These Easy Refrigerator Pickled Beets have so much flavor but are made using just 3 simple ingredients, and there’s no canning needed!
If you’ve never made your own homemade pickled beets, you’ve got to give this recipe a try…it’s so simple and so delicious! The prep is super quick, easy and clean since we’re starting with canned beets. After a day of marinating in the fridge, your sweet and tangy pickled beets will be ready to enjoy!
I am a relatively new fan of pickled beets. My mother-in-law, Eileen, has made them for years, and everybody loves them.
Me? I passed on them for so long, somehow convinced that I wouldn’t like them. Big mistake.
A year or two ago, she finally convinced me to just try them, and they were amazing! Of course, I asked her for the recipe (which was so easy I didn’t even have to write it down). Now I’m totally hooked on these pickled beets and make them all the time!
Since I’m not into canning, I love that I can just quickly whip up a batch of these beauties whenever I want. I love snacking on them. They can be a bit addictive!
I also love that, since we’re using store-bought beets from a can for this recipe, you don’t have to go through the process of cooking, peeling and cutting the beets, which can take some time and can sometimes get a little messy (but, hey, go right ahead and cook your own fresh beets if you’d like!).
This cuts the prep time down to about 10 minutes! Then all you have to do is be patient and let them sit in the refrigerator for 24 hours, and they’re ready to eat.
And the longer they sit, the better they get! They’ll last up to 2 months in the fridge, but I’ll bet you’ll eat them way before that!
INGREDIENTS YOU NEED:
- Canned cut or sliced beets
- Apple cider vinegar
- Sugar
HERE’S A QUICK LOOK AT HOW TO MAKE EASY REFRIGERATOR PICKLED BEETS:
TIPS & TIDBITS:
- Make sure your mason jar is not cold. If you pour the hot liquid into a cold mason jar, the sudden change in temperature can cause the mason jar to break. I have learned this from experience. If needed, warm up the jar with some hot water before adding the beets.
- If you don’t have apple cider vinegar, you can use white vinegar. I’m sure other types of vinegar would also work (red or white wine vinegar, rice vinegar, etc.), although I’ve never tried them.
- These beets are absolutely delicious after 24 hours, but they are even better after several days or even a week!
- This recipe makes a small batch (it fills a one-pint mason jar) but is easily doubled, tripled, etc.
- Remember, these pickled beets are not shelf-stable, so you must keep them refrigerated. They will last up to 2 months. Date your jar so you don’t have to try and remember when you made them!
Don’t be like me and pass up those pickled beets without even trying them. Not only are they delicious, they’re full of vitamins, minerals and fiber. Eat them as a side dish, in salads, as a snack, or even on a sandwich or burger!
If you’re already a fan of pickled beets, you’re going to love how easy and delicious they are when you make a batch from scratch!
I hope you try this recipe for Easy Refrigerator Pickled Beets and love it as much as I do. Thanks for visiting today!
Easy Refrigerator Pickled Beets
Ingredients
- 1 (15-ounce) can cut or sliced beets
- ¾ cup apple cider vinegar
- ¾ cup sugar
Instructions
- Drain and rinse the beets.
- Place the beets in a pint-sized mason jar. Make sure the mason jar you use is not cold. You'll be pouring hot liquid into the jar and, if the jar is cold, the sudden change in temperature could cause the jar to crack. If the jar is cold, warm it up with some hot water before adding the beets.
- In a small saucepan, combine the apple cider vinegar and sugar. Heat over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture comes to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and let it sit for a minute.
- Pour the hot liquid into the jar with the beets, leaving about ½ inch of space at the top. You may not need to use all of the liquid.
- Put the lid on the jar and refrigerate for at least 24 hours before enjoying. The flavor will get even better the longer they sit!
- Keep your pickled beets stored in the refrigerator. They should last up to 2 months.
Notes
- If you don’t have apple cider vinegar, you can use white vinegar (other vinegar would probably work too – red or white wine vinegar, rice vinegar, etc. – although I’ve never tried them for this recipe).Â
- You can replace the canned beets with your own cooked beets.
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Caprice Cinnamon
I could not resist commenting. Exceptionally well written!
Rodney
Hey very nice blog!
Michelle
Thanks very much, Rodney!
Lawrence Kiriluk
So easy and so good! The hard part was waiting 24 hours!! I will no longer spend time in the canned vegetable aisle looking for pickled beets!
Michelle
Thank you, Lawrence! I’m so happy you enjoyed them!
Janet Capua
My family loves this recipe!
It’s easy and delicious.
Thank you
Michelle
Thank you, Janet! So glad you all love the beets!
Donna
I love pickled beets and can’t wait to try these! I’m wondering if I can use the very small whole beets, and since I’m diabetic if I can use a sugar substitute like Monkfruit or Allulose??
Michelle
Hi, Donna! Sure, small whole beets could be used. To be honest, I don’t have any experience with diabetic cooking or with using monk fruit or allulose, so I’m not sure how using either of those would affect the outcome of the recipe. But I have seen similar recipes to this one that use sugar substitutes, so if those ingredients are okay for you, I suppose you could give it a try using whatever amount of those sweeteners is equivalent to the amount of sugar in the recipe.