Spiralized fermented beets are an amazingly versatile condiment that’s stupid easy to make and incredibly flavourful. All you need are beets, salt, dill and time to get these delicious sweet and sour beet noodles that you can use in salads, sandwiched, Buddha bowls, avocado toast and much more!
If you’re suspicious about beets it may be because, like me, you were fed those icky canned beets in their sickly sweet syrup as a child. Fresh beets are a whole other animal.
I love them steamed, roasted, pickled and especially roasted. You can also eat them raw, thinly sliced, as a kind of vegan carpaccio or julienned and rolled into sushi.
I’ve always been a fan of strong, bold flavours. I’m a total dill pickle addict and I love spicy kimchi. However, I’ve only just started experimenting with fermentation in my kitchen.
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I began with a simple sauerkraut and I’ve been hooked on lacto-fermenting ever since. I’ll put just about anything in a jar for a week and see what happens. These spiralized fermented beets with their delicious sour sweetness and a hint of dill have become one of my favorite ferments.
Now, you don’t have to spiralize your beets in order to ferment them. You can just as easily slice or grate them. Spiralizing just makes everything look cool! I love my spiralizer and have created several recipes for the blog like this spring vegetable zoodle pasta and these raw vegan noodles. Spiralizing makes quick work of preparing the beets for fermenting and they look super cool tossed into salads, soups, grain bowls and on top of avocado toast.
To make spiralized fermented beets all you need to do is peel and spiralize four (or more) medium-sized beets, rub them with a half to a full tablespoon of salt (depends on how salty you like them) until they release their juices, then pack them into mason jars with a bit of dill, cover the jars with a towel and wait.
The time they take to ferment will depend on the temperature and conditions in your kitchen. For me at this time of year (early spring), they’re ready after about four days. You can taste them each day until they reach the perfect balance of sweet and sour for your taste. Easy!
Got leftovers? Use them in these recipes:
Beets and dill: Baked beet falafel vegan quinoa bowl
Spiralized Fermented Beets
Ingredients
- 4 medium beets peeled and spiralized (or sliced or grated) - $1.50
- ½ tablespoon sea salt or more to taste - $0.12
- ½ sprig of dill - $0.05
Instructions
- Wash two half pint mason jars well with warm soapy water. Rinse well.
- Use scissors to cut the spiralized beets into smaller, bite-sized strands. Place them into a large bowl and sprinkle over the salt. Massage with your hands for about five minutes until they release a bit of liquid. You can use your bare hands, the beet juice washes off easily, or slip them into plastic bags if you’re worried about dying them.
- Pack the beets into the mason jars, tossing in a few leaves of dill from time to time. Squish the beets down to ensure that the juice covers them entirely. If not, you can make a brine of ¼ cup (60 ml) filtered water (don’t use tap water) and a pinch of sea salt. Add as much as is necessary to submerge the beets completely.
- Take a leftover end of a beet from the spiralizer (the bit that looks like a mushroom), turn it upside down and wedge it into the jar, “stem” sticking up. This is to hold the beets down in the jar and ensure that they maintain submerged. If it’s not working, you’ll have to find something heavy. You can boil rocks and put them on top (seriously).
- Cover the jars with a towel and leave to ferment. Begin checking them after a couple of days to ensure that the beets are still submerged, add more brine if necessary, and taste to see how they’re doing. They may develop a bit of scum on top, scoop it off, it’s harmless.
- You can eat them when they have enough sourness for your taste. They will continue to sour until you’re ready to eat them or put them in the fridge to maintain their level of sourness.
Notes
Nutrition
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Laurel says
I have been so into natural ferments recently, and these beets look amazing! I can't wait to give them a try!
Sarah says
Do you add a lid, or just the towel over the open jars?
Melissa says
No lid, you need to allow them to breath while they ferment.
Reyes says
Invest in an airlock Melissa , they don't cost much.
Melissa says
I'll look into it, thanks!
Curtis Brothers says
Simple airlock poke hole in jar lid insert tubing tie wrap in circle to make trap fill with vodka with open end up.
Kelli says
Goodness, your photos are breathtaking!
I bought a box of organic, cooked, vacuum packed beets at Costco. Not as yummy as I had hoped. They are quite firm though. Do you think if I sliced them, it'd work? Or is it the raw state/bacteria that causes fermentation? Thank you!
Melissa says
It's the raw bacteria that causes fermentation. Cooked beets probably wouldn't work but you could try pickling them in vinegar and sugar.
Billy says
I adore the way these look! Visually they are very appealing and I would definitely prefer to make these beets over traditional sliced beets. They really cater to the eye when it comes to the final plating either on a sandwich or another dish. Thank you so much for the idea and recipe!
robert says
Humm,???
Eating meat, vs eating beans.
.
Eating meat, is killing one of God's creations, for pleasure....
Eating beans, makes you fart....
.
Beets: my heart is getting weak as I get older; shortness of breath, skipping heart beat. I have found that eating half a beet, 2 times a day, is a lifesaver ! I can feel the health difference in 30 minutes.
.
I will be medicating with beets, for the rest of this life.
My next recipe will be fermented beets, and Eastern European beet Kavass.
Lisa says
Have you canned these or made in larger batches?
Melissa says
I haven't. If you try it, let me know!
Mackenzie says
How long do these last in the fridge?
Project Wellness Now says
What a fantastic idea! I love beets and I'm always looking for new ways to prepare them. I'm going to try your recipe for sure:)
Janet says
My beets are raw and frozen. Wil they ferment properly?
Daisy says
I just spiralized 2.8# of beets that were picked from my garden a few days ago. I figured out the approx weight of 5 medium beets ( app 1#) then adjusted the salt to suit.
I was wondering if you have ever added onions? I was considering it, but think I may try it next time after I see how this first attempt works out. 🙂
Melissa says
I have not added onions. If you try it, let me know if it´s good!
Candy says
What if I don’t have dill? Can I omit or use something else? If so, what? Suggestions? Thanks. It’s been on list of things to make.
Mar mur says
What spiraliver do you use , had a couple and would never do beets.
Melissa says
The brand is Lurch. I think it comes from Germany.