lid, then immediately place it in the fridge. Allow the eggs to pickle for a minimum of 5 days before eating, with optimal flavor developing after 7 days. Pickled eggs will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
Check out more delicious hard boiled egg recipes
- Instant Pot Deviled Eggs
- Deviled Eggs with Bacon and Cheddar
- Cowboy Caviar
- Egg and Asparagus Salad with Dijon Vinaigrette Dressing
- Egg and Olive Salad Sandwich
- Creamy Macaroni Salad
- Simple Instant Pot Potato Salad Recipe
- Rotisserie Chicken and Egg Salad
- Canned Chicken Salad
Recipe
The Best Pickled Eggs and Beets Recipe
Equipment
- 1 1-quart jar with tight-fitting lid 32 ounces
- 32 ounces Boiling water
Ingredients
- 12 large hard cooked eggs cooled and peeled
- 3 cups white vinegar 5% acidity
- 15 ounces canned beets including the juice
- 1¼ teaspoons kosher salt
- 1½ cups white sugar
- 1½ cinnamon stick
- 9 whole cloves
Instructions
- Make sure the eggs are hard-boiled, room temperature, and peeled. Set them aside. Do not use eggs with cracked or overly damaged whites.
- Pour boiling water into the jar for 3 minutes to sterilize it, then drain the water and let the jar air dry completely. Wash the lid with hot, soapy water, and rinse it thoroughly.
- In a medium saucepan, combine vinegar, kosher salt, white sugar, beets and beet juice, cinnamon sticks, and cloves. Bring the brine to a rolling boil for 4-5 minutes to bloom the spices. Remove the brine from the heat and let it cool for 10-15 minutes until it is warm but not hot (approximately 100-110°F).I recommend tasting the beets at this point. See note below.
- Gently place the cooled, peeled eggs into the sterilized jar. Carefully pour the warm brine and beets over the eggs until they are completely submerged. The beets should sit on top of the eggs to hold them down.
- Seal the jar tightly with the lid and immediately refrigerate it. Allow the eggs to pickle for a minimum of 5 days before eating, with optimal flavor developing after 7 days.
- Pickled eggs will stay fresh in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks.
George says
Thank you for sharing this recipe