Name: Beet Relish with Horseradish
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 60 min
Ingredients: 4 to 5 lbs medium-sized beets; 1/2 cup freshly grated horseradish; 2 cups pickling vinegar; 3/4 cup white granulated sugar; 2 tsp pickling salt; 1 tbsp pickling spice

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Have you ever tried beet and horseradish relish? It’s an easy-to-make condiment that’s both sweet and tangy, with just enough bite from the horseradish. It’s excellent served with roast beef or ham, spooned onto a cheese board, or even paired with plain rice. It’s a simple way to add color and bold flavor to mild foods.

This is a small-batch recipe. My husband loves it, so the photos shown are from a double batch, but the ingredient list below is for one single batch.

Several jars of homemade beet relish with horseradish are stacked on the right. There is a open jar of relisj on the left and two freshly cooked garden beets for decoration. Everything is sitting on a plaid kitchen towel.

Ingredients You’ll Need

4 to 5 lbs of medium-sized beets (10 beets)
1/2 cup of freshly grated horseradish
2 cups pickling vinegar

3/4 cup white granulated sugar
2 tsp pickling salt
1 tbsp pickling spice

How to Make Beet Relish

Step 1: Prepare the Beets

Clean the beets well. Trim off the stems, leaving about one inch of stem attached. Leaving some stems helps prevent the beets from losing their color during cooking.

Place the beets in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the beets are tender when pierced with a fork. Depending on the size of your beets, this usually takes 30 to 40 minutes.

A large stainless steel pot filled with beets being cooked for homemade beet relish.

Step 2: Sterilize the Jars

While the beets are boiling, prepare your jars. Wash all jars, lids, and rings thoroughly.

Place the clean jars right side up in a large pot and cover completely with water. Bring to a steady boil and boil for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to a simmer and keep the jars hot until ready to use.

If you don’t have a pot large enough, lids and rings can be placed in a second pot. You can also use the dishwasher, as long as the jars are kept hot until filling.

A large pot full of boiling water, pint sized canning jars, lids and rings being sterilized for canning beet and horseradish relish.

Step 3: Peel and Grate the Beets

Once the beets are cooked, drain them and let them cool just enough to handle. The skins will rub off easily. I like to do this under cool running water to keep my hands comfortable while working.

Removing the skins off of fresh cooked beets while working under cool water. You can see a large stainless bowl underneath to catch the beet peels.

Remove any remaining bits of stem.

Grate the peeled beets by hand or using a food processor fitted with the large grater attachment.

If you don’t have a food processor, cooked beets are soft enough to grate easily by hand. Because the color can stain skin, wearing gloves is a good idea.

Grating fresh cooked beets in a large food processor. You can see the grated beets inside the bowl as well as the grater used.

Note: If you don’t have a food processor, cooked beets are soft enough to grate easily with a handheld grater. Because their deep color can stain skin, it’s a good idea to wear gloves while you work.

Step 4: Combine and Cook the Relish

Add the grated beets to a large pot. Peel and grate the fresh horseradish, then add it to the beets. Fresh horseradish is much stronger than jarred and can make your eyes water, similar to onions.

Adding a measuring cup full of freshly grate horseradish to a large stainless steel pot for making beet relish.

Tie the pickling spice into a piece of cheesecloth and add it to the pot.

Add the pickling vinegar, pickling salt, and white granulated sugar. Stir well. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture comes to a boil. This takes about 5 minutes.

Remove and discard the cheesecloth bundle of pickling spice.

A large pot filled with the ingredients for beet and horseradish relish. You can see a cheesecloth bundle of pickling spice added.

Step 5: Fill the Jars

Set up your canning area. You’ll need a water bath canner or a large pot, hot sterilized jars with their lids and rings, a canning funnel, a ladle, and a couple of clean cloths. Working on a wooden board or a thick tea towel helps protect your counters.

Supplies needed for canninng beet and horseradish relish. A large board to work on covered with a jar, lid, ring, ladel, funnel and clean cloth.

Using tongs, remove one hot jar from the water. Place a canning funnel on the jar and ladle in the hot beet and horseradish relish.

Adding a ladel full of homemade beet and horseradish relish to a funnel for canning.

Leave about 1/2 inch of headspace at the top of the jar. Wipe the rim clean with a damp cloth. Add the lid and ring, tightening to finger tight.

wiping the rim of a jar with a clean cloth prior to placing a lid and the ring on it.

Step 6: Process the Jars

Place the filled jars into a water bath canner or large pot. Make sure the jars are covered with at least one inch of water.

Bring the water back to a boil and process the jars for 20 minutes. When the time is up, carefully remove the jars and let them cool undisturbed.

The top of jars of relish in a waterbath canner.

Step 7: Check the Seals

After your jars have cooled, check o see if they have a seal by pushing the center of the lid. If the lid pushes down, the jar has not sealed. If this happens, place the unsealed jar in the fridge and use it right away.

Beet Relish with Horseradish

A small-batch beet relish with fresh horseradish that’s sweet, tangy, and full of color. Great with roast meats, cheese boards, or simple sides.

Print Recipe

Cook Time 40

Processing 20

Total Time 1

Ingredients

4 to 5 lbs medium-sized beets
½ cup freshly grated horseradish
2 cups pickling vinegar
¾ cup white granulated sugar
2 tsp pickling salt
1 tbsp pickling spice