This roasted Beet Salad with arugula and balsamic vinaigrette is the perfect salad for Fall or Winter. It is the perfect blend of fresh arugula with sweet roasted beets, crunchy pecans, and creamy cheese. (P.S. You can use goat cheese or feta!) You’ll want the balsamic vinaigrette on all of your Autumn salads!
If you like robust salads, this roasted red Beet Salad is going to be a Fall favorite for you- it’s loaded with healthy and flavorful ingredients. This is our go-to balsamic vinaigrette – it’s drizzled over our Autumn Chopped Salad and Cobb Salad, which are reader favorites.
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Roasted Beet Salad Recipe
My friend Nataliya shared the idea for this beet salad with arugula with me and it was an instant hit! It tastes fancy but wait until you see how EASY it is to make. This show-stopping salad really is the best beet salad recipe!
We brought this to my sister’s house for dinner and it disappeared quickly with rave reviews from everyone. The balsamic vinaigrette will totally win you over. You will love that this salad is:
- Easy to make – especially if you make Instant Pot Beets and even cook them ahead.
- Colorful– the gorgeous Fall color palette adds festive beauty to your table
- Customizableable– you’re in control of what goes into your salad to meet your taste and dietary needs
- Good for you – Packed with essential nutrients
Ingredients for Beet Salad
Everything about this beet salad is good – rich in flavor and super healthy thanks to the fresh ingredients.
- Beets – the stars of this salad, you will need 6 medium red or golden beets or a combination of the two
- Baby arugula – rinsed and spun dry
- Feta cheese (or Goat Cheese)- use crumbled cheese or dice up a block yourself
- Pecans – toasted
- Dried cranberries – add a sweet and tangy layer of flavor
Ingredients for Balsamic Vinaigrette
- Extra virgin olive oil – a flavorful base for your dressing
- Balsamic vinegar – its well-rounded sweet flavor pairs perfectly with leafy salad greens
- Dijon mustard – we use Grey Poupon brand
- Garlic – 1 clove, pressed or finely minced
- Salt and pepper – to taste
Variations and Substitutions
This salad is totally customizable to your taste. I love the bright colors of the red beets, but you can add gold beets or sliced apple, add red onion or shallots, or even use different lettuce varieties. You can also change up the cheese and nuts.
Cheese Options:
- Goat cheese (our recent favorite!)
- Gorgonzola cheese
- Grated parmesan
Nut Option:
- Walnuts
- Toasted pine nuts
- Almond slivers
- Candied pecans
- Pistachios
Greens Options:
- Mixed greens
- Baby spinach
- Red leaf lettuce
How to Cook Beets
Wash and trim the beets so that the stems are about ½-inch long and the roots are no more than about 2 inches long.
- Instant Pot Method: Cooking beets in your Instant Pot is the quickest and easiest way to cook tender beets. If you have one, follow the steps on my Instant Pot Beets tutorial.
- Oven-Roasted Beets: If you don’t have an Instant Pot yet, don’t fret. Preheat your oven to 400°F. and line the bottom of a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Tightly wrap each beet in aluminum foil to seal and arrange the beets on the baking sheet. Bake for 1 hour or until the largest beet is easily pierced. Unwrap the beets.
Pro Tip:
You can pre-cook beets up to 3 days in advance, cover, and refrigerate them until ready to use.
How to Make Beet Salad
- Cool and Prepare Beets – No matter how you cook the beets, allow them to cool to room temperature, and then trim the roots and peel the skins- they should peel right off, super easy. Slice them into wedges.
- Toast Pecans – In a dry skillet, toss frequently until golden and fragrant.
- Combine Ingredients – Rinse and dry your arugula and transfer to a large salad bowl. Add the sliced beets, and sprinkle the feta cheese, toasted pecans, and dried cranberries on top.
- Balsamic Vinaigrette – Make and drizzle over the top just before serving. Toss to combine.
Pro Tip:
Be sure to wear gloves when working with beets. The juices are bright red and stain everything, including your hands. Now you can make all of your favorite beet recipes (including Borscht) without staining your hands.
How to Make Balsamic Vinaigrette
- In a mason jar, combine extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, garlic clove, salt, and pepper.
- Seal with the lid and shake well to combine. I use about 3/4 of this recipe for this salad. Leftover dressing to use on your next salad is never a bad thing.
Salad Serving Tip:
To ensure the salad doesn’t get soggy or wilted, drizzle the balsamic vinaigrette over your salad just before serving. You can toss to combine or serve without tossing, just be sure to evenly drizzle and set a pair of tongs next to the salad along with the the extra dressing. The salad is prettier if it’s not tossed.
Common Questions
Make-Ahead
- Assemble ahead – With the exception of adding the dressing, you can fully assemble this salad ahead of time. Just save the jarred dressing on the side until just before serving so your greens do not get soggy. This also makes it easy to store leftover salad and dressing.
- Pre-cook beets – You can roast the beets up to 3 days ahead of time. Allow them to cool before storing them in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Store any leftovers in a container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
What to Serve With Beet Salad
This stunning salad is hearty and satisfying enough to be a meal on its own, or it makes the perfect side dish. Pair it with:
The arugula’s peppery taste provides a fresh contrast to the sweetness of the beets. Tossed in the best balsamic vinaigrette, this salad is not only delicious, but it hits so many textures with the crunch of the toasted pecans and the creaminess of the cheese. This Roasted Beet Salad shows up at every holiday buffet in our family and it always disappears fast.
More Fall Salad Recipes
If you love this Beet Salad recipe, then you won’t want to miss these amazing Fall salad recipes.
- Roasted Sweet Potato Salad
- Broccoli Cauliflower Salad
- Winter Fruit Salad
- Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad
- Broccoli Apple Salad
- Kale Salad
Beet Salad with Arugula and Balsamic Vinaigrette
Ingredients
Beet Salad with Arugula Ingredients:
- 6 medium, 2 lbs beets
- 5 oz 6 cups baby arugula, rinsed and spun dry
- 4 oz or 1/2 cup feta cheese, diced or crumbled
- 1/2 cup pecans, toasted
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
Balsamic Vinaigrette Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tbsp dijon mustard, we love Grey Poupon brand
- 1 garlic clove, pressed or finely minced
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
Instructions
How to Make Beet Salad with Arugula:
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Line the bottom of a medium-rimmed baking sheet with foil. Wrap each beet tightly in a sheet of foil and arrange a lined baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour or until the largest beet is easily pierced. Unwrap beets and cool to room temperature then peel the skins and slice into halves and then wedges.
- Toast 1/2 cup pecans on a dry skillet, tossing frequently until golden and fragrant. Remove from heat and let cool.
- Transfer the arugula to a large mixing bowl then add the remaining salad ingredients: sliced beets, feta cheese, toasted pecans, and dried cranberries.
How To Make Balsamic Vinaigrette:
- In a small mason jar, combine all dressing ingredients and shake well to combine. Drizzle over salad to taste. If not serving salad right away, shake the dressing again just before drizzling over the salad.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
Hi. Can I use homemade pickled beet in this recipe?
Hi Patti! Not knowing the flavor profile it is hard to say but I bet that could work!
This salad has become a favorite! We substitute with blue cheese!!!
Isn’t it so great!! Blue cheese works great here also!
I love beets, what do you recommend serving this salad with?
Thanks
Hi Rosana, beets go best with rich meats like pork, beef brisket, duck, and ham, as well as oilier fish like salmon or swordfish.
Can I substitute extra virgin olive oil to avocado oil or extra light olive oil? Will it change the taste?
Thank you!
I imagine that should work too!
This Salad is so amazing I just can’t stop eating it, currently being made at every party that I go to
THat’s just awesome Masha! It sounds like you definitely found a favorite!
Hi there, do you use raw nuts when you toast them on the stove top?
We sure do! If I have raw nuts we like to toast them
I have a package of frozen beets. Do you think they would work in the salad? As well I hate Dijon mustard, or really any grainy mustard. Any suggestions as to what I could use instead?
Hi Naomi, I haven’t tried anything besides dijon and don’t worry, you can’t really taste it in the finished dressing. Also, frozen cooked beets would work fine in this salad.
Was googling a viniagrette and came across this salad. Amazingly had all ingredients on hand and had not even thought to put them together. So thank you! It’s now my go-to salad and dressing. Didn’t change a thing.
So glad you loved it! Thanks for sharing that with us.
I made this beet salad and it was absolutely delicious besides being super simple. I made a few tweaks though! Chopped beets into bite size pieces drizzled with a little EVOO salt and pepper and roasted them in the air fryer. Did not have dried cranberries so used 1/2 cup of Costco’s Salad Topper and toasted that along with pecans. No Arugulla so I used Spring Mix Salad. So delicious!
Thank you Natasha!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe.
I loved this! Pressure cooking the beets makes it so easy!
So great to hear that you loved this recipe! Thanks for the tip.
It was really good! I didn’t have pecans and forgot the garlic but still delicious. I added honey to the dressing to sweeten it a little.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I made this last night, for a special occasion. It was the best part of the meal and we’re still talking about it today. I used mesclun mix and half the dressing. Thank you!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Loved the beet salad so much my daughter in law asked me to bring it for Xmas dinner
I’m so glad you loved it. Merry Christmas!
Could you show the recipe of the Sweet Potatoe casserole.& Cream cheese Strawberry pie .Love your show ,
Thanks
Hi Jan, we have both on our blog here & here. I hope you enjoy this recipe and thank youf or that video suggestion.
Hi ,
I have tried these two recipe ,love them both .Just in time for Thankgiving ..Love your show also .Thank you ,
Jan
I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed that, Jan!! Thank you!
I made this for a party yesterday and it was delicious! I accidentally used goat cheese instead of feta but it was delicious! Would be wonderful at Christmas!
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Sharon!
Natasha,
Try adding a tablespoon or so of real maple syrup to the dressing for a taste of fall. You can also add roasted sweet potatoes and pumpkin seeds!!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
This salad was SO good, my family loved it!! I could eat this every day, thank you so much for the recipe
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the wonderful review!
That’s just awesome!! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
Delish. Everyone loved this salad. The dressing is so complimentary.
That’s so great! It sounds like you have a new favorite, Steph!
This salad was very good!! I took it to a girls potluck party and it was a big hit. Yummy
That’s so great, Coco! Thank you for sharing that with me.
I made it with marinated beets, and it was excellent —and faster!
Great idea, Lise, thank you for sharing that.