Spicy Pickled Eggs with Beets
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Jan 19, 2024 
Spicy Beet Pickled Eggs Recipe – Learn the easy steps for how to make sweet and spicy (and pink!) pickled eggs from scratch using fresh beets and jalapeños. There’s no canning required to make this simple quick pickle recipe!
Sommer’s Recipe Notes
While we enjoy traditional Spicy Pickled Eggs made with a classic vinegar brine, we wanted to create a unique snack that really knocks your socks off… So, today we are sharing the best recipe for Spicy Beet Pickled Eggs! They are made with fresh beets and jalapeños to create a sweet and spicy combo you’ll love. Plus, they are a beautiful, bold shade of pink!
Why We Love This Spicy Beet Pickled Eggs Recipe
- 2 Easy Methods – Below, you’ll find steps for preparing Spicy Pickled Eggs with Beets using two different quick pickle methods that are both incredibly easy. The first uses fresh beets, while the second way to make this recipe is even faster and includes ready-to-go store-bought pickled beets.
- Few Ingredients – Both ways are very simple and require only a handful of wholesome ingredients. And either method makes pickled eggs that are bright, spicy, sweet, and delicious – and perfect as fun snacks or appetizers at picnics and potlucks!
Ingredients You Need
This recipe makes 24 eggs. You’ll need 4-pint glass jars or 2-quart jars to prepare and store all of these yummy magenta pickled beauties.
- Red beets – scrubbed, with the top chopped off
- Apple cider vinegar – or white vinegar for a stronger pickled flavor
- Sugar – granulated white sugar
- Salt – kosher salt is best for pickling
- Sweet onion – or red onion if you like a sharper bite
- Jalapeno – your choice of seeds removed, or left in for some serious heat
- Dill sprigs – fresh, chopped
- Yellow mustard seeds – a savory balance for the other spicy and sweet ingredients
- Whole cloves – or star anise
You’ll also need Hard-Boiled Eggs, of course!
How to Make Spicy Pickled Eggs
Find the full Beet Pickled Eggs recipe with both methods, including ingredient proportions, detailed instructions, and a video tutorial in the printable form at the bottom of the post.
How to Make Quick Beet Pickled Eggs
No time for beet-boiling? No problem! If you are in a hurry to get the jars in the refrigerator, simply use a large jar of pickled beets (and juices) from the grocery store.
Just add hard-boiled eggs to the pint jars and pour in the beets and liquid!
Recipe Tips
- Perfect Pickling Liquid – Be sure to warm the beet juices, but do not boil, so the sugar and salt dissolve.
- Less Sodium – Reduce the amount of salt used to 2 teaspoons.
- Less Heat – Deseed and use only half of a jalapeños pepper for a milder version. Or leave the jalapeño out entirely to make non-spicy beet pickled eggs!
- Make Eggs in Advance – Save yourself a lot of time when you’re ready to make the pickled eggs by hard-boiling the eggs ahead of time. Boil and cool the eggs, leave the shells on, and keep them in the fridge for up to 3-4 days before pickling them.
- Easy to Peel Eggs – If you find that every time you hard-boil eggs, they are hard to peel, you can gently prick a needle hole in the wide end of each egg. Then add 2 tablespoons of vinegar to the boiling water. This, along with cooling them well, makes the eggs much easier to peel.
- Pre-Boiled Eggs – Honestly, the absolute easiest method to make pickled eggs is to buy ready-to-use hard boiled eggs from the store. Some grocery chains even sell ones that are already peeled!
Frequently Asked Questions
You can eat the pickled beets, they are delicious! Enjoy sliced pickled eggs and beets on avocado toast, sandwiches, or salads.
Yes and yes! Swap the warm boiled beet water with plain warmed water to make pickled eggs without beets. And simply load your jars with lots of beets to make egg-free spicy pickled beets.
A packet of your favorite classic pickling spice blend is an easy option. Also, consider adding bay leaves, red pepper flakes, and/or garlic cloves to the mason jars for an extra kick of flavor!
Store the beet-pickled eggs in jars or other containers with a lid, of course. They will keep well for up to 4 months in the refrigerator.
Looking for More Easy Pickling and Canning Recipes? Be Sure to Try:
Spicy Beet Pickled Eggs Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 1 bunch red beets 3-4 average size beets
- 1 ½ cups apple cider vinegar
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 24 hard-boiled eggs
- 1/4 sweet onion cut into slices
- 1 jalapeno sliced
- 3-5 dill sprigs
- 1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
- 8 whole cloves or 4 star anise
Instructions
- Scrub and trim the beets. Set a large pot over high heat. Add the beets and enough water to cover with 1 inch of water. Boil for 30-35 minute, until the beets are fork tender. Remove the beets to cool, and reserve the beet water.
- In a separate pot, place 24 eggs in enough cold water to cover them by one inch. Once the water starts to boil set a timer for 12 minutes. After the timer goes off, set the pot in the sink and run cold water into the pot until the eggs are cold. (Or add enough ice to the pot to cool them down.) Then peel the eggs.
- Once the beets are cool enough to handle, use your fingers to peel off the skins. Cut the beets into quarters, then slice into ½ inch pieces.
- Pour 1 cup of warm beet water into a large measuring pitcher. Add in the sugar and salt and stir until fully dissolved. Then mix in the apple cider vinegar.
- Slice the onion, jalapeno, and roughly chop the dill.
- Add 6 peeled hard boiled eggs to each pint jar. Layer in chunks of beet, onion, and sliced jalapeno. Then to each jar add a pinch of chopped dill, ¼ teaspoon whole mustard seeds, and 2 whole cloves or 1 star anise.
- Pour the beet pickling liquid into each jar, filling them close to the top.
- Screw on the lids, and refrigerate for at least 10 days, but 2 weeks is better. Keep the eggs in the fridge for up to 4 months.
Hi, I’m looking for a good pickled egg recipe and I LOVE your Refrigerater Pickle recipe. I hate Beets, can I leave those out?
Hi Kirsten!
Yes, you can leave the beets out and just fill the jars with eggs. :)
I have no idea what an ‘average sized beet’ is. My local market sells small ones that have the greens still attached, and big ones that don’t. Giving an approximate weight for the beets in your recipe would be helpful….. It does sound delicious.
Hi Troy,
Where we buy beets, they usually come in bunches of 3-4, but vary in weight. I would say an average beet would be slightly larger than an egg. Hope this helps!
My Mom used to make pickled beet eggs. She would roll the eggs to break up the shells into small pieces, and then submerge in the juice before peeling. It gave them a beautiful, marbelized effect! She was raised in Mennonite community, so might have been a common thing there?
Made these last weekend and can’t wait to try them!!
One quick question, is it possible to reuse the pickling liquid for another batch or should I start a fresh one.
Hi Lori,
Yes, you can reuse the pickling liquid. Let me know what you think, once you taste them. :)
love this from someone who eats eggs regularly (part of a diet) love the change of taste, for me, with pickled beet flavor, very nice!
I had to try these ahead of Easter and they were incredible, the color was so vibrant and beautiful!! Now that I tried this recipe and loved it, it will definitely be added to our Easter menu!
Such a unique take on this! I gotta try these with my family, they’d love them!
LOVE the color!! And, I love the flavor it adds!! What a easy to make & fun snack!
This is the only pickled egg recipe that I will use! I love these eggs, and the coloring of them is very fun!