This stunning roasted beet salad is perfect for a special occasion or dinner party. The combination of goat cheese and greens with crunchy almonds is delightful! It's simple and easy and everything can be prepped ahead of time.
Roasting your own beets is not only easy but also economical. Wrapping them, unpeeled, in tin foil then rubbing the skins off with paper towel creates less mess than other methods. Roasting also keeps in all the flavor and nutrients for a healthier and better tasting salad.
I love serving this salad with Smoked Turkey Breasts. And if you love roasted veggie salads you might want to try this Roasted Vegetable and Chickpea Salad.
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Why you will love this recipe
It's a show-stopper - this beet salad with it's beautiful colours looks stunning on any table.
Quick and easy - Aside from the hands-off time to roast the beets, this salad comes together quickly and easily.
Prepare it ahead - All the components can be made ahead of time and stored until ready to assemble.
Nutritious - Beets are packed with vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants. Combined with arugula, almonds and goat cheese you have yourself one powerhouse of a salad!
Easy roasting technique - Although you can find vacuum packed cooked beets in many stores now, they lack flavor and can sometimes be too soft. With this easy and less-messy method you will never buy pre-cooked beets again!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Beets - Any colour beets will work with this recipe. You can also used store-bought pre-cooked beets although I recommend roasting your own for best flavour and nutritional value.
- Spring Mix - Arugula would make a delicious alternative and any of your favourite greens will work with this recipe.
- Goat cheese - I love the creamy texture of goat cheese for this salad but feta cheese would be a perfect alternative.
- Sliced almonds - Nuts provide a wonderful crunch to this salad. Many other toasted nuts would be great such as walnuts, pecans or pistachios. You can also opt out of nuts altogether and top with toasted pumpkin or sunflower seeds.
- Olive oil - Any healthy oil such as avocado or nut oils can be used instead.
- Honey - Maple syrup or sugar can be used instead of honey. If using sugar let the dressing sit for at least 20 minutes, and stir or shake again, to make sure the sugar has dissolved.
- Sherry vinegar - This is one of my favorite vinegars for salad dressings but apple cider, red or white wine vinegar, balsamic, or rice vinegar would also work.
- Dijon mustard - Grainy mustard or ½ a teaspoon of mustard powder can be substituted.
- Parsley is optional but is a nice finishing touch. Fresh dill would make a delicious substitute.
For a complete list of ingredients see the recipe card below.
How to Make Roasted Beet Salad
Step 1 - wash and trim the stems from the beets.
Step 2 - Wrap individually in foil and bake for 45 minutes or until easily pierced with a paring knife.
Step 3 - remove from oven and open the foil packets right away to let the steam escape. This prevents further cooking.
Step 4 - rub the skins off using paper towel. Do this while the beets are still warm and the skin should slip right off.
Step 5 - While the beets are roasting prepare the vinaigrette. Mix everything together in a bowl with a fork or whisk. Or you can put everything in a jar and shake vigorously.
Step 6 - Toast the almonds in a frying pan over low heat, stirring often, until golden brown.
Step 7 - Arrange greens on a serving platter. Slice beets and place slightly overlapping, in a single layer, on top of the greens. Drizzle beets with vinaigrette, top with crumbled goat cheese, toasted almonds and parsley, if using. Serve at room temperature.
For detailed instructions see the recipe card below.
What to serve with Roasted Beet Salad
This beet salad is a perfect side to almost anything. Serve it for lunch all on it's own or with roasted butternut squash soup or this delicious carrot and lentil soup.
Or serve it for dinner alongside honey mustard chicken thighs, pork medallions in mushroom sauce, or braised short ribs.
More Salad Recipes
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Beet and Goat Cheese Salad
Ingredients
- 6 medium-large beets about 1 kg/2 lbs, washed and stems removed
- 100 g goat’s cheese crumbled
- ¼ cup sliced almonds toasted
- 6 cups arugula or spring greens
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley minced (optional)
Vinaigrette
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoon sherry vinegar or apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
Roasting the beets
- Adjust oven rack to the middle position and preheat to 400 degrees F.
- Wrap beets separately in tin foil and place on a baking tray. Roast for 45 minutes to one hour or until beets are easily pierced with a paring knife.6 medium-large beets
- Once the beets are done, remove from oven and open each packet to let the steam escape. Let cool just enough so you can handle them as they are easier to peel while still warm. Using paper towels, rub the skins off and slice into 1 cm (½-inch) slices.
For the salad
- While the beets are roasting prepare the vinaigrette by whisking all the ingredients together in a bowl or shaking in a jar.¼ cup olive oil, 2 tablespoon sherry vinegar, 2 teaspoon honey, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper
- Toast the almonds in a dry frying pan over medium heat. Shake the pan often, tossing them as they brown. Keep a close eye on them as they can burn easily. Transfer immediately to a cool plate or bowl to stop browning.¼ cup sliced almonds
- Arrange greens on a platter then lay sliced beets on top. Top with pieces of goat’s cheese, toasted almonds, and parsley if using. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and sprinkle parsley on top (if using). Serve at room temperature.100 g goat’s cheese, 6 cups arugula or spring greens, 1 tablespoon fresh parsley
- If making ahead, keep the components separate and assemble the salad shortly before serving.
Barbara Barraclough says
I made this recipe to bring to a pot luck dinner. It was a hit! I had a huge platter and there were only little bits left at the end of the meal! The only downfall I had during the cooking process was peeling the beets. I baked them in foil like you suggested but I had to peel them with a knife. The skins wouldn’t come off at all with a paper towel. This made my job take much longer than if I had boiled them and let the skins just slip off. Other than that, I loved the recipe! Great Job Andrea!
Andrea says
Hi Barb, I’m sorry to hear you had trouble peeling the skins. This can happen if the beets aren’t cooked enough. The timing will vary depending on the size of the beets. I will make a note in the recipe as larger beets can take an hour or so. I’m happy to hear everyone enjoyed the salad and thanks for your review.
Bonnie Bertrand says
SOOO good, Andrea,another hit.(just like everything else of yours I've made.👍👍
Kim says
That’s great!! Thanks so much for your quick reply Andrea. Have a great day.
Kim says
Hi Andrea. Can you use canned beets for this? I have some on hand and want to use up.
Andrea says
Hi Kim! Yes, you can use canned beets. The taste and texture will be different but still delicious! Hope you enjoy it.
Mary Muir says
OMG Andrea. My daughter and I both made this salad today because we ate beet lovers. I used feta cheese because I’m not fond of the other but she used everything you suggested. We had it for supper and she’s a teacher so she is taking her leftovers for her lunches the rest of the week. Your instructions were so easy to follow too as we have never roasted beets before. If there were a 10 star option this would have been that hands down. Your amazing.
Andrea says
Hi Mary! What a lovely compliment! I'm so happy you enjoyed the salad and found the instructions easy to follow. Thanks so much for commenting!
Mary Muir says
I’ve made this so many times and I have converted my sisters all 5 of them to start making this. My one sister has in fact saw a drop in her blood pressure since eating beets almost daily. So thank you Andrea.
Andrea says
Wow that's amazing! I'm so happy to hear that!
Pat says
Thank you for this great recipe Andrea. I love that you also provide substitutions as an alternative. It saved me another trip to the store and the salad is delicious.
Andrea says
I'm so happy you enjoyed it Pat!
Susan Webber says
Absolutely delicious!! First time I’ve ever cooked beets!
Love that vinaigrette!!
Andrea says
Yay! I'm so happy you enjoyed the recipe! Congratulations on cooking your first beets. They are so delicious and easy!
Angela B says
Absolutely fabulous salad! My guests loved it. I loved the clear instructions on how to roast the beets and that all ingredients could be prepped the day before. I will be making this salad again. Thank you!
Andrea says
I'm so happy you enjoyed the recipe Angela! Thank you so much for the rating and review!
Linda Dalton says
I’ve made this 3 times for guests this week. So tasty!!!
Dian Nease says
Love Love Love this salad.
The tip for roasting the beets was fantastic!
This is going into heavy rotation in our home!
Andrea says
Woohoo! I love hearing that 😊 So happy you enjoyed it!
Karrie says
Love love love beet salad … thank you Andrea! I usually use Walnuts in exchange for the almonds!
Andrea says
Walnuts are excellent with beets too!
Jane says
This salad has been calling my name since I got the email! I made it today and it is delicious! A real keeper for sure!
Andrea says
I'm so happy you enjoyed it Jane! Thanks for letting me know!
Barbara says
Loved it. Although had to peel beets after roasting.
Mary muir says
Love beets it’s nice to have new recipes to use them. Sounds delicious.