Easy Beet Pickled Eggs Recipe (with Fresh Beets) ~ Homestead and Chill

Recipe Print

If you’ve never tried beet pickled eggs before, you’re in for a special treat. And if you’re skeptical, don’t knock ‘em until you try them! I have high hopes you’ll love this easy homemade beet pickled eggs recipe.

Beautiful and bursting with flavor, beet pickled eggs are tangy, savory, just a tad sweet, and can be customized to be as mild or as spicy as you prefer. This is one of my favorite ways to showcase and preserve fresh eggs from our backyard chickens. I love to make deviled eggs with them too.

An oval shaped deviled egg platter that is baby blue in color has been plated half with regular deviled egg halves and half with beet pickled egg halves. The pickled egg whites are stark pink to light purple all the way to the inner yolk, portions of the yolks have a purple tint to them as well. The deviled eggs have been garnished with paprika and chopped chives.

Would you like to save this?

We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!

Disclosure: Homestead and Chill is reader-supported. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

In addition to being tasty, beet pickled eggs are downright gorgeous. Naturally dyed with fresh beets, these bright pink and yellow eggs bring a spectacular pop of color to your plate. They make wickedly delicious deviled eggs.

Kids are always excited to try this unique and healthy snack too! Pink pickled eggs are especially fun to make around Easter time – I’ve been including them on spring charcuterie boards for years.

RELATED: I love that I can use homegrown beets from my garden for this recipe too! Come learn how to grow beets from seed or seedling in our easy step-by-step guide.

A large mason jar is being held out by a hand and the jar is full of bright red pickle beet brine and hardboiled eggs.

Ingredients

This recipe makes one quart jar. Scale up or down as needed.

9 to 11 large eggs. Though you may be able to squeeze up to a dozen in a quart jar, I typically use about 10 eggs to make our beet pickled eggs. That leaves enough room for the beets, brine, and other goodies too.
1 small to medium fresh beet. Using red beets will result in beautiful deep pink color. I’ve also tried and loved using golden beets, which make bright yellow pickled eggs! Chioggia beets (white and pink) will result in a more muted light pink color. Some homemade pickled beet egg recipes call for canned beets, but I prefer using fresh.
2/3 cup distilled white vinegar
2/3 cup apple cider vinegar (organic and raw/unpasteurized preferred). I often use homemade apple cider vinegar.
1/4 cup filtered water
1 teaspoon sea salt, kosher salt, or pickling salt (not iodized table salt)
1/2 tablespoon white cane sugar
4 to 6 cloves of garlic, peeled and lightly crushed
A dash of black pepper
Optional: fresh hot chili peppers, red chili flakes, celery seed, dijon mustard, and fresh red, white or yellow onion slices (described more below!)

As you can see, our recipe doesn’t call for an excessive amount of sugar like many other beet pickled egg recipes do. I think the beets and apple cider vinegar add plenty of natural sweetness, IMHO!

A bowl of peeled hard boiled eggs sits atop a wooden cutting board. Scattered around the rest of the board are two beets, one of them has been cut in half across its equator, garlic cloves, and red chili pepper, a tablespoon measurement of sea salt and a glass measuring cup of apple cider vinegar, regular vinegar, and water mixed together. — 100% backyard to table

Instructions

1) Prepare the Eggs and Beets

Wash, hard boil, and peel about a dozen eggs.
Pack the peeled eggs into a clean quart-size mason jar or similar container. I highly recommend using a glass container, as plastic may become stained and stinky, and most metal is not compatible with vinegar.
Wash and grate the fresh raw beet. I use a box cheese grater, though you can also finely slice (julienne) the beets instead. Whether you choose to peel the beet first is up to you. I often skip peeling since our fresh homegrown beets usually have thin tender skin (but I recommend removing tough thick skin.)

A quart Mason jar filled with neatly arranged peeled hard boild eggs and a red chili pepper that has been cut in half lengthwise, each half is placed on the opposite side of the jar.

2) Vinegar Brine and Seasonings

In a pot on the stovetop, combine all the other called-for ingredients: both types of vinegar, water, grated beet, salt, sugar, garlic, and black pepper.
Add other optional ingredients. I usually add a fresh hot chili pepper from the garden, cut in half and tucked into the jar with the eggs. The other optional ingredients are best mixed into the stovetop brine, such as 1 to 2 teaspoons of dijon mustard (highly recommended!), a dash or celery seed and/or red chili flakes, or a small handful of thinly-sliced fresh onion.
Heat and lightly simmer the brine ingredients over medium heat for a few minutes (until the salt and sugar fully dissolve and everything seems well-combined). It should turn bright pink from the beets right away!
Allow the brine to cool slightly, and then pour it into the jar over the eggs. A warm brine is okay, though I avoid adding it when it is still piping hot. Make sure to get most of the beets in there! If the jar is getting full but there are still goodies in the pot, I give priority to adding as much grated beet as possible before topping off with liquid brine. Also, I like to keep a little pile of beets on top of the uppermost eggs, helping to keep the eggs submerged below the brine.

TIP: If you happen to run out of brine, simply add another splash of your vinegar of choice to top the jar off.

A quart jar with a stainless steel canning funnel sitting atop it, a stream of beet infused brine is being poured into the jar from the top and the jar is about two thirds of the way full.

A glass mason jar with shredded beets and garlic cloves floating on the top.

3) Steep and Wait

Next, add a tight-fitting lid, and move the jar to the refrigerator right away. We like these stainless steel lids that have a silicone gasket to prevent leaks. Cooked eggs should not be left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours as a food safety best practice.
Finally, let the beet pickled eggs sit and infuse for a few days (at minimum) in the fridge. The longer they steep, the deeper the beet color will get – and the more tangy the eggs will become! After a few days, the outermost layer of egg white will become pink. Given a week or more, the pink can penetrate all the way down to the yolk! I like to let our homemade pickled beet eggs to infuse for at least 5 to 10 days before digging in! Very large eggs can take up to two weeks to become fully seasoned.
If some eggs are pressed up against the sides of the jar (leaving un-dyed white spots), or if any are floating up above the brine level, gently tip and shake the jar every couple of days to move things around. That is one added benefit of not over-packing the jar.

A very red jar completely full of pickled eggs from the side. Eggs, chili, and shredded beets are visible in red liquid.

A quart jar of beet pickled eggs is shown. Eggs, chili pepper, and grated beets are visible through the blood pink brine. Portions of the eggs that are pressed against the side of the glass container are still slightly white. — After capping and giving them a little shake.

Ways to Use Beet Pickled Eggs

After infusing for several days in the refrigerator, it is time to enjoy your beautiful pickled eggs!

We love to slice them on top of crusty homemade sourdough bread with hummus, avocado, cucumber, and/or cheese as a colorful open-face egg sandwich. Hint: I’ve found that they turn even brighter pink when broiled on toast! Pickled beet eggs also make some wickedly awesome deviled eggs.

I’ve found one of the easiest ways to enjoy them is simply cut in half, sprinkled with a dash of salt and pepper, and snacked on plain! They bring a spunky pop of color to an hors d’oeuvres plate or cheese board.

Read below for storage and shelf-life information, safety, and other frequently asked questions.

On a white ceramic plate there are two open face slices of toasted sourdough bread topped with a chard leaf, slices of beet pickled eggs, and melted sharp cheddar cheese. Beyond the dish lies a couple slices of bread and the remaining half loaf of sourdough. — Sliced beet pickled eggs on top of sourdough bread with swiss chard and cheddar cheese – straight from the broiler.

Storage, Shelf Life, and FAQ

Store beet pickled eggs stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 months, submerged in the pickling brine at all times.

How long do beet pickled eggs stay good for?

Following a recipe that uses a vinegar brine (like ours) and stored in the refrigerator, homemade beet pickled eggs should stay good and safe to consume for several months. According to the National Center for Home Food Preservation, use refrigerated pickled eggs “within 3 to 4 months for best quality”.

Can I store homemade pickled eggs at room temperature?

No. Homemade pickled eggs must be kept refrigerated at all times. This recipe isn’t for shelf-stable “canned” pickled eggs. While they are somewhat preserved in vinegar, it is not safe to keep cooked eggs out at room temperature for more than 2 hours (such as while serving and enjoying).

Should I use super fresh or older eggs to make pickled eggs?

Using fresh eggs (straight from your backyard chickens) may result in a superior quality pickled egg. However, super fresh eggs are more difficult to peel after hard-boiling or steaming than those that are a few days old. Therefore, I usually use eggs that are about 5 to 10 days old to make beet pickled eggs (or any hard boiled egg recipe).

An appetizer plate full of slices of radish, cucumber, pickles, sliced avocado, carrot sticks, and halved beet pickled eggs surrounding a ramekin of hummus is shown sitting atop a dark brown table with wood grain. — Beautiful homegrown snacks for the win.

I hope you enjoy this beet pickled eggs recipe as much as we do!

What do you say? Are you feeling adventurous enough to try making your own pickled beet eggs for the first time? Or, do you already make your own – and were simply stopping by for some new ideas? I’d love to hear any fun variations you can offer! In all, I hope you love this recipe as much as we do. Please leave a review once you give them a try!

Are you a pickle fan? Then don’t miss these awesome related recipes: