Roasted Beets Recipe
Posted Oct 07, 2023, Updated Oct 15, 2023
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Made with 5 ingredients including fresh beets, this easy Roasted Beets recipe is a delicious side dish or addition to any salad. Follow our step-by-step instructions to learn how to roast beets in the oven.
I adore beets. Whether they’re in a salad, blended into a smoothie or roasted and eaten all by themselves, beets are a delicious & versatile vegetable and nutritional powerhouse.
This Oven Roasted Beets recipe is my favorite way to prepare fresh beets. Roasting brings out their natural sweetness, which is enhanced by a drizzle honey and balsamic vinegar. Roasting beets also give them the best texture (not mushy like boiled beets).
Roasted beets taste like vegetable candy, and are so delicious my kids love them too!
Roasted Beets: Ingredients & Substitutions
- Fresh Beets. You could use drained canned beets, but fresh are so much better. Any color of beet (or a mixture of colors) works well.
- Olive oil. Any neutral tasting oil such as avocado oil, canola oil, etc. is a good substitute.
- Balsamic Vinegar is an ingredient I splurge on. A high-quality balsamic vinegar should be thick and naturally sweet. If your vinegar pours like water instead of syrup and tastes sour then you do not have a quality product and your recipe will not turn out as delicious.
- Honey. Use pure maple syrup for a vegan version. If you are using the highest quality balsamic vinegar you can omit the sweetener. However I find that kids are more likely to eat and enjoy these roasted beets if I use a little honey/syrup.
How to Roast Beets
Let’s walk through this roasted beets recipe together, and don’t forget to watch the video.
Begin by using a vegetable peeler to remove the skin from the beets. This is a messy process, but will be worth it in the end! Peeling and chopping the beets before roasting cuts down the bake time significantly.
Wear Gloves
To avoid staining your hands wear gloves when you peel and cut the beets. Also, wear an apron to protect your clothing.
Then, drizzle the peeled & chopped beets with olive oil and sprinkle them with sea salt. Make sure to stir them well.
Next, spread the seasoned beets in an even layer on a large baking pan.
Then, roast the beets in the oven for 30 minutes, or until they are soft to the touch, stirring once halfway through. Note: the size of the beet cubes will greatly effect baking time.
Roasting the beets before adding the balsamic glaze will ensure that the glaze doesn’t burn before the beets are fully cooked.
While the beets are roasting, combine the honey and balsamic vinegar in a small bowl.
After 30 minutes, remove the beets from the oven and drizzle the balsamic glaze over them. Stir until they are evenly coated.
Then, return the beets to the oven and roast an additional 10 minutes, stirring once halfway through. The beets are done when they are soft to the touch and the balsamic glaze has thickened and coated the them.
Serve
Transfer the roasted beets from the baking pan to a dish and serve. I chose to garnish them with chopped beet greens, you can also use parsley, fresh rosemary, or basil as delicious & beautiful garnishes.
I suggest serving them on a salad, like burrata salad or kale salad. Or as a side to your favorite Thanksgiving recipes.
Store
Store roasted beets in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat them in the microwave, oven, or on the stovetop if desired, or serve them cold.
FAQs about Roasted Beets
If you would like to avoid staining your hands pink, I suggest wearing rubber or plastic gloves.
Wearing gloves while peeling and cutting the fresh beets will ensure your hands stay nice and clean.
Yes. Beets both raw and cooked have many health benefits, including:
Low in calories but high in nutrients
Reduce inflammation
Great source of fiber for better digestion
Packed with antioxidants to help fight disease
If you are roasting whole beets, I recommend waiting to peel the skin off after they have been roasted. However, peeling and cutting the fresh beets before they are roasted significantly cuts down baking time and makes the whole process go faster.
Yes! You can freeze beets in an airtight, freezer-friendly container for up to a month.
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Balsamic Roasted Beets Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 beets peeled & diced (about 3 cups)*
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon honey (pure maple syrup for a vegan version)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Grease a large baking sheet or dish, set aside.
- Peel and cut 3 beets into ½” cubes.
- Toss beets with 1 Tablespoon olive oil and ½ tsp sea salt.
- Spread onto a greased baking sheet in an even layer.
- Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes, or until the beets are soft to the touch, stirring once halfway through.
- While the beets are roasting, combine the balsamic vinegar and honey in a small bowl.
- After 30 minutes (or when beets are soft to the touch), remove the beets from the oven and drizzle the honey/vinegar mixture over the beets on the baking sheet.
- Stir until all the beets are evenly coated.
- Return to the oven for 10 minutes ( until the balsamic/honey mixture coats the beets), stirring once half way through.
- Remove from the oven and serve warm or store and serve later over your favorite salads.
Video
Notes
-
- Fresh Beets. Any color of beet (or a mixture of colors) works well.
-
- Olive oil. Any neutral tasting oil such as avocado oil, canola oil, etc. is a good substitute.
-
- Balsamic Vinegar is an ingredient I splurge on. A high-quality balsamic vinegar should be thick and naturally sweet. If your vinegar pours like water instead of syrup and tastes sour then you do not have a quality product and your recipe will not turn out as delicious.
-
- Honey. Use pure maple syrup for a vegan version. If you are using the highest quality balsamic vinegar you can omit the sweetener. However I find that kids are more likely to eat and enjoy these roasted beets if I use a little honey/syrup.
- Wrap beets individually in aluminum foil and set on a baking sheet.
- Roast in an oven set to 450 degrees F until the beets are soft to the touch, 50-70 minutes depending on the size of the beets.
- Remove skin from beets with your hands or a vegetable peeler. (at this point you can store the roasted beets until later when you’re ready to add the rest of the ingredients, dice and roast)
- Dice and toss with recipe ingredients.
- Roast for 10-15 minutes at 425 degrees F until beets are soft and the balsamic mixture is thick and coats the beets.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe is truly enhances the full flavor of the beets. I wrapped my beets in foil and baked them at 350° until tender with a fork, cooled and peeled them, then diced and used this recipe. Because the beets were already softened, I adjusted the cooking time to 20 minutes stirring halfway through instead of 30 minutes and then 10 additional minutes after stirring in the honey and balsamic vinegar.
I’m so happy you love this recipe, Laura!
This is such a simple and yummy way to eat beets. I like that you suggest freezing them. This is a perfect way to preserve our beets from the garden. Thank you!
Thank you, Lydia! Garden fresh beets sound absolutely incredible right now!
We love this recipe. Thank you for sharing it
Thank you so much, Donna!
Delicious recipe!!!!!!
Thank you, Brooke!
Best recipe I’ve found for my home grown beets.
I’m so happy you love it!
Made a double recipe and once cooled a little from the oven, topped with chevre and toasted walnuts. Delicious!
I love the idea of serving them with chevre and walnuts!
I mistakenly ended up with 2 vacuum packed packages of organic whole beets at Costco. Any suggestion as to time and temp if using for this recipe since the packaging says they are fully cooked.
Since they are fully cooked, I would talk them with the balsamic glaze and cook according to the recipe for 5-15 minutes, just enough to let the glaze coat the outside of the beets.
This beet recipe is so good that I feel like I’m eating something that’s bad for me a definite keeper.
I totally understand what you mean, Debbie! I call these roasted beets “vegetable candy.”
Your beets turned out perfectly. Thanks
I have balsamic, but I plan to use aged sherry vinegar when I make this recipe tomorrow. I also think I will cut back the honey a bit, as beets (especially when roasted) are so sweet already.
But I am happy to discover your recipe and I’m sure we will enjoy our variation on it!