How to Make Pickled Eggs

Recipes for pickled eggs have shown up across cultures for centuries. It was one of many methods used to preserve extra eggs, although other methods like water-glassing and dehydrating actually offer a safer alternative for long-term storage. 

However, pickling eggs can extend their shelf-life significantly, especially if they are kept in a refrigerator or root-cellar.

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The Basic Recipes and a Caution

The basic recipe for pickled eggs consists of vinegar, sugar, and salt. The eggs are hard-boiled and allowed to rest in the vinegar/brine in canning jars for a few days and usually consumed within three or four months. 

The traditional recipe recommends that pickled eggs be consumed within 3 months while refrigerated. They can also be processed in a hot water bath to ensure added food safety, but pressure canning is never recommended. The eggs become very rubbery after pressure canning and the yolks can actually blacken.

Some people don’t mind the rubbery texture and pressure-can them anyway. That’s up to you, but even pressure canning may not overcome the highly alkaline nature of even hard boiled eggs. 

That alkalinity is overcome to some degree by the acidity of vinegar, but the egg white actually presents a barrier to the vinegar, and the yolk is a literal Petri dish for bacteria over time – especially if unrefrigerated.

Pickled Egg Variations

Over time, many pickled egg variations have shown up, from Pennsylvania Dutch Pickled Eggs colored with beet juice to dill-fermented pickled eggs, which literally borrows a technique from pickling cucumbers.

We’ll cover many of the variations, but all of them come with the same caution about refrigeration and shelf-life.  If you’re looking for the safest way to preserve eggs long-term without refrigeration, consider the following links:

Old-Fashioned Pickled Eggs

This recipe is the simplest from an ingredient standpoint. The process is about the same for any pickled egg recipe, but if ingredients are few and far between, this could save the day.

Equipment:

Ingredients:

• 12 eggs (hard boiled)
• 3 cups white vinegar
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 TBS kosher or sea salt

Directions:

1. Carefully put eggs into the pot and cover with water. 

• Bring water to a boil and remove from heat.

• Let the eggs stand in the covered pot of hot water for 15 minutes.

• Remove the eggs from the hot water and cool in a bowl of ice water.

• Crack and peel the eggs under cold, running water and let rest in a bowl of cold water.
• Add vinegar, sugar, and salt to the pot and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the salt and the sugar.

• Remove the vinegar/brine from the heat.
• Carefully place the eggs into the 1-quart canning jar and pour the vinegar/brine mixture over the top until the brine reaches the rim.
• Cover and seal the jar and refrigerate for 1 week to allow the brine to permeate the eggs.

You can invert the jar every other day to make sure eggs towards the top get fully flavored. This 1-week seasoning process is important to fully develop the flavor, particularly in recipes with added or complex ingredients.

1. (Optional) You could also seal the jar and process in a hot water bath for 15 minutes. Place the jar in the pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Place the lid on the pot and reduce the heat to maintain a gentle boil for 15 minutes. Remove the jar and let cool before refrigerating for 1-week to meld the flavors.
2. Store in the refrigerator or root cellar and eat within 3 to 4 months.

Some Egg Tips for Pickled Eggs

Before we get into some of the variations on pickled eggs, there are some variations on boiling and peeling eggs that are worth knowing about. Two of the biggest problems people encounter with pickled egg recipes are undercooked or overcooked eggs, and eggshells that just won’t peel cleanly from the egg white. 

Here’s some age-old advice about how to avoid those problems. You don’t have to do all of them, but if you encounter any problems, you could try one of these ideas.

Effective Hard Boiling

• Place the eggs into a pot and cover with water and boil for 10 minutes. A 10-minute egg is the standard time for hard boiling. Many people hard boil their eggs this way. The risk is that the eggs can be overcooked depending on the size of the eggs, their temperature when placed into the pot, or the volume of water in the pot.
• An alternative is to do the same with eggs in the pot and covered with water and do what we recommend in the recipe by bringing the water to a boil and removing the covered pot from the heat for 15 minutes. This theoretically compensates for variations in beginning egg temperatures, egg size, and heat levels without overcooking the eggs.

Effective Peeling

• Carefully tap the top of each egg until you hear a slight crack. Don’t break the egg. Do the second boiling approach with the eggs placed in the pot of water brought to a boil and the pot removed from the heat for 15 minutes. The slight crack allows some of the water to penetrate the egg to release the semi-permeable membrane and the shell is often easier to remove.
• Or, refrigerate your hard boiled eggs in the shell for 1-day after cooking. You can cook them any way you want, but allowing the eggs to sit for a day after boiling also seems to loosen the membrane under the shell, making peeling easier and cleaner. If you’re in a hurry, you can soak them in a bowl of ice water for 20 minutes.
• Run under cold water in the sink while peeling the egg. This is the traditional “Grandma way” to remove shells from a hard-boiled egg without pulling away some of the egg white. Regardless of the method you may have used to prep or boil the eggs, most people find that running water is an extra insurance step to get a clean, solid egg out of the shell. 
• Soak the eggs after boiling in a pan of 50/50 vinegar and water and add baking soda. Do this in the sink because the baking soda will cause the water and vinegar to foam. Let the eggs soak for 20 minutes and then peel. It’s a bit complicated, but some people swear by it. Most of us stick with the Grandma/running water technique. 

Recipe Variations

Dill Pickled Eggs

Yes, they taste a little like dill pickles. Garlic is another optional ingredient if that’s how you like your dill recipes and some people even add hot pepper flakes or a couple of whole hot peppers. Whatever suits your taste is fair. You can use dried dill or fresh, but fresh is best.

Equipment:

• Same as before with a one-quart canning jar and large pot.

Ingredients:

• 12 eggs (hard boiled)
• 3 cups white vinegar (you can substitute apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar as well)
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 TBS kosher or sea salt
• 12 dill sprigs or 1 TBS dried dill
• 1 TBS garlic minced
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes or 2 small red peppers (optional)

Directions:

• The process is the same as the basic recipe at the beginning until you get to filling the empty jar with eggs. Before adding the eggs and the brine, place the dill sprigs or dried dill; the garlic and the red pepper flakes or peppers in the bottom of the jar. Add the eggs and top with the brine and finish as before. You’ll also want to invert the jar in the fridge every other day as the eggs season. This distributes the dill, garlic and red pepper to evenly distribute it throughout the jar.

Pennsylvania Dutch Beets and Pickled Eggs

This recipe imparts a deep red color to the eggs and offers a sliced beet bonus in the jar. The beet juice from a jar or can of beets is the primary coloring ingredients and adds flavor to the eggs as well.

Equipment:

• Same as before with a one-quart jar and pot.

Ingredients:

• 12 eggs (hard boiled)
• 2 cups white vinegar
• 1 cup beet juice (from a can or jar of beets)
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 TBS kosher or sea salt
• 12 slices of beets or as many as you can fit as you fill the jar with eggs

Directions:

• The directions are the same as the basic recipe except you add a cup of beet juice to the vinegar/brine while heating and dissolving the sugar and the salt, and you also add slices of beets as you fill the jar with your hard-boiled eggs.

Because you’re reducing the amount of vinegar you need to keep these refrigerated or in a cool root cellar.

Golden Eggs

This pickled egg recipe actually results in golden eggs. The yellow coloring is the result of turmeric in the recipe, and some other spices associated with mustard also join the list.  They have a mild mustard flavor and make a great source for egg salads or as an addition to any sandwich or salad.

Equipment:

Ingredients:

Directions:

• Same as before with two differences. When heating the vinegar, salt, and sugar–stir in the turmeric to distribute it in the brine.
• Before filling the jar with the eggs, drop the mustard seeds and coriander seeds into the bottom of the jar. 

Buffalo Eggs

These are spicy. If you’re one of those people who love Buffalo wings, you’ll get a kick out of these Buffalo Eggs. You can spice them up as much as you want, but the recipe below will definitely get you there. These are great in Southwestern style salads or even on a taco or burrito.

Equipment:

Ingredients:

• 12 eggs (hard boiled)
• 3 cups white vinegar
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 TBS kosher or sea salt
• 2 TBS hot sauce (use your favorite hot sauce)
• ½ tsp cayenne pepper
• ½ tsp red pepper flakes
• ½ cup chopped onions
• ½ cup diced hot peppers (choose you pepper: you could use jalapenos, Serrano or if you want to take it way up – habaneros).

Directions:

• Same as in the first recipe except add the hot sauce, cayenne pepper, and red pepper flakes when you’re first heating the vinegar, salt, and sugar.
• Add the diced onions and hot peppers to the jar before adding the eggs and the brine. 
• Invert the jar a few times to distribute the peppers and onions between the eggs.

Experiment

Once you understand how to make the basic vinegar/brine, you can try adding a variety of other ingredients. Here are some links to a range of pickled egg recipes that have emerged over the years:

A Bit About Pickled Eggs and Food Safety

There are an awful lot of cautions on the Internet about pickled eggs and food safety. The worst case scenario is botulism, which can occur in the egg yolks of eggs that have not been properly preserved, processed, or stored. This is especially true over time. 

It’s best not to take any chances with pickled eggs. Make sure that vinegar is not only used in the recipe but at least 5% acidity. Salt is a big help, so don’t skip it. Water bath processing also adds an extra step, but refrigeration or a cold root cellar is always the best option for storage.

It’s also true that some other ingredients like mustard seeds, cayenne, and even the capsaicin in hot peppers can help to inhibit bacterial growth. Just don’t get cocky, and try to eat them sooner rather than later.

Shelf-life for pickled eggs is consistently identified as 3 months by a variety of sources, including the USDA. 

Some Random Notes on Ingredients

Vinegar

White vinegar is the standard acid for pickled eggs, but apple cider vinegar, wine vinegars, and even balsamic vinegar can be used. The balsamic vinegar will impart a dark tinge to the eggs, and red wine vinegar will make them pink. That’s all good as long as the vinegar has at least an acidity of 5%.

On a side note, lemon and lime juice have high acidity levels and can be used if you have no vinegar, although the flavor will reflect the citrus juice you use.

Salt

Kosher salt and sea salt are the most often recommended. Canning salt is another possibility. Iodized salt is generally discouraged for any type of pickling or canning, but if that’s all you have, it’s better than no salt.

Vegetables

We’ve already mentioned garlic, onions, beets, and peppers, but some people also add sliced carrots to their pickled egg recipes. Fruits are another possibility, and bits of pineapple and oranges sometimes show up in recipes.

Herbs and Spices

Anny herb or spice you use for canning or pickling works with pickled eggs. Some of the more popular options include: dill, cloves, cardamom, cumin, oregano, turmeric, sage, rosemary, mustard seeds, coriander, and white or black pepper. It’s all a matter of personal taste.

Pickled Egg Fails

A few things can go wrong, so here are some things to keep in mind when it comes to pickled eggs.

• It’s best to place eggs into the pot that are at room temperature. Cold eggs may throw off your cooking time and could crack if the water gets too hot too fast.
• If using farm fresh eggs right from the nest, let them rest unwashed for a week. Freshly laid eggs that have not been washed don’t require immediate refrigeration, and a week of rest before boiling will help to release the membrane between the shell and the egg white. This is another step to make them a little easier to peel. Store bought eggs are fine right out of the carton as long as they’re at room temperature.
• Some people intentionally undercook their eggs if later processing in a hot water bath.  Instead of bringing the water to a boil and letting rest in the hot water (off the heat) for 15 minutes – they cut that resting time to 8 minutes. The eggs are slightly undercooked and maybe even soft-boiled, but the water bath finishes them avoiding a dark discoloration around the yolks.
• Pressure canning is rarely if ever recommended for pickled eggs. The problems range from blackened egg yolks to rubbery eggs. Try it if you want but there’s a reason most websites and the USDA recommend against it. If you want to store eggs long-term, water glass or dehydrate them.
• Anytime you add an ingredient that colors the eggs like beet juice or turmeric, it will eventually permeate the egg white to the yolk. This usually takes a few days to happen.  However, after a few weeks, it will start to seep into the yolk as well. That’s not a problem from a taste or food safety standpoint, but it will affect the appearance, so slice them after a couple of days for any other occasion when you can see the inside of the sliced egg.
• Failing to sterilize jars, lids, and equipment. Food safety is all about preventing bacterial growth. Anything you can do to inhibit bacteria should be done and that includes effectively sterilizing all equipment in boiling water.

Don’t Get Discouraged

Pickled eggs taste great and are easy to make. Just make sure you eat them within 3 or 4 months at the most, and if at all possible, refrigerate them or keep them in a chilly root cellar.

For most of us that’s not a problem, because they taste so good, they’re usually gone within a week or two. Maybe make a bigger batch of brine and store it in a jug to make the next batch of pickled eggs easier.

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