Beets: Our Favorite Recipes

Why Beets Deserve a Spot in Your Weekly Rotation

Let’s start with the obvious: beets bring drama. Their color is bold, their flavor is earthy-sweet, and they can
transform a basic salad into something that looks like it belongs on a restaurant’s “shareable plates” menu.
They’re also nutrient-densenaturally containing fiber, folate, potassium, and plant compounds like betalains
(the pigments responsible for that ruby glow). Many people also eat beets for their naturally occurring nitrates,
which the body can convert into nitric oxide, a compound involved in blood flow.

Two friendly reality checks: first, beets can temporarily tint urine or stool pink/red in some people (harmless,
just surprisinglike a jump-scare from your own body). Second, if you have kidney stone concerns or are on
blood-pressure medication, it’s smart to talk with a clinician before going all-in on daily beet juice or mega
portions. For everyone else? Beets are a delicious, practical way to add variety to your meals.

Buying and Prepping Beets Without Turning Your Kitchen Into a Crime Scene

How to pick the best beets

Look for beets that feel firm and heavy for their size, with smooth skins and no soft spots. If the greens are
attached, they should look perkynot limp and sad like they just remembered your unread emails. Smaller beets
tend to be sweeter and cook faster, but big beets are great when you’re roasting for meal prep.

Separate the greens (and don’t toss them)

Beet greens are edible and delicious. Cut the greens off, leaving about an inch of stem on the beet so it
doesn’t “bleed” as much moisture. Store greens separately and use them within a couple of days, like you would
spinach or chard.

Our favorite “set it and forget it” method: roasting

Roasting concentrates sweetness and softens the earthy edge. It also makes peeling easyonce cooked, beet skins
slip off with a quick rub. If you’ve been traumatized by watery boiled beets from childhood, roasting is your
comeback story.

Faster options when you need beets now

Short on time? You can simmer beets until tender, steam them, or microwave them in a covered dish with a splash
of water. The microwave method is surprisingly effective for weeknights when your hunger is louder than your
cooking ambitions.

Stain control tip: Beets are basically natural dye wearing a vegetable costume. If you care
about your cutting board, use a dark board, parchment, or a plate. Wash hands quickly after peeling, or wear
gloves if you want to keep your fingers their original color.

Our Favorite Beet Recipes (and Why They Work)

These are the beet recipes we come back to because they’re reliable, flexible, and actually make beets taste
like something you’d choose on purpose. Each one has an “easy mode” approach, plus upgrades if you feel fancy.

1) Foolproof Roasted Beets for Everything

Why we love it: Roasted beets are the ultimate meal-prep ingredientready to become salad,
dip, side dish, or sandwich upgrade with almost no extra effort.

How to do it: Heat oven to 400°F. Scrub beets, trim ends, and place on a sheet of foil.
Drizzle with olive oil, add a pinch of salt, and wrap into a tight pouch. Roast until a knife slides in easily
(often 45–60 minutes depending on size). Cool, then rub skins off under running water or with a paper towel.

Use it: Slice into wedges, toss with olive oil + lemon + salt, and finish with herbs. Or cube
them for grain bowls and salads. Keep a container of roasted beets in the fridge and you’re basically a
weeknight wizard.

2) Beet + Goat Cheese Salad with Crunch (Restaurant Vibes at Home)

Why we love it: Beets + creamy cheese + toasted nuts is a classic for a reason. Sweet-earthy,
tangy, crunchy, creamyyour taste buds get a full group project, and everyone actually participates.

Build it: Start with arugula or mixed greens. Add sliced roasted beets. Crumble goat cheese
(or feta). Add toasted walnuts or pistachios. Optional but excellent: orange or grapefruit segments for juicy
brightness.

Dressing idea: Whisk olive oil + balsamic (or red wine vinegar) + Dijon + a little honey,
salt, and pepper. If you want a more “chef-y” moment, add citrus zest or a spoon of grated shallot.

3) Quick Pickled Beets (No Canning, No Stress)

Why we love it: Pickling turns beets into a tangy-sweet snack that wakes up salads, sandwiches,
and snack plates. Also: your fridge suddenly looks like you have your life together.

Easy method: Slice or cube cooked beets. Simmer a quick brinevinegar + a little sugar +
salt. Add spices if you want (mustard powder, peppercorns, cloves, or a bay leaf). Pour brine over beets in a
jar, cool, then refrigerate. They get better after a day and keep well for several days.

How to serve: Toss into salads, pile onto toast with cream cheese, or serve alongside grilled
chicken or roasted veggies. Bonus: the brine can be whisked into vinaigrette for extra zing.

4) Creamy Beet Hummus (The “Why Is It So Pink?” Dip)

Why we love it: Beet hummus is a double win: it tastes great and looks like you brought a
party dish. Even if the “party” is you, your couch, and a TV show you swear you’re only watching ironically.

Blend it: In a food processor, combine chickpeas, tahini, lemon juice, garlic, salt, and a
chunk of roasted beet. Add olive oil and a splash of water until silky. Want extra creaminess? A spoonful of
Greek yogurt or ricotta-style softness can make it feel luxurious.

Make it yours: Add cumin or coriander for warmth, or a little grated lemon zest for pop. Top
with olive oil, herbs, sesame seeds, or chopped pistachios.

5) Cozy Borscht (Beet Soup That Tastes Like Winter Hugs)

Why we love it: Borscht is hearty, comforting, and surprisingly adaptable. It’s also a great
way to use beets when you want something more substantial than salad.

Weeknight approach: Sauté onion and carrots, then add broth plus chopped beets (pre-cooked
speeds things up) and cabbage. Simmer until everything is tender and cozy. Season with salt, pepper, and a
splash of vinegar or lemon to brighten. Finish with dill and a dollop of sour cream or plain yogurt.

Texture choices: Keep it chunky, or blend part of the soup for a creamy base while leaving
some vegetables intact. Either way, serve with something for dippingbread, crackers, or whatever is nearby
and deserves a purpose.

6) Crispy Oven Beet Chips (Snack Magic, If You Respect the Process)

Why we love it: Beet chips are crunchy, salty, and feel like a snack you’d overpay for in a
fancy bag. Making them at home costs lessand tastes fresher.

Key to success: Slice beets very thin (a mandoline helps). Salt the slices and let them sit so
moisture draws out, then pat dry. Bake on parchment in a low oven until crisp, flipping once. Watch closely
near the end: the line between “crispy” and “why does my kitchen smell like regret?” is thin.

Seasoning ideas: Keep it simple with salt, or add smoked paprika, garlic powder, or a pinch of
chili-lime seasoning.

7) Sautéed Beet Greens with Garlic (The Zero-Waste Win)

Why we love it: Beet greens taste like a slightly earthier spinach. Cooking them means you get
two vegetables in one purchase, which is basically the grown-up version of finding money in your pocket.

How to cook: Wash well (greens can hide grit like it’s their side hustle). Sauté sliced stems
first in olive oil with garlic. Add leaves with a few tablespoons of water, cover briefly, then stir until
tender. Finish with salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lemon.

8) Chocolate Beet Cake (Dessert That Secretly Brings Vegetables)

Why we love it: Beets add moisture and a deep, rich texture to chocolate bakingthink tender,
fudgy, and not “vegetable-y” when balanced with cocoa. This is the recipe you make when you want to surprise
someone who loudly claims they hate beets.

How it works: Purée cooked beets until smooth, then fold into a chocolate cake batter with
cocoa powder. The beet flavor stays in the background while the chocolate takes the spotlightlike a bassist
who secretly runs the whole band.

Serving tip: Use a simple vanilla or cream-cheese style frosting, or just dust with powdered
sugar. If you want color without food dye, a small spoon of beet purée can tint glaze a cheerful pink.

9) Bonus: The “Leftover Beet” Smoothie Booster

Why we love it: When you have a random half-beet hanging out in the fridge, smoothies are the
easiest save. Beets pair especially well with berries and citrus.

Quick formula: Blend a small chunk of cooked beet with frozen berries, banana, yogurt (or a
dairy-free option), and orange juice or water. Add a pinch of salt to make the fruit taste fruitier. It’s
bright, sweet, and looks like a tropical vacation even if you’re drinking it next to your inbox.

Flavor Pairings That Make Beets Taste Even Better

If someone tells you beets taste like dirt, don’t arguepivot. The solution is pairing beets with the
flavors that naturally balance earthiness:

• Acid: lemon juice, vinegar, pickling brine, citrus segments
• Creamy: goat cheese, feta, yogurt, sour cream, ricotta-style spreads
• Herbs: dill (classic), mint (fresh), parsley (easy), thyme (roasting-friendly)
• Crunch: walnuts, pistachios, sunflower seeds, croutons
• Sweet balance: oranges, apples, balsamic, a tiny drizzle of honey

The most reliable trick is simple: add something tangy and something creamy. That one-two punch turns “earthy”
into “complex,” which is just a fancier way of saying “wow, this is actually good.”

Common Beet Problems (Solved)

“My beets taste too earthy.”

Roast them instead of boiling, then add acid (lemon/vinegar) and salt. Citrus + goat cheese is the fastest
fix. Also, don’t skip the scrubdirty beets can taste… well, honest.

“My beet chips aren’t crispy.”

They’re probably too thick or too wet. Slice thinner, salt and rest to draw out moisture, pat dry, and bake in
a low oven with space between slices. Crowding makes steam, and steam makes sadness.

“Everything is purple now.”

Welcome to beet ownership. To reduce color bleed, keep red beets separate from light ingredients (like feta or
apples) until serving. Or lean in and make the whole dish pink on purposeit’s confidence.

“Peeling is annoying.”

Roast first, peel after. Once cooked, skins slip off easily. If you’re boiling, peel after cooking toosame
benefit, less hassle.

Make-Ahead Tips for Beet People (a Proud Community)

Beets are a meal-prep dream because they keep their texture and flavor well after cooking. Roast a batch and
store them in an airtight container for quick salads and bowls. Keep pickled beets in the fridge and treat
them like a condiment. Cook beet greens early in the week and rewarm them as a side.

If you’re planning a gathering, you can prep roasted beets and dressings ahead of time, then assemble salads
right before serving for best texture. Translation: you can look effortless while doing less work. That’s the
dream.

of Beet-Cooking Experience (What We Learned the Messy Way)

Our first serious beet phase started the way many culinary adventures do: with ambition, zero planning, and a
white cutting board. We bought a gorgeous bunchgreens attached, ruby bulbs gleamingthen immediately learned
that beets are less of an ingredient and more of a lifestyle choice. Ten minutes later, our hands looked like
we’d auditioned for a vampire movie, and the cutting board was permanently “blush-toned.” (We now call it
“character.”)

The biggest lesson? Roasting is the great beet equalizer. If you’ve only had boiled beets, you
might think the vegetable’s whole personality is “damp and intensely earthy.” Roasting changes everything. The
sweetness comes forward, the texture turns silky, and the beet flavor stops shouting. We started roasting a
batch on Sundays and keeping them in the fridge, and suddenly beet salads became a five-minute decision rather
than a 90-minute project.

Lesson two: acid is not optional. The beet’s earthiness is real, and it’s not something you
have to fightbut it does need balance. Lemon juice, vinegar, pickling brine, citrus segments… these aren’t
fancy extras. They’re the difference between “I guess I’ll eat this” and “Wait, make this again.” Our go-to
combo became roasted beets + goat cheese + citrus + toasted nuts. It’s almost unfair how reliably it works.

Lesson three: beet greens deserve respect. We used to toss them, which is like buying a book
and throwing away the last chapter. Once we started sautéing the stems first (because they need more time),
then wilting the leaves with garlic and a splash of water, we realized beet greens are a legit side dish. They
taste like a sturdier spinach, and they’re perfect with eggs, pasta, or anything that needs something green on
the plate.

Lesson four: beet chips are a patience test. The first time we tried, we cranked the oven,
stacked slices too close, and ended up with floppy beet bookmarks. The fix was boring but effective: slice
thinner, salt to draw out moisture, dry thoroughly, bake low and slow, and actually flip them. When you do it
right, they’re crisp, sweet-salty, and weirdly addictive.

Finally: beets reward small upgrades. A pinch of salt, a squeeze of lemon, fresh herbs, or a
creamy topping can turn a beet dish from “healthy” into “craveable.” And if you ever need to win over a beet
skeptic, don’t start with a saladstart with chocolate beet cake. It’s the culinary equivalent of a magic
trick: everyone’s delighted, and nobody suspects the vegetable in the room.