Easy Pickled Eggs Recipe: 4 Ways to Use Pickled Eggs

Pickled eggs are brined eggs, a dish thought to have originated as bar food in Europe in the nineteenth century. Today, pickled eggs serve as a protein-packed snack, appetizer, or sandwich filling. Their taste is tart with a hint of sweet-and-sour flavor, similar to mild sweet pickles, with the richness and creaminess associated with boiled eggs.

To make pickled eggs, follow an easy recipe that calls for quick pickling—a method of soaking hard-boiled eggs in a brine solution of vinegar, sugar, and spices and storing the eggs in the refrigerator to absorb the pickle flavor.

Just like with pickled vegetables, you can customize a pickled egg recipe to make it sweeter, spicier, or tarter. Here are a few common variations:

1. 1. Red beet juice pickled eggs: For eggs that have a vibrant reddish-pink exterior and a slightly earthy taste, add the juice from a container of pickled beets to the egg pickling brine.
2. 2. Jalapeno pickled eggs: Add sliced jalapenos to the jar with the hard-boiled eggs, and then pour the hot pickling liquid into the jar. For mild spice, remove the seeds. For extra-spicy pickled eggs, leave the seeds attached.
3. 3. Turmeric pickled eggs: Adding a few teaspoons of ground turmeric to the pickling liquid will turn your pickled eggs a bright yellow color without having much impact on the flavor.
4. 4. Garlic pickled eggs: If you want extra-pungent, garlicky pickled eggs, add several garlic cloves to the mason jar with the eggs before pouring in the hot brine liquid.

Pickled eggs need refrigeration at all times; they should not be left out at room temperature. When properly refrigerated at about 40 degrees Fahrenheit, the eggs will stay fresh for two to three weeks in the refrigerator, and they will become tarter the longer they sit in the brine solution.