The Perfect Beetroot Salad Recipe

This Beetroot salad is the perfect combination of sweet and tangy, you will only need a few ingredients to prep this delicious salad. It’s perfect as a starter for your main course or a light lunch or dinner. Find out how to make this incredible tasty and healthy beetroot salad!

Why do you need to make this Beetroot salad?

First, I will tell you WHY I love making this salad, not only it’s my husband’s “favorite” salad. It reminds him of his late grandma’s beet salad she made for him as a kid. But also it is very easy to prep and tastes amazing!

• It requires simple ingredients: nothing fancy is required to make this salad. All ingredients are inexpensive and available at your local grocery store.
• It is healthy: beets are a good source of many vitamins and minerals such as Folate, Iron, and Vitamin C. They are good for lowering blood pressure and improving stamina and exercise performance.
• Easy to make: it can be done in 10 minutes only. If you use jarred beets or pre-cooked beets.

Ingredients you will need to make the salad:

• Beets: use any beets variety you have access to or prefer, I have used 3 types of beets to make this recipe. Red, gold beets, and candy stripe beetroot.
• Baby crispy lettuce or any lettuce/leafy greens.
• Cucumbers
• Scallion
• Toasted walnuts: perfect for adding a delicious crunch to this salad recipe!

Salad dressing ingredients:

• Orange juice and zest.
• Lemon Juice
• Balsamic vinegar
• Olive oil.
• Salt to taste.

How to make this beetroot salad?

• To create the perfect beetroot salad, you’ll want to start by preparing the star of the show: the beets themselves. Begin by washing the beetroots thoroughly to remove any dirt, and pat them dry with a kitchen towel.
• Next, it’s time to cook the beetroot. First, peel the beets, be prepared for some vibrant staining on your hands, or simply wear gloves 😉. Cut them in quarters, and make sure they are all almost the same size, so they cook evenly. lay the beets onto a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, pop the tray in the oven, and roast for 40 minutes, or until the beets are cooked through.
• While your beets are cooking in the oven, go ahead and prepare the dressing. Mix all the dressing ingredients in a jar and set aside.
• Once the beets are cooked and cooled to room temperature, it is time to assemble your salad and drizzle the dressing!

Recipe Tips & Notes:

• For step-by-step instructions on how to prepare this recipe, please scroll down at the bottom of the post for ingredients and details instructions. Below are important tips and notes to make this recipe:

To make this recipe “Quicker”:

• You can use precooked beets, store-bought or homemade. You can roast your own beets in advance and store them in the fridge. I usually buy fresh beets in bulk, roast a big batch, and store them in an air-tight container, with balsamic vinegar, in the refrigerator. They will last up to a week! you will always have homemade roasted beets to add to your salad or eat them on their own! If you choose to use pre-cooked beets (homemade or storebought), skip all the steps for prepping and cooking the beets, just mix the dressing ingredients and assemble your salad.

Tips on cooking the beets:

• To cook the beetroot, there are a few different methods you can choose from, depending on your preference and available time. One popular option – and my personal favorite method- is roasting, which brings out the earthy sweetness of the beets and adds depth to their flavor. There are 2 ways to roast them, either roast the whole beets with their skin or peel the skin, cut the beets then roast them, which I have personally done in this recipe.

The salad dressing:

• The dressing is what brings everything together in your beetroot salad, therefore it is very important to have the right balance of tanginess! My husband’s grandma used to make this salad using “Narinj” which is the Iraqi name for a citrus fruit that looks like an orange and tastes like lemon, I believe the scientific name for it is ” CITRUS AURANTIUM ” “as per Google” anyways 😉 It is widely available in Iraq and used frequently in Iraqi cooking. Unfortunately, it is not widely available where I live now, therefore I have used this mix to prepare my dressing, which as per my husband somehow still resembles his grandma’s original recipe!

How to serve the beetroot salad?

This salad is great on its own as a light meal, whether for lunch or dinner, It is light, healthy, and delicious.

You can serve it as a starter to a bigger/main meal, for a refreshing starter!

This recipe is flexible and can be customized to your liking, add any other veggies or greens you prefer and enjoy.

It is time for you to try this recipe now, experiment with different ingredients, and create your own twist on this recipe, but go ahead and give it a try, you will definitely enjoy it 💚

Recommended Recipes:

If you enjoy this refreshing beetroot salad, then make sure to check out more Plant-based salads we have at VBA, like this delicious Freekeh salad with corn ribs or my Vegan Iraqi eggplant salad recipe, a perfect combination of fried and fresh veggies medley! or explore classic Middle Eastern salads, such as Tabbouleh and Fatoush!

If you make this recipe, I’d love a comment, and to rate this recipe. Please make sure to tag me in re-creation on Instagram @veganbilaraby. I love to see your take on my vegan recipes 💚