Disclaimer: Some links are Amazon affiliate links. Purchases made through them help support the recipe testing, photos, and content I share — thank you!
Summary
These pickled beets are a ready-to-go topping for your salads with a deliciously sweet hint of orange.
Forget slow roasting and multi-day curing—this is a fresh, fast way to make incredibly flavorful pickled beets that balance sweet, sour, and citrus in just 20 minutes.
We slice them ultra-thin, infuse with fresh orange peel, and use allulose instead of refined sugar, keeping them light and guilt free. Perfect on a salad or tossed into a grain bowl for whenever you need it.
6
servings10
minutes5
minutes25
kcal5
minutes20
minutesThese pickled beets are a ready-to-go topping for your salads with a deliciously sweet hint of orange.
Ingredients
156 g 2 medium beets, thinly sliced and cut into matchsticks
20 g Fresh orange peel, about 1 orange
35 g 2½ tbsp allulose
170 g 3/4 cup water
120 g 1/2 cup distilled vinegar
12 g 2¼ tsp salt
Directions
Before We Start
Using Sugar Instead of Allulose: We love using allulose since it is a natural alternative to sugar that doesn’t spike your glucose. You can substitute it with sugar by reducing the amount by roughly 1/3. So if you are needing 2.5 tbsp of allulose, use just 1.75 tbsp of sugar instead.
Thin Slices: To prevent the beets from being too crunchy, we use a mandolin to get the beets very thin (under 1/16 in). You can use a knife, but it has to be really, really thin.
Making it extra orangey: You can double the orange peel to make the orange more pronounced, but it will be crucial to take the time remove the white parts from the peel to ensure you don’t add any unwanted bitterness to the pickled beets.Prep the Orange Peel
Using a vegetable peeler, lightly peel the outer part of the orange off, trying not to cut too deep into it. If there are any white parts of the orange that came off with your peels, use a sharp knife to remove the white. This extra step will prevent the pickled beets from becoming bitter. Add the orange peels to your jar.Peel & halve the beets
Using a vegetable peeler, peel the skin off the beets and cut the top off, leaving only the flesh. Then slice the beets in half, lengthwise, from root to tip.Make beet matchsticks
Using a mandolin, very thinly slice the beets. They should be less than 1/16in thick and be very flexible when you pick them up. Stack them in small piles all facing the same way. Then run your knife through them the make very fine matchsticks with the beets. Add them to your jar.Boil Pickling Liquid
In a small sauce pan, add the water, vinegar, allulose or sugar, and salt. Cook on high on the stovetop until boiling and all granules have dissolved.
NOTE: If using a larger jar, you may need more pickling liquid. Simply maintain the same ratios we have here to scale up the amount of pickling liquid to fully cover the beets.Combine & Cool
Add the boiling pickling liquid to the jar to fully over the beets. Set aside on the counter uncovered for at least 10 mins before using. Let cool completely before placing a lid on it and storing in the fridge.
Recipe Video
You May Like These Recipes Too
Additional Details About This Recipe
How do you make pickled beets?
You have two options for pickling beets, the first is to cut the beets so thin that they don’t require pre-cooking to soften them, leaving you with a slightly crunchy bite. The second method requires that you boil, poach, or sous vide the beets until tender before pickling.
From there you simply place your beets in the jar, bring your pickling liquid (water, vinegar, salt, sugar) to a boil and pour it into the jar. Letting it cool before covering and storing in the fridge.
How long do pickled beets last in the fridge?
The pickling process introduces salt, sugar, and vinegar and the brine covers the beets creating an air free environment. All these preservation components allow pickled beets to last up to several years in the fridge as long as they remain submerged in the liquid.
It is better to gauge if pickles are edible based signs of spoilage rather than relying on a specific date.
Signs to throw out pickled vegetables would be a fowl odor, discoloration, and visible mold growth.
What are pickled beets good on?
Pickled beets are a great addition to a wide range of salads, sandwiches, and burgers. They also can make a great snack on their own.
Are pickled beets healthy?
Our recipe uses allulose in place of refined sugar making them a very healthy and long lasting food source. Beets can lower blood pressure, improve heart health, reduce inflammation, and so much more.
Where to buy allulose?
Most grocery stores now sell allulose where other sugar alternatives are located. You can also purchase it on Amazon.
Nutritional Facts
(per ¼ cup serving)
- Calories: 25
- Fat: 0 g
- Carbs: 5 g (0 g added sugars if using allulose)
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Sodium: 320 mg
- Vitamin C: 5% DV
- Iron: 3% DV