This Icelandic refrigerator pickled beets and canned pickled beets recipes with vinegar are easy to make and has a sweet, unadulterated, and unapologetic beet flavor.
Whey-fermented pickles, salt preserved lemons, spicy garlic dill pickles in pickled in a vinegar solution, or fermented garlic scapes pickles, the quick pickles and traditional pickles I make are so unapologetically pickled you might as well just drink their pickling juice and call the doctor immediately.
But Beatrice's (my husband's maternal grandmother) Icelandic pickled beets are different from the pickles I love. I adapted Beatrice's Icelandic pickles just a tad to ensure they are safe for canning.
However, to honor this recipe's true legacy and a devil-may-care attitude towards measurements, I bring you both versions - the safe-for-canning pickled beets (adapted from Bernardin Icelandic pickled beets recipe) and G's grandmother's original, refrigerator pickled beets recipe.
They are mildly acidic, just the right amount of sweet, and almost completely untouched by spices.
In other words, these Icelandic pickled beets taste so strongly of beets there's no confusing them for anything else.
And yet, I love them just as much for what they represent as I do for their taste.
Preparing Cans For Canned Pickled Beets Version
Place your mason jars on a rack in a boiling water canner. Cover the jars with water and heat them to a simmer. Next, set screw bands aside and immerse sealing discs in hot, but not boiling, water. Afterward, keep the jars and the lids' sealing discs hot until ready to use. For more detailed instructions, see my water bath canning post.
Also check out my Pickling 101 post to make sure you become a canning master!
How Long do Pickled Beets Last?
Pickled beets can go bad if they are not stored properly or if they have been opened for too long. Take care to preserve the beets properly. Typically, pickled beets will last up to two years if they are unopened and you place them in a cool and dry place.
However, once opened, store in the refrigerator and consumed within four to six weeks. Signs that pickled beets have gone bad include a cloudy appearance, mushy texture, unpleasant odor, or flavor. It's always best to discard any pickled beets that show any of these signs of spoilage.
Recipe
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Pickled Beets Recipe (Refrigerator and Canning Version)
Equipment
- Saucepan for making the brine.
- Large pot for cooking the beets.
- canning pot optional - if making traditional canned pickled beets.
- 1 canning kit optional- for beginners, I recommend buying a single canning kit to get you started on your canning journey. It will last you years!
Ingredients
Refrigerator Pickled Beets Version:
- 5 cups cooked beets washed, ends and roots left untouched
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 3 cups water
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1.5 tablespoon pickling spice
Safe-For-Canning Pickled Beets Version (recipe adapted very slightly from Bernardin):
- 5 cups prepared beets 1250 ml
- 1 ¼ cups white vinegar** 312 ml
- 1 cup water 125 ml
- 1 cup brown sugar 125 ml
- 1.5 tablespoon pickling spice
Instructions
Cooking the Beets:
- Place sliced beets in a large saucepan. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Cover with lid and simmer 40 minutes until beets test tender with fork. Drain, and rinse under cold water. Wearing plastic gloves, peel beets.
Refrigerator Pickled Beets:
- In a small saucepan, bring water, vinegar and pickling spice to a boil. Cover and continue cooking for 15 additional minutes.
- In your clean jars or in a large casserole dish, arrange alternating layers of beets and brown sugar. Cover with pickling brine.
- Cover with lid, and let cool. Transfer to fridge, and let flavours meld for at least 24 hours. The beets will be ready to eat then, though their flavour will intensify a bit with every day.
Safe-For-Canning Pickled Beets:
- Place 3 clean 500 ml mason jars on a rack in a boiling water canner. Cover jars with water and heat to a simmer. Set screw bands aside, and immerse sealing discs in hot, but not boiling water. Keep jars and lids sealing discs hot until ready to use.
- In a small saucepan, bring water, vinegar, brown sugar and pickling spice to a boil. Cover and continue cooking for 15 additional minutes.
- Pack beets into hot jars to within ¾ inch (2 cm) of the top. Add hot pickling liquid to cover beets, leaving ½ inch (1 cm) of headspace at the top of the jar. Cover with hot sealing discs, and then screw bands just enough to meet resistance (do not tighten all the way).
- Return filled jar to rack in canner. Repeat for remaining beets and hot brine. When canner is filled, ensure that all jars are covered by at least one inch of water. Cover canner and bring water to full rolling boil before starting to count processing time. Boil filled jars for 30 minutes.
- When processing time is complete, remove canner lid, wait 5 minutes, then remove jars without tilting and place them upright on a protected work surface. Cool upright, undisturbed for 24 hours. DO NOT RETIGHTEN screw bands.
Notes
Nutrition
Darlene Tomes says
Lovely, Ksenia. Thank you so much for remembering one we love and miss so much. You and Beatty would have gotten along so well.
kseniaprints says
It means a lot to me to have you say that. Thank you, Darlene.
Berta says
I love, love, love how you pair recipes with such beautiful family stories! You're honestly the best food blogger I have ever read!!
kseniaprints says
You are just the kindest, Berta. So glad you enjoyed this one 🙂
Berta says
🙂
Desiree says
What a lovely story and tribute to Beatrice! Do you have any recommendations or recipes for a pickling spice blend? I would love to make the refrigerator version of these pickles!
kseniaprints says
Yes! I do. I have made this basic one before to great results, and this guide from The Kitchn provides an excellent and simple 101 to pickling spices. Enjoy!
Lisa Favre says
Yum! I could totally gobble all of these up. This post also reminds me that I've been meaning to make pickled eggs!
Lisa Favre
http://marblecrumbs.com
kseniaprints says
Do you have a pickled eggs recipe you like??