29 Beet Recipes You Just Can’t Beat
Break out the foil; it’s time to get down and ruddy with our best beet recipes. Of course, not all these recipes use the stuff, but roasting is one of the best ways to cook beets, and wrapping them in a metallic blanket is indeed a fantastic method. Whether you’re making individual pouches or covering a sheet pan’s worth of the bulbous veggies, foil keeps in moisture so the beets turn tender without becoming dry.
And that’s just one of the ways we aim to end all the unfair beet derision. When done right, beets are supple, earthy, and sweet, stunning in slaws, soups, and sandwiches. (Beet lovers, you already know.)
Before we get into the recipes, though, some buying and storing tips: While beets are available year-round, winter is their prime season, especially December. If you’re lucky enough to find beets with the tops still on, remove the greens, leaving about 1" of stem attached (this helps prevent loss of nutrients and color when cooking). Wrap the beet greens loosely in a damp paper towel; they’ll last a few days in the crisper and are great steamed, braised, or sautéed. As for the root, store in an unsealed plastic or reusable storage bag in the fridge. You can expect your beets to last several weeks—even up to a couple of months—if kept away from moisture.
Now, pour yourself a beet martini and thumb on through these beautiful beet dishes.
1/29Warm Sorghum Salad With Pickled Beets
You want a real heap of fresh herbs such as parsley, mint, dill, or even cilantro to finish this beet recipe. Here are some tips for how to store them, keeping them fresher for longer.
Photograph by Aaron Barton, food styling by Michelle Gatton, prop styling by Alexandra Massillon2/29Pasta With Beets, Sausage, and Fried Sage
Photograph by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by D'mytrek Brown, Props from Meilen Ceramics3/29Beet Fritters With Beet Greens Yogurt
We love the slightly earthy flavor of beet greens, but if your beets didn’t come with their greens still attached, you can use any hardy green like kale or Swiss chard instead.
Photo by Alex Lau, Food Styling by Susie Theodorou5/29Heartbeet Chocolate Cake
Beets in a dessert? One reviewer called this “possibly the best chocolate cake I’ve ever made; delightfully and surprisingly light, with a deep dark chocolate flavor.” Puréed, the vegetable gives the gluten-free cake a red velvet hue and helps it stay wonderfully moist.
Photo by Alex Lau, Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich7/29Hanger Steak With Tahini and Smashed Charred Beets
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Emilie Fosnocht, Prop Styling by Christina Allen8/29Dilly Beet Noodles
This velvety borscht-inspired sauce—made with red beets, dill, sour cream, and umami-loaded bouillon paste—is transformed into a full-blown meal thanks to a big tangle of store-bought egg noodles.
Peden + Munk9/29Beet and Radish Pickles
What are these extra salty, crunchy pickles good with? Fatty cuts of meat, fresh greens, smoked salmon, charcuterie and cheese boards, hard-boiled egg sandwiches, lots of other sandwiches, burgers... The list goes on. Not into radishes? We’d take these cinnamon- and peppercorn-pickled beets too.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Pearl Jones, prop styling by Marina Bevilacqua10/29Chilled Beet and Yogurt Soup
With just two major steps, one of which involves plating, this beet recipe can be made three days before serving. Keep it in an airtight container in the refrigerator, and re-emulsify it before ladling it into bowls. Looking for a warming version? Try this Beet Soup With Caraway and Buttermilk.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Pierce Abernathy, prop styling by Olga Grigorenko11/29Beet and Mushroom Miso Ragù
Photograph by Heami Lee, food styling by Frances Boswell, prop styling by Sophie Strangio12/29Beet Halwa With Pistachios
Photo by Emma Fishman, Food Styling by Adriana Paschen, Prop Styling by Elizabeth Jaime14/29Beluga Lentil and Root Vegetable Slaw
Beets, carrots, green apples, and red cabbage are our go-to ingredients for this colorful slaw, but any crunchy vegetable or fruit will work; try fennel, small turnips, or Asian pear.
Photo by Chelsie Craig, Food Styling by Dana Bonagura16/29Shawarma-Spiced Beets With Garlicky Labneh
This beet recipe gives us an opportunity to address one of our favorite pieces of kitchen equipment: the humble but mighty baking sheet.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, Food Styling by Shuai Wang, Prop Styling by Megan Forbes and Christina Hussey17/29Mouthwatering Charred Beets With Ricotta
Photo by Alex Lau, food styling by Rebecca Jurkevich, prop styling by Megan Hedgpeth18/29Oxtail and Red Wine Stew
You might just want to steal the herby panko topping from this recipe and put it on all soups and stews from here forward. Cook the panko in hot oil until it’s golden brown, season it with salt and pepper, and mix in fresh chives and thyme before letting it all cool.
Photograph by Isa Zapata, food styling by Thu Buser19/29Beets and Farro With Honey-Garlic Goat Cheese
Photo by Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott20/29Beet and Hazelnut Dip
Once you’ve cooked the beets, the prep time for this garlicky dip recipe is minimal: just throw the ingredients into a food processor and blitz until they coalesce into one light and creamy delight.
Photograph by Joshua Kissi, food styling by Roscoe Betsill, prop styling by Amy Wilson21/29Roasted Beets With Dukkah and Sage
For this holiday-worthy side dish, you can roast the beets and make the dukkah (a coarse Egyptian and Middle Eastern nut and spice blend) days in advance. Then, you’ll just need a few minutes to assemble before dinner.
Alex Lau22/29Beet-Pickled Eggs
Once the beets have lent their signature magenta hue to the boiled eggs you needn’t toss them into the bin. Hold onto them for salads and grain bowls. As for those eggs, don’t forget a little flaky sea salt garnish after slicing.
Michael Graydon + Nikole Herriott23/29Roasted Beets With Grapefruit and Rosemary
This simple beet recipe gets a somewhat fancy and certainly flavorful garnish: fried rosemary, thinly sliced grapefruit zest, and shallots softened in red wine vinegar and salt.
Alex Lau24/29Pork Tenderloin With Golden Beets
Bite-sized pieces of golden (a.k.a. yellow) beets don’t need an oven; they cook through on the stovetop in this recipe. That’s not to say they’re not good roasted, though. Heavens! Don’t be silly! Try that method in this simple Roasted Golden Beet Salad.
Photo by Alex Lau, Styling by Sue Li26/29Beet Hummus With Ricotta
Classic hummus, is made of chickpeas, lemon juice, garlic, tahini, and olive oil and seasoned with salt and black pepper. This one tosses a baseball-size beet into the mix for a spread that is by no means classic—but is bright pink and super creamy, which is reason enough to make it.
