Canned Pickled Beets Recipe (2024)

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This Canned Pickled Beets Recipe makes pickling beets easier than you think! It’s a tried-and-true recipe that was one of my Grandma’s favorites and is now my go-to pickled beets recipe. There is nothing like a stash of delicious beets to eat in the depths of a cold winter!

How To Make Pickled Beets

Ah, pickled beets. These purple beauties are most certainly a taste of my childhood, as my Grandma canned beets in great numbers. Unlike most children, I have loved beets since I was young, running around my Grandma’s Manitoba farm in the hot summer sun.

I could have eaten them from the jar happily all day long. Still, these were a genuinely coveted treat, usually reserved for big family dinners along with a wild duck or a beautiful venison roast. Now that I’ve taken on the canning and preserving role that my Grandmother did for so many years, I understand why they weren’t simply a snack for hungry children’s bellies, and I was shooed out to the garden to find something else.

Canning is hot, sweaty, nasty at moments, and darn hard work.

Oh yes, Pinterest and many other websites make it look glamorous and easy to boot! Suzy Homesteader is in her little white chef’s kitchen, canning away merrily all day long, with children sitting nicely at the table and the house so perfectly clean around you.

They lie.

Every single, stinking one of them.

Canning is messy.

Canning takes an organized mind, which I sadly lack some days, and canning takes a lot of reading, research, and smarts. Is it worth it? Absolutely! I sincerely wouldn’t want anyone walking away from my site thinking they are a failure because they aren’t smiling and happy like many writers portray it.

You’re gonna sweat.
You’re gonna swear.
You’re going to be proud of yourself.

Sure, your kitchen will be a disaster, but canning in-season, fresh food with no preservatives and no chemicals leaching out from tin cans- knowing precisely what is in your food is worth it!

Are Pickled Red Beets Good For You?

Pickled red beets are insanely good for you! They are chock full of fiber, folate, and iron, to name a few. They are also full of tryptophan, which helps you relax and sleep better. Pickled beets are also anti-inflammatory and loaded with antioxidants. That blood-red color means that they are loaded with goodness for you.

The recipe I used is from the Atco website and can be found in my printable recipe below. I want to stress that beets are a non-acidic food, meaning, in layman’s terms, they are more dangerous to can with. Non-acidic foods that are canned can be a breeding ground for botulism, as well as many other things if you don’t follow the directions carefully. The risk is very minimal, however let’s remember that we are feeding our families with this food.

There are a few strict rules that I always follow for the safe canning of pickled beets and non-acidic foods.

1) Never change the vinegar-to-water ratio in a recipe for canning non-acidic foods. These recipes have been developed in labs to ensure the correct amount of acidity required to eliminate the chance of botulism. Botulism grows in an air-free, low-acidic environment. See how canning gives it the perfect breeding ground? When we can consume vegetables, we seal low-acid food in an oxygen-free environment. I myself do not ever change a recipe. The only thing you may alter is spices. That’s it. Nothing else.

2) Always process the food for the exact times given. Do not boil your vinegar mixture more than the recipe states. Do not skip the processing time. Find out your altitude and process accordingly.

3) Read The National Center For Home Food Preservation website. It has all the facts. Start with the FAQ, then delve into the recipes.

4) To follow up on number three, always get your recipes from reputable sites. To be honest, I’ve seen some canning recipes that just scare me. The vinegar ratios are way off, and they promote unsafe and unrecommended methods of canning. Remember, anyone can write a recipe, but you have no idea if it’s safe!

So now that I’ve scared you off canning forever, here’s the recipe!

Indeed, it’s a tried and true tested recipe from the Blue Flame Kitchen, so don’t worry! Like I said, before you make canning recipes with vegetables, just to be safe, ask where the recipe is from. Or better yet, just head to the Atco website or check out all the fantastic recipes on the National Center For Home Food Preservation

So what has everyone else been canning? I have so many recipes to share with you these next few weeks; I’ve been a busy canning bee!

Canned Pickled Beets Recipe

A classic canned pickled beets recipe, just like my Grandma used to make! This makes 4 pint ( 500ml) jars!

4.94 from 165 votes

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Ingredients

▢ 4-5 pounds small beets 40 – 48
▢ 2 teaspoons pickling salt
▢ 1 1/2 cups white sugar
▢ 3 cups white vinegar
▢ 2 tablespoons mixed pickling spice tied in cheesecloth bag
▢ 1 cup water

Instructions

Wash the beets and remove most of the tops, leaving about 1/2 inch of beet top remaining.In a large boiling pot of water, cook the beets until barely tender.Remove from the stove.
Submerge the beets in a large bowl of ice water, I find this helps the skins come off with more ease.
Cut off the tops and the roots completely, then remove the skin.Peel and slice beets into preferred size, I like larger chunks and not slices.
Combine the vinegar, sugar, water, salt and pickling spice in a nonreactive pot and bring mixture to a boil; reduce the heat and simmer 10 minutes.
Add the beets to the pickling liquid and return to a boil.Remove the spice bag.Carefully ladle the beets and pickling liquid into hot sterilized pint jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace.
Remove any air bubbles with a non-metal utensil.Add additional pickling liquid, if needed, to keep the proper headspace.
Wipe the jar rims thoroughly with a clean damp cloth, failure to do this can result in the jars not sealing properly!
Seal the jars and process for 35 minutes in a boiling water bath.
For altitudes higher than 3000 ft (914 m), add 5 minutes to processing time.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 4g, Calories: 527kcal, Carbohydrates: 120g, Protein: 7g, Fat: 1g, Sodium: 3852mg, Potassium: 1505mg, Fiber: 13g, Sugar: 105g, Vitamin A: 165IU, Vitamin C: 23.4mg, Calcium: 104mg, Iron: 3.9mg

All calories and info are based on a third party calculator and are only an estimate. Actual nutritional info will vary with brands used, your measuring methods, portion sizes and more.