Are beets one of the most hated veggies… or are they one of the most misunderstood?
Even the mere mention of them elicits bountiful boo’s from the mouths of many.
But we few, we happy few, we band of brothers of beets understand the sweet, earthy goodness of this ruby root vegetable.
Let’s see if we can change some minds here.
The bulbous root as well as the stems and leaves are edible, and provide a rich source of antioxidants, potassium, and fiber.
With different parts of the plant to expand your recipe repertoire, culinary options aren’t as limited as you would expect.
There’s more to this vastly unappreciated veggie than being boiled until soft, sad, flabby, and flavorless!
Okay, so you finally broke done and bought some roots, after a little pressure from yours truly…
Now what?
With the following collection of 19 recipes, you’ll soon understand how fun it is to eat your veggies. Among our suggestions – all homemade – you’ll find recipes for juices and pickles, soups and salads, as well as breads and dips.
And if you need to start with a basic, no-frills recipe for a simple roasted preparation, which is the foundational cooking technique for many of these recipes, quickly scroll down to Recipe #18.
No more fussing – let’s eat some veggies!
The Best Beet Recipes
- Apple and Mixed Vegetable Juice
- Arugula, Roasted Beet, and Goat Cheese Salad
- Beet, Goat Cheese, and Orange Salad
- Beet Monkey Bread Brains
- Beet Salad with Green Onion Vinaigrette
- Coconut Ginger Roasted Kale with Farro, and Goat Cheese
- Creamy Parsnip, Beet, and Coconut Milk Puree
- Creamy Red Roasted Beet Soup
- Heart Patties with Pecorino Garlic Butter and Pesto
- Mixed Vegetable Salad
- Potato and Greens Hash
- Quick-Pickled Root Vegetables
- Rainbow Guacamole
- Roasted Butternut Squash Couscous Salad
- Sauteed Garlic Greens
- Simple Salad with Fresh Herbs
- Spiralized Noodle Wrap
- Super Simple Roasted Beets
- Vegan Soup with Cashew Cream
1. Apple and mixed vegetable Juice
Let’s begin the roundup with a tall glass of freshly squeezed juice!
Our raw juice is as easy as ABC with the efficient help of a juicer.
This delicious mixed fruit and vegetable drink is loaded with nutrients for a healthy diet, and is the perfect way to start your day.
For the best and most flavorful results, look for fresh, firm, and vibrant produce with no blemishes or bruises.
2. Arugula, Roasted Beet, and Goat Cheese Salad
One of many salads you’ll see in this roundup – because our star of this show is a natural on a bed of greens – this particular rendition is quite the beauty with a few flavor-boosting secrets.
We marinate roasted beets in a homemade honey balsamic vinaigrette, delivering a major kick of extra tang and potency.
Toasted walnuts add some hearty crunch, balanced by the lemony taste of creamy, crumbled goat cheese and a punch of sourness from unsweetened dried cranberries.
All of the components are proudly displayed on top of peppery arugula leaves.
Find instructions to make this salad here.
3. Beet, Goat Cheese, and Orange Salad
A bejeweled salad with the most mesmerizing colors, you’ll love serving this mix to bring brightness and boldness to your meal!
We combine cooked vegetables and thinly sliced oranges with baby spinach, goat cheese, pine nuts, and fluffy couscous to make a light but filling salad option.
Instead of couscous, try another variety of grains, like barley, farro, quinoa, wild rice, or black rice.
And if you follow a vegan diet, simply omit the goat cheese, or substitute an equal amount of your preferred vegan cheese.
4. Beet Monkey Bread Brains
A fun, crazy, and ghoulishly gruesome recipe, we turn a basic recipe for pull-apart monkey bread into a Halloween dessert!
We make the dough completely from scratch, and layer large chunks with a blend of warming spices, butter, and lots of sugar.
Formed into the shape of a brain, there’s one more trick to this treat to achieve the eerily realistic blood-red color:
By mixing beet juice into the dough ingredients!
Find this spooky recipe here, and make it soon… if you dare!
5. Beet Salad with Green Onion Vinaigrette
You’re more than familiar with the combination of roasted beets, fresh greens, and goat cheese.
The combination is a delicious and delightful guarantee for a great salad.
But what sets this salad apart from the rest is its homemade vinaigrette!
We use a blend of chopped scallions, lemon juice, maple syrup, olive oil, and cayenne pepper for a subtly spicy, perfectly sweet, and delectably oniony dressing.
Ready for a light meal? Make the recipe now!
6. Coconut Ginger Roasted Kale with Farro, and Goat Cheese
Finally… a kale dish you might actually like!
Roasted with coconut oil, agave nectar, and ground ginger to mellow its flavor and texture, this cooked version of kale is the best introduction to eating greens that aren’t served raw.
What else is in this dish? Hearty farro serves as the base for roasted roots and chunks of creamy goat cheese, in addition to the kale.
You’ll be happy to add this vegetarian comfort food dish to your meat-free recipe list!
7. Creamy Parsnip, Beet, and Coconut Milk Puree
Bored of bland sides? Craving some color?
Bold and beautiful, use this creamy, dreamy puree to paint a pretty picture on your dinner plate!
Parsnips make up the bulk of the base, with beets providing the nearly neon pink color. For even bolder flavors, the puree includes coconut milk, rosemary, and butter-simmered ginger and garlic.
Stunning!
Read more here to live life in Technicolor.
8. Creamy Red Roasted Beet Soup
An earthier deviation from your classic soup collection, our creamy red soup will still soothe your stomach and soul.
If you’re already a root vegetable advocate, this soup will be right up your alley.
The recipe is designed to showcase and celebrate the main ingredient’s distinctly sweet, fresh-from-the-ground flavors, with very few accompanying ingredients.
Other than some optional garnishes, the soup is comprised of no more than butter, shallots, salt, and your choice of stock.
Pursue pure simplicity – find the recipe here.
9. Heart Patties with Pecorino Garlic Butter and Pesto
There’s no better way to say “I love you” than with… veggies?!
Some may argue against that statement, but we stand by it, especially with this unique dinner idea.
Our heart is all aflutter when we think about making our homemade heart “beet” patties with pecorino garlic butter and pesto for an intimate vegetarian dinner.
It’s a heart-healthy meal perfect for serving on Valentine’s Day or celebrating an anniversary.
The tender, baked patties are crafted by making a dough with grated beets, ground ginger, black pepper, semolina flour, pecorino cheese, and whole milk.
Nothing goes to waste in this recipe – the garlic butter includes some of the chopped leaves. Anything remaining gets whizzed into the pesto.
Give your one true love a special dinner with this meat-free entree.
10. Mixed Vegetable Salad
Searching for a side dish that packs just as much flavor as it does pretty flair?
You’ll be pleased with this ruby-red spin on a traditional Russian potato salad!
In this easy recipe, we combine tender Yukon Golds, beets, carrots, peas, and a sweet pickle relish with a creamy mayonnaise-based dressing.
It can be served chilled or at room temperature.
Read more here for the instructions.
11. Potato and Greens Hash
While we love a carb-heavy dish for breakfast when we wake up hungry, we also appreciate striking the right balance between being indulgent and healthy.
That’s when our breakfast hash makes its sunny debut!
After sauteing yellow potatoes in olive oil until melt-in-your-mouth tender, we toss in slivered strips of greens and garlic.
For an extra punch of protein power, we nestle in eggs, and allow them to cook just until the whites are set, but the yolk is still runny.
Served with a generous dash of freshly cracked pepper and a sprinkle of salt, your morning will be off to a very filling start!
Break your fast with this hash recipe.
12. Quick-Pickled Root Vegetables
What do you do with an abundance of crops you grew in the backyard garden?
Make pickles, of course!
In this quick-pickled version, we use a mix of sliced turnips and beets, brined in a salty, spicy vinegar with bay leaves, garlic cloves, and a little sugar and chili.
The pickles take on a naturally brilliant pink hue, making them a clear standout on any dish.
Prepare those jars, and let’s do some pickling with this sweet-tart recipe.
13. Rainbow Guacamole
If you can’t throw a party without big bowls of chips and dips, try this colorful appetizer when you’re planning the menu for your next get-together.
A guacamole unlike any other, we blend together creamy avocado with roasted golden and red beets and crisp, sweet apples.
Scooped up by a salty tortilla chip, it’s an addictive combination of sweet and salty flavors and an entertaining circus of fun textures.
14. Roasted Butternut Squash Couscous Salad
This breathtaking salad has it all: flavor, color, texture, nutrition, and so much more!
It starts with a base of Israeli couscous and arugula. On top of that mix, there’s roasted butternut squash, beets, pomegranate arils, and sunflower seeds.
And for the dressing – a simple lemon and olive oil vinaigrette.
The perfect healthy dish for fall and winter!
For the full recipe and instructions, read more here.
15. Sauteed Garlic Greens
You’ve sauteed all sorts of heavy-hitter greens before, like spinach, escarole, and kale.
But did you know that you can also cook the stems and leaves of beets in the same way?
They can be the next superstar side dish at your meal, with just a few simple steps – simply saute them in a garlic-infused olive oil until they are soft and tender.
Finish them with a sprinkle of coarse salt, and you’re good to go.
16. Simple Salad with Fresh Herbs
Simple and straightforward, there’s nowhere for beets to hide in this salad!
So we suggest this may not be the best recipe if you’re trying to sneak more nutrition into your family’s diet… unless you definitely want to get caught!
After chilling the roasted and peeled root veggies, toss them together with gently torn dill and parsley leaves and diced red onion.
A simple salad shines with an equally simple vinaigrette! We make a quick mustard and champagne vinegar dressing.
17. Spiralized Noodle Wrap
Okay, no more salads! Let’s make a wrap instead!
These handheld beauties hold a fun filling of spiralized raw roots. After spreading wraps with your choice of hummus, we layer the flavors with a fresh medley of avocado, cucumber, tomato, mint, and lettuce.
You can use your favorite tortilla wraps, or use a gluten-free option instead.
18. Super Simple Roasted Beets
As you can tell from a generous handful of these recipes, roasting the roots is a popular cooking method.
And for good reason!
Roasting is an easy way to prepare the vegetables, cooking them to tender, buttery perfection while concentrating their sweet and earthy flavors without losing significant nutritional content.
In this recipe, we’ll teach you every step on how to expertly roast them, so you can use them in countless delicious preparations.
19. Vegan Soup with Cashew Cream
Another hearty meat-free recipe, this vegan soup is a rich resource of nutrition, flavor, and comfort.
To balance the earthy base, we mix in a medley of spices like coriander and sage, and use leeks for a subtle onion flavor.
We finish each bowl with swirls of cashew cream for another touch of guilt-free indulgence.
And the colors – the colors! You’ll love sipping every spoonful of this magenta-hued delight.
Enjoy this delicious favorite from Foodal.
Go Golden
For a slightly sweeter, less earthy, and overall milder option, substitute the same amount or weight of red beets in each of these recipes for the golden variety.
They may not be as available as the red variety in your grocery store or farmers market, but if you see them… snatch ‘em!
You can use the same cooking methods for both red and golden, so it’s an easy switch to make.
Are you Team Beet? What’s your favorite way to prepare them? The comment section is wide open!
Love your veggies? We have more to share with you! You can review our entire collection of veggie-forward recipes, or read more of our roundups now:
- 19 Must-Try Sweet Potato Recipes
- 23 of the Best Summertime Sweet Corn Recipes
- Too Much Zucchini? 11 Tasty Ideas for Summer Squash
Photos by Kendall Vanderslice, Fanny Slater, Raquel Smith, Chris-Rachel Oseland, Sarah Hagstrom, and Nikki Cervone, © Ask the Experts, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. See our TOS for more details.
About Nikki Cervone
Nikki Cervone is an ACS Certified Cheese Professional and cheesemonger living in Pittsburgh. Nikki holds an AAS in baking/pastry from Westmoreland County Community College, a BA in Communications from Duquesne University, and an MLA in Gastronomy from Boston University. When she's not nibbling on her favorite cheeses or testing a batch of cupcakes, Nikki enjoys a healthy dose of yoga, wine, hiking, singing in the shower, and chocolate. Lots of chocolate.