Fermented beets are sliced raw beetroot left in a salt brine until they turn tangy, garlicky and deep ruby red, while keeping some crunch. The method is the same as for other brined vegetables: 2–3% salt, everything kept under the brine, one to two weeks at room temperature. Below are the exact amounts, what to expect, and the batch we made and photographed in 2016.
What You Need to Know First
- Use raw beets. Cooked beets turn soft quickly.
- Slice them thin (about ¼ inch / 5 mm) or cut small sticks. Thin pieces ferment faster and more evenly; grated beets release so much sugar and juice that they can turn syrupy or yeasty.
- Weigh the salt. A 2% brine is 10 g of non-iodized salt per 500 ml of water; 3% is 15 g. Spoon measures vary too much to be reliable.
- Keep everything under the brine. The bacteria that ferment vegetables don’t need air; molds do (NCHFP).
How Long to Ferment Beets
At 65–75°F (18–24°C), beets usually take 7–14 days. The brine turns deep red and a little cloudy, and small bubbles appear. Start tasting at day 5: they’re ready when they taste pleasantly sour and garlicky but still have some bite. Then refrigerate them, still in their brine.
Beets are sweeter than most vegetables, so they can ferment vigorously. If the brine becomes thick or ropy, or the jar smells yeasty and alcoholic, the ferment has gone off course – see troubleshooting below.
Flavor Ideas
- Classic: garlic, bay leaves and black peppercorns (our 2016 batch).
- Eastern European: garlic, dill seed and a few allspice berries.
- Ginger and orange: sliced fresh ginger and a strip of orange peel.
- Mixed roots: half beets, half carrots or turnips, cut the same size – see fermented carrots and fermented turnips.
- Golden beets: the same method, with a milder flavor and no red staining.
Want a drink instead? Beet kvass uses fewer beets in more salted water and is strained after a few days.
Troubleshooting
- Beets floating: add a weight – a small jar, a glass fermentation weight or a zip bag filled with brine.
- White film: a flat film is usually kahm yeast. Skim it and keep the beets submerged. Fuzzy or colored growth is mold: discard the batch (NCHFP).
- Thick, syrupy brine or an alcoholic smell: yeasts have taken over, often with grated beets, too little salt or too much warmth. If it also smells bad or grows mold, discard it; next time use slices and 2–3% salt.
- Too salty: rinse before eating, and use 2% brine next time.
- Soft: fermented too long or too warm, or the beets were old.
Beet Nutrition
Per 100 g, raw beets provide 43 kcal, 2.8 g of fiber, 109 µg of folate and 325 mg of potassium (USDA FoodData Central). Beets are also known for their nitrate, and trials show concentrated beetroot juice can lower blood pressure in people with hypertension (Benjamim et al., 2022) – but that research used juice, not fermented beets, so don’t expect the same effect from a few slices. Fermented beets add live lactic acid bacteria (if unheated) and salt.
Beets can turn urine and stools pink or red. That’s harmless.
How to Use Fermented Beets
- In salads with goat cheese, walnuts or orange.
- On sandwiches, grain bowls and cheese boards.
- Chopped into a quick borscht-style soup at the end of cooking, off the heat.
- The brine: a splash in dressings, or a few spoonfuls to start your next ferment.
More: the best vegetables to ferment and fermentation troubleshooting.
