Roasted Beet Salad
Roasted Beet Salad is made with simple ingredients like roasted beets cut up and tossed in a balsamic dressing with lemon, honey dijon mustard, and garlic, ready in under 90 minutes!
Roasted Beet Salad is so light and refreshing that it’s the perfect side dish or lunch! It’s made with simple ingredients like beets in a balsamic vinaigrette dressing, with minimal prep time. Most of the time in this recipe is just waiting for the beats to roast in the oven. And roasting beets is easier than you’d think!
After that, all you have to do is let them cool, cut them up, and toss with the dressing. This beet salad is great for potlucks, meal prep, or just to add more veggie variations to your weeknight dinner!
If you love this recipe, you may also love my other light and refreshing salads like this Pineapple Cucumber Salad, or my Kale Quinoa Salad. These beets also go great alongside my Whipped Feta Dip!
Table of contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Naturally Sweet & Gluten Free – Beets have a naturally sweet earthy flavor, which pairs perfectly with the savory notes of the balsamic vinegar and garlic. Plus they’re naturally gluten free!
Bright Color – If you’re looking to add more variation to your table, nothing beats the rich red and purple colors that beets will add to your spread.
Easy to Change – This salad can be made so many ways! I add an easy balsamic vinaigrette dressing, but you can also add herbs like fresh mint or fresh dill, leafy greens, crumbled feta cheese, or a sprinkle of pumpkin seeds or chick peas on top.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Beets. I like to choose medium to large sized beets for this salad. The bigger the beat, the more salad you’ll get. You can adjust how much balsamic vinaigrette you need accordingly.
Avoid beets that have any soft spots or a lot of wrinkles, which indicates that they’re older and no longer fresh. If you’re buying from the farmers market, you’ll get the best flavor in the springtime and early summer.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil. This will help the balsamic dressing stick to the beets evenly and adds some healthy fats to the dish.
Vinegar. I use balsamic vinegar for this recipe, but you can also use apple cider vinegar for a different flavor profile.
Mustard. Because beets have some natural earthy sweetness already, I go with honey dijon mustard to balance the flavor and bring out the sweet notes. You can also use dijon mustard for more of a savory note.
Lemon Juice. I use the juice of one lemon, which is about 2-3 tablespoons of lemon juice. The acidic notes add a bright fresh flavor that balances out the sweetness.
Spices. The ingredients themselves have a lot of flavor here, so I’m just adding a touch of garlic powder, kosher salt, and black pepper. You can also use fresh garlic cloves if you have them.
Kitchen Tools
For this recipe you’ll need aluminum foil, a sheet pan, paper towels, and a medium mixing bowl.
How to Make Roasted Beet Salad
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Wrap each beet individually in aluminum foil, enough to cover the whole beet. Place them on a baking sheet and roast for 60 minutes.
Remove from the oven and let the beets cool down until you can easily handle them.
In the mixing bowl, add the olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, and spices. Whisk together until well combined.
Once cooled, remove the aluminum foil and discard. Using a paper towel, you should be able to easily rub the skins from the beets. Once the skins are removed and discarded, cut the beets into 1-inch pieces.
Add the beets into the bowl and toss until evenly coated in the dressing.
Recipe Variations
- Try adding some goat cheese or feta cheese along with toasted walnuts, pine nuts, toasted pecans, or sliced almonds for a different take on this basic beet salad.
- For more savory notes, try adding some arugula with red onion or shallots. This is a great contrast to the natural sweetness in the beets. You can also put some salad greens on the bottom of the serving bowl for presentation.
- For sweeter notes, add some apple slices, pear slices, or dried cranberries with orange zest, feta cheese, or goat cheese to the salad.
- Mix the oven-roasted beets with some roasted carrots and sweet potato for a root vegetable salad. Add olive oil, honey or maple syrup, or lemon juice as-needed.
- Add some protein for a more complete meal like grilled chicken or steak.
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Recipe Tip! Try to cut the beet pieces to about the same size. This way the dressing will coat everything evenly, making each bite taste the same.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can serve this salad right away, or cover and refrigerate until the beets are nice and cold. The longer they sit in the dressing, the more flavor they will have, so this is great to make a day ahead of time!
Recipe Tip! We’re wrapping the beets in aluminum foil because we want the natural moisture from the beets to help steam them, helping them remain sweet and soften nicely.
More Salad Recipes
Storage
Refrigerate beet salad in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
Freeze beet salad for 2-3 months in a freezer safe container.
If you’re going to freeze this salad, I would recommend just freezing the beets after they’ve been cooked and cut up. Then defrost them in the refrigerator, and toss with the salad dressing just before serving. The texture of the beets might be a little softer from freezing.
Cooking Tips
- If you’re going to add any other ingredients like goat cheese or herbs, wait to add them until just before serving. The beets will leave color on the other ingredients when they sit, so adding them just beforehand will leave you with that contrast that makes the dish look great.
- I recommend refrigerating this for about an hour before serving, because I believe this salad tastes best when cold. But that’s a personal preference!
- If your salad is too dry after being stored in the refrigerator overnight, you can add a little more balsamic dressing and toss the salad again before serving.
- If your dressing is too savory, try adding a touch of honey or maple syrup to balance it out.
Tried this recipe? ⭐ Leave a review and share what worked best for you—your tips help other home cooks get the same delicious results!
Roasted Beet Salad
Ingredients
- 2 pounds red beets, (about 4-5 large beets) stems removed, washed
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, (juice of 1 lemon)
- 1 teaspoon honey dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
Equipment
- 1 baking sheet
- 1 medium mixing bowl
- aluminum foil to wrap the beets
- paper towels to help remove the skin from the beets
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Wrap each beet individually in aluminum foil, enough to cover the whole beet. Place them on a baking sheet and roast for 60 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the beets cool down until you can easily handle them.
- Once cooled, remove the aluminum foil and discard. Using a paper towel, you should be able to easily rub the skins from the beets. Once the skins are removed and discarded, cut the beets into 1-inch pieces and set aside.
- In the mixing bowl, add the olive oil, vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, and spices. Whisk together until well combined. Add the beets into the bowl and toss until evenly coated in the dressing.
Notes
- We’re wrapping the beets in aluminum foil because we want the moisture from the beets to help steam them, helping the beets remain sweet and soften nicely.
- If you’re going to add any other ingredients like goat cheese or herbs, wait to add them until just before serving, or they’ll absorb the color from the beets.
- I recommend refrigerating this for about an hour before serving, because I believe this salad tastes best when cold. But that’s a personal preference!
- If your salad is too dry after being stored in the refrigerator overnight, you can add a little more balsamic dressing and toss the salad again before serving.
- If your dressing is too savory, try adding a touch of honey or maple syrup to balance it out.
Nutrition
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