Beet Salad

This beet salad recipe has roasted beets and peppery arugula with an easy homemade dressing. Serve it as a side or a light meal

Flavor: The beets are earthy and sweet, while the vinaigrette balances it out with a bit of sweet tang. I love arugula because it has a bit of a peppery bite.
Time-Saving Tip: While it’s easy roasting beets is really easy, it does take time—most grocery stores sell cooked beets.
Prep ahead: Roast the beets and prepare the dressing up to 4 days before serving.
Serving suggestions: Make it a light meal by topping with chicken or shrimp.
Yield: This recipe yields 4 servings, but you can add a bag of shredded coleslaw mix to extend the recipe for extra servings.

oil , arugula , goat cheese , beets , lemon , honey , garlic , walnuts , onion , dijon, and vinegar to make Beet Salad with labels.

Ingredient Tips For Beet Salad

Greens: Peppery arugula is my first choice for a beet salad, but it can be replaced with spinach, kale, or a spring mix.
Beets: Beets should be roasted. You can also buy cooked beets at the grocery store, which are different than pickled beets.
Cheese: I love creamy goat cheese in this recipe aka chevre. Substitutions include crumbled feta cheese or parmesan cheese petals.
Nuts: Toast the nuts in a skillet for extra flavor. For a nut-free crunch, use pepitas (pumpkin seeds) or sunflower seeds but check the ingredients—many are roasted in peanut oil.

Beet Salad Dressing

Dressing: Homemade dressing is very simple, and it’s light and tangy. Since it can be made days ahead of time, I recommend making it homemade.

If using a purchased dressing, I suggest something sweet and tangy like poppy seed dressing or honey mustard dressing.

PRO TIP: For the best crunch and flavor, toast nuts or seeds in a dry pan until just fragrant. They burn fast, so keep them moving and watch closely. Cool before using.

How to Cook Beets for Salad

For the best sweet flavor and velvety soft texture, I recommend oven roasting beets in foil for about an hour. Just cut the ends off. The peels will slip right off after roasting.

For quicker prepping you can also steam or cook on the stovetop.

addin dijon to oil to make vinaigrette for Beet Salad

whisking ingredients to make dressing for Beet Salad

Storing Beet Salad

Beet salad can be stored covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Simply toss the salad and add extra arugula and dressing if desired.
Assemble beet salad, without dressing, up to 3 days ahead and chill. Add dressing just before serving.

Our Favorite Fresh Salads

Did you make this Beet Salad recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!

image of Everyday Comfort cookbook by Holly Nilsson of Spend With Pennies plus text

5 from 12 votes↑ Click stars to rate now!
Or to leave a comment, click here!

Sweet and silky roasted beets, creamy goat cheese, and peppery arugula are tied together with a tangy Dijon, honey, and balsamic dressing.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Total Time 20 minutes

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Place arugula in a large bowl. Top with beets, walnuts, goat cheese, and onions.
For the dressing: Whisk together the vinegar, lemon juice, honey, Dijon mustard, and garlic powder. Slowly drizzle in oil while whisking until the dressing is slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Drizzle dressing over salad and serve immediately.

Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Re-toss before serving.

Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.

Course Salad

Cuisine American

© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.