This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission. Please read our disclosure policy.

Kaleb Wyse wearing black shirt with a tan background.

Why I Love Pickled Eggs

Growing up, pickled eggs (sometimes called red beet eggs) were always tucked into the fridge at my Grandma Conrad’s house. She loved to preserve pretty much everything, and I can so vividly remember opening the refrigerator door and seeing a magenta jar filled with pickled eggs.

It should come as no surprise that with my Mennonite and Midwestern upbringing, I’m primed to find ways to use up any and all kitchen food, just like Grandma. For her, a jar of canned pickled beet brine felt wasteful to pour down the drain. Instead, she popped hard-boiled eggs into the leftover liquid, put on a lid, and set them in the fridge for a few days. This has been done for generations, but it’s still super delicious to this day!

This recipe for pickled eggs assumes that you haven’t made pickled beets, so we create our own beet brine from scratch. The result is eggs that are tangy, slightly sweet, and creamy. They’re great for quick lunches, deviled egg platters with a twist, or just eating right from the jar. If you’ve never had a pickled egg, you’re in for a treat.

Why you’ll love this recipe:

No fake colors! They’re naturally colored with red beets.
Ready to enjoy in just 48 hours and keeps well in the fridge for weeks.
Delicious as a snack, on salads, or as a party platter addition.

Weck jar filled with pink colored liquid with white hard-boiled eggs inside.

Pickled Eggs Ingredients

You’ll only need 6 ingredients to get a batch of these pickled red beet eggs:

Hard-boiled eggs – The star of the show in this recipe! Fully cooked and peeled, they soak up the brine as they sit.
Water and white vinegar – The base for this brine, and pretty much every pickle recipe.
Red beet – Adds a natural red color and earthy sweetness to the brine.
Kosher salt – Enhances all the flavors and balances out the acidity.
Granulated sugar – Adds just enough sweetness to round out the tang from the brine.

The full amount of each ingredient can be found in the recipe card below.

Concrete surface with ingredients needed for pickled eggs including hard-boiled eggs, beets, vinegar, and more.

How to Make Pickled Eggs

Three easy steps are all it takes to make this quick pickle recipe:

Prepare the brine – Combine the water and diced beet in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer until the beet is tender, 15-20 minutes. Stir in the vinegar, salt, and sugar. Simmer for 3-4 minutes until dissolved, then remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

Beet brine cooking on a hot plate with deep red color.

Fill the jars – Divide the hard-boiled eggs between two sterilized jars, leaving about ½-inch headspace.

Add the brine – Once the brine has cooled, strain out the beet pieces and pour the brine over the eggs, ensuring they’re fully covered. Add lids and refrigerate for at least 48 hours before enjoying.

Two jars filled with hard-boiled eggs with beet brine poured on top.

Recipe Tips

Here are my tips to ensure you have a successful recipe:

Use fresh, firm eggs – Older eggs peel more easily once boiled, but since they sit in the brine, you want them to be firm enough to hold up.
Let the brine cool – Adding hot liquid to the eggs can cause the unshelled whites to become rubbery. Cool the brine fully to keep the texture of the eggs perfect.
Sterilize your jars – Clean jars help to extend shelf life and keep your eggs safe.
Get creative with flavor – You can customize this recipe to give you the flavors you want. Add a garlic clove, peppercorns, or even dill for extra layers of flavor.

Fork with pink-colored pickled eggs being held over top of the jar filled with more eggs.

Serving & Storage

To serve – Once the eggs have sat in the brine for 48 hours, they’re ready to enjoy! Pickled eggs are perfect when sliced in half and enjoyed with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. You can also serve them as part of a deluxe avocado toast, made into deluxe deviled eggs, chopped into an egg salad, or as part of a charcuterie board.

To store – Keep the pickled eggs in the fridge for up to 4 weeks. The flavor will intensify and the color will permeate the longer the eggs sit in the brine.

Red beet eggs sliced in half showing interior yellow yolk.

More Quick Pickles

Watch How to Make This Recipe

Have I Convinced You to Make This Recipe?

I hope you make this recipe and put some food on your table. Leave a comment and share a star rating so you can let others know how much you love this recipe. This helps show others that this is a recipe they, too, can make, enjoy, and love!

Pickled Eggs

By Kaleb

No ratings yet

Pickled eggs are tangy, brightly-colored, and easy to make with pantry staples and a simple beet brine. A delicious snack or side dish that's ready in just 48 hours!

Prep: 10

Cook: 25

Chill Time: 2

Total: 2 35

Servings: eggs (2 pint jars)

Jar filled with pickled eggs sitting in bright pink and red brine.

Save Pin Print

Equipment

2 pint jars (I use 742 Weck jars)

Ingredients

Instructions

Prepare the brine: In a small saucepan, combine water and the diced beet. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until the beet is tender, 15-20 minutes. Add the vinegar, salt, and sugar. Stir and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Continue to simmer until the sugar and salt are dissolved, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
2 cups water, 1 large red beet, 2 cups white vinegar, 1 tbsp kosher salt, 3 tbsp granulated sugar
Fill the jars: Add the hard-boiled eggs to two sterilized jars, leaving about ½-inch headspace.
12 large hard-boiled eggs
Add the brine: Once cooled, strain the brine to remove the diced beets. Fill the jars so that the brine covers the eggs fully. Fit with lids and place the jars in the refrigerator for 48 hours before consuming.