If you are looking for a flavorful way to preserve extra hard-boiled eggs, this easy fermented pickled eggs recipe is a great place to start. Unlike a traditional pickled egg recipe made with vinegar and pickling spice, these eggs develop their tangy flavor through natural fermentation using a simple salt brine and whey.
Turmeric gives the eggs their vibrant yellow color, while garlic, red onion, dill seed, mustard powder, and red pepper flakes create a savory, gently spiced flavor. This simple recipe for pickled eggs also includes ideas for making naturally pink or blue eggs using leftover liquid from other ferments.
How to Pickle Hard-Boiled Eggs Through Fermentation
Learning how to pickle boiled eggs through fermentation requires only a jar, a basic brine, whey, and a handful of seasonings. The most important step is keeping the peeled eggs completely submerged beneath the liquid while they ferment.
Ingredients:
- 10 hard-boiled eggs, cooled and peeled
- 1/4 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed or coarsely chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon dill seed
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/4 cup whey*
- 1 cup brine (2 teaspoons sea salt to 1 cup water) or more as needed
How to Make Fermented Pickled Eggs
Instructions:
- In a wide-mouth quart jar, put eggs, onion, garlic, black pepper, red pepper, dill seed, mustard powder, turmeric, bay leaf, and whey. Pour brine to cover up to 1″ from rim of the jar. Make sure eggs are submerged under liquid, use fewer eggs if necessary. Close lid tightly.
- Close the lid tightly and refrigerate immediately. Keep the eggs fully submerged in the liquid and refrigerated at 40°F or below. Do not leave the eggs at room temperature to ferment.
- These eggs will be bright yellow! You can ferment eggs in left-over juice from another ferment too. For blue eggs, use juice from fermenting red cabbage. For pink eggs, use beet kvass. Kids love the colors!
*You can use whey from yogurt. Just pour off the liquid from a new container of yogurt. You can also use Caldwell’s or other brand culture starter. Or use some liquid from another ferment such as sauerkraut.
Why Do Pickled Eggs Have to Be Refrigerated?
Homemade pickled eggs must be kept refrigerated at 40°F or below in a tightly closed container with the eggs fully submerged in the liquid. They should not be stored at room temperature or treated as a shelf-stable canned product. Room-temperature storage in a low-oxygen jar can create conditions that allow the bacteria responsible for botulism to grow.
When serving pickled eggs, return them to the refrigerator within two hours. Use these eggs within seven days and discard the entire batch if you notice an unusual odor, appearance, or texture.
Are Pickled Eggs Healthy?
Pickled eggs provide protein along with nutrients naturally found in eggs, including vitamin B12, choline, and selenium. Because pickled eggs can also contain considerable sodium, their nutritional value depends on the recipe, serving size, and a person’s individual dietary needs.
What Do Pickled Eggs Taste Like?
Pickled eggs have a tangy, savory flavor that becomes stronger as they sit in the brine. In this recipe, garlic, red onion, dill seed, mustard powder, turmeric, and red pepper flakes give the eggs an earthy, gently spiced flavor. The texture remains firm, with the seasonings gradually flavoring the egg whites.
A Colorful Twist on a Pickled Egg Recipe
This pickled hard-boiled eggs recipe is easy to customize using liquid from other fermented foods. Turmeric produces sunny yellow eggs, red cabbage liquid creates blue eggs, and beet kvass turns them pink. Serve them as a colorful snack, slice them over a salad, or use them to give deviled eggs a fermented twist.
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Recipe adapted from The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Fermenting Foods
