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Red Beet Eggs using Fresh Beets

Here's my Pennsylvania Dutch Red Beet Eggs Recipe using fresh beets and no refined sugar! If you've never had a pickled red beet egg, you're in for a treat!

Red Beet Eggs Using Fresh Beets

 

I pulled my jar of red beet eggs out of the fridge while a friend from out west was visiting. 

 

She looked at me like I had two heads and said, “Um…..what are those?”

 

I forgot that this Pennsylvania Dutch favorite is not well known in other parts of the country. 

 

If you are from or have ever lived near Pennsylvania Dutch or Amish country, red beet eggs are a very familiar food to you (along with Sheetz, being 10 minutes late for work because you got stuck behind an Amish buggy, having to get the front end of your car aligned entirely too much because of all the potholes, Apple Dumplings, Pumpkin Rolls and Shoofly Pies – amiright?!) 😉

 

If you are not from around South Central Pennsylvania, let me be the first to introduce you to an Amish staple and my go-to nutrient dense snack — Red Beet Eggs!

Here's my Pennsylvania Dutch Red Beet Eggs Recipe using fresh beets and no refined sugar! If you've never had a pickled red beet egg, you're in for a treat!

 

I especially like these pickled red beet eggs for when I’m traveling and need to pack filling, nutrient dense foods. They are a great source of protein, fat, good carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals and you’ll even get a nice dose of probiotics from the raw apple cider vinegar! I like to eat them for breakfast or lunch when I’m in a hurry and need something quick. They are super filling and can easily hold me over until my next meal. 

 

I make red beet eggs all the time, but to be honest, I’ve always done it the lazy way – using beets from a can or a jar. I know, I know. *hangs head in shame*

 

I really thought that making them with fresh beets would be so complicated and you should know by now that I don’t do complicated.  But one day, not too long ago, I got a little ambitious and decided to make my red beet eggs using fresh beets that I got from my neighbors farm. 

 

And it is so simple, you guys! You so cannot beat (har har) the taste of fresh. I won’t ever make my red beet eggs with a jar or can again! 

Here's my Pennsylvania Dutch Red Beet Eggs Recipe using fresh beets and no refined sugar! If you've never had a pickled red beet egg, you're in for a treat!

 

The longer the eggs sit in the pickling marinade, the more beautiful and flavorful they become. I like them the best after at least 3 days when the whites turn completely purple on the inside. So gorgeous! They are also really yummy sliced over a salad or made into deviled eggs. 

 

I hope you’ll give these pickled red beet eggs a try so you can see why I usually have a container of them in my fridge at all times. And I’d love to know if you’ve ever had red beet eggs or if you’re from or live in the area so leave me a comment!  I live in the beautiful farm country of Red Lion, Pennsylvania – just a short little drive from Lancaster 🙂 

 

lovekelly

 

Red Beet Eggs Using Fresh Beets Primally Inspired

Red Beet Eggs Using Fresh Beets Recipe:

Red Beet Eggs using Fresh Beets
 
Author:
Serves: 1 dozen red beet eggs
 
Pickled Red Beet Eggs using Fresh Beets and no refined sugar. A Pennsylvania Dutch Recipe.
Ingredients
  • 1 dozen hardboiled peeled eggs (for a hardboiled egg tutorial, click HERE)
  • 8-10 small to medium sized beets (about 1.5 pounds), scrubbed clean
  • 6 cups of water
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • pinch of cinnamon
  • pinch of cloves
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper
  • 2 shallots or 1 small onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup raw apple cider vinegar (I use THIS)
  • ¼ cup raw honey (find HERE) *The traditional Pennsylvania Dutch recipe uses much more white sugar than this, but I found this amount of raw honey is the perfect amount of sour and sweetness. You can omit the honey for a sugar free option, too.
Instructions
  1. Slice the tops and ends off of the beets and add them to your 6 cups of water.
  2. Bring to a boil over medium high heat and cook for 20 minutes or until they are tender.
  3. Remove the beets from the water and set aside to cool (don't throw out the beet water!).
  4. Add the garlic, cinnamon, cloves, salt and pepper to the beet water and set aside.
  5. Once the beets are cool enough to handle, the skins should slip off easily so slip the skins off and slice the beets to desired size.
  6. Place the beets in a large bowl or mason jars (I use THIS large jar).
  7. Add the hardboiled peeled eggs and sliced shallots to the jar with the beets and set aside.
  8. Once the beet water has cooled to a warm temperature, stir in the honey and apple cider vinegar.You want the beet water warm enough to dissolve the honey but not hot enough to destroy the beneficial enzymes in the acv and raw honey. Set aside for 1 hour so the flavors can develop.
  9. After an hour, strain the liquid into the jar with the beets, onion and eggs. You want the liquid to completely cover the eggs.
  10. Cover the jar (or bowl) lightly and refrigerate for at least 8 hours. They get better with time in the fridge - I typically like to wait 3 days. Enjoy!
Notes
If you have leftover beet pickling liquid, save it until you have some more hardboiled eggs! After you've eaten the eggs and beets, you'll most likely have a lot of leftover liquid. Save it and reuse it!

 

Pin Red Beet Eggs Recipe HERE:

Here's my Pennsylvania Dutch Red Beet Eggs Recipe using fresh beets and no refined sugar! If you've never had a pickled red beet egg, you're in for a treat!

 

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54 comments

  1. Avatar

    Oh yes…a Central Pa. Staple…been making them for years and have a “special jar” just for these eggs! Checking in from State College, Pa.

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    Went to school at Pitt!!… awesome! love pickled beets and eggs… but without the cinnamon… Grew up in Wisconsin… lots of pickled beets there but not the eggs!

  3. Avatar

    Yummy! These look and sound amazing 🙂 I have tried a lot of your recipes and they are all great.. can’t wait to make these. Question.. how long do the eggs keep in the pickling juice and how many times can you reuse the same juice? Love your blog

    • Primally Inspired

      Hi Laura! 🙂 The eggs in the pickling juice will keep for a very long time in the fridge – at least a couple months (we eat them so fast so they’ve never lasted over a week for us lol). And you can reuse the same juice over and over again if you want!

  4. Avatar

    Cannot WAIT to make these! I am originally from Philly but now live in Harrisburg, so can totally relate. LOVE red beet eggs…I get them at the farm show every year. My grandmother, who is now 102, always had these in her fridge, so they definitely bring back memories.

  5. Avatar

    My dad made pickled eggs when I was growing up but he didn’t add the beets so they were always just white. These are so gorgeous! I’ve heard some people say they have pickled them in beet kvasss. That would really up the probiotics too. Now I think I will go boil myself some eggs!

  6. Avatar

    I grew up near the Poconos and red beet eggs were always on the holiday menu. I love them and was so glad to see you post this.
    I don’t think the women in my family used cinnamon but I could be wrong. I do remember all the aunts having their red beet egg jars. So delish sliced on a ham sandwich! Yummy!

  7. Avatar

    I’m from Pittsburgh nd I used to get these from a deli down the street. Unfortunatley they closed. I can’t wait to make them myelf. Thanks for the recipe.

  8. Avatar

    We call them pickled eggs and I have been eating them for years. I am from Mt. Union PA and buggies are an everyday thing around here. We make ours with just beet juice, vinegar, water and sugar cooked down and added eggs to beats and pour juice over them. Love Love Love eggs!!!!!

  9. Avatar

    From Connellsville PA, now living outside of Adelaide, Australia, and NOBODY here has heard of red beet eggs. They don’t have proper canned beets here and I had never made them with fresh, so thanks for the recipe, I have been craving them! Also I try to avoid sugar these days, so I appreciate the raw honey version. This is a keeper!!

  10. Avatar

    I’m from Oregon and grew up on the west coast. Never heard of pickled red beet eggs. I like both hard boiled eggs and beets (not so much pickled). Definitely captured by attention.

  11. Avatar

    Red beet eggs have been a staple in my family’s holiday meals longer than I am old, twice over. This is a great recipe! I stumbled upon your site on Pinterest. I actually grew up just outside of Red Lion in a small “community” known as Craley for 18 years and transplanted myself to Northeast PA after college. People of Northeast PA find many of my PA Dutch recipes a little questionable, but after trying them they end up loving them! Thanks for the post, your site is great!

    • Primally Inspired

      No way! I know Craley well 🙂 I grew up in North East, Maryland, but have lived in Red Lion since I was 19. I have grown to love all the PA Dutch recipes and traditions! I’m glad you are bringing some PA Dutch to Northeastern PA 🙂

  12. Avatar

    I just wanted you to know that I am currently making this wonderful recipe as we speak! I searched Pinterest, and of course there are thousands of recipes, but yours really stood out to me. I loved that your recipe calls for fresh beets (which I grow) raw apple cider vinegar (which I make my own) and best of all, raw honey ( which coincidentally, I am a bee keeper!)! I also raise my own chickens and get to enjoy fresh eggs everyday. I’m looking forward to making this recipe often as my happy little hens are super productive and you can only eat so many fried or scrambled eggs! Thanks so much! 🙂

    • Primally Inspired

      Teresa, you are awesome!! I think it’s SO cool that you do all that! I would love to keep bees and have raw honey right at home!!! Last summer we bought a 16 acre property that needed a lot of tlc – we’ve made a lot of progress, but it still needs so much work to be able to do what we want. But we are well on our way to being able to do all that, too! I can’t wait! This year we are building a huge garden as well as raising ducks – so fun! Maybe next year, I will be able to keep bees, too 🙂 I’m still trying to convince the hubby to let me get a few cows and sheep 😉 I hope you enjoy the red beet eggs!

  13. Avatar

    Thank you for the recipe. I’m from Washington Boro, right across the river from you, world famous tomatoes, don’t you know. My father was from outside of Dallastown. Thanks again, Steve

  14. Avatar

    Loving this!! I read in one of your comments where you can reuse the juice over and over. Does that also apply to leaving the beets in the jar along with the eggs each time or do you remove the beets after the first batch? Also, if I can’t find the smaller beets you suggested in the recipe is it possible to use the larger ones and slice them or at least cut them in half? Thanks for your help! Can’t wait to start a jar for the frig! My middle son is going to love me for making these!!!

    • Kelly from Primally Inspired

      Hi Alicia! I hope your middle son loves these 🙂

      To answer your questions, yes, you can leave the beets in for other batches. And definitely use the larger beets, too! You’ll probably just want to cut them into whatever size you prefer – bite size chunks are perfect for us.

    • Avatar

      I am from the Hellam – Wrightsville area and grew up on red beat eggs. Thanks for the recipe using uncanned beats because today I was at a farm stand near Hellam and got a bunch of beets and never really knew how to make with unmanned beets. I’m going to make tomorrow…thanks again!

  15. Avatar

    Kelly,
    I am thethird generation from Lancaster. We grew up eating red beet eggs as a salad at nearly every meal. Now i live on on the island of St. Lucia. After a recent harvest of beets, I put together a batch of red beet eggs, though did not have my old glass gallon Helman’s jar. Well, if you could have seen the reaction of the locals trying to understand why purple eggs were so delicious,. I might start a side business, several of the shops have asked more me make more of these magical wonders. Thanks for your recipe, it is spot on….now i have to outen the light.

  16. Avatar

    I live right up the road in Dallastown. Just bought “actually beets” tonight. I’m so using your recipe this weekend! This will be my first attempt at not using canned beets. Wish me luck! Lol thanks for the recipe!

  17. Avatar

    I’m a Lititz girl transplanted in WV for 20 years now!! Still making red beet eggs and introducing people here to other fabulous PA Dutch foods 🙂

  18. Avatar

    Hi Kelly, I am based in Hong Kong, I got some free beets and have no idea what to do with them so yeah.. I googled and there’s your post and now I just finished marinated my first batch of pickled red beet eggs, they all sitting in a jar in the fridge, can’t wait to eat them all.. ????
    Thank you for your recipe, I love the idea of raw honey instead of sugar..

  19. Avatar

    I grew up in Carlisle. Red beet eggs were part of every summer holiday party. I love them!!!

  20. Avatar

    Another Pennsylvanian here. Grew up in a small town near Williamsport to parents who were both raised on farms with a lot of Pennsylvania Dutch ways, and then I lived in several other states, from the west coast to the east. Moved back to PA a few yrs. ago and it feels so good to be here again. The folks from this state do have many quaint ways and some fabulous recipes. I’ve always been so glad I grew up here.

    We often had pickled eggs at home and when I married, (guy from the west) he wasn’t too fond of the pickled eggs, but loved my mother’s recipe for deviled eggs. We have lots of Amish around here and love shopping at the local farms and farmers’ markets for fresh organic foods. I also quit sugar a long time ago and do use stevia quite a bit. I can my own pickled beets so don’t have to worry about the BPA cans.

    A few other Pennsylvania Dutch foods: Shoo-fly pie, good scrapple, smearcase / schmierkase, Hot Bacon Dressing. Oh, and apple brown betty….yum. We actually quit eating most desserts several yrs. ago, and have them now just occasionally. Well, it’s late, and time to outen the lights.

  21. Avatar

    Hi again,

    Aw, thanks. After clicking ‘Post’ last night I realized I’d forgotten to mention how much I always enjoy receiving your email with great recipes and information. I recommend your site to others all the time. And one thing I really enjoy seeing is that you take time to respond to many (most) of the comments, which is a nice personal touch. So many who blog never reply to anything in the comment section. Of course, it takes time, but so often I see questions asked and never answered and that’s always bothered me. Wanted to let you know I appreciate that you take time to check back with replies.

    PS- Had to mention one more tantalizing, sinful, (only those in PA know how to make) item…not sure whether to call it food. 🙂 The old fashioned Sticky buns! I had a friend in FL (born and raised) who said her mother made them and I wanted to tell her, they are made everywhere, but in our little part of the world, these are special and coveted, with guarded recipes, and not made with canned biscuits and karo…LOL.

    When I was a young girl, only one bakery in our little town made them and everyone from miles around bought them there. Yrs. ago while home for a visit, my cousin told me she’d acquired a copy of the recipe from a bakery employee friend after they’d finally closed up the shop. It was a procedure from the homemade dough, all the way to the sticky, delightful, ooey gooey topping. I made them only a couple times, as I’ve been into a pretty healthful lifestyle for many years….not always fun when you have all these scrumptous food memories in your background.

    Sorry to write another long post.

  22. Avatar

    Searched for a new recipe for red beet eggs & I find 1 from Red Lion! No way!! I’m from Dallastown. My dad’s family was PA Dutch & I am very well familiar with Sheetz, pot holes, buggies & shortly pie 🙂 thanks for posting!!

  23. Avatar

    I am from Allentown and grew up with my grandma making red beet eggs and pickled beets. I miss all my Pennsylvania stuff since moving to the U.K. and now that I have found your recipe I will be making red beet eggs this weekend. I can’t wait to share them with everyone here. Thank you so much for bringing me a little bit of home with a lot less sugar.

  24. Avatar

    I grew up in Temple PA, these are my all time favorite snack! When I moved to NY Noone had any idea what they were… I asked the deli once cause I saw a sign advertising pickled eggs and they have me a hard boiled egg with pickling spice?!?! I just recently started using misfits markets and had gotten some fresh beets in my box so was super excited to find this recipe as I usually use canned beets ?

  25. Avatar
    Kimberly Sevilla

    Thanks for sharing your recipe. We make ours with pickling spice and small, egg sized beets. Sometimes you can’t hell the beet from the egg. After 10 years of marriage, my husband from Queens, NY has learned to love them, that and pork braised with sauerkraut.

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