For a tested larger batch, the National Center for Home Food Preservation recommends:

• 7 pounds of beets
• 4 cups of vinegar with 5% acidity
• 1½ teaspoons pickling or canning salt
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 cups water
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 12 whole cloves
• 4–6 onions, optional

This recipe makes approximately 8 pints.

Step 1: Cook the Beets

Wash the beets thoroughly.

Trim the tops but leave about an inch of stem and the roots attached while cooking. This helps reduce excessive color loss.

Cook similar-sized beets together in boiling water until they are tender, which generally takes about 25–30 minutes for the sizes specified in the tested recipe.

Drain and discard the cooking water.

Step 2: Peel and Slice

Allow the beets to cool enough to handle safely.

Remove the remaining stems and roots and slip off the skins.

Slice the beets into approximately ¼-inch slices.

If using onions, peel and slice them thinly.

Step 3: Prepare the Pickling Liquid

Combine:

• Vinegar
• Water
• Sugar
• Pickling salt

Place the cinnamon sticks and cloves in a spice bag or cheesecloth and add them to the liquid.

Bring the mixture to a boil.

Then add the prepared beets and onions and simmer for approximately 5 minutes.

At this point, your kitchen will start smelling wonderfully sweet and spicy.

Step 4: Pack the Jars

For shelf-stable canning, carefully pack the hot beets and onions into prepared canning jars.

Cover them with the hot vinegar solution while maintaining the recommended headspace.

The tested recipe specifies ½ inch of headspace.

 Important: Don’t Skip the Canning Process

This is one part of the recipe where it’s important not to improvise.

Simply putting hot pickled beets into a jar, closing the lid and leaving them in the cupboard is not the same thing as properly canning them.

For shelf-stable storage, the National Center for Home Food Preservation specifies processing the jars in a boiling-water canner.

For pints or quarts at elevations of 0–1,000 feet, the tested recipe specifies 30 minutes. Processing times increase at higher elevations.

If you’re unfamiliar with home canning, follow the complete tested procedure rather than relying on a shortened social-media recipe.

Want a Smaller Batch?

If you don’t want to make eight jars, you can make a refrigerator version intended for short-term refrigerated storage.

The important point is not to take a tested shelf-stable canning recipe and randomly change the vinegar-to-water ratio while assuming it remains safe for room-temperature storage.

For refrigerator pickles, use a reliable recipe specifically designed for that purpose and keep the finished product refrigerated.

How Long Do Pickled Beets Need to Sit?

This depends on the recipe and whether you’re making refrigerator pickles or properly canned beets.

For refrigerator pickles, allowing the beets time to absorb the vinegar and spices generally produces a stronger flavor.

The longer they sit under refrigeration, the more pronounced the pickled flavor can become.

That’s why they can be even better the next day.

7 Delicious Ways to Eat Pickled Beets

Once you’ve made them, don’t limit yourself to eating them directly from the jar.

1. Beet and feta salad

Combine beets, feta, walnuts and greens.

2. Pickled beet eggs

Use the pickling liquid to give hard-boiled eggs a beautiful pink color.

3. Sandwich topping

Add thin slices to sandwiches for a sweet-and-sour kick.

4. Cheese board

Serve them with goat cheese, crackers and nuts.

5. Potato salad

Chop them into small pieces and mix them into a creamy potato salad.

6. Grain bowls

Combine rice or quinoa with vegetables, chickpeas and pickled beets.

7. Simple side dish

Sometimes the easiest option is the best: drain a few slices and serve them alongside roasted chicken, grilled meat or potatoes.

The Bottom Line

So, does anyone actually eat pickled beets?

Absolutely.

They may look like an old-fashioned pantry food, but their combination of sweetness, acidity, earthy flavor and beautiful color makes them surprisingly versatile.

If you’ve never liked plain beets, pickled beets are worth trying because the vinegar changes their flavor dramatically.

And if you’re already a fan, you now have plenty of reasons to keep a jar in the refrigerator.

Would you eat pickled beets straight from the jar, or would you rather add them to a salad or sandwich?