A complete guide to making pickled beetroot at home from fresh beets, including boiling, cooling, peeling, slicing and pickling with aromatic brine. The result has a perfect balance of sharp and sweet flavours with a crisp texture.
Distilled white vinegarApple cider vinegar can be used as an alternative~2 cupsest.
Soft brown sugar~½ cupest.
Sea salt or kosher saltDo not use table salt as it contains anti-caking agents~2 tbspest.
Peppercorns~1 tbspest.
Coriander seeds~1 tbspest.
Bay leaf1
Steps
▶ Tap a timecode to jump to roughly that moment in the video.
1
Trim the beetroot stems to about 6 cm (a couple of inches), tidy up the root end, being careful not to cut too close to avoid excessive bleeding and colour loss during cooking.
2
Thoroughly wash the beetroot with a soft plastic scrubber to remove all mud and dirt without damaging the skin.
3
Gently place the beetroot in a large pan of water, cover with a lid, bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a gentle simmer for 25 minutes.
4
Test the beetroot with a sharp thin-bladed knife to check for doneness. If still resistant, continue cooking for another 10 minutes. Beetroot cooking times are unpredictable and may require additional checks.
5
Once the beetroot is tender with minimal colour loss to the water (indicating nutrients retained), gently drain them in a colander.
6
Place the colander in the sink and cool the beetroot with cold water while preparing the pickling brine.
7
Heat a saucepan over medium heat, then add the peppercorns and coriander seeds to the dry pan and toast to release their flavours.
8
Pour the distilled white vinegar into the toasted spices.
9
Add the soft brown sugar to balance the sharp and sour taste of the vinegar.
10
Add the sea or kosher salt. Pure salt is essential as table salt contains anti-caking agents that affect preservation and cause cloudiness.
11
Add the bay leaf, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to the lowest setting and simmer gently for about 3 minutes. Turn off heat and the pickling brine is ready.
12
Once cooled, trim the tops and tails from the beetroot. Use sterilised glass jars for storing.
13
Rub off the skin from the cooled beetroot—it should come off very easily.
14
Slice the peeled beetroot to about 6 mm thick (approximately 1/4 inch), adjusting thickness to personal preference.
15
Optionally strain out the spices from the vinegar for a milder flavour, or leave them in for a stronger taste.
16
Pack the beetroot slices into the sterilised jars, leaving a little space at the top so all slices are completely submerged in brine.
17
Pour the pickling brine over the beetroot in the jars, ensuring all slices are completely covered. Top up if necessary.
18
Seal the jars with lids and optionally label them. Unopened jars will keep in the refrigerator for about 6 weeks to 3 months, depending on fridge temperature.
PrimedTableBETA
