They may be messy, and kind of weird, but I love beets. I know they’re not for everybody, but they’re a big favorite in my family. My grandma came from a Pennsylvania Dutch background and she used to make her own pickled beets all the time. I grew up eating them all the time whenever I visited her, but I don’t think I ever fully appreciated them until I was in my 20s. Lately I’ve been wanting to know how to make my own pickled beets – DIY pickled beets, if you will. The process is actually super easy (although a bit messy), and there are tons of things you can do with DIY pickled beets!
Starting out, I found a lot of different ratios for the beet pickling liquid, but I think it really does come down to the DIY principle (or my DIY principle at least), which is do what works for you! If you don’t want your beets to be super sweet, maybe reduce the amount of sugar a little bit, or adjust the amount of salt to your liking – basically just DIY to your heart’s content!
Ingredients:
- 6 beets (about 2 bunches)
- 2 cups reserved beet boiling liquid
- 2 cups apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- Salt
To begin, remove the top greens from your beets, leaving the root and about 1 inch of stem; scrub the beets vigorously with a brush until they free of all dirt. Don’t throw away the greens on the beets! You can cook these up and eat them too! Here’s a super yummy recipe I found for cooking your beet greens: Sauteed Beet Greens with Garlic and Olive Oil
Place your beets in a medium saucepan and cover them with generously salted water. I’m guessing I put about 1-2 teaspoons of salt into the water – about as much as you would put in the water when boiling pasta. I like my beets a little salty, but as I said before, just DIY. If you prefer unsalted, you can leave out the salt in the water. Bring the beets and water to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 45 minutes or until fork tender (meaning, you can stick a fork in the beet and it will slide off easily).
Drain 2 cups of the beet cooking liquid into a measuring cup and set aside. Rinse the beets in cold water and peel. As you can see in the picture below, the beet peels will come off pretty easily by hand once the beets are thoroughly cooked (just wait until they’ve cooled down a little to peel them).
Set the beets aside. In a saucepan, combine the beet juice, apple cider vinegar, sugar, and any optional ingredients (such as any additional pickling spices you might prefer). Allow the mixture to boil for a few minutes until the sugar has dissolved. While cooking the pickling liquid, cut your beets into slices or chunks.
Arrange the beets in a large glass container (or multiple small glass containers). Pour the pickling liquid over the beets to cover completely. If you don’t have enough liquid, you may need to remove some of the beets. Cover the beets tightly and refrigerate.
You can eat your DIY pickled beets immediately, but the longer you let them sit in the refrigerator, the more they will “pickle” and the more flavor they will develop. Pickled beets will last a long time in the refrigerator, usually about two to three months.
I like to put my DIY pickled beets on salads (or try my DIY pickled beet salad with pistachios and goat cheese). They also go well with more mellow flavors, like cottage cheese, or just eat them on their own! My grandma used to make pickled beets and eggs – which sounds kind of weird – but they are actually REALLY delicious together.
It’s pretty easy to go overboard with making too many of your own DIY pickled beets, so if you find yourself with a surplus, here are some more ideas: Good Ideas/Recipes/Uses for Pickled Beets
