Safety classification
Tested
Testing authority: National Center for Home Food Preservation (University of Georgia / USDA-derived guidance)
Safety reviewed: 09/09/2026
Processing details
Altitude adjustment: Increase boiling-water processing by elevation: 30, 35, 40, or 45 minutes across the documented altitude bands.
Source & provenance
Safety classification: Tested recipe from NCHFP.
Pickled beets canning safety
| Method | Boiling-water |
|---|---|
| Pack | Hot pack |
| Jar sizes | Pints or quarts |
| Headspace | ½ inch |
Safety boundary: Do not reuse cooking liquid, reduce vinegar, increase vegetables, or shorten processing.
Processing details
- Method
- Boiling_water
- Pack style
- Hot
- Jar sizes
- Pint or Quart Jars
- Headspace
- 1/2 inch
- Processing time
- 30/35/40/45 min at 0–1,000 / 1,001–3,000 / 3,001–6,000 / above 6,000 ft
Tested recipe source: National Center for Home Food Preservation (NCHFP)
Pickled beets timeline
- Prepare: Cook similar-sized beets until skins slip, peel, and slice ¼ inch; discard cooking liquid.
- Pack: Combine with the tested 5% vinegar mixture and pack hot.
- Process: Boiling-water process using the four altitude bands.
Equipment for pickled beets
Affiliate disclosure: Equipment links may earn a commission at no added cost; safety guidance is independent.
- Boiling-water canner with rack
- Pints or quarts Mason jars and two-piece lids
- Nonreactive pot, ladle, funnel, jar lifter, and headspace tool
Visual method guide
- Cook similar-sized beets together.
- Peel and slice ¼ inch.
- Discard beet cooking liquid.
- Pack with the complete hot pickling liquid.
The official source and WPRM recipe card remain authoritative.
Safety essentials
Tested NCHFP acidified pickle recipe. Use vinegar labeled 5% acidity and do not alter the tested ingredient proportions.
What is pickled beets?
A tested sweet-spiced beet pickle made with 5% vinegar.
Before you begin
- Use fresh water in the pickling formula, not beet cooking liquid.
- Optional onions may be omitted.
- Keep slices at ¼ inch.
Altitude-adjusted processing time
| Jar | 0–1,000 ft | 1,001–3,000 ft | 3,001–6,000 ft | Above 6,000 ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pints or quarts | 30 min | 35 min | 40 min | 45 min |
Pickled Beets — NCHFP
Ingredients
- 7 lb beets 2 to 2 1/2 inches diameter
- 4 cups vinegar 5% acidity
- 1 1/2 tsp canning or pickling salt
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 cups water
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 12 whole cloves
- 4 to 6 onions optional; 2 to 2 1/2 inches diameter
Equipment
- 1 Boiling-water canner For the documented boiling-water process.
- 8 Pint or quart canning jars Yield about 8 pints or equivalent permitted quarts.
- 8 Two-piece canning lids Use new flat lids and prepare according to manufacturer directions.
Directions
- Trim beet tops, leaving 1 inch of stem and roots. Wash thoroughly and sort by size.
- Cover similar-sized beets with boiling water and cook until tender, about 25 to 30 minutes. Drain and discard the cooking liquid.
- Cool beets. Trim roots and stems, slip off skins, and slice into 1/4-inch slices. Peel and thinly slice onions if using.
- Combine vinegar, salt, sugar, and fresh water. Tie cinnamon sticks and cloves in a spice bag, add to the mixture, and bring to a boil.
- Add beets and onions and simmer 5 minutes. Remove the spice bag.
- Fill hot jars with beets and onions, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Add hot vinegar solution, maintaining 1/2-inch headspace. Remove air bubbles, wipe rims, and apply lids.
- Process pints or quarts in a boiling-water canner for 30 minutes at 0–1,000 ft, 35 minutes at 1,001–3,000 ft, 40 minutes at 3,001–6,000 ft, or 45 minutes above 6,000 ft.
Recipe Notes
Private Notes
Questions or results?
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Tried this recipe?
Share your results how it turned out.How to serve pickled beets
Serve chilled in salads, with cheese, or as a tangy side dish.
Pickled beets questions
Can the onion be omitted?
Yes. The optional onion may be omitted while all other proportions remain fixed.
Can I use larger jars?
No. Use only the jar sizes listed in the tested schedule.
What if a jar does not seal?
Refrigerate promptly or follow authoritative reprocessing guidance within the permitted time.
Pickled versus plain beets
Pickled beets use vinegar and boiling-water
Pickled beets troubleshooting
Why did color fade?
Group beets by size, avoid overcooking, and discard the cooking liquid as directed.
What if processing was interrupted?
Follow the authoritative restart rule for the selected
Source & provenance
NCHFP, “Pickled beets”. Adapted from USDA guidance, revised 2015.
Editorial review: Supporting blocks checked against the official source on September 20, 2026. The WPRM recipe card was preserved.
Garden planning for this recipe
Plant, space, variety, zone, and timing estimates live on dedicated ingredient pages:
Typical canning season
Season: Summer, Fall
Months: June, July, August, September, October
How much of the main ingredient should I grow?
18–40 lb of Root vegetables per person per year
This is an annual planning range that includes preserving and typical fresh use. Plant, row-foot, and square-foot estimates are shown only when compatible cited yield or spacing data is available.
Garden yields vary by cultivar, climate, soil, pests, and care. Always measure the exact prepared ingredient amount required by the tested canning recipe.