This may be one of those recipes that throws you off at first glance. If you’ve never had them, and your first emotion is fear when reading “pickled eggs,” just trust me for a few minutes — I promise this won’t be a waste of your time.
I grew up eating these glorious jewel-toned beauties. My grandmother would make them every Christmas and she would make enough that I would be eating them out of a massive jar stashed in the fridge for days afterward. I had always assumed she had some top-secret, complex, and lengthy recipe — which is why they only came around once a year. But more recently, I’ve learned it’s actually a pretty simple process. But more recently, I’ve learned it’s actually a pretty simple recipe. It’s just that my mom probably didn’t want me making pickled eggs year round due to the complications that may ensue with a kid and some highly pigmented, deep-red beet juice.
This classic recipe is mainly just some boiled eggs, vinegar, beets, and onion. They’re slightly sweet, a little bit sour, and totally delectable. If you’re still on the fence, just keep in mind these aren’t fermented — just pickled in the sense that they’re chilling in some vinegar for a day or two.
These days, I make them whenever the craving hits — not just during the holidays. They’re a stellar side dish at any summer BBQ and pair beautifully with ribs and potato salad.
my mom probably didn’t want me making pickled eggs year round due to the complications that may ensue with a kid and some highly pigmented, deep-red beet juice.
Pickled Eggs with Beets (Just Like my Grandmom Made): A Surprising Favorite from My Childhood
What Are Pickled Eggs with Beets?
Pickled eggs with beets are hard-boiled eggs that are soaked in a sweet-and-sour beet brine. The beets (often red canned or pickled beets) give the eggs a gorgeous magenta hue and a delicious flavor. These eggs are simply pickled by sitting in vinegar, and the longer the sit, 2-3 days, the better they get!
You can choose your own adventure here. Either make the pickled beets yourself, which is the lovely yellow version you’ll see, or buy some pre-made pickled beets and save yourself the time. I generally do.
Ingredients You’ll Need
To Make The Pickled Beets:
- 2 medium beets – or 2 cans of sliced cooked beets if you don’t want to deal with cooking the beets from scratch
- 1 cup white vinegar – you could also use apple cider vinegar. The flavor will be slightly different.
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/3 cup sugar
For Pickled Eggs:
- 1 jar of pickled beets (I like Aunt Nellie’s if you’re not making your own)
- 1 dozen hard-boiled eggs – cooked to your liking
- 1/2 white onion – finely sliced
- White vinegar (extra to top off the jar if needed)
How to Make Pickled Eggs with Beets
Make The Pickled Beets
- Prepare the Beets (if making your own)
Cover whole beets with water and bring to a boil. Simmer until tender (20–40 minutes depending on size). Once tender, cool slightly, peel, and chop into wedges or cubes. - Make The Brine
In a saucepan, combine vinegar, water, and sugar. Bring to a simmer until the sugar dissolves. Pour over chopped beets in a heatproof jar and let cool.
Make The Pickled Eggs
- Boil the Eggs
Start by boiling your eggs. You can go soft-boiled and jammy or firm all the way through — totally your call. I like to boil mine for 12 minutes, till they are fully cooked through. Bring the water to a boil, place in the eggs, and after 12 minutes remove the eggs from the boiling water and place them directly into ice water. Let chill for a minimum of 5 minutes to cool and stop the cooking. Peel and set aside. - Assemble the Pickled Eggs
In a large mason jar or container with a tight-fitting lid, layer your eggs, beets, and sliced onion. - Pour Over Vinegar and Brine
Pour in the beet brine until mostly covered. Add extra white vinegar if needed to fully submerge the eggs. - Let Them Pickle
Seal the jar and refrigerate for at least 24 hours. The longer they sit, the deeper the color and flavor will be. I like mine after 2–3 days!
How Long Do Pickled Eggs Last?
Stored in the fridge, these pickled eggs with beets will keep for up to 7 days. Just be sure they’re fully submerged in brine and keep them chilled.
Serving Suggestions
- These are a great side dish to any BBQ, I love them alongside my Easy Oven Baked Ribs. It’s a quick, ready-made side that is a classic for me in the summer.
- These are great on a charcuterie boards or alongside crudité for a really nice Easter spread.
- One of my favorite ways to eat these is using them as a base for Pickled Deviled Eggs. They make the cutest pink deviled eggs! Slice the eggs and remove the yolks. Make a filling by mixing the yolks with mayo, Dijon mustard, a dash of cayenne and fresh black pepper. Add the filling back to the eggs and top with fresh parsley or chives and some flakey salt. So good!
Tips & Variations
- Use canned beets for a shortcut. My go-to is Aunt Nellie’s Pickled Beets for this recipe, but if you can’t find them, use a can of sliced beets and add in some extra vinegar and a spoonful of sugar. Taste the brine to make sure it’s not too acidic and then use that to pickle your eggs.
- Add in spices like peppercorns, mustard seeds, or a clove of garlic. You can really get creative with this and use whatever you like.
- Try golden beets for a lighter hue. I like the golden beets here for that gorgeous yellow color, but you can mix red beets with yellow beets if you like. They will all taste the same, the color will just be different.
FAQs
Can I use canned beets?
Absolutely. Just save the liquid and use it as your brine base. Add in some extra vinegar and a spoonful of sugar. Taste and adjust it as needed and then pickle those eggs!
Do I need to sterilize the jar?
Since this is a quick pickle, a clean jar is fine — no need to sterilize it.
Can I reuse the brine?
I don’t recommend it, especially if it’s had eggs sitting in it. Start each batch fresh just to be safe.
How long should I let them sit?
Minimum of 24 hours. I find 2–3 days gives the best flavor and color. The longer they sit the more that pink color will penetrate the white of the egg.
More Classic American Recipes To Try:
Easy Oven Baked Ribs – The BEST recipe for easy oven baked pork ribs. This recipe is fool-proof and makes tender, moist delicious ribs. No grill required.
Classic Baked Mac and Cheese – The ultimate baked mac and cheese recipe is creamy, cheesy, and comforting. It’s a crowd-pleaser that will have everyone coming back for seconds.
Skirt Steak Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing – Perfectly grilled skirt steak served over crisp romaine lettuce with cherry tomatoes, crumbled bacon and the best homemade blue cheese dressing.
Easy Apple Galette – An easy apple galette made with flakey dough, layered with apples and topped with cinnamon crumble and toasted walnuts. An elegant rustic dessert that is unbelievably easy to make.
Blueberry Pie – A classic easy blueberry pie recipe using my best all butter pie crust. It’s simple, perfect and the peak of summer, and can even be made with frozen blueberries.
Strawberry Ice Cream – An easy recipe for classic strawberry ice cream using fresh fruit, but you can use frozen or any other berry you like.
Rhubarb Crumble – An easy recipe for rhubarb crumble. Tart, delicious rhubarb gets topped with a sweet, buttery crumble topping. So good!
Tomato Jam – A simple tomato jam recipe that is going to be your new favorite condiment.
Strawberry Jam – This easy strawberry jam recipe is made without pectin and uses less sugar than a traditional preserve. Takes 30 minutes on the stovetop—no canning required!
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View How to Make Pickled Eggs and Beets as a web story.
Pickled Eggs and Beets Recipe
Ingredients
Pickled Beets
- 2 medium beets - or 2 can sliced cooked beets
- 1 c white vinegar
- 1/4 c water
- 1/3 c sugar
Pickled Eggs
- jar of pickled beets – i like aunt nellie’s if you're not making your own pickled beets
- 1 dozen boiled eggs – boiled to your liking
- 1/2 white onion – finely sliced
- white vinegar – shouldn’t need more than a cup
Instructions
- First up get some eggs boiling. You can cook them however you like, go a little jammy on the inside or get that yolk completely chalky if that’s what you’re into. You’ll want to peel these too and have them ready to go.
THE BEET PART:
- If you’re making the pickled beets, you can start by getting your beets covered with cool water, bring to a boil then simmer till tender. Keep checking after the first 20 minutes or so. The massive beet I used took around 40 minutes to cook, but if you’re using smaller beets it’ll be much quicker. You’ll know they’re cooked when you can easily slide a pairing knife into the center without any resistance.
- Once the beets are tender, let them cool, remove the skin, and chop into bite size pieces. You can do cubes, wedges, whatever you want.
- Then, in a small saucepan combine the vinegar, water and sugar. Bring everything to a simmer making sure the sugar is completely dissolved. Add your beets to a heat proof jar, cover with the warm liquid and let cool completely.
FOR THE EGG PART:
- In a large container, with a tight fitting lid, start layering in your eggs, pickled beets, and sliced white onion. Be sure to reserve any liquid the beets were in, you’ll need it. Once everything is nicely layered in your container, I highly recommend a large mason jar for this, add in the pickling liquid from the beets. Most likely this won’t be enough to completely cover the eggs, so you’ll want to add in some additional white vinegar to top everything off.
- Then just let the eggs sit for at least a day to take on the flavor and color from the beets. The longer they sit, the darker they’ll get and they’ll take on more of that pickled beet flavor. That’s it. Eat up!
Video
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Hi, I'm Rachel — the cook, photographer, and recipe developer behind Most Hungry.
This is my go-to spot for bold, approachable recipes rooted in Italian and Italian-American cooking, from hand-rolled fresh pasta to fall-off-the-bone ribs. Great food should be fun, doable, and absolutely delicious. Learn more about me →
10 thoughts on Pickled Eggs
I remember them!!! Jay makes them all the time but will try out your recipe next!????
Yum. Brings back memories of family holidays with ham, ribs, burgers, and paired with potato salad. I’m gonna make a batch. ????
I make pickled eggs with beets all the time.
My question is, how long can you keep this combination in the fridge?
My other kinds of pickled eggs… Hot or mustard… I can keep in fridge for up to 6 months
But with the beets, Im afraid the beets will go bad after 3 weeks. I cold be wrong. (Hubby says I can keep longer)
What is your suggestion?
Good question! These generally only last a few days in our fridge, just cause we tend to eat them as soon as they’re ready. But, since they aren’t actually preserved, I don’t think I would recommend storing them for more than about 10 days. 2 weeks might be pushing it…..
I don’t think there is enough acidity to prevent any “bad” bacteria from growing. Plus, the sugar from the beets, constantly going in and out to grab an egg, or two, I would expect them to go bad before that 3 week mark. That’s not to say other pickled egg recipes wouldn’t last longer like the mustard one you had mentioned. (I would love to check the recipe out for that. Not sure if you have a link you can send over?!) If you do keep them for any longer than 2 weeks let me know how they last!!
Before I place the boiled eggs in the jar I make a hole from end to end using a tooth pick. I feel that this helps the pickling liquid flavor the center of the egg.
What a good tip! Gotta try that out for my next batch. Maybe I’ll do half with, half without, and see how much of a difference it makes.
I add cloves and a cinnamon stick when I boil the juice, sugar,vinegar. So yummy. My friend’s mom requests my pickled eggs and beets. She loves them.
Yum! That sounds delicious. My toddler has been requesting them non-stop. I definitely want to try some with the cinnamon and clove now. He’ll love that.
The yellow beet marinade looks amazing too!! I just know it is tasty!! Yum
It totally is! The pickled beets by themselves are so good.