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.
No AC in the kitchen, so this time cutting recipe is great! It also takes wonderful. Great in a salad. Thank you.
Just a note from an 83 year old great grandmother. When using fresh beets, try cutting the tops off leaving an inch or so of stem. Put in boiling water for a few minutes, drain and put the beets in cold water. The skins will slip off easily and won’t stain your hands. Love your recipes!
Could I prep these ahead of time? Either cook them for the first 30 min and then reheat with the balsamic day-of or could I prep them beets (peel and chop) a few days prior?
Thanks!
Delicious and so versatile! But can we talk about how cute your roasting pan is?!? 😍
I love a great vintage pan! 🙂
Any hints on cleaning up the baking pan after making this recipe? Our should I use a Pyrex dish that I can put through the dishwasher? Thanks!
Tinfoil lining!
You could line your pan with foil which makes clean up easy peasy 😁
Tried a few roasted beet recipes and this one is the winner!!! Love how easy and delicious the glaze is and utilizes kitchen staples. Thank you!!
Thank you Erica! I’m so glad you enjoyed them!
I LOVE this recipe. I used 2 beets and 1 sweet potato and the colors are so beautiful. I topped it with some vegan feta and the creaminess of the feta with the tang and sweet of the beets and sweet potato are just wonderful. It is worth the red fingers from peeling and dicing the beets!
Use gloves, for peeling, I have used sirgical gloves, toss gloves when done, no red hands/fingers. 😉
Fabulous recipe even my beet averse husband ate some. Loved the sweetness and roasted flavor combination.
Thank you so much Joy!
Am I losing any nutritional value by baking?
Roasting beets is a better method for retaining nutrients than steaming or boiling! Check out this article! http://www.eatingwell.com/article/291122/surprising-health-benefits-of-beets/
We had these wonderful beets last night on top of the gorgeous greens from the organic bunch we bought. The balsamic beets were delicious and beautiful. They will be a staple here from now on. Oh, and the greens…first softened sliced leeks in ghee, then added the coarsely chopped greens until heat wilted. Now to try some of your other neat recipes! Thank you!
Balsamic vinegar that far is like the water or like any vinegar has not been reduced and that is normal. I think you prefer a reduced balsamic vinegar. Because it is thick and has dense flavor. This vinegar can be achieved by simmering any balsamic vinegar. The longer you simmer the thicker it becomes.
I also scrubbed my beats rather than peeled them. They were delicious.