These Pickled Eggs are a delicious and healthy snack that everyone will enjoy!
With no canning required, this recipe contains just the right combination of sweet, sour, and salty.
Pickled eggs are a great on-the-go snack or add them to a charcuterie board along with pickled asparagus and spicy dill dip.
Ingredients for Pickled Eggs
- Eggs: You’ll want hard boiled eggs which can be done in an Instant Pot, on the stove, or in an air fryer. Peel the eggs and cool completely.
- Brine: The brine for this recipe is the perfect balance of sweet and sour. I use white vinegar but you can substitute apple cider vinegar if you’d prefer.
- Onion/Garlic: I add a little bit of onion and garlic to this recipe. Cooking the onion in the brine adds a little bit of extra flavor.
- Sugar: A little white sugar balances the vinegar.
- Spices: I love the addition of fresh dill to these eggs. Along with dill, you’ll need coarse salt, a bay leaf, and some pickling spices. If possible, choose pickling spices without cloves (or pick out cloves if you see them); cloves can discolor the eggs.
How to Make Pickled Eggs
This pickled eggs recipe is so simple, it doesn’t require canning or special equipment, just a very quick brine, a few slices of onion, and some boiled eggs.
- Boil eggs, peel, and cool completely.
- Prepare the brine by boiling on the stove for 2 minutes.
- Place the eggs in a jar and add the garlic, dill, and brine. Cool completely and refrigerate.
Holly’s Tips
- Hard boil the eggs using a pressure cooker or air fryer for perfect results every time.
- Choosing a pickling spice without cloves will help keep the brine from turning brown.
- You can substitute cider vinegar for the white vinegar.
- Using red onion or a few slices of cooked beets will make your eggs, pretty and pink!
- Add extra dill or even a few slices of peppers or jalapeno for a little bit of zip!
What to Do with Pickled Eggs
I love the look of homemade goods – they just look like they were made with love (and they always seem to be received with love too)! This homemade pickled egg recipe makes a great gift a hostess gift, simply tie a ribbon around the lid.
- Pickled Eggs are great as an appetizer, as a snack, or even chopped up and added to an egg salad sandwich!
- Pickled eggs are great as a snack with a cold beer.
- Add them to a charcuterie board, a salad, or sandwiches. They’re a great addition to potato salad too.
- Once your eggs are gone, be sure to keep the onions… they’re the most delicious addition to salads and sandwiches (I actually just love eating them right out of the jar)!
More Things to Pickle!
Did you make these Pickled Eggs? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Easy Pickled Eggs (No Canning Required)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12 large hard boiled eggs peeled and cooled
- 2 to 3 sprigs fresh dill
- 1 clove garlic
Brine
- 1 large white onion thinly sliced
- 3 cups white vinegar
- 1 cup water
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon coarse salt
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 teaspoons pickling spices
Instructions
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In a medium saucepan, combine onion, white vinegar, water, sugar, salt, bay leaf, and pickling spices.
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Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and let simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool slightly.
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Add a garlic clove to an empty glass jar, and place 3 hard-boiled eggs on top. Layer the eggs with some of the cooked onion slices and a sprig of fresh dill. Repeat this layering process until the jar is full.
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Pour the pickling liquid over the eggs.
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Close the jar and refrigerate for at least 3-4 days before eating (1 week is best).
Notes
- Cooked or canned sliced beets can be added to the eggs. If using canned beets, replace the water with the beet juice.
- You can add more or less sugar to taste.
- I use a 1 qt jar, if your jars are smaller, these eggs can be divided over several smaller jars.
- These will keep for weeks in the fridge. Enjoy the onions on salads or in sandwiches.
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Appetizer, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine American
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Growing up being 21 then 1963 all the good pubs had saw dust on da floor n pickled eggs on the ba in gallon glass jugs , always a treat after working in construction all day , especialy a hot day pitcher of draft gold beer n some pickled eggs yummy this is a really good recipe. YEAHHHHHhhhh
So glad it brought back some memories for you, Joseph!
The recipe calls for white vinegar. Can I use distilled white vinegar?
Hey Hannah! Yes, you can use distilled white vinegar as a substitute for white vinegar in this pickled eggs recipe. I would love to hear how it turns out for you!
I made these several days ago and finally tried one today. This recipe is awesome. I will say, I’m not a huge bread & butter pickle person so these aren’t my favorite, but my husband loves them. If you prefer less sweet, definitely use less sugar. But the recipe itself is great, easy to follow, and makes a very nice pickled egg!
love this. my 5 year old loves these!
I can’t wait to try mine. They look so good..
My husband loves these eggs!
this is a delicious recipe. the balance of sweet and sour is perfect. I used red onion for the color and they are beautiful!
I also removed the cloves from pickling spice… personal preference
I also cooked strips of fresh jalapenos pepper with onions…next level
I have made these pickled eggs numerous times, this time I added a cut beet to the boiling liquid in order to get fancy pink eggs……wonderful. I also added some thinly sliced beet to the eggs just as an added oomph and the beets are nicely pickled too (a bonus). Thank you for this simple recipe…the most difficult part is having to wait a couple of weeks for the eggs to pickle but I found that the longer you wait to eat them the better tasting they become.
Sounds so yummy! Thanks for sharing, Olga.
This recipe repeatedly mentions “brine.” This is incorrect as brine is a salt solution or, in the case of dry brining, a salt based rub. A brining solution typically runs from 3 to 10% salt to water, although it can vary higher or lower by recipe, taste, diet, etc. Your so-called brine has ½% salt to liquid. Your eggs are not being pickled by fermentation as much as by absorption of vinegar.
Officially fermenting is a form of pickling. So technically, fermented eggs are pickled! However, typical pickled eggs are preserved with vinegar. The acidity of the vinegar provides flavor and preserves the eggs.
Yum
I made these and they are wonderful but I’d like to make them spicy should I add the peppers to the rest while it’s cooking or just slice them up and put in the jar?
You could do either Andy! I can’t wait to hear how it turns out!
why do we need to cook onions?
I like the flavor and consistency of the pickled cooked onions. If you prefer you can add them in raw.
I have never seen cooked onions in a pickle recipe. Please elaborate. How to cook, how long etc.
This recipe called for 1 sliced onion which is cooked in step 1. I hope this helps Faith.
Very nice recipe chef . You remained me my childhood . Thank you for your effort
So easy and so nice! So much nicer than shop bought pickled eggs! Made these so many times now
This is exquisitely amazing, and the pickle sauce tickles my taste-buds and leaves a tangy delight I would share with a friend /10
Hi Holly
I bought 15 dozen eggs last week as they were on sale. Guess what I made…these pickled eggs. Some I made with 2 cups water/2cups vinegar and the other half 3cups vinegar/1cup water. Both were great. I sterilized my jars and put them in my cold storage room in basement. They will be good in their for a year at least. I plan on making another huge batch as I am stocking up for the holidays already this year.
Yummy is all I can say. Lovely recipe.
Sami
Hi Sami , Did you WB or PC these eggs ?
Just curious since your storing them.
Have you ever reused the brine and added more boiled eggs to it?
I am, so pleased to have this incredible recipe it is by far like you said the absolute best pickled eggs I have ever eaten in my life thumbs up ☺
It turned out okay, but I think the taste is subjective. I appreciate the recipe. It is a good base recipe for me to build with.