Get ready to fall in love with our quick and easy Beet Salad! You can choose to steam, boil, roast, or even microwave your beets—whatever fits your mood. And wait till you try the homemade Orange-Balsamic Vinaigrette; it’s so good you might just want to make a double batch. This salad is perfect for a speedy weeknight dinner or a tasty, nutritious lunch.
Why Our Recipe
- Multiple options for cooking your beets including steaming, boiling, and roasting.
- Simple homemade vinaigrette that’ll make you want to lick the plate.
- Ready in about 30 minutes if you use a steamer to cook your beets.
Beets are not just colorful and full of flavor, they’re also packed with vitamins and minerals. Our versatile cooking methods mean you can easily adapt the recipe to what works best for you—whether you’re in a rush or have time to slow roast them to caramelized perfection. The star of the show is hands down our homemade Orange-Balsamic Vinaigrette. It’s a game changer and you’ll want to use it on all your salads. It’s simple to whip up, and pairs perfectly with the beets to bring a bright pop of flavor.
Ingredient Notes
- Beets: Fresh beets are ideal, but canned beets can be used in a pinch. For a different flavor, try golden beets.
- Mixed Salad Greens: Feel free to use any combination of greens you like. Arugula or spinach are great options.
- Goat Cheese: Can be substituted with blue cheese or feta if desired.
- Vinaigrette Ingredients: For a sweeter dressing, add honey or maple syrup.
Alternative Cooking Methods
There are several different options for cooking your beets for this recipe. The recipe itself calls for steaming your beats, but there are other options as well that don’t require peeling your beats, which can be difficult and cumbersome. Feel free to choose whichever method works best for you.
How to Roast Beets
Beets can be roasted whole, without peeling. Rinse and scrub your beets to remove any dirt or debris. Wrap beets whole, individually, with aluminum foil. Bake in a 375-degree oven for 30 to 60 minutes until tender. The amount of cooking time will depend on the size of the beets. Once tender, unwrap and remove the peels. Then you can easily slice, or cube the beets for eating.
How to Boil Beets
Beets can be boiled whole until tender. This allows for the easy removal of the peel. Rinse and scrub your beets to remove any dirt or debris. Place the whole beets into a pot of boiling water. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the beets until tender, about 45 minutes. Drain and peel. Then you can slice or cube the beets for eating.
Makeshift Steamer
Pick a saucepan that is big enough to fit all your peeled and cubed beets in it. Put a half inch of water in the bottom and bring it to a boil. Add in your diced beets, put the lid on, and reduce the heat to low so it just simmers. The water will create enough steam to cook the beets, but the beets that actually touch the water might get a little soggy or overcooked.
How to Microwave Beets
Use a microwave-safe bowl and just put just enough water in to cover the bottom of the bowl. Add in your cubed beets. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and poke a couple holes in it to allow some steam to escape. Microwave until beets are tender. Begin checking after 6 minutes.
Watch out! They stain!
Wear gloves while handling beets to avoid staining your hands.
Use a dark-colored cutting board and keep beets away from sustainable surfaces like marble.
Chill the beets after cooking to make them easier to handle.
Storage Instructions
Beet salad is best eaten fresh but can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
The vinaigrette should be stored separately and added just before serving.
More delicious salad recipes…
Watch the video below where Rachel will walk you through every step of this recipe. Sometimes it helps to have a visual, and we’ve always got you covered with our cooking show.
Delicious – I used pickled beets and pears. So good!
I used arugula instead of mixed greens and added a handful of toasted walnuts and sliced strawberries. Also a little mustard in the dressing. I used my InstantPot to cook the beets, which made it even easier.
The dish was a HUGE hit. I will make it again tomorrow for another holiday weekend potluck!
Delicious and oh so healthy
This is a really delicious and healthy recipe. Loved the pear and beet combination. Excellent, will definitely make again!
I fell in love with beet salad a couple years ago while vacationing in California. This recipe was just as good if not better! Delicious!
The dressing is lovely!
I used a macedonian feta, which is a very creamy and mild feta. It has the creaminess of goat cheese, with the extra bite from the feta, and also still a litle bit crumbly. So it’s anyone reading this wants a little more punch- try some macedonian feta!
Anyway, I I would rarely cook beets because it was such a pain in they took so long and mage such a mess. This time around, I used my instant pot. The beets were very large, so we chopped off the stems and quartered them. We steamed them in the instant pot for 14 minutes. Just a quick rinse under cool water and the skins slide right off! There were perfectly tender and we were able to slice them right in the bowl! No mess!!
Can not wait to make this for Easter this weekend, quick question though because not a lot of people like goat cheese, can I substitute for mozzarella instead? Just to be on the safe side.
I wouldn’t hate it.
You’re right, this was the best beet salad! The vinaigrette really made the dish stellar, thanks for sharing! (Also great photos!!)
I love beets. I never manage to grow as many as I hope to, and I balk at paying the grocery store price for organic beets. Thus, my beet consumption is limited to whatever I grow. A few times, though, I ended up with a lot of beets. I had enough to can once, and the other time I make a huge batch of borscht. Crap – now I want to go plant beets.
Cant wait to try this! The only sub I will make (dietary reasons) is the goat cheese.