Beet canning recipes provide a smart, long-lasting way to preserve a large beet harvest. Beets retain their deep color and sweet-earthy flavor exceptionally well in jars, which makes them ideal for pickles, relishes, soups, or simply canned plain. A few rows of beets can become a shelf full of ready-to-eat jars that taste just as bright in winter as they did fresh from the garden.
Beets tend to arrive all at once, and you can only roast or steam so many before they start to soften. Canning lets you preserve the whole harvest at once and offers variety for winter meals. I like keeping several styles on the shelf so I’m not eating the same preparation every night.
There are multiple ways to jar beets. You can pack them plain as a basic cooked ingredient, pickle them in a vinegar brine, turn them into a chopped relish, or cook them down into borscht. Methods split by acidity: plain beets and soups are low-acid and need pressure canning, while pickled beets and relishes are acidified with vinegar and can be processed in a water bath canner.
Canning Plain Beets
Canning beets plain—packed in water—gives you ready-to-use cooked beets for recipes that call for prepared beets. Because plain beets are low-acid, they must be processed in a pressure canner for safe long-term storage; water bath canning is not appropriate. The typical technique is to cook and peel the beets first, then pack them whole, sliced, or cubed and cover with boiling water before processing.
Home-canned plain beets keep a tender texture and work well warmed as a side dish, tossed into salads, or blended into soups. They save time when you want beets without the oven or stove, and they store alongside other canned vegetables in the pantry.
- Canning Beets
Pickled Beets
Pickled beets are a classic and a good place to start. A vinegar brine balances the beets’ natural sweetness and makes them safe to process in a water bath canner instead of using a pressure canner. The traditional style is sweet and spiced, but you can easily adapt flavors to your taste.
I keep several versions on hand: a sweet-spiced traditional pickled beet, a dill-forward savory version, and jars made from golden beets, which offer a milder flavor and won’t stain as much as red beets. These variations all pair well with other pickling recipes and keep your water bath running efficiently.
- Classic Pickled Beets
- Dill Pickled Beets
- Pickled Golden Beets
- Spiced-Orange Pickled Beets (citrus and warm spice with onion)
- Fennel, Anise & Herb Pickled Beets (three savory herb variations)
Beet Relish & Chutney
Beet relish is a versatile, old-fashioned condiment that deserves more attention. Typically chopped with cabbage, onion, and sometimes horseradish, it’s cooked in a sweet-and-sour brine until it reaches a texture between a pickle and a chutney. Relish is excellent alongside roasted meats, on a sausage, or served with sharp cheeses.
Relishes are acidified with vinegar and are safely processed in a water bath canner. Many modern recipes are based on tested formulas from canning authorities, so you’re working from a reliable base rather than guessing proportions. Variations include red-root relish with horseradish, red cabbage and beet relish, and sweeter chutney-style preparations with ginger and warm spices.
- Red Root Relish (with horseradish)
- Red Cabbage and Beet Relish
- Beet Chutney (sweet, gingery, and warmly spiced)
- Beet Chutney (with orange and warm spices)
Beet Soup & Borscht
Borscht is a practical and delicious way to use a large beet harvest. A few jars of canned borscht make a quick, comforting meal ready in minutes. Like plain beets, beet soups are low-acid and require pressure canning to be shelf-stable. Recipes that combine canning the cooked beets with turning them into a finished, shelf-stable soup are especially useful.
Canned borscht is a meal starter rather than a complete plated dinner: heat, finish with a dollop of sour cream and fresh dill, and serve with bread for a satisfying supper. It complements other vegetarian soup canning recipes well and keeps your pantry stocked for busy evenings.
I am working on a tested, safe beet soup canning recipe; expect an update when it’s ready.
Vegetable Canning Recipes
Want more ways to preserve your garden bounty? Below are a few collections of vegetable canning recipes to inspire your pantry planning.
30+ Root Vegetable Canning Recipes
100+ Vegetable Canning Recipes (& Vegetarian Meal in a Jar Favorites)
20+ Vegetarian Soup Canning Recipes
