Ginger Pickled Beets
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Ginger pickled beets are incredibly easy to make and taste amazing. Boiled beets are marinated in a ginger-spiced pickling brine, which infuses them with the most incredible flavor. Make a large batch and store the extras in your pantry!
If you like pickled beets, you will LOVE these ginger pickled beets. The marinating brine is full of warm spices like cinnamon, anise, and peppercorns, which gives the beets a wonderfully savory flavor. You’ll love how these ginger beets are both warm and winter-like from the ginger and cool and crisp like summer. If you can get your hands on tiny ‘baby’ beets, you can use them whole. Otherwise, use quartered regular-sized beets.
Pickled beets vs. marinated beets
Pickling refers to preserving food in a salt brine or vinegar. The goal of pickling is to extend the shelf life of food. Marinating food is a way to infuse flavor into food by using spices and an acid such as vinegar or lemon juice.
In this ginger pickled beets recipe, we pickle the beets in vinegar and spices which both preserves the beets and infuses them with flavor.
Handy canning equipment
You don’t need any fancy equipment to can ginger-pickled beets. We’ve made them many times with only a pot and some canning jars, but here are a few gadgets that make it a little easier.
- Jar lifters – These are like tongs designed specifically for lifting jars out of water.
- Canning Pot Rack—This can be used to keep the jars off the bottom of the pot, as there’s a small risk of them breaking if they are directly against the surface of the pot. Another low-cost option that we often use is to put a tea towel on the bottom of the pot and set the jars on top of that.
- Canning Lids – Ideally, these should not be reused as the silicone seal degrades over time.
- Wide Mouth Mason Jars—I find that wide-mouthed jars work best, as they are easy to get the beets into and out of.
How to use ginger pickled beets
Ginger pickled beets are wonderful eaten straight out of the jar. We love using them in place of roasted beets in our crispy kale salad and our beet and goat cheese salad. Try slicing them and putting them on a sandwich. Or serve them alongside a rich meal to cleanse the palate. They also make a delicious addition to a charcuterie board!
Ginger Pickled Beets Recipe
Ingredients
- 20 baby beets
- 1 ½ cups apple cider vinegar
- 1 ½ cups water
- ½ cup sliced fresh ginger
- 2 cinnamon sticks (broken into pieces)
- 6 star anise
- 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
Instructions
- Sterilize jars by placing the washed jars on a baking sheet, then placing them in a cold oven, and then turning the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Leave the jars in the oven for 10 minutes at full heat, and then open the oven door and let them cool.
- While the jars are sterilizing, begin preparing the beets. Remove the stems from the beets and scrub them thoroughly. Place beets in a large pot, cover with cold water and bring the pot to a boil. Cook the beets until they are fork tender.20 baby beets
- While beets are cooking, mix remaining ingredients together in a medium-sized pot and bring the pot to a boil. Boil hard for 3 minutes then remove it from the heat and allow it to cool.1 ½ cups apple cider vinegar, 1 ½ cups water, ½ cup sliced fresh ginger, 2 cinnamon sticks, 6 star anise, 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
- Drain the beets and set them aside until they are cool enough to handle. Once they are cool remove the skin from the beets. It will easily peel off with your fingers. Cut the beets in half or leave whole if they are very small.
- Pack the beets into the sterilized jars with a piece of star anise and a few pieces of ginger. Pour the pickling liquid over beets. Leave a ¼″ space at the top of the jar. Seal lid and allow it to sit for at least 2 weeks.
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
no salt or sugar??
No not in this recipe. But I’ve made a version with it using maple syrup as the sweetener and it’s delicious!
Can white distilled vinegar be used without too much change in taste?
Yes, that should work just fine.
The ginger is a great addition. Will make them again!
I’m trying both of your recipe’s this weekend. I can’t wait to taste them!
Fantastic! I hope you love them both as much as I do!
Hi! I am currently living in Chile and cam across your blog while looking up things to can and pickle (the produce is amazing here!)
One question, it has been impossible for me to find Mason or Ball jars since I’ve been down here, most things are imitation and I wonder about the quality. What kinds of jars do you recommend for the oven sterilization method? I do not have a pot big enough to facilitate a water bath.
Love the blog, it’s been bookmarked!
Take it easy, Ari
Hi Ari,
You’ll want to make sure whatever kind of glass jar you use is made from heat-proof glass. If you’re worried about the quality I would probably do a test with at least one of the jars. Make sure to put the jar in the oven when the oven is cold so the glass can warm up gently.
Have you asked any of your friends/neighbours/locals what kinds of jars they use?
Thank you so much for bookmarking The Endless Meal!! 🙂
First time at your site. I was lead to it by Sriracha Butter in a slide show, “27 Ways To Cook With Sriracha” at Huffington Post, and it, lead me to your pickled beets, which I plan on making. I am curious as to why the pickling liquid added to jars is allowed to cool before adding to jars and why there is no mention of water path processing of your Ginger Pickled Baby Beets nor Maple and Ginger Pickled Beets with Pearl Onions? This defies all I have ever known and practiced and is inconsistent with USDA standards for home canning. Can you explain this to me, please?
Thanks,
Dan G.
Hi Dan,
Thank you for your question. The original recipe indicated it should be done this way and I’ve never had any problems with it. The jars are sterilized in the oven and the liquid is brought to a boil but if you feel more comfortable then you could definitely do a water bath too or return the beets and liquid to a boil right before you add them to the hot jars. I don’t bring the beets to a boil in their liquid again because I always find with other veggies and fruit that when I do it that way they get a little too soft so if you want to do an extra step I would recommend the water bath. Hope that answers your question!
Wow…what a great blog Kristen! I dont usually cook at home and more often than not can be seen at Urban Fare during the week grabbing whats on offer for my evening meal…until that right fella comes alone that is(hope he likes to cook lol). I love the your recipes you have blogged about so far…well written and you made it sound so unintimimating… The photograhphy is delicious in itself…I will of course attempt to try and cook something myself and and will surelyyget back to you on it. All the best to you and good luck with the blog. xo
Wow Mark thank you for all your support!
Hi Kristen,
They look and sound amazinng – How long do these keep in the pantry?
🙂
Hi Rosie,
Once you can them they will last in your pantry for a very long time … years. Once you open them you will need to store them in your fridge and eat them within a few months. Hope that helps!