Indian-Spiced Quick Pickled Beets

These quick pickled beets are flavored with cumin, star anise, cinnamon, and more. They need a day in the refrigerator to pickle, but the wait is worth it!

Making homemade pickles is surprisingly easy if you skip the canning process and opt to make quick pickles instead. But while many people know to make pickles out of cucumbers, they often forget that almost any vegetable can be pickled. Carrots, baby corn, onions, cauliflower — whatever veggies you have on hand can probably be pickled.

For this refrigerator pickle recipe, we’ve chosen to make quick pickled beets. Pickled beets are incredibly versatile and delicious. The sweetness of the beets offsets the briny pickle juice, and the onions in the jar add even more flavor. If you’ve never made refrigerator pickled beets before, don’t fret; it’s so easy!

Quick Pickled Beets Ingredients

For this homemade pickle recipe, you’ll need the following:

Beets
Onion
Water
Rice Vinegar
Brown sugar
Sukhi’s Paulo Rice Complete Spice Mix
Kosher salt
A cinnamon stick
Whole star anise

How to Make Quick Pickled Beets

You’ll first need to peel and thinly slice the beets and onion — try to slice them as thinly as possible to speed up the pickling process. Pack the veggies into a large jar, leaving room at the very top so the pickling brine can fully cover them.

Then, add the water, sugar, and vinegar to a saucepan and bring the mixture to a simmer to dissolve the water. Stir in the spices, and pour into the jar to cover the sliced veggies. Let the mixture cool to room temperature on your countertop before refrigerating it.

The quick pickled beets will need to sit in the fridge for at least a day before you can eat them. If you try to eat the beets earlier than that, they likely won’t be fully pickled yet.

Ways to Enjoy Pickled Beets

Pickled beets can be eaten with so many different dishes. A few of our favorite ways to enjoy these refrigerator pickled beets are:

On salads — Roughly chop the beets and sprinkle atop a salad. You can even use some of the pickling brine in the salad dressing!
Alongside meats — Grilled and roasted meats, like chicken and beef, pair nicely with the tangy beets.
On sandwiches and burgers — Pickled beets can be eaten exactly like the traditional pickles you buy at the store.
Straight from the jar — Pickled beets are a refreshing snack during the warmer months, in particular.
…and more! — You can eat quick pickled beets really however you like!

Tips for the Best Pickled Beets

Slice the onion and beets with a mandoline, if you have one. This makes the prep work so much easier and will make the veggies ultra thin.
Double check that the rice vinegar you’re using is unseasoned.
You want to use a wide-mouthed jar, if possible. A wider mouth makes it easy to pack the sliced veggies in tightly.