39 beetroot recipes that taste as good as they look (2024)

FAQs

What is the most delicious way to eat beets? ›

You can use cooked beets in salads, to make hummus or to blend into smoothies. They can be diced for slaw, quartered for a grain bowl or mashed to make a dip or spread. Their thick and chewy texture is even great in a galette or quesadilla.

Roast for Sweetness

Roasting beets deepens their natural sugars while tempering bitterness. Bake whole, wrapped beets at 400°F for 60-75 minutes until easily pierced by a fork. Allow to cool before peeling and juicing. Incorporating roasted beets creates a smoother, mellower, almost nutty-flavored blended juice.

If you are nostalgic for the soft texture of canned beets from childhood but not the taste, you can give pickling beets a try using your roasted beets as a base. Apple cider vinegar, sugar, and salt transform and preserve these earthy roots and bring out their sweetness even more.

Beets are high in fiber, which is great for digestive health. They also can help your heart. "Many people might not think that beets are a heart-healthy food, but, actually, beets contain a high level of nitrates, which have a blood pressure-lowering effect," says Guy.

Beetroots can taste bitter due to compounds like geosmin and saponins. To reduce bitterness when eating them as a vegetable, choose young beetroots, peel and cook them, combine with other flavors, blanch them, or remove the skin before cooking. 2nd method you can boil beetroot to reduce bitterness before cooking.

You can even enjoy them raw, either sliced thinly or grated. Choose beets that feel heavy for their size with fresh, unwilted green leafy tops still attached, if possible. Because dietary nitrates are water-soluble, it's best to avoid boiling beets if you'd like to maximize their nitrate content.

Beets are naturally sweet and earthy, making them a versatile vegetable to incorporate into your meals. By adding vinegar to the boiling process, you can elevate the flavors of beets and give them a delightful tangy kick.

Arugula: The peppery and slightly bitter flavour of arugula pairs well with the sweetness of beetroot. Apples: The sweet and tart flavour of apples complement the earthy taste of beets. Balsamic vinegar: The sweetness and acidity of balsamic vinegar pairs well with the earthy taste of beetroot.

Cure your vegetables as you would a piece of meat for a couple of days. This can be achieved by rubbing the vegetable or mushroom with salt at a concentration of 1.75% of the vegetable's weight, wrapping it tightly in plastic or vacuum sealing it, and letting it sit in the fridge for 2-3 days.

My favorite way to cook beets is to roast them, which gives a sweeter, richer, and deeper flavor than boiling does. Another advantage is that they don't bleed as much, especially if they're roasted whole.

What is the best cooking method for beets? ›

Steaming in the oven rather than baking helps preserve more of the healthy vitamins and minerals in beets. This method also helps beets better retain their beautiful, vibrant color.

Fresh, raw beets can be finely grated into salads for color or used as a garnish for soup. But beets are usually roasted, boiled or steamed and cut into thin slices, cubes or chunks as in this Winter Beet Salad recipe. In fact, beet salads are so trendy these days that it's hard to find a restaurant menu without one.

While roasting yields flavorful results, steaming beets makes their skin easier to peel off and makes them tender and more pleasant to eat.

Raw or Cooked? Cooked. Low in calories and high in nutrients, cooked beets reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke. Benefits: Naturally occurring compounds in beets improve blood flow, help keep arteries healthy and reduce LDL cholesterol (the 'bad' kind).