The PERFECT Beet Salad Recipe (2024)

Beet Salad is a show-stopping dish that’s as flavorful as its bold colors suggest. Serve this fancy-tasting dish with entrees, sandwiches, or enjoy as a meatless main course!

The earthy, hearty, and fresh flavors of this recipe go best with rich dishes like my Wine Roasted Beef Tenderloin and Honey Butter Ham. For a lighter meal, pair it with our Oven Roasted Mahi Mahi. Other delicious options are brisket, duck, and an oilier fish like mackerel.

The PERFECT Beet Salad Recipe (1)

Healthy Beet Salad Recipe

Beet Salad is an outstanding starter, and it tastes as fabulous as it looks. To be perfectly honest, I wasn’t too fond of them growing up. If you’re like me, your first taste of these red bulbs was probably the bland, magenta-colored stuff that came in cans. Fresh beets finally won me over, and now I can’t get enough!

When prepared properly, they have such a special, earthy sweetness. This recipe is so simple to make, but the results are elegant enough to serve at a dinner party. It also makes for a great packed lunch during the weekdays, and so easy to make in large batches for potlucks.

Expect this versatile dish to be a hit wherever you go!

Is beet salad healthy?

Definitely. In fact, every serving is packed with impressive health benefits. They are a great source of Vitamin C, iron, folate, fiber, magnesium, and other nutrients. As part of a healthy diet, it can help reduce blood pressure, boost cognitive function, prevent dementia, and enhance athletic performance.

Additionally, this recipe is pretty low in calories which makes it waist-friendly! It’s a tasty way to cut back on calories without settling for boring tossed salads.

How to cook beets in the Instant Pot

If you love beets but hate how long they take to cook, try my game-changing recipe for Easy Instant Pot Beets! All you need is an Instant Pot and some water. Feel free to adjust the time to achieve your desired crunchiness or softness. Once cooked, you can use them ASAP, or freeze them to have on-hand as needed.

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What do you need to make beet salad?

You’ll need classic dressing ingredients such as acids, olive oil to emulsify the dressing, and greens for this recipe. I use lemon juice, orange juice, and balsamic vinegar balanced with a bit of honey or maple syrup to really perk up this dish. The pine nuts and pomegranate seeds add a nice bite, while the sharp goat cheese rounds it all up.

Make sure to use a big enough bowl so you can toss all components together. Use a spinner for the mixed greens to remove excess moisture.

How to Make Beet Salad

  • Prepare. Measure, chop and prepare all the ingredients. You may prepare the beets in advance.
  • Make the dressing. Whisk the dressing ingredients in a bowl.
  • Assemble. Toss the dressing with the rest of the ingredients.
  • Serve. Serve in individual plates, or family-style so everyone can help themselves.
The PERFECT Beet Salad Recipe (5)

Can you make a beet salad in advance?

Yes. Once you’ve pre-cooked and frozen them, you can simply thaw out the portions you need. As for the dressing, you can mix it up ahead, and shake well just before using. Prepare the rest of the salad ingredients and assemble right before serving.

Variations:

There are so many ways to switch up this classic! For instance, use feta instead of goat cheese.

Add your favorite nuts like pistachios, walnuts, and almonds. Fruits like apples, cherries, and raisins do a great job of intensifying the natural sweetness of this recipe.

For the greens, the peppery kick of arugula complements this dish well.

The PERFECT Beet Salad Recipe (6)

More Delicious Salads:

  • Arugula Strawberry
  • Classic Potato
  • Creamy Grape Salad
  • Mediterranean Couscous Salad
  • Classic Waldorf Chicken salad

Recipe Tips:

  • You can use a mason jar to emulsify the dressing. Place all the ingredients inside, and shake well until the dressing becomes hom*ogenous. It also works as an instant container for leftover dressing!
  • You can prepare most of the dish components up to three days in advance.
  • Wear a pair of gloves for peeling the bulbs and avoid staining your hands.
  • Adjust the timer on your Instant Pot to achieve your desired doneness for the beets.

Beet Salad Recipe

  • Prep Time15 MIN
  • Cook Time
  • Servings 6 servings as a side dish

Ingredients

Beet Salad:

  • 6 oz baby spinach fresh
  • 6 oz mixed greens
  • 3 beets cooked and diced into 1-inch cubes
  • 1/2 cup pine nuts
  • 1/2 cup goat cheese crumbled
  • 1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

Balsamic Vinegar Salad Dressing:

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons orange juice freshly squeezed
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

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Instructions

Salad Dressing:

  • Add dressing ingredients to a medium-size bowl. Whisk to combine.

  • Store in a mason jar in the fridge if not using immediately. Shake before using it.

Beet Salad:

  • Add salad ingredients to a plate, starting with the spinach and greens, top with the dressing.

  • Toss and serve.

Nutrition Facts

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The PERFECT Beet Salad Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What can you add to beets to make them taste better? ›

The roasted beets are wonderful on their own, seasoned simply with salt and pepper, or dressed up more with citrus juice, herbs, or balsamic vinegar. Serve them with any weeknight dinner, or add them to a holiday meal. These oven roasted beets keep well for days in the fridge, so they're great for making ahead.

Is it better to roast or boil beets for salad? ›

The softest texture will be the boiled beets, the roasted beets will be tender, but will still have a little “bite” to them. The steamed beets will be somewhere in the middle. If using the beets in a salad, or serving them as a side dish, I prefer the roasted or steamed beets.

What is beet salad made of? ›

Assemble the salad with the greens, shallots, apples, beets, walnuts, cheese, and microgreens, if using. Drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette. Season with flaky sea salt and pepper and serve.

What is the most delicious way to eat beets? ›

Roast beets until they are tender and juicy, then eat them with some spicy greens and piquant goat cheese. Add some hazelnuts and you're in heaven. In a salad. – Beets make a good complement to other salad staples.

Why add vinegar to beets? ›

Beets are a weekly ritual around here. Usually we boil them and toss them in a sweet sour vinaigrette and keep them in the refrigerator to eat all week. The vinegar in the dressing "pickles" the beets, helping them last longer in the fridge.

Is it OK to eat beets everyday? ›

Gout is an extremely painful condition caused by an increased uric acid level in your blood. The oxalates found in beets can increase your uric acid level, meaning that too many beets can lead to gout. To avoid this, stick to no more than a single half-cup serving of beets per day.

Should you peel beets? ›

Sometimes beets are peeled before cooking. They may also be scrubbed and cooked until tender with their skins on; the skins slip off fairly easily after cooling. (Some people are happy to leave the skins on; they are fine to eat.)

Should I peel beets before boiling? ›

TIPS FOR cooking beets

Keep checking whichever method you're using. Don't remove the beet skin before cooking. It's really not necessary and it's much easier to do so after cooking. Some also find that removing the skin prior to cooking takes away some of the beet's earthy test.

Can you drink the beet juice from boiling beets? ›

Yes, you can. It's completely safe to drink water that has been used to boil beetroots. Why can't I eat them raw? Actually, beets can be eaten raw, especially when grated or made into a salad.

Can dogs eat beets? ›

Yes! Beets are safe for your dog to eat in moderation and are a healthy source of vitamin C, fiber, folate, manganese, and potassium. These vitamins and minerals are good for your dog's digestion and immune system as well as a healthy skin and coat. While it's rare, some dogs can be allergic.

How healthy is beet salad? ›

Beets are an incredibly nutritious ingredient, meaning beet salads are good for you. They taste earthy with a hint of sweetness and are rich in vitamin C, fiber, and folate. Beet lovers rejoice with my Beet Hummus.

How do you cut beets for salad? ›

How to Cut Beets
  1. Cut off the root end and the stem end using a Hardy Slicer.
  2. Peel the skin using a Vegetable Peeler or Paring Knife.
  3. Place the beet flat side down on the cutting board and cut into slices of desired thickness.
  4. Stack the slices to cut into planks.
  5. Cut the planks crosswise to dice.
Jul 17, 2018

Is Beet Salad good for you? ›

Packed with nutrition, beets have antioxidants like betalains that fight cell damage and inflammation, potentially offering protection against cancer and heart disease. Health benefits of beets include more stamina during exercise, heart disease and stroke prevention, and lower blood pressure.

Can you make beets taste good? ›

Caramelize them on a grill. Roasting beets seems like the most common method to bring out their natural sweetness. However, there's one unconventional way to caramelize beets: firing up the grill and watching it do its magic. Not only does it intensify their candy-like flavor, but it also imparts a smokiness to them.

How do you make beets more palatable? ›

My favorite way to cook beets is to roast them, which gives a sweeter, richer, and deeper flavor than boiling does. Another advantage is that they don't bleed as much, especially if they're roasted whole.

How do you take the bitterness out of beets? ›

Beetroots can taste bitter due to compounds like geosmin and saponins. To reduce bitterness when eating them as a vegetable, choose young beetroots, peel and cook them, combine with other flavors, blanch them, or remove the skin before cooking. 2nd method you can boil beetroot to reduce bitterness before cooking.

How do you mask the flavor of beets? ›

While a bit of honey, maple syrup, or stevia can help mask earthy undertones, add these sweeteners conservatively to avoid overwhelming the natural flavors of the beets. Start with 1-2 teaspoons of your preferred sweetener per 16 oz serving and add more if needed.

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