Canned Beets: A Homestead Pantry Staple

Looking for an inexpensive and nutritious staple to stock your pantry? Adding canned beets to your long-term storage requires little work. Check out my intro to canning, and then use this recipe guide to learn how to can beets at home.

Why I Love Canned Beets

Canned beets are more than just a colorful food. They are packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, making them a great choice for our diet. 

Thankfully, I’ve never been one of those people who thoroughly dislikes beets, but it wasn’t until we moved to North Idaho that I realized how much I really love them. Beets, it turns out, helped us to become truly successful gardeners here, as they didn’t need any coaxing. Because they are a root crop, they can handle a variety of weather. 

Not only are beets easy to grow, but they’re also so easy to preserve. While I love the ease of water-bath canning pickled cucumbers, plum jelly, or canned cherries, beets must be pressure-canned to be safe for long-term storage.

Don’t let that discourage you from trying this recipe. Just like my tutorial on pressure canning pumpkin, I will show you how easy it is to learn how to can beets yourself.  

Plain Canned Beets vs. Pickled Beets

Choosing between plain canned beets and pickled beets depends on your taste preference. Both have unique flavors and many uses in cooking.

• Plain canned beets are sweet and earthy. They are good in salads, soups, and stews, and you can also roast them for more flavor.
• Pickled beets are tangy and sweet. They are made with vinegar, which adds flavor and keeps them fresh longer. Pickled foods are best used as a stand-alone snack or in salads.

Tips for the Best Canned Beets

• Selecting Beets – Pick fresh, firm, and clean beets. Small beets are sweeter and softer, great for canning.
• Preparation – Wash the beets well to remove dirt. Cut off the tops and roots. Try not to cut off the entire root, otherwise the beet will “bleed” and get its juices all over. Leaving a bit of stem can help stop bleeding.
• Cooking – Boil beets until tender, which makes peeling easier and keeps their color bright.
• Peeling – Let beets cool a bit before peeling, and the skins should slip off easily. Wear gloves to avoid staining your hands.
• Jar Preparation – Since beets must be pressure canned, we don’t have to worry about sterilizing the jars and lids prior to packing them. However, it’s best to start with freshly washed jars and lids (just warm soapy water will do).
• Packing – Cut beets into slices or cubes. Put them in jars, leaving the right amount of headspace.
• Brine and Processing – Make a hot brine for pickled beets or use boiling water for regular canned beets. Use a pressure canner to keep the beets safe to eat.
• Sealing and Storage – Check to make sure jars have been sealed once they’ve cooled for 12 hours. Store them in a cool, dark location, such as a pantry. Don’t forget to label them with the contents and date.

How to Make Canned Beets Taste Good

If, like me, you are already an enthusiast, you don’t need to do much to make beets taste great. But if you feel like your beets need a little help, try some of these ideas: 

Variation	Method
Roasted Beets	My favorite way to enjoy beets is to coat them in oil with a bit of salt and toss them into the oven to roast and caramelize or warm them up quickly on the stove and top them with a sprinkle of dill.
Salads	Another delicious way to enjoy beets is to add them to a salad. Mix sliced beets with spinach, goat cheese, and walnuts. Then, drizzle with a homemade vinaigrette and enjoy.
Beet and Avocado Toast	Spread mashed avocado, sliced beets, and feta cheese on crusty artisan bread.
Beet Smoothies	Blend beets into your favorite green smoothie recipe for a beautiful pop of color and a nutrition boost.
Beet Hummus	Mix beets with chickpeas, tahini, garlic, and lemon juice for a colorful dip or spread.

In the Homestead Kitchen

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Supplies Needed

• Canning Jars, Bands, and Two-Part Sealing Lids – For best success with a proper seal, be sure your sealing lids are new. You can read more about whether reusing canning lids is safe here. Grab made in the USA canning lids from Superb here. Use coupon code “HF10” for 10% off automatically applied at checkout, or use code “HF20” for 20% off your first purchase.
  HF20 for 20% for first purchase HF10 for 10% off for future purchases
• Stock Pot – Par-boiling your beets is a critical step in peeling the beets prior to canning.
• Funnel – I recommend using a stainless steel funnel to fill your jars.
• Headspace Ruler – This headspace ruler doubles for removing air bubbles to ensure there are no air pockets trapped in your jars. If you don’t have a headspace ruler, you can also use a wooden skewer to remove air bubbles.
• Vinegar – Vinegar is used to clean the rim of the jar before placing the canning lids onto the jar. While I love apple scrap vinegar for recipes, I only use commercially prepared vinegar tested for at least 5% acidity for canning.
• Clean Towel – Make sure to use a lint-free towel, or a clean paper towel will also work.
• Pressure Canner – I use and recommend the All-American Pressure Canner. 
• Jar Lifter – A jar lifter is not necessary, but it’s a good safety precaution to prevent burned hands! This is the jar lifter I use.
• Sharp Knife – A knife or a peeler can be used to peel the beets.

Ingredients Needed

• Beets – You can use any color of beets (red, golden, white, etc.) To load a canner that holds 7 quarts, you will need approximately 20 pounds of beets.
• Canning Salt – Canning salt is purely optional but adds great flavor.

Pressure Canned Beets Step-by-Step

1. Prepare your lids, jars, rings, and canner:
   • Wash your jars, lids, and rings in hot, soapy water. Keep them warm in hot water until you are ready to fill them (you can do this by setting them into your prepared canner, keeping them in warm water in a sink, or putting them in a dishwasher on a rinse-and-hold cycle).
   • Rinse your pressure canner, check the vent pipe to make sure it is clear, and put 2 inches (5 cm) of water in it.
   • Turn your stove on to medium-high. Try to warm your canner so that it is at the proper temperature when your jars are filled and ready to be placed in the canner: 140°F (60°C) for raw-packed foods and 180°F (82°C) for hot-packed foods. 
2. Prepare your preserve:
   • Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil over high heat.
   • While the water comes to a boil, wash beets and remove any greens. Trim the stem to about one inch.
   • Once the water reaches a boil, add beets and return to a boil. Boil for 20 minutes or until skins slide off easily.
   • Remove beets from water and allow them to cool until they can be handled. Wearing gloves, if you choose, remove peel, roots, and remaining stem.
   • Cube or slice any beets larger than 1 inch in diameter. Beets smaller than 1 inch in diameter can be left whole. 
3. Fill jars, fit lids, and place them in the pressure canner:
   • Pack beets into jars. Leave 1-inch of headspace.
   • If desired, add ½ teaspoon salt to pint jars and 1 teaspoon to quarts. Top each jar with boiling water, leaving 1-inch headspace.
   • Use a bubble-releasing tool, a plastic knife or a wooden skewer to release bubbles from your jar by pushing the tool down all four sides of the jar.
   • If necessary, add more boiling water to adjust for any bubbles released.
   • Wipe the rim of the jar with a cloth dipped in white vinegar.
   • Set the lids in place.
   • Centering the lid, screw each lid on until it is fingertip-tight.
   • Carefully place the jars into the pressure canner.
   • Make sure that the water in your canner is only 2-3 inches (5-7.5 cm) high. Do not cover your lids with water. Add or carefully remove water if necessary. 
4. Vent canner:
   • Place the lid on the canner and lock it into place.
   • Turn the heat on medium-high.
   • Bring to a full, steady stream of steam coming out of the vent.
   • Set a timer and let the canner vent steam for 10 minutes. 
5. Pressurize:
   • Place the pressure regulator onto the vent.
   • Allow pressure to slowly climb to full pressure (10 psi for weighted gauge and 11 psi for dial gauge. Adjust for elevation – see graph below).
   • Stabilize the pressure by making small adjustments to the heat until the pressure remains steady at the correct psi. 
6. Process:
   • As soon as the canner has stabilized at full pressure, set the timer for 30 minutes for pints or 35 minutes for quarts.
   • Turn off the heat once the full processing time is complete. 
7. Cool canner:
   • Turn off the heat and let the canner come down to 0 PSI naturally.
   • Remove the pressure regulator and let the canner stabilize for 5 minutes before removing the lid. 
8. Remove jars and cool:
   • Carefully remove the lid from the canner (it is still very hot!).
   • Using a jar lifter, move the jars to a towel-lined counter where they can cool undisturbed for 12-18 hours. 
9. Check seals and clean jars:
   • After your jars are completely cool, remove the bands and check the seals by carefully lifting each jar by the lid only. If they are sealed, move on to the next step. If they are not sealed, store them in the refrigerator and consume them within 2-3 days.
   • Clean each jar using a damp cloth or under room temperature water in a sink.
   • Dry each jar thoroughly. 
10. Store:
    • Label each jar with the contents and date.
    • Store the jars out of direct sunlight.

Did you try this tutorial? We’d love for you to give us a star rating in the recipe card below. Then, snap a picture and share your delicious canned beets with us on social media @homesteadingfamily!

Other Posts You May Enjoy

• Canning 101: Introduction to Canning
• Pressure Canning Pumpkin the Easy Way
• Delicious Pickled Asparagus Recipe
• Canning Cherries at Home
• How to Make Pickles (Pickled Cucumber Recipe & Best Canning Method)
• Plum Jelly Recipe (+Time-Saving Trick)