Table of Contents
Introduction
I wanted to start the new year with a fresh, tasty and healthy recipe: pickled beetroot. I admit that I’m not a big expert when it comes to pickles, but pickled beets are my favorite pickles. And guess what? This recipe turns out amazing every time.
If you are a pickles fan, I would also recommend you this amazing Fermented Cucumbers recipe, which is extremely healthy, as well.
Let me show you how I make pickled beetroot using very few ingredients.
The secret for the best pickles beetroot
Beet is a vegetable with a unique flavor. Its unique taste and fine texture (especially after cooking) makes it an absolutely fabulous ingredient.
However, to get the best pickled beetroot recipe, I always use a special ingredient. This ingredient that may seem strange to some of you is cumin. Cumin seeds, better known in Asian cuisine, have a unique aroma. In addition, they are very healthy. From my point of view, the best natural treatment when you have digestive problems is the cumin seed soup. It is a natural medicine, which has an extremely pleasant taste and can be served with bread croutons. It also has a creamy texture that hydrates the irritated stomach.
Ingredients used for pickled beetroot
As I already said, pickled beetroot is a pickle recipe that you can get very easily, using few ingredients.
Among them I mention:
- beetroot, obviously
- water
- cumin seeds
- salt
- sugar
- vinegar
- horseradish root
In addition to these common ingredients, you will need well-washed and rinsed jars and lids, which will later be sterilized in the oven. If you want to find out more about how to prepare your jars and lids before filling them with pickled beets, please read the article dedicated to Food Preservation methods.
Full pickled beets recipe
Pickled Beetroot β Heathy Homemade Canned Pickles
Equipment
- 1 Thermomix / Pot
- 10 Jars with lids
- 1 Baking tray
- 1 Knife
- 1 Vegetable peeler
Ingredients
- 4 kg beetroot
- 2.5-3 L water
- 35 gr cumin seeds
- 50 gr salt
- 280 ml vinegar
- 15-20 strips of horseradish root
Instructions
- First of all, you need to rinse the beetroot
- Then, place it into a large baking tray covered with baking paper
- Place it into the oven at 180β (356β) and cook it for approx. 30 minutes. You can check if the beetroot is properly cooked by pricking it with a fork. Depending on the size of the beetroot, you might cook it for extra 5-10 minutes
- Once the beetroot it cooked, take it out of the oven and leave it to cool down a little. It is impossible to handle it while itβs hot.
- Meanwhile, wash and rinse well the jars and the lids. To sterilize them, you need to place them, with their mouths up on a metal tray, then insert it into the preheated oven. We lower the oven temperature to 130β β 140β (266β β 284β) and leave them in the oven for about 30 minutes;
- Also, letβs make the mixture that will be poured over the beetroot into the jars. For this, you need to place the water into a pot. Add the cumin seeds, the salt and the sugar. Boil this mixture for 10 minutes. I used the Thermomix for 10 MIN β 100β (212β) β SPEED 1.5
- Once you finished, turn off the heat from the stove and pour the vinegar into the pot. If you used the Thermomix, like I did, simply pour the vinegar over the early made brine from the mixing bowl.
- Now, all you need to do it to peel and cut the beetroot as you like the most. You can use a mandoline slicer or a knife to shape the beetroot. If you have a Thermomix slicer, you should definitely use it!IMPORTANT: Use plastic gloves when handling the cooked beetroot, because it can get really messy π
- Itβs time to fill the jars. For this, start by adding the beetroot until you reach ΒΎ from the jar capacity
- Then, add 2-3 strips of peeled horseradish root into each jar. This will help your pickled beetroot maintain a fresh texture for a long time
- In the end, pour the brine prepared earlier until for fill each jar.
- Place the lids on top of the jars and seal them.
- I highly recommend you to sterilize the jars filled with pickled beets, to make sure it will not spoil over time. For this, you need to place a textile kitchen towel on the bottom of a large baking tray. Then, place the jars filled with pickled beetroot, but maintain some distance between them. Then, pour water into the baking tray until it reaches 1-2 cm of the baking tray. Place the baking tray carefully into the preheated oven at 120O C (248O F) and leave the jars to sterilize for 20-30 minutes. This method is also known as βBain Marieβ and it will help you preserve canned pickled beetroot for at least 1 year without the risk of spoiling.
- Once you finished, leave the jars with pickled beets to cool down completely, then place them into the pantry. The longer the beets stay in that aromatic brine, the more intense the taste and the softer the texture will be.
Nutrition
Benefits of pickles beets
The benefits of pickled beets are numerous. But we will analyze each one of them.
First of all, pickled beets, prepared in advance, gives you the opportunity to enjoy beetroot whenever you crave for it, without having to prepare it.
Secondly, if you choose to use this recipe for pickled beets, you have the possibility to adjust the amount of salt, sugar or vinegar, depending on your own diet.
Finally, I will summarize the most important pickled beets nutrition info:
- Beetroot are low in calories and contain no cholesterol
- Beetroot are low in carbohydrates
- Beetroot contains many vitamins and minerals, such as folic acid and potassium
- Beetroot contain many antioxidants
Beetroot can contribute, thanks to its nutritional properties, to:
- improvement of sports performances
- combating stress
- reducing inflammations in the body
- improving cognitive function
- helps the intestinal microbiota
- improves blood pressure
FAQβs
Are pickled beets good for you?
Pickled beets are a very healthy choice. Especially if you prepare homemade pickled beetroot, you can adjust the amount of salt, sugar and vinegar according to your own diet. Regular consumption of beetroot can have incredible benefits on the body.
What are the benefits of pickled beets?
Among the benefits of eating pickled beets, I would mention:
– improves sports performances
– helps combating stress
– reduces inflammations in the body
– improves cognitive function
– helps the intestinal microbiota
– improves blood pressure
How to make homemade pickled beets?
Homemade pickled beetroot is extremely easy to make. Basically, you will prepare a brine from water, salt, a little sugar, cumin seeds and vinegar. This brine will be poured over the cooked beets, cut in the desired shape.
How to preserve canned pickled beets for long term?
To preserve canned pickled beetroot for about a year in the pantry, I recommend paying attention to the containers in which you will store the beetroot. Thus, sterilize the jars and the lids before filling, but also after they have been filled with beets and brine.