I’ll show you the easiest way to roast beets to build a delicious cold beet salad and the best homemade citrus vinaigrette to drizzle.
Cold Roasted Beet Salad
Beets have a certain reputation. If you have tried canned beets, you're probably thinking: tasteless. And when you make them at home, a purple mess! Not.Any.More. I'm all about keeping things simple; that's why this cold beet salad one you'll make often.
Cooking beets in the oven brings out their sweetness, caramelizes them, and gives them a perfect texture. After that, you just toss them with your favorite vinaigrette or my easy citrus vinaigrette below, and in 5 minutes, you can assemble a delicious beet salad.
Ingredients
When picking beets for this salad, I prefer the smaller ones because they are more tender and sweet. You’ll need salt, pepper, and olive oil to add flavor and keep the beets from sticking. I drizzle my citrus vinaigrette, but you can use your favorite.
How to Make Cold Beet Salad
- Prep.
Preheat the oven and create tin foil squares to place the beets. Cut the beets in half if they are large. You don't need to peel the beets since the skin will easily slide once baked. - Season.
Place the beets on the tin foil squares, drizzle with oil and season. Wrap the foil tightly and transfer to a baking sheet. - Make the vinaigrette.
Combine all the ingredients in a jar and shake well to combine. Refrigerate until ready to use. - Roast.
Check doneness after 45 minutes in the oven. If the beets are fork-tender, remove them from the oven. Larger beets will take longer. - Chill and peel.
Beets will be hot, so allow them to cool down for 10 minutes before peeling them and cutting them into half moons. Use a paper towel to grab them and keep your hands from turning purple! - Refrigerate.
Let the beet salad chill in the fridge for 1 hour. Right before serving, drizzle the vinaigrette.
What to Serve with Cold Beet Salad
This cold beet salad makes a super nutritious and tasty side for proteins like salmon, steak, or your favorite chicken dinner. You can also serve it with other roasted veggies or with my healthy veggie mac and cheese for a more balanced meal.
Cold Beet Salad
Ingredients
- 4 medium beets
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅓ cup citrus vinaigrette
Citrus Vinaigrette:
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup white wine vinegar
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, 2 lemons
- ¼ cup minced shallots, 1 large
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
Prep:
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Create tin foil squares large enough to encase each beet.
- Rinse the beets with water, removing any sand and debris. Pat them dry with a clean kitchen towel, and use a large knife to remove the green stems. If the beets are extra large, cut them in half but keep the skin on.
- Place each beet in a tin foil square, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and black pepper. Wrap the foil tightly around the beet and place them onto a large baking sheet.
- In a lidded jar, combine the olive oil, vinegar, orange juice, lemon juice, shallots, honey, and salt. Place the lid on the jar and shake well to combine. Refrigerate until ready to use and for up to a week.
Roast:
- Roast the beets for 45 minutes to an hour until they're fork tender. Check at 45 minutes, poking the beet with a fork. Larger beets will take longer. When done, remove from the oven.
Chill:
- Let the beets cool for 10 minutes before unwrapping them from the foil -they'll be too hot to handle out of the oven.
- Use a paper towel to grab one beet, then use your free hand with another paper towel to remove the skins; they should easily come off.
- Slice the beets into ½-inch thick slices or half moons and place them in a bowl. Refrigerate for 1 hour to chill.
Assemble & serve:
- Pour ⅓ cup of the vinaigrette over the sliced beets. Toss them in the bowl to coat them with the vinaigrette and serve cold. You can return the beets to the fridge until ready to serve.
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Christine says
I’m really not a fan of beets, but this salad is so delicious! Thanks for the recipe!
Molly says
This cold beet salad was a huge hit at Thanksgiving this year! Thanks for the recipe.
Lane says
This salad is absolutely refreshing! The flavors are vibrant and so satisfying. It’s a perfect side dish or light meal, thank you for sharing this delicious recipe!
Helen says
This beet salad was a great addition to our dinner last night. Even my daughter liked it!