Here’s my trick for the BEST roasted beets: cook them whole. No peeling raw beets, no magenta-stained cutting board—once they’re tender, the skins slip right off. Then I toss the warm wedges in a simple balsamic vinaigrette so they soak up every drop. It’s a beet salad without cheese that never feels like it’s missing anything.

Roasted beet salad sprinkled with chopped parsley in a white bowl. Two small plates with servings of beet salad.

Although I adore the simplicity of an olive oil and vinegar drizzle with just salt and pepper plus parsley to let the beets shine like the superstars they are, when basil is in season I whip up a batch of my 5-minute Easy Vegan Basil Balsamic Vinaigrette to toss onto these roasted beets instead. The creaminess factor is a 10/10 for sure.

These are gorgeous next to my sweet and spicy carrot ribbons salad on a Shabbat table….and both stay good in the fridge and can be served cold or at room temperature.

Ingredient Notes

Roasted beet salad ingredients labeled: roasted beets, black pepper, parsley, white vinegar, balsamic vinegar, olive oil, sea salt, black pepper.

Beets: I love a mix of golden and red….golden beets are a bit milder and the red are sweeter. Together they make the bowl gorgeous.
Vinegar: I found that the combination of white vinegar and balsamic vinegar gives just the right balance of acidic flavor while still enhancing the natural sweetness of the beets.
Fresh herbs: I tried this beet salad with other herbs, but kept coming back to fresh parsley as it is truly vibrant without competing with the natural beet flavor.

How to roast beets whole for salad

The first step is to prepare the beets. I like to use a pair of disposable kitchen gloves when I work with beets, so my hands don’t stain.

Trimming beet roots on a wooden board with a paring knife. You can see the beet greens and stems, plus three beets in various stages of trimming.

Use a paring knife to trim the beet greens and stems from the top of the beets. Trim the root end so beets will sit flat. Set aside the greens and stems for another use. Beet greens will last in the fridge for 2 days.

How long to cook whole beets

NOTE: Beets are cooked when tender to the tines of a fork, or easily pierced with a paring knife. For beet salad, you want tender, but not mushy beets. Check on them at the times listed.

Pressure cooker beets: Use your Instant Pot if you’re short on time. Use the rack and add trimmed beets plus one cup water to Instant Pot. Cook on high pressure for 20 minutes for medium sized beets. Adjust 3-4 minutes +/- for smaller beets or large beets. Use quick release.
Dutch Oven Roasted beets or Beets baked in Baking dish: My go-to is to place beets in single layer and add 1″ cool water to bottom of dish. Seal tightly with lid of Dutch oven or cover with a damp piece of parchment and then tightly seal baking dish with aluminum foil. Cook in preheated 425°F oven for 1 hour for medium sized beets. Add 10 minutes for large beets and 20 additional minutes for extra large beets.

Instant Pot Beets

Whole beets, trimmed in an instant pot bowl on a rack with 1" of water.

Cooked beets, 3 red, 3 golden, in an instant pot on a rack. Colored water below. Paring knife in one of the beets.

Dutch Oven Whole Roasted Beets

Whole beets in a Dutch oven with 1 inch of water, ready to roast.

Dutch oven with cooked whole red beets inside. A small paring knife is stuck into one of the beets.

Whole Roasted Beets in Baking Pan

Whole red beets in a pie plate with ¼" water.

Whole red beets, roasted, browned in a pie plate.

Roasted whole golden beets and red beets, peeled and now being cut into wedges with a paring knife, on a wooden cutting board to make into beet salad.

Allow beets to cool enough to handle. Transfer cooked whole beets to a cutting board. The great thing about roasting beets whole is that they’re SUPER EASY to peel! Use a paper towel to rub the papery skin right off. Or, you can use a small paring knife to remove the outer skin.

Roasted golden and red beets, cut into wedges, sprinkled with fresh parsley.

Whole roasted beet salad. Golden and red beets cut into wedges, drizzled with oil and vinegar and sprinkled with fresh parsley.

Cut the beets into wedges, then drizzle warm beets with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and white vinegar. Sprinkle with sea salt, black pepper and chopped fresh parsley. Mix well. Taste for seasoning, adding additional salt and pepper to taste.

Debra’s Pro Tips

Three large red beets with the beet greens still attached to the beet root.

No need to waste the beet greens! Separate the stems from the leaves and roughly chop both. First sauté chopped stems in a bit of olive oil with some crushed garlic and a sprinkle of sea salt. When they start to soften, add the greens, turn off the heat and barely wilt. So yummy!
To get beet root stains off a wooden cutting board, sprinkle with kosher salt and scrub with half a lemon.
MESSY PAN CLEAN UP: If you roast beets in a Dutch oven or baking pan and it looks anything like mine above, have no fear….it happens to me all the time. I boil a bit of water with a sprinkle of baking soda in the pan and then use a sponge to wipe clean.

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📖 Recipe

Wedges of whole roasted golden beets and red beets with balsamic, sea salt and chopped fresh parsley.

Whole Roasted Beets with Balsamic Vinaigrette

Author: Debra Klein

Whole beets roasted in the oven or Instant Pot until tender, then peeled and tossed warm with olive oil, balsamic vinegar and fresh parsley. Golden and red beets make it gorgeous. Vegan, gluten-free and no cheese needed.

5 from 63 votes

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Prep Time 5

Cook Time 1

Total Time 1 5

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Servings servings

Calories 138 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

Ingredients:

▢ 1 ½ lbs. beets trimmed
▢ 2 Tablespoons olive oil
▢ 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
▢ 1 teaspoon white vinegar
▢ ¼ teaspoon coarse sea salt
▢ ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
▢ 1 Tablespoon fresh parsley minced

Instructions

Preheat oven to 425°F, unless using the Instant Pot.
Wash and trim beets.

Instant Pot

Insert rack. Place beets onto rack. Add 1 cup water. Seal valve. Set on high pressure for 20 minutes. Use quick release. For small beets set for 17 minutes. Larger beets will need about 25 minutes.

Oven Roasting

Place trimmed beets in Dutch oven or ceramic or glass baking dish. Add 1" water. Cover with lid or parchment then aluminum foil, tightly sealed. Bake medium sized beets for 1 hour, 1 hour 20 minutes for larger beets.
Beets are done when they are tender when pierced with a fork.
When beets are cool enough to handle, rub skins off. Use a small knife or wear a glove so your hands don't turn red.
Drizzle olive oil and vinegar over beets while they are still warm, sprinkle with salt, pepper and parsley and mix well. Taste for seasoning adding more s+p as needed.

Notes

BEET GREENS: Save the beet greens to use in a different recipe. Beet Greens are highly nutritious! They can be lightly sautéed with olive oil, garlic, a bit of salt and pepper and served warm; use them raw, as part of a green salad, sliced super thin; incorporate wilted beet greens into a rice or whole grain dish for color and a nutritional boost.

SERVE: Serve cold or at room temperature on top of salad greens, use whole roasted beets in hummus or serve roasted beet salad as a simple side dish.
PREP AHEAD: Roast beets whole. Store in airtight container in fridge until ready to prepare salad, up to one week.
STORE: Store roasted beet salad in airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Sprinkle with additional fresh chopped parsley to freshen up.
FREEZE: Roasted whole beets can be frozen for up to 3 months. Wrap in unbleached parchment and then aluminum foil or freezer safe bags.

Nutrition

Calories: 138kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 3gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 6gSodium: 264mgFiber: 3gSugar: 14g

Note

The nutrition calculations were done using online tools. To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in any given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients you used. You are ultimately responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information is accurate, complete and useful.

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