Newfoundland Pickled Beets are a classic sweet-and-sour preserve that has earned a place on many Newfoundland dinner tables. Tender beets are packed into jars with a simple vinegar brine and just enough spice to give them plenty of flavour without overpowering their natural sweetness.
They’re especially good alongside a traditional Newfoundland cooked dinner, but they also make a tasty addition to salads, sandwiches, cold plates, and holiday meals. This recipe makes about 7 × 500 ml (pint) jars.
Ingredients
Beets
- 7 pounds fresh beets, tops removed
Plain Pickled Beets
- 3 cups vinegar
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- Sliced onions, optional
OR Spiced Pickled Beets
- 3 cups vinegar
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ tablespoon allspice
- 2 tablespoons cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon cloves
- Sliced onions, optional
These are the ingredient amounts used in the original Maggie’s Newfoundland Pickled Beets recipe.
How to Make Newfoundland Pickled Beets
1. Prepare the Jars
Wash 7 clean 500 ml (pint) canning jars thoroughly in hot, soapy water and rinse well.
The original recipe places the jars in a large pot fitted with a rack or trivet, covers them with water, and gently boils them for about 10 minutes. Keep the jars hot until you are ready to fill them.
Prepare the canning lids according to their manufacturer’s instructions.
2. Cook the Beets
If your beets still have their tops attached, remove them but do not peel the beets yet.
Wash the beets well to remove any soil and place them in a large pot. Cover them completely with water and bring to a boil.
Reduce to a steady boil and cook until the beets are tender, usually about 30 to 45 minutes, depending on their size.
3. Peel and Cut the Beets
Let the cooked beets cool just enough to handle comfortably.
Trim the top and bottom from each beet, then gently rub or slip off the skins. Wearing kitchen gloves is a good idea because beet juice can stain your hands and fingernails.
Cut the peeled beets into slices or cubes. Very small beets can also be left whole.
Keep the prepared beets warm while you make the pickling liquid.
4. Make the Pickling Liquid
Choose either the plain or spiced version above.
Combine the vinegar, water, sugar, salt, and the appropriate spices in a medium saucepan.
Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium heat, stirring enough to dissolve the sugar. Keep the brine hot until you’re ready to fill the jars.
5. Fill the Jars
Pack the warm beets into the hot jars.
If you like onions with your pickled beets, add a few thin slices to each jar. The original recipe particularly recommends onion as a tasty addition to the spiced version.
Pour the hot pickling liquid over the beets, leaving about ½ inch of headspace at the top of each jar.
Slide a non-metallic utensil around the inside edges of each jar to release trapped air bubbles. Add a little more brine if necessary to maintain the proper headspace.
Wipe the jar rims clean before applying the lids and bands.
6. Process the Pickled Beets
Place the filled jars into your boiling-water canner.
Make sure the jars are covered with at least 1 inch of water, cover the canner, and bring the water to a boil.
Process the jars for 30 minutes, as directed in the original Newfoundland recipe.
When processing is finished, turn off the heat and allow the jars to sit in the hot water for about 5 minutes before carefully removing them.
Place the jars upright on a towel-covered surface and leave them undisturbed for 24 hours.
Tips for the Best Pickled Beets
Choose good fresh beets. Fresh, firm beets will give you the nicest texture and flavour. If you buy beets with their greens still attached, don’t throw those greens away—they can be cooked and enjoyed separately.
Cook before peeling. Leaving the skins on while the beets cook makes them much easier to peel afterward.
Wear gloves if you can. Beet juice stains quickly, so a pair of kitchen gloves can make cleanup much easier.
Try the spiced version for special meals. Cinnamon, cloves, and extra allspice give the beets a warmer flavour that works particularly well around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and other family dinners.
Add onion if you like. A few slices packed into the jars give the beets another layer of sweet-and-savoury flavour.
Check every seal before storing. Properly sealed jars can be labelled, dated, and stored in a cool, dark cupboard. If a jar fails to seal, refrigerate it rather than placing it on the pantry shelf.
How Many Jars Does This Recipe Make?
This batch makes approximately 7 × 500 ml (pint) jars of pickled beets.
If you’re working with a larger 10-pound bag of beets, the original author recommends making about 1½ times the pickling liquid. Ten pounds of beets should give roughly ten 500 ml jars, depending on the size of the beets and how tightly they’re packed.
How to Serve Newfoundland Pickled Beets
The most traditional way to serve these is alongside a hearty Newfoundland cooked dinner, where their sweet-and-tangy flavour cuts beautifully through potatoes, root vegetables, dressing, and other rich dishes.
They’re also excellent chopped into beet salad, served on a cold plate, added to sandwiches, or simply placed in a little dish on the dinner table.
Making homemade Newfoundland Pickled Beets takes a bit more work than picking up a bottle at the grocery store, but opening one of those colourful jars in the middle of winter makes it well worth the effort. Whether you choose the simple plain version or the warmly spiced one, this is a lovely traditional preserve to keep in the pantry and share around the family table.
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