Easy Roasted Beets
A batch of roasted beets is the perfect addition to delicious and healthy meals! They’re earthy sweet, add vibrant color, and are a nutritional powerhouse.
I’ve been cooking with beets for as long as I can remember. Their vibrant color is a nod to their nutrients (hello betalains!) and I enjoy them in regular rotation as a simple side dish, topped on salads, or blended into soups or smoothies like my creamy beet soup, apple carrot beet smoothie, or golden beet smoothie.
But, it all started with my roasted beet hummus years ago, which was part of my winter meal prep. Let’s backtrack now and focus on what made that hummus so good — this roasted beets recipe! When roasted, the beets become extra sweet, extra tender, and the perfect building block for healthy meals.
Roasted Beets Ingredients
The only ingredient you need for roasted beets is well, beets! You don’t even need olive oil, salt or pepper. Though you can certainly serve them a little zhuzhed up (I’ve got a few ideas below).
But make sure to grab fresh, in-season bundles! While they’re technically available all year round, their prime time is during the winter when you’ll find them rich in flavor and color, with large, deep green leaves.
Helpful tip: Don’t toss the beet stems! They’re great for a quick and easy sautéed side dish with some garlic and salt. You can find this specific sautéed beet greens recipe in my Healthy Meal Prep cookbook!
Find the printable recipe with measurements below
How To Roast Beets
Roasting beets is quite simple. But there are a few things to watch out for when preparing and roasting. Here’s how to roast them:
Prep the beets. Slice off the majority of the beet stem, but leave about 1 to 2 inches. Then gently wash them and scrub off any excess dirt.
Bake the beets. Place the beets in an oven-safe small Dutch oven or casserole dish with a lid. Make sure to line your dish with parchment paper for easy clean-up and to prevent staining as the beets will ooze a bit! Bake them covered for 1 hour at 400°F (200°C), or until they are knife-tender when pierced.
Side note: You can rub the beets with oil before baking if you’d like, but it’s not necessary since we’re steaming them with a lid.
Prep and slice the beets. Once the beets have cooled to the touch, slice the remaining stems off. Place them under running water and gently use your fingers to rub the skin off (if you’d like, you can also use gloves or a paper towel to prevent staining). Then, slice the beets into quarters for serving!
Helpful tip: Be aware that your fingers and cutting board can stain easily from handling the beets! So make sure to wash your hands and cutting board immediately afterwards.
Ways to Serve Roasted Beets
- The simplest way — Toss the beets with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and add them to a bowl to serve!
- Add goat cheese — This is one of my favorite side dishes to make. Just add little spoonfuls of goat cheese to the bowl and sprinkle some fresh herbs on top. The combination is magical.
- Make a beet salad — Aside from topping the beets on a leafy green salad, you can also make them the star ingredient! I love to toss them with some oil, red onion, fresh herbs, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Then sprinkle crushed pistachios or other nuts on top!
Storage Tips
- To store for the week: Having a batch of roasted beets on hand is a great meal prep ingredient! Store them in a bag or airtight container in the fridge for 4 to 5 days.
- To freeze for later: After placing in an airtight container (I recommend glass to prevent staining), they’ll keep for up to 3 months in the freezer!
More Easy Roasted Vegetables
- Parmesan Herb Roasted Acorn Squash
- Roasted Radish Salad
- Roasted Cauliflower with Za’atar and Dates
- Honey Glazed Carrots
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes
I hope you enjoy these roasted beets as much as I do! If you make them, I’d love to know how they turn out in the comment box below.
Easy Roasted Beets
Ingredients
- 4 to 8 beets
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Trim the tops off the beets, leaving about 1 to 2 inches of stem, and then gently wash and scrub them clean.
- Place the beets in a small Dutch oven or a casserole dish with a lid. Bake them covered for 1 hour, or until the beets are tender and pierced easily with a fork. Let them cool to the touch.
- Slice the remaining stem completely off, then place the beets under running water, and use your fingers to gently rub off the skin. You can use gloves to prevent staining your fingers, or alternatively, you can use a paper towel to remove the skin.
- Slice the beets and enjoy simply tossed with olive oil and a little salt and pepper, or in your favorite salad!
Lisa’s Tips
- Don’t toss those beet greens! They’re delicious sauteed (similar to sauteed spinach) and super healthy. I have a recipe for them in my Healthy Meal Prep cookbook.
Hi Lisa! I am new to your website and have made (and enjoyed) many of your recipes!
Can you cook beets in an air fryer? Also, if fresh beets are not available, can you do the same with canned beets? Thanks!
Yes, you can cook beets in the air fryer! I’ll actually have a recipe for that soon. :)
Hi, I love your recipes and often try new recipes from your cookbook. I bought two cookbooks because I gifted one to my daughter in law. My question is how do you suggest I reheat the beets after removing the skins. I like roasted beets warm with just a smidgen of butter.
Thank you
I will just microwave them for an easy reheat.
I love goat cheese over beets. I cook for 20 minutes in a pressure cooker and scrub well so I don’t peel.
When my daughters visit, they prefer roasted so I place cooked beets in glass dish with olive oil.
In Wisconsin, I only see fresh beets in the fall. Agree with greens…so good!
Great
Thanks
Thank you, not sure why but I have always boiled my beets. This sounds so much easier! It’s a pain to clean up my pan after boiling.