When you don’t have the time or resources to spend a day canning beets, this quick and simplified recipe is the answer to your prayers. By skipping the need to sanitize, pressurize, and seal a ton of jars and lids, you can get a quick reserve of the good stuff with minimal prep and just 24 hours of marinating. While these beets don’t stay preserved for as long as canned varieties, they are perfect as a quick snack, salad topper, or appetizer to have on hand for a couple of weeks. Consider this your pickled beet cheat code!

How to Bake Your Beets Before Pickling

Cooking beets in the oven versus a boiling water bath is the easiest way to prepare them for pickling. Here’s how:

• Trim off the green leaves and stems and rinse the beets under cold water. Next, wrap each beet individually in foil.
• Place the wrapped beets on a baking sheet and pop them on the oven rack. Roast them in the oven at 400°F for 40-60 minutes.
• Check how tender the beets are by poking them with a fork. They should be a bit firm, but not hard.
• Finally, peel the skins off the beets while they’re still warm and it comes off easily.

Preparing Quick Pickled Beets

To kick off the process, allow the baked beets to first cool at room temperature.