Monday, August 25, 2025

Pickled Beets Recipe For Canning (Low Sugar)

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A easy and straightforward recipe for canning do-it-yourself pickled beets. This tangy pickled vegetable recipe is a brand new tackle a traditional, like grandma used to make, however with much less sugar and extra taste.

Pickled Beets Recipe For Canning (Low Sugar)

I can eat a ridiculous quantity of pickled beets in a single sitting. They’re SO good and in contrast to our fridge pickled beets, when you’ll be able to them, they’re shelf-stable and could be saved for as much as 18 months.

These are simply nearly as good as those my Nana used to make…minus the FOUR cups of sugar that we found on her handwritten recipe card. We’re making pickled beets…not beet sweet!

And only a fast word – in the event you’d like a plain recipe for canned beets with out them being pickled, try our tutorial on stress canning beets in water. They’re plain Jane however they get the job achieved!

ingredients on a grey board.

Canning or pickling salt is preferable to desk or kosher salt because it is not going to flip cloudy when utilized in canning recipes.

The best way to Can Pickled Beets

Choose younger beets which are smaller than 3 inches in diameter. Wash the beets utilizing a vegetable scrub brush.

Different recipes for canning pickled beets would possibly advocate cooking the beets with the basis and pores and skin nonetheless on after which peeling them after the very fact. That requires your palms to appear like a scene from Carrie and plus, you’re going to be coping with some sizzling AF beets.

You although? You might be tremendous good, and also you’re slicing the pores and skin off first after which steaming. Reduce the beet prime and beet butt (technical folks will name it the basis finish, however whatevs) off.

Place the basis finish on a slicing board and utilizing a pointy knife, lower downward to take away the pores and skin. Save the greens for a salad or smoothies.

From right here, you’ll be able to bake, boil, or steam the beets. My favourite methodology is to steam them within the Immediate Pot as a result of it frees up a burner on the range, and you’ll fill it to the tippy prime, cooking them ALL without delay.

Immediate Pot beets methodology

Put a trivet/steamer basket in your Immediate Pot and add 1.5 cups of water. Place the beets on prime of the trivet or within the steamer basket.

Safe your lid. Set the vent to “sealing”, then Guide>Excessive Stress>(see time chart beneath)

  • 10 minutes – greatest for wee little child beets below 2 inches in diameter.
  • 13 minutes – greatest for medium-sized beets between 2 and three inches in diameter.
  • 20-25 minutes – greatest for greater beets 3+ inches in diameter.

Rinse the steamed beets in chilly water or submerge them in an ice bathtub to cease the cooking course of.

an Instant Pot with a steamer basket of sliced beets.

Stovetop beets methodology:

(Steaming) Place beets in a pot fitted with a steamer insert. Add water to the pot and place the beets within the insert. Place the lid over the pot and prepare dinner on medium-low for 10-Quarter-hour.

(Boiling) Cover beets with water and prepare dinner on medium-high for 15-20 minutes.

Rinse the cooked beets in chilly water or submerge them in an ice bathtub to cease the cooking course of.

Canning Prep

Wash and clear your jars. It’s not essential to sterilize jars earlier than canning (hurray!) however you must make sure that they’re preheated sufficient to not crack when positioned in sizzling water.

You’ll be able to put them in a clear dishwasher and run them by a fast wash cycle, or place them in a big pan with some water in a low-heat oven (my lowest temp is 170˚F levels) till you want them. I’ve even simply put sizzling faucet water in them earlier than and left them on the counter.

Wash your lids with sizzling soapy water. Rinse and place them in a clear bowl for now.

Add 3 quarts of water to your stress canner and put it on a burner set to excessive. Be sure that there’s a canning rack within the backside of the canner.

Making & Canning the Pickled Beets

In a big pot, mix white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, water, sugar, canning salt, and dill seed. Convey to a boil and warmth till the sugar and salt have dissolved.

Add the beets and prepare dinner within the brine for five minutes.

Utilizing a canning funnel, fastidiously add sizzling beets to ready jars. Ladle within the sizzling brine, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace.

a word from sarah

Nerdy Canning Tip

Headspace is outlined because the area between the highest of the meals and the highest of the jar.

Utilizing an extended utensil (I desire a plastic chopstick), take away air bubbles from the jar. 

Clear the rim of the jar very nicely with a sizzling damp rag. Any meals particles left on the rim might impression the seal of the lid within the canner.

Place a clear lid on the jar. Add a hoop, and tighten it to fingertip tight.

Utilizing canning tongs, gently place the jars within the canner. Lock the lid. Quickly, steam will begin coming by the vent pipe (I name it the steam chimney). Enable the steam to move by for about 10 minutes.

Then put the stress regulator (I name it the chimney cap) on prime. Fairly quickly, the air vent will pop up. That may be a signal that you simply’re beginning to construct stress contained in the canner (get excited. That is taking place!). See the 4 picture grid beneath for a visible of this course of step-by-step.

4 steps in pressure canning

Processing instances will fluctuate based mostly on altitude. See the charts beneath.

Stress Canning Pickled Beets in a Dial-Gauge Stress Canner

Canner Stress (PSI) at Altitudes of
Type of Pack Jar Dimension Processing Time 0-2,000 ft 2,001-4,000 ft 4,001-6,000 ft 6,001-8,000 ft
Scorching Pints 30 min 11 lbs 12 lbs 13 lbs 14 lbs
Quarts 35 min 11 lbs 12 lbs 13 lbs 14 lbs
*Supply: Nationwide Heart For Dwelling Meals Preservation

Processing Time for Pickled Beets in a Weighted-Gauge Stress Canner

When the dial gauge reaches the suitable PSI, cut back the burner temp to medium, and begin your timer. The stress should keep on the PSI or (somewhat bit) above throughout the cooking time.  You’ll possible want to regulate the temp on the burner a number of instances relying in your range.

When the time is up, take away the canner from the burner and permit it to sit down till you hear a particular “click on” of the air vent dropping. Take away the stress regulator and punctiliously take away the lid of the canner (Professional tip: I all the time use oven mitts after I take the lid off as a result of the steam is tremendous sizzling).

Let the jars sit for five minutes within the canner with the lid of the canner off, after which carry them out with canning tongsProfessional tip: permitting the jars to sit down within the canner with the lid off may help cut back the siphoning of liquid in your jars.

Place sizzling jars on a towel the place they’ll sit undisturbed for 12 hours.

After a number of hours, to test for sealing, gently press down in the midst of the lid. If the lid has no give, it’s sealed. When you can press the lid in and it pops a bit, your jars aren’t sealed.

canning tongs holding a jar above a canning pot.

Professional Ideas/Recipe Notes

  • Typically I like so as to add sliced onions to my pickled beets recipe. You’ll be able to add 1.5-2 cups of sliced white onions to this recipe.
  • Siphoning is when liquid seeps out from below the lids and reduces the general quantity of liquid within the jar. If only a little bit of siphoning has occurred and your jars sealed, your merchandise remains to be suitable for eating, however use your greatest judgment. I are inclined to shortly use any jar that has skilled siphoning just because it may discolor the meals on the prime not lined within the liquid.
  • Stress canners can usually depart white strains on lids, rings, and jars. It’s completely regular and protected. To forestall this, add 1/3 cup of white vinegar to the canner earlier than processing.
a white bowl with sliced and pickled beets.

Stop your display screen from going darkish

Prep the Beets

  • Reduce the beet prime and root finish off. Place the basis finish on a slicing board and utilizing a pointy knife, lower downward to take away the pores and skin.

    4 lbs beets

  • Relying on the scale of the beets, lower them into quarters or slices.

  • To steam: place beets in a pot fitted with a steamer insert. Add water to the pot and place the beets within the insert. Place the lid over the pot and prepare dinner on medium-low for 10-Quarter-hour.

  • To boil: cowl beets with water and prepare dinner on medium-high for 15-20 minutes. Pressure and rinse in chilly water.

  • Add 3 quarts of water to your stress canner and put it on a burner set to excessive. Be sure that there’s a canning rack within the backside of the canner.

  • In a big pot, mix white vinegar, apple cider vinegar, water, sugar, canning salt, and dill seed.

    2 cups white vinegar, 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, 1 1/4 cup water, 1 cup sugar, 1 tbsp canning salt, 1 tbsp dill seed

  • Convey to a boil and warmth till the sugar and salt have dissolved.

  • Add the beets and prepare dinner within the brine for five minutes.

Canning the Pickled Beets

  • Utilizing a canning funnel, fastidiously add sizzling beets to ready jars.

  • Ladle within the sizzling brine, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace.

  • Utilizing an extended utensil (I desire a plastic chopstick), take away air bubbles from the jar. 

  • Clear the rim of the jar very nicely with a sizzling damp rag. Any meals particles left on the rim might impression the seal of the lid within the canner.

  • Place a clear lid on the jar. Add a hoop, and tighten it to fingertip tight.

  • Utilizing canning tongs, gently place the jars within the canner. Lock the lid. Quickly, steam will begin coming by the vent pipe.

  • Enable the steam to move by for about 10 minutes. Then put the stress regulator on prime.

  • Fairly quickly, the air vent will pop up.

  • In a dial-gauge stress canner, course of pints and quarts based mostly on the elevation information beneath (see processing chart in put up for extra altitude changes):*0-2,000f ft {PSI: 11 lbs of stress} = Pints 30 min, Quarts 35 min*2,001-4,000k ft {PSI: 12 lbs of stress} = Pints 30 min, Quarts 35 min*4,001-6,000k ft {PSI 13 lbs of stress} = Pints 30 min, Quarts 35 min*6,001-8,000k {PSI 14 lbs of stress} = Pints 30 min, Quarts 35 min
  • When the dial gauge reaches the suitable PSI, cut back the burner temp to medium, and begin your timer. The stress should keep on the PSI or (somewhat bit) above throughout the cooking time.

  • When the time is up, take away the canner from the burner and permit it to sit down till you hear a particular “click on” of the air vent dropping. Take away the stress regulator and punctiliously take away the lid of the canner (Professional tip: use oven mitts to take the lid off as a result of the steam is tremendous sizzling).

  • Let the jars sit for five minutes within the canner after which carry them out with canning tongs

  • Place on a thick clear towel undisturbed for 12 hours.

  • After a number of hours, to test for sealing, gently press down in the midst of the lid. If the lid has no give, it’s sealed. When you can press the lid in and it pops a bit, your jars aren’t sealed.

  1. Retailer in a cool darkish place for 12-18 months.
  2. For seven quarts, you’ll want ~21 kilos. For 9 pints, you’ll want ~14 kilos. 

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