Pickled red onions are a staple in my kitchen as is obvious by my Instagram feed (@thecastawaykitchen), along with Garlic Confit. Both highly coveted recipes which appear in my first book Made Whole. However, these sugar-free pickled beets and carrots are not to be unappreciated! They are squeaky clean, paleo, Whole30, and yes! Even great for a low carb and keto diet. They have been absolute lifesavers during my AIP KETO RESET!
Why Veggies Rule!
Beets are about 13g of carbs per cup, but about 1/3-1/2 of these babies are more than sufficient to add color to your plate, salad or to dip in pate (my favorite way to eat them). However, they deliver a healthy dose of potassium, folate, and vitamin C!
Carrots are about 10 grams of carbs for two medium carrots, these pickled carrots are cut into carrot stick so a serving of 4 sticks will be about 5 grams of carbs, and carrots have Vitamin A, beta-carotene, calcium, and potassium!
I don’t know about you, but I rather eat my veggies (and offal) than take a whole bunch of supplements for the rest of my life. Nature truly provides everything we need to thrive and these colorful root veggies are a great way to get them in.
How To Enjoy Them
I love slicing up some beets over my salad or using the carrots or beets to scoop up pate or other fatty dips. They are a great burger or taco topper and add a huge pop of color to any plate! They are tender and tangy, and for some reason, the pickling process really brings out their natural sweetness!
I was lucky enough to get some beautiful farm fresh beets for this. I used golden beets and Chioggia beets (the stripped or peppermint beets). I find them to be less earthy! I also used rainbow carrots… for well.. fun and color!
I have a theory that if you eat by color, the more color the better, the more nutritious your meal will be!
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Sugar Free Pickled Beets and Carrots
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 10
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
Description
A quick pickle recipe for your beets and carrots without sugar!
Ingredients
- 2–3 cups peeled and diced golden and striped beets
- 4–6 rainbow carrots, peeled and cut into sticks
- 2 cups filtered water
- 2 cups apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon fine salt
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 cloves
- 2 sprigs fresh dill or rosemary, optional
Instructions
- Add the beets to a clean quart sized jar. Add the carrots to another. Add 2 cloves garlic, 1 clove and 1 sprig of herbs to each jar as well.
- Heat the water and vinegar over medium heat in a 2 quart sauce pot. Add in the salt.
- Bring to a light simmer and stir until salt is dissolved, about 8 minutes.
- Pour the brine into the jars until the veggies are submerged.
- Let them sit out for 30 minutes. Then cover with a tight fitting lid and store in the fridge.
- Always use a clean fork to retrieve veggies, and these will last several weeks.
Chelsea says
Pickled beets are, hands down, one of my FAVORITE THINGS! Love your version. Thank you!
Cristina says
Yeaaahhh!!
Lynne Kypuros says
I just made these for the first time ever. How long do I leave them in the brine before they are ready to eat? I am quite the Newbie to fermented foods. I have made saurkraut, and kimchi and I love both of those. I just assumed these would take time to “pickle”? Please advise!
Cristina says
Hi Lynne! Yeay! They are so tasty! You can eat some right away, with a light pickle 🙂 But I think they get better after a day or two.
Jen says
Silly question no doubt 🙂 but… do you cook the beest first, or are they raw? thank you!
Cristina says
Raw 🙂
Emily says
Fabulous!
Hannah Lee says
How long will these last? Do they need to be stored in the fridge?
Cristina says
They need to be in the fridge and will last a month or so.
Victoria says
Is this for a quick-pickle, or, how long do veggies sit in bring before they’re ready?
Cristina says
Quick pickle, let it sit at room temp, lid open for 30 min before covering and putting it in the fridge
Elizabeth says
Can I swap the carrots for red cabbage?
Cristina says
Ive never tried it, but let us know how it turns out
Marty says
I like pickling cooked carrot chunks and sliced beets. I just add Btragg’s vinegar. Does that get you the same probiotic benefit as letting the raw ones sit in the vinegar and salt solution?
Cristina says
Braggs is fermented! So you get probiotics from the vinegar 🙂
Mj says
Will these taste like the pickled beets I buy in the store without the sugar?
Cristina says
Regular pickled beets are very sweet, they have a ton of sugar. These are more on the tangy side.
Jan says
In step 6, you say “Then over and store in the fridge”. What do you mean by “Then over…”? Over what?
Cristina says
oops its COVER and store in the fridge
Wanda says
I am happy to know that I can have beets on paleo. I love them. Pickled beets are great, but my favorite way is how my Mom would serve them…she boiled them whole with skin on until tender and let them cool just a little bit, then she would just slip the skin right off and I would eat them while still hot. They were so good! She always canned pickled beets, with sugar of course since this was in SE Tennessee and in the 50s and 60s. I used to help her with her canning. Those are some very special memories.
Kathy says
I do not have refrigerator space. Can I cold pack these and have them be safe to store on the shelf for a year or two?
Cristina says
You have to sterilize the jars and what not… so you can use this recipe but will have to follow a few extra steps to make them safe for shelf-stable, here is a video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_valjbpwOgU