How long to water bath can pickled beets
Process pickled beets for 30 minutes (half-pints, pints and quarts) in a boiling-water canner at 0–1,000 ft, then add minutes as altitude rises: +5 at 1,001–3,000 ft, +10 at 3,001–6,000 ft, +15 at 6,001–8,000 ft and +20 at 8,001–10,000 ft.
Pickled beets canning times by altitude
| Altitude | Half-pints, pints and quarts |
|---|---|
| 0–1,000 ft | 30 min |
| 1,001–3,000 ft | 35 min |
| 3,001–6,000 ft | 40 min |
| 6,001–8,000 ft | 45 min |
| 8,001–10,000 ft | 50 min |
What the time assumes
- Method: boiling-water (water bath) canner
- Acidity: high-acid (or acidified)
- Headspace: ½ inch
- No tested process: half-gallons. Putby shows no time for this size.
Pickled beets only. Plain (unpickled) beets are low-acid and must be pressure canned.
Questions
- How long do you water bath can pickled beets?
- Process pickled beets for 30 minutes (half-pints, pints and quarts) in a boiling-water canner at 0–1,000 ft, then add minutes as altitude rises: +5 at 1,001–3,000 ft, +10 at 3,001–6,000 ft, +15 at 6,001–8,000 ft and +20 at 8,001–10,000 ft.
- How long do you process pickled beets at 5,000 feet?
- 40 minutes for half-pints, pints and quarts at 3,001–6,000 ft: the 30-minute tested time plus 10 minutes for altitude.
- What headspace should I leave for pickled beets?
- Leave ½ inch of headspace.
Sources
- USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning, Guide 6 (Fermented Foods & Pickled Vegetables) · NCHFP
Times and pressures are restated from the National Center for Home Food Preservation and the USDA Complete Guide to Home Canning, in our own words. They are the same table Putby's app uses; a test in the app fails if the two ever disagree. Altitude schedule: Putby adds minutes to boiling-water processes in five steps up to 10,000 ft; at the higher steps that can be a few minutes longer than a food's own USDA altitude table, never shorter. If your tested recipe gives a longer time, use the recipe's time. Last reviewed 2026-10-16.