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
Do you need beets to equal 2lbs for this recipe? Looks delicious and would love to make soon!
Hi Nikki, We found that made for the perfect balance but it can be adjusted!
Great recipe delicious flavours I added a chopped apple to my beets this added a lovely pink colour and another flavour
I also grated a little carrot more colour and flavour!
5 ⭐️!!
It’s so fresh and delicious! I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us, Marybette!
We have this salad once or twice a week. Delicious!!!
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review!
I just made the dressing and it’s wonderful! I did not have fresh garlic 🙁 but I had the minced one in the jar and used that. Still delicious and EASY! So much better than store bought balsamic vinaigrette l!! Thank you Natasha! Love you and your recipes! Now do I hear a cannoli recipe coming?
Hello Bernadette, thank you for sharing your great review with us. I’m glad the recipe was a success and you loved it! Thanks for your suggestion, I’ll take note of that too.
Hello, Trader Joe’s has pre-cooked beets. What should I buy in terms of ounces or pounds total? of pre-cooked beets?
Hi Christina, this recipe calls for 6 medium/ 2 lbs beets. I would use a comparable amount.
Wondering if I missed the # of servings?
The serving size can be found at the beginning of the print-friendly recipe card (located at the bottom of the recipe post). The nutrition label shows counts “per serving.” Hope that helps!
Such a versatile recipe! I was able to make it from what I had on hand: steamed & peeled baby beets and cranberry goat cheese (both from Trader Joe’s), walnuts, and my hubby added some sliced onion to his. For the dressing, I substituted apple cider vinegar, used 1 cube each of thawed frozen garlic and ginger, and added a little honey. Never buying salad dressing again!
That is awesome! Thank you so much for sharing that with us, Audrey.
Hello, Natasha! Can I boil the beets instead of baking them?
Thank you!
Hi Yuliia, you lose some of the nutrients and sweetness to the water but the beets will still taste good if they are boiled.
Can canned beets be used
Hi Veronica, we really prefer fresh, but you can use that as a substitute. Here’s what one of our readers wrote: “Used canned beets, drained and blotted dried. The salad was a fantastic mixture of flavors! The vinaigrette was wonderful!” I hope this is helpful!
I made a few substitutions on this recipe, but tried it yesterday and it was AMAZING! I used pecans instead of walnuts, and goat cheese instead of feta. Totally in love with it, thank you so so much!
Sounds like you found a new favorite, Jesss! Thank you for that wonderful review!
Hi Natasha,
I have an Instant Pot but never know how to convert recipes for it. How do I cook the beets in the Instant Pot?
Hi Carole, please see the section in this recipe titles ‘How to Cook Beets in Instant Pot:’ I hope that helps!
Hi Carole, not every recipe converts well, so I highly recommend following recipes written specifically for the instant pot. Check out all our our instant pot recipes here.
Another wonderful recipe from you😊 if I were to use canned beets instead, do you recommend plain or pickled? I cant wait to try this out! I’m going to crumble tofu instead of feta as I cannot have dairy. Thank you.
Hi Sonya, we really prefer fresh but you can use that as a substitute. Here’s what one of our readers wrote: “Used canned beets, drained and blotted dried. The salad was a fantastic mixture of flavors! The vinaigrette was wonderful!” I hope this is helpful!
Wonderful combination of flavors and colorful presentation!! I used apples and Toscano cheese as I didn’t have cranberries or Feta on hand. My husband, who dislikes beets, loved it too. Thank you, thank you!
Thank you for sharing your wonderful review and your substitution ideas. That sounds delicious.
Hi Natasha! Another wonderful fall salad! Thank you for the recipe! Any pointers on best way to store the dressing, when making it for two people vs a party? Thank you! 🙂
Hi Liliya, we like to store it in the fridge for up to a week or so.
Excellent recipe, it was an instant hit at with the family. I will certainly make it for guests when this COVID thing is over. I used golden beets, candied walnuts, and replaced feta with blue cheese. It was amazing. Love the dressing!
Hello Win, thank you for your wonderful review and feedback! We really appreciate it.
I made this tonight, I wilted my beet greensand added to the arugula, so delicious
A keeper
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review!
Used canned beets, drained and blotted dried. The salad was a fantastic mixture of flavors! The vinaigrette was wonderful!
Fantastic! Thanks for sharing that with us, Paula.
I’m a fuss when it comes to cheeses. Not a fan of Feta or Goat for instance. Do you have any other suggestions for cheese?
Hi Cindy, blue cheese will work also!
Delicious! Beautiful to serve! Company worthy! Everyone is impressed. and I didn’t even like beets but I am a convert now.
So wonderful to hear that, Holly! Thank you for your great feedback.
eating boiled chunked beets purely haha didnt much know that you can make it more fancy.will try to add all the ingredients.thanks Natasha!
More Power!
You’re welcome Vange!
I’ve never had arugula before, so I was surprised when it had a little kick to it lol. But aside from that, this salad is a must! I got full really quick too, which is surprising because salad usually doesn’t fill me up.
I’m so happy to know that you enjoyed this salad! Thanks for sharing that with us, Kaylee!