Do you love pickled eggs? Here are four easy recipes! Brilliant beet pickled eggs, an Indian yellow curry version, jalapeno pickled eggs and a tarragon mustard version. Perfect for snacks!
What are pickled eggs?
Have you ever made pickled eggs? I had never heard of them until a reader asked for a recipe, and when I mentioned them to my dad he told me it was bar food.
(“How long have you been going out in bars, Dad?” “Before I met your mom.” “Well, 50 years ago, you could get pickled eggs in bars in Minnesota.” “Yes.”)
Bar culture aside, two of my favorite dishes are pickles and hard-boiled eggs, so why not pickle the eggs?
Beet pickled eggs
Apparently, a popular way to soak eggs in beet juice is to make the egg whites turn a pretty fuchsia pink. A few weeks after I made my first batch, I was served pickled beet eggs in a salad at a bar/restaurant in Gettysburg. They were pickled all the way through the yolk, which also turned the yolk slightly pink.
The longer you leave the eggs in the curing liquid, the deeper it penetrates the eggs. I suspect to pickle them all the way through you’ll need to keep them in the liquid for at least a couple of weeks.
How to make pickled eggs
What follows is the result of several weeks of experimentation (and several dozen eggs!) with different curing mixes. We have a beet egg with cardamom and star anise, a curried egg with Indian spices, a jalapeño egg with cumin and oregano, and a tarragon egg with mustard seeds. Make your choice!
These are eggs that have been pickled in the refrigerator. I’m not sure how long they last in the fridge, but my guess is at least a couple of weeks.
Tip for quickly pickled eggs
I have found that the pickling liquid must have vinegar diluted with water. Pure vinegar is just too acidic. I like to add sugar because it helps balance the acidity of the vinegar and I like a slightly sweet pickle.
If any of you are veteran at making pickled eggs, please share your expertise (or favorite recipe) in the comments.
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Check out this pickled egg recipe
Pickled Eggs
For steamed hard boiled eggs, place in a steamer over boiling water, cover and steam for 15 minutes. Remove from the stove and rinse with cold water.
For the beets and beet juice for the beet cured eggs, simmer the chopped beets in enough water to cover and simmer, with the lid on, until tender, 30-40 minutes. Or use the liquid from canned beets.
ingredients
Beet pickled eggs with cardamom and anise
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1 Turnip, peeled and roughly cut into 1 to 2 cm pieces, cooked (see recipe note)
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1 Cup beet juice (see recipe note)
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1 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
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1/4 Onion, cut into rings
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1/3 Cup sugar
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3 cardamom Pods
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1 star anise
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6 hard boiled eggspeeled off
Curry pickled eggs
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1 Cup Apple Apple Cider Vinegar
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3/4 Cup water
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1/4 Onion, cut
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3/4 Cup sugar
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3 cardamom pods
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1 teaspoon mustard seeds (yellow or brown)
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1 tablespoon yellow curry powder
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6 hard boiled eggspeeled off
Pickled jalapeno eggs
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3/4 Cup Apple Apple Cider Vinegar
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3/4 Cup water
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1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
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6 cloves
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2 jalapeno pepperHalved lengthways, cored and discarded
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1 teaspoon cumin seeds
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1 bay Sheet
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1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
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1/4 sliced onions
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1 Clove of garlic, peeled off
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6 hard boiled eggspeeled off
Tarragon pickled eggs
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3/4 Cup Apple Apple Cider Vinegar
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3/4 Cup water
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1/4 Onion, cut
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2 branches fresh tarragon
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1 teaspoon mustard seeds
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1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
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1 teaspoon herbs of Provence
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6 hard boiled eggspeeled off
method
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Prepare the eggs:
Peel the eggs and place in the bottom of a clean, quart-sized glass jar.
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Prepare the pickling liquid:
In a medium saucepan, add vinegar, water (or beet juice if using), the onion (and jalapeno if using), sugar, and spices. Bring to a boil and cook uncovered until sugar has dissolved and onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from the stove and let cool for a few minutes.
Simple tip!
Instead of boiling a raw beet to get the water for beet eggs, you can use the liquid from a can of beets.
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pickle eggs:
Pour the vinegar and onion mixture over the eggs in the jar, covering the eggs completely. When making the pickled beet eggs, add some or all of the cooked beets to the jar with the eggs (this will help add color to the eggs, and you’ll also get pickled beets). Cap the jar.
Store refrigerated for up to 1 month. The pickled eggs are ready to eat after a few days. The longer the eggs are in the curing juice, the more the curing juice penetrates into the eggs.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 154 | calories |
| 5g | Fat |
| 18g | carbohydrates |
| 7g | protein |
