Learn how to cook beets and how to use them in easy delicious recipes from our detailed guide. We'll show you several different ways to prepare this delicious root vegetable. Beets are sweet, healthy, full of nutrients, and super versatile. Use them in salads, burgers, dips, tacos, and much more! Check out beet recipes for inspiration.
How to Cook Beets
Cooking beets is not nearly as difficult as you might think. We will show you the best methods for cooking beets. Some methods preserve more of the nutrients and amazing beet taste. Beet juice can make the process messy, so make sure to wear disposable gloves. Since the dishes you can create are oh-so-good, it's totally worth the free natural red dye! Wear gloves and keep a paper towel roll handy.
How to Buy Beets
Whether you find large beets or medium beets, red beets, or color variations, look for these characteristics.
- Skin intact.
- Firm and not mushy.
- Bright, healthy leaves. You can tell how fresh the beets are by how wilted the leaves are. If the leaves have been removed, the beets are not the freshest, but you can still buy them as long as they are firm. Root vegetables stay fresh for a very long time.
How to Roast Beets Whole
- Cut off the beet greens: Beet greens are edible! Set the leaves and stems aside, wash them well, and enjoy them in salads or sauteed with olive oil, garlic, and salt.
- Wash and Wrap: wash the beets and wrap them in aluminum foil. This seals in the moisture, which will help steam the beets, adding a secondary cooking method.
- Roast: Place them on a baking sheet and roast them at 400ºF for an hour or until tender. Cooking time will vary depending on the size of the beets.
- Let the beets cool: Remove the aluminum foil and gently rub the skin off the beets with your fingers (it should come off easily). If you don't use gloves, you will have pink-stained hands, but the color will easily wash off.
- Roasted Beet Recipes: Use this method of roasting beets to make our cauliflower beet dip, roasted beet hummus, beet salad, roasted beet and sweet potato tacos, beet carpaccio with chia seed dressing, and quinoa, chickpea & beet burger. You can also use these beets for a grain bowl, a quinoa salad, or on a sandwich.
- Step 1: Wash beets and place them in a piece of aluminum foil.
- Step 2:Wrap the beets tightly in aluminum foil.
- Step 3: Bake the beets until tender and once they are cool enough to handle, unwrap them. The skin will easily slide off by slightly pushing on it.
How to Roast Sliced Beets
- Cut off the beet greens.
- Wash and peel the beets. A vegetable peeler is the best tool to peel beets. Don't forget to wear gloves.
- Cut them into large chunks. They will shrink as they roast, so keep that in mind. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt.
- Place the beets on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 400ºF until tender, about 45 minutes or longer.
- Place the beets in a bowl and enjoy them as a snack or side dish or serve them as an appetizer.
Pro tip: Want to keep the heat out of your oven? This method can be moved to the grill. Instead of a sheet pan, make pockets out of aluminum foil and seal them up. Each pocket should be a serving size and sealed up so the steam is trapped inside. The high heat of a grill will make the process go even faster.
- Step 1: Peel beets
- Step 2: Season beets with olive oil salt and any spices of your choice
- Step 3: Bake until tender
How to Boil Beets
- Cut off the beet greens.
- Wash the beets. Place them in a large pot with salted boiling water, and boil them until fork tender. You can reduce the heat to a simmer once it is boiling. Cooking time will depend on the size of the beets. We find that boiling them takes a long time, and they're not as sweet as when they're roasted.
- Remove the beets from the water and cool them completely.
- Gently rub the skin off the beets with your gloved fingers.
How to Cook Beets in an Instant Pot or Electric Pressure Cooker
- Cut off the beet greens.
- Wash the beets.
- Place the metal rack insert at the bottom of the instant pot, place the beets on the rack, and add a cup of water
- Close the lid, choose the pressure cooker mode on high, and cook for 35 minutes
- Let the pressure release naturally.
- Allow the beets to cool until they are safe to handle
- Push the skin with gloved hands, it will easily release.
- Step 1: Place beets in the instant pot rack and add water to the bottom
- Step 2: Cook the beets for 35 minutes on pressure cooking.
How to Eat Beets Raw
Beets can be eaten raw, but it is best to shred or cut them into small thin pieces. Otherwise, the flavor can be a little overwhelming.
- Cut off the beet greens.
- Wash the beets and peel them.
- Shred or grate the beets using a food processor or a box grater. You can also use a spiralizer or slice them thin using a mandoline or a sharp knife.
- Use raw beets to make our apple beet salad with pickled onions, caramelized pumpkin seeds, and mustard salad dressing.
- Try also our spiralized veggie noodle salad with peanut dressing.
How to Store Cooked Beets
- Leftovers should be kept in the fridge in an airtight container for up to five days.
- Freeze cooked beets for up to three months in an airtight container. Freeze beets cooked using any of the methods
- Freeze beets whole or already cut. If freezing them cut place them on a baking sheet, once frozen transfer them container or freezer bag. This way you can thaw the amount you need a few at a time.
Different Kinds of Beets
Beets come in a variety of colors, such as white, red, pink, and orange beets, not to mention the stunning Chioggia or candy cane variety. If you want to add beets to lettuce, cucumber, or avocado salad, we don't recommend using red beets since they will make your whole salad red. Use yellow, orange, or pink beets instead. Yellow beets are sometimes called golden beets. Our cookbook Tahini and Turmeric includes a recipe using different-colored beets. We called it ombré roasted beet salad with cumin dressing. Check it out by clicking the image below and order our cookbook for more exciting and irresistible recipes!
Our Favorite Beet Recipes
- Cauliflower beet dip
- Roasted beet hummus
- Roasted beet salad with creamy horseradish and candied walnuts
- Roasted beets and sweet potato tacos
- Quinoa, chickpea, and beet burger
- Beet carpaccio with chia seed dressing
- Beet smoothie bowl
- Veggie noodle salad with peanut dressing
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How to Cook Beets
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 8 servings
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Learn how to cook beets, and how to use them in easy delicious recipes. Beets are sweet, healthy, full of nutrients and super versatile. Use them in salads, burgers, dips, tacos and much more!
Ingredients
- 1 lb of beets
Instructions
How to roast beets whole
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF
- Cut off the beet greens (See Note 1)
- Wash the beets
- Wrap the unpeeled beets in aluminum foil and place them on a baking sheet
- Roast them for an hour, or until tender (cooking time will vary depending on the size of the beets)
- Let them cool. Remove the aluminum foil and gently rub the skin off the beets with your fingers (it should come off easily)
How to roast sliced beets
- Preheat oven to 400ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper
- Cut off the beet greens. See note 1
- Wash and peel the beets with a vegetable peeler. Use disposable gloves to keep your hands clean. Beets will stain your hands red.
- Cut beets into chunks or slices. Beets will shrink as they roast, drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Bake until tender, about 45 minutes or longer depending on the size of the beet pieces.
How to boil beets
- Cut off the beet greens. See note 1
- Wash the beets and place them in a large pot with salted boiling water. The water should completely cover the beet with at least 4 inches of water.
- Boil the beets until fork tender, cooking time will depend on the size and freshness of the beets. It may take up to 2 hours.
- Remove the beets from the water and cool them completely.
- Gently rub the skin off the beets with your gloved fingers.
- Boiling beets takes a long time, and they're not as sweet as when they're roasted.
How to cook beets in the Instant Pot
- Place the write rack at the bottom of the instant pot and add 1 cup of water
- Wash the beets and place them on the rack. Beets can be of different sizes.
- Choose the pressure cooking setting on high for 35 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally.
- Let the beets cool.
- Peel the beets by pushing on the skin. It will easily come off.
Notes
- Beet greens are edible and delicious! Set them aside, wash them well and enjoy them in salads, or simply sauteed with olive oil, garlic, and salt.
- Beets can also be eaten raw, grated, or shredded.
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 60
- Category: How to
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Healthy
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 ounces
- Calories: 49
- Sugar: 8.3
- Sodium: 88
- Fat: 0
- Saturated Fat: 0
- Unsaturated Fat: 0
- Trans Fat: 0
- Carbohydrates: 0
- Fiber: 3
- Protein: 2
- Cholesterol: 0
Susan Nathan
Yummy! Thanks for including different options for preparing beets.
Raquel Malul
What an informative post! I choose to make roasted beets- the came out caramelized and sweet and were absolutely AMAZING!! They never made it to the dinner table because they were finished within minutes of getting out of the oven. Thank you!
Vicky & Ruth
So happy you enjoyed them!