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A roasted beet salad recipe is ideal if you want to serve a light lunch or a light appetizer before your main meal. Expect a riot of bright colors and fresh, delicious flavors in every mouthful. Roasted beet tangerine salad is a visually gorgeous dish and it’s easy to make from scratch. Although salads might be associated with the warmer months, this one is also perfect for fall and winter when beets are in season.
Roasted beet salad boasts contrasting ingredients like sweet and juicy roasted beets, peppery arugula, sweet figs, crunchy pistachios, and salty crumbled feta cheese.
Also try maple roasted rainbow carrots, tomato burrata salad, peach panzanella, or roasted brussels sprouts with bacon, pecans and cranberries.
Why You’ll Love It
Fresh: The best beet salads are those featuring plenty of fresh ingredients and by roasting beets yourself and using fresh fruit you’re giving this salad a beautiful fresh flavor.
Impressive: Although this recipe is simple to prepare, it’s a sophisticated dish which is elevated enough for any kind of dinner party or event. Don’t be surprised if you’re asked for the recipe!
Versatile: This vegetarian salad with beets can be served in a variety of ways. You can serve it as an appetizer before a main dish, as a light lunch, as part of a buffet spread, or as a snack. You can also customize the ingredients to make it a perfect fit for your palate.
Roasted Beet Salad Ingredients
A complete list of ingredients and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Beets: The star of the dish. I like to use both red and golden beets for the prettiest presentation.
Honey: For sweetness.
Balsamic vinegar: Adds a zesty tang.
Lemon juice: Another contrasting flavor.
Arugula: Or your salad greens of choice.
Fruit: I added tangerines and figs.
Pistachios: For crunch.
Feta cheese: Adds a tangy creamy taste.
Miso paste: An umami flavor for the dressing.
Tamari: Or you can use soy sauce. Adds a salty and umami flavor.
Garlic and ginger: To add depth to the dressing.
How to Make this Beet Salad
For more detailed instructions with weights and measurements, jump to the printable recipe card.
Prepare the beets: Rinse the beets, trim the tops and bottoms and peel with a vegetable peeler, then chop into cubes.
Glaze the beets: Whisk together olive oil, honey and balsamic vinegar and toss the red beets in this mixture. Whisk together olive oil, honey and lemon juice and toss the yellow beets in this mixture and some kosher salt and pepper.
Cook the beets: Arrange the beets on a baking sheet in a preheated oven and roast until tender.
Assemble the salad: Arrange the arugula on a serving dish and top it with the beets, tangerine segments and dried figs, then sprinkle the pistachios and feta cheese on top.
Make the salad dressing: Whisk the dressing ingredients together and drizzle it over the salad. If you prefer, let people add their own dressing. Serve immediately.
Substitutions and Variations
Beets: You don’t have to use both yellow and red beets if you want to stick to one of the other. Golden beets tend to be sweeter and milder than red ones. Another possibility is chioggia beets (also known as candy cane beets) which are pink and white striped!
Different veggies: Roasted carrots, turnips, parsnips, sweet potatoes, and radishes would also work in this roasted beet salad.
Arugula: If you aren’t keen on arugula, any other salad greens would work.
Adjust the sweetness: You can also cut down on the amount of honey for a less sweet result.
Feta cheese: Ricotta salata can take the place of the feta cheese, or if you prefer a creamy goat cheese, use that.
Pistachios: Perhaps you prefer pecans to pistachios – they’d taste great too.
Tangerine: Substitute pink grapefruit instead.
Serving Suggestions
With a main dish: You might like to try it with your favorite protein, perhaps sheet pan crab legs or turkey breast.
With bread: Specialty bread like pumpkin seed bread or cranberry walnut bread would also be lovely with this roasted beet salad, or you might like to bake your own Irish soda bread, focaccia or one of these bread basket recipes.
How to Store Roasted Beet Salad
Store: You can make the dressing up to several days in advance as long as you keep it refrigerated and give it a good shake (if it’s in a jar) or stir (if not) before using. Once the salad is dressed, it will go soggy after a while so only make as much as you’re going to need.
Freeze: This isn’t a suitable recipe for freezing.
Top Tips
Keep the beets separate: Prepare them separately so the red from the red beets doesn’t bleed into the lighter colored golden beets.
Make uniform pieces: If all the beets are the same size, they’ll roast evenly.
Wine pairing: The earthy sweetness of beets and creamy feta cheese make something with complementary fruit notes ideal, perhaps Sancerre or a sparkling medium-dry white or, if you want a red wine, a Pinot Noir.
Salad with Roasted Beets FAQs
Yellow miso or light miso would work if you can find those. Red miso is quite strong making it a bad choice for this dish. This Japanese fermented soybean paste can also be swapped for tahini, a sesame seed paste, or you could use a little splash of light soy sauce. Alternatively, serve the beet salad with balsamic vinaigrette or a simple oil, honey and Dijon mustard based dressing.
Fingers crossed you won’t get your clothes beet stained but if you do, rinse with cold water. If this doesn’t work, add some liquid detergent, rub it in gently, rinse, and hopefully that will get rid of it!
Roasted Beet Salad Recipe
Roasted Beet Salad
Equipment
- Roasting Dish
Ingredients
For the Roasted Beets:
- 3 red beets, medium-sized, washed and trimmed
- 3 golden beets, medium-sized, washed and trimmed
- 4 Tablespoons olive oil
- 4 Tablespoons honey
- 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
For the Salad:
- 4 Cups arugula, washed and dried
- 3 tangerines, peeled and segmented, remove seeds and pith
- 8 Ounces dried black figs, remove stems and slice in half
- 1/2 Cup pistachios, roasted
- 4 Ounces feta cheese, crumbled
For the Dressing:
- ¼ Cup miso paste, white
- ¼ Cup lemon juice
- 2 Tablespoons tamari, or soy sauce
- 2 Cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tablespoons ginger, freshly grated
- 2 Tablespoon honey, adjust to taste
- 1/2 Cup avocado oil, or your preferred neutral-tasting oil
- 2 to 4 Tablespoons water, adjust for desired consistency
Instructions
Instructions for roasting the beets:
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and position the rack in the center.
Prepare the Beets:
- Red and golden beets should be prepared separately to prevent the red beets from bleeding onto the golden beets.
- Wash the beets thoroughly under cold running water, scrubbing away any dirt.
- Trim off the tops and bottoms of the beets.
- Use a vegetable peeler or a paring knife to peel the beets, removing the outer skin. I recommend peeling before roasting over roasting with the skins on, so that the beets absorb the glaze.
- Cut the peeled beets into approximately 1-inch cubes. Make sure they’re uniform in size, so that they roast evenly.
Make the Red Beet Glaze:
- In a small bowl, whisk together ½ of the olive oil (2 tablespoons), ½ of the honey (2 tablespoons), and the balsamic vinegar until well combined. The glaze should appear viscous. (Note: The balsamic glaze enhances the red beets. The lemon glaze enhances the yellow beets, below.)
Coat the Red Beets:
- Place the beet cubes in a mixing bowl.
- Pour the balsamic glaze over the beets.
- Season with a pinch of salt and black pepper.
- Toss the red beet cubes in the glaze until they are evenly coated. Make sure each piece is well-covered with the glaze.
- Place the glazed, red beets on half of the pan, leaving room for the golden beets on the other half.
Make the Golden Beet Glaze:
- In a small bowl, whisk together the rest of the olive oil (2 tablespoons), the rest of the honey (2 tablespoons), and lemon juice until well combined. The glaze should appear viscous.
Coat the Golden Beets:
- Place the yellow beet cubes in a clean mixing bowl.
- Pour the lemon glaze over the yellow beets.
- Season with a pinch of salt and black pepper.
- Toss the beet cubes in the glaze until they are evenly coated. Make sure each piece is well-covered with the glaze.
Roast the Beets:
- Spread the glazed golden beet cubes in a single layer on the other half of the baking sheet. Make sure the beets have enough space between them to cook evenly. Keep the red beets separate from the golden beets as much as you can. If some touch and bleed, that’s okay, but you want to keep the yellow as bright as possible. You’ll be glad you did!
- Place the baking sheet in the preheated oven.
- Roast the beets for approximately 25 to 35 minutes or until they are tender and caramelized. Stir or toss the beets halfway through the roasting time to ensure even cooking.
- To check for doneness, insert a fork or toothpick into one of the beet cubes. It should go in easily when the beets are done and tender.
Assemble the Salad:
- In a large, flat serving dish, arrange the fresh arugula leaves as the base.
- Place the roasted beet slices on the bed of arugula, creating a visually appealing contrast between the two colors.
- Scatter the tangerine segments and dried, black figs evenly around the perimeter of the beets.
- Sprinkle the pistachios and crumbled feta cheese on top of the salad, serving some of the feta separately for guests to add to their individual salads.
Make the Dressing:
- In a bowl, combine the white miso paste and lemon juice. Use a fork or a whisk to mix them together until the miso paste is mostly dissolved.
- Add the tamari, minced garlic, and grated ginger to the miso mixture. Whisk everything together until well combined.
- Add the honey or sugar to the mixture. The sweetness balances the saltiness of the miso and soy sauce. Adjust the amount to your taste.
- While whisking the mixture, slowly drizzle in the neutral-flavored oil. This emulsifies the dressing and gives it a lovely, creamy texture.
- If the dressing is too thick for your liking, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of water to reach your desired consistency. Continue whisking until smooth.
- Taste the dressing and adjust the flavors as needed. You can add more miso for a stronger umami flavor, more sweetness, or more acidity from lemon juice if desired. Your choice!
- Pour the dressing into a serving bowl, drizzling with a circle or spiral of honey to give visual appeal. Or you can sprinkle with garnish, such as chives, feta cheese or chopped pistachios (for flavor continuity with the salad).
- Drizzle the dressing over the salad just before serving, or you can serve it on the side for guests to dress their own.
- Serve the salad on the flat serving dish, un-tossed or slightly tossed, for a beautiful presentation.
Notes
Make uniform pieces: If all the beets are the same size, they’ll roast evenly.
Wine pairing: The earthy sweetness of beets and creamy feta cheese make something with complementary fruit notes ideal, perhaps Sancerre or a sparkling medium-dry white or, if you want a red wine, a Pinot Noir.
Making the dressing ahead: If making the dressing ahead, transfer the miso ginger dressing to an airtight container or a dressing bottle. Store it in the refrigerator for up to a week. Before using the dressing, give it a good shake or stir, as the ingredients may separate when stored.
Nutrition
This fresh roasted beet and tangerine salad is colorful, appealing and promises so much flavor. It’s a sensational salad of contrasts, with everything covered from the honeyed roast beets to the crunchy pistachios, salty, crumbly feta cheese, the tangy zing of tangerines, and the peppery arugula. Offering plenty of different flavors and textures, the salad is finished with a citrusy, garlic and miso dressing.
Other Recipes to Try
- Fans of chickpeas will appreciate this vibrant Easy Pink Beetroot Hummus.
- For a tasty flavor combo, try Roasted Butternut Feta Arugula Rocket Salad.
- Beetroot Light and Fluffy Pink Pancakes are a fun and colorful breakfast!
- Elevate your holiday feast with Holiday Roasted Chicken.
- Indulge in a bowl of cozy goodness with Miso Ramen with Chicken and Tofu.
Bella Bucchiotti
Bella Bucchiotti is a Canadian-based syndicated food, travel, and lifestyle writer, photographer, and creator at xoxoBella. She founded xoxoBella in 2015, where she shares her love for food, dogs, sustainability, fitness, crafts, outdoor adventures, travel, and philanthropy to encourage others to run the extra mile, try new recipes, visit unfamiliar places, and stand for a cause. Bella creates stress-free and family-friendly recipes for weeknight dinners and festive feasts.
Such a vibrant and refreshing salad. The roasted beets were absolutely delicious!
I wasn’t really into beets but this salad recipe changed my mind. So good!