Fermented Vegetables · Beginner

Fermented Beets (Beetroot): Lacto-Fermented Recipe

How to make fermented beets: raw beets in a 2–3% salt brine for 1–2 weeks, or grated beets dry-salted at 2%. Salt amounts, timing, flavour additions, and how to avoid a yeasty, alcoholic batch.

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Fermented beet cubes in ruby brine beside fresh beetroot

Updated October 2026 · 7 min read

Fermented beets keep the crunch of raw beetroot but swap the earthy sweetness for a bright, salty tang. They take a week or two, turn the whole jar a deep ruby, and leave you with a brine that is good enough to drink. Because beets carry a lot of sugar, the main thing to watch is time and temperature: catch them while they are tangy, not boozy.

Fermented beets recipe

2–3% brine strength (20–30 g salt per litre)
7–14 d ferment time for cubes or slices
3–6 mo fridge life once fermented
  1. 1
    Prep the beets Peel raw beets and cut them into 1–2 cm cubes, thin slices or matchsticks. Smaller pieces ferment faster. Wear gloves if you mind pink hands.
  2. 2
    Add flavour Put a few garlic cloves, a slice of ginger, dill, caraway or orange peel in the jar first, then pack the beets on top.
  3. 3
    Cover with brine Dissolve 20–30 g of non-iodized salt per litre of water and pour it over to cover the beets by 2 cm. A quart jar takes roughly 500 ml of brine (10–15 g salt).
  4. 4
    Weigh down and ferment Keep everything under the brine with a weight. Ferment at 18–22°C, ideally on the cooler side, with an airlock or a lid you open daily.
  5. 5
    Taste and refrigerate Start tasting on day 5. When the beets are pleasantly sour but still crunchy, usually days 7–14, seal and refrigerate.

Grated beets (dry-salted)

Grated beets ferment like sauerkraut: weigh them, add 2% salt by weight (2 g per 100 g), massage until they release juice, and pack tightly so the juice rises over them. They are ready in 3–7 days and make a vivid relish for sandwiches and grain bowls. Mixed half-and-half with shredded cabbage they become beet sauerkraut; see sauerkraut recipe variations.

Salt weighed beside water, carrot sticks and a fermentation jar

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Fermentation Brine Calculator

Calculate salt using vegetables plus water, water only, or dry vegetable weight. Match the percentage and basis in your tested recipe.

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Keeping them tangy, not yeasty

Ferment cool 18–21°C favours lactic acid bacteria; warmer rooms push the yeasts that turn beet sugar into alcohol.
Use the full salt 2–3% keeps yeasts in check. Under-salted beets go soft and boozy quickly.
Do not overshoot beets do not improve with a month on the counter. Refrigerate once they taste right.

Watch for

  • A thick, ropy brine or a strong alcohol smell means yeasts took over; it is usually safe but unpleasant.
  • Fuzzy, coloured mould or a rotten smell Discard the batch.

How to use fermented beets

Salads and bowls Toss with goat cheese, walnuts and greens, or add to grain bowls for colour and acidity.
The brine Drink it as a tonic, splash it into dressings, or use it to start beet kvass.
Borscht Stir a handful of fermented beets and some brine into borscht just before serving for a sour lift.

For a drink made from beets on purpose, see beet kvass. For carrots, turnips and other roots, see fermenting root vegetables, and for every vegetable in one list, fermented vegetables A–Z.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

How long do beets take to ferment?
About 7–14 days at 18–22°C for cubes or slices in brine. Grated beets ferment faster, in 3–7 days. Start tasting on day 5 and move the jar to the fridge once the beets are pleasantly sour.
What salt ratio should I use for beets?
A 2–3% brine, which is 20–30 g of salt per litre of water. For grated beets packed in their own juice, use about 2% salt by weight of the beets.
Why do my fermented beets taste like alcohol?
Beets are high in sugar, so a long, warm ferment lets yeasts produce alcohol. Ferment cooler (18–21°C), use the full 2–3% salt, and refrigerate as soon as the beets taste tangy rather than leaving them for weeks.
Are fermented beets the same as pickled beets or pickled beetroot?
No. Pickled beets are usually cooked and preserved in vinegar. Fermented beets are raw beets soured by lactic acid bacteria, so they keep a firmer bite and contain live cultures.
Can I drink the brine?
Yes. The ruby brine is essentially a quick beet kvass: earthy, salty and tangy. Sip it, use it in dressings, or start a dedicated batch of beet kvass.
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