Roasted Beets are sweet, tender and entirely delicious. They are so easy to make and learning how to roast beets the right way is something every beet lover needs! This roasted beets recipe is quick and easy, no peeling required!
These beets are a delicious side dish with this Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken Breast or grilled chicken made with my famous chicken marinade – yum!
Oven Roasted Beets
In this world, there are people that love beets and people that detest them. My husband is one of the latter.
I’ve been a beet lover for as long as I can remember. They are my go to at salad bars and a special treat when I make them at home.
I love this roasted beets recipe because it’s so easy:
- no peeling
- 5 minutes of prep
- amazing flavor
You Can’t Beat Beets
This roasted beets recipe is a go to for me and I make it a couple times a month. I always have some in my fridge to add to salads or just to snack on. Beets are packed with good stuff (essential nutrients, fiber, potassium, iron, vitamin C) and are so good for you.
I love the flavor, texture, and the color. Oh, that color! It’s beyond gorgeous!
Roasting vegetables is a great way to bring out the most amazing flavor in all vegetables and beets are no exception. Roasting beets brings out the natural sweetness in the beets and makes them oh so tender.
Beets have a tendency to turn everything in their vicinity a lovely shade of fuchsia. Protect your hands, clothes, and cutting boards because beet juice can definitely stain.
Picking Beets for Roasting
Beets come in all shapes and sizes and even different colors. Here are some things you want to look for when you’re selecting beets for roasting:
- Look for beets with fresh, crisp leaves with bright green color. Stay way from wilted leaves or worse yet, beets that have had their leaves removed.
- Look for beets that are undamaged. Granted, beets aren’t super pretty in their raw, unpeeled form but do your best.
- Another tip is to try to pick out beets that are roughly the same size. If you get mixed sizes, because maybe you had them delivered, no worries. Just check the smaller ones at about 30 minutes and just know that they will take a different amount of time to cook.
What You’ll Need For This Roasted Beets Recipe
Roasting beets is super simple and requires very little. Here’s a look at what you’ll need:
- beets – you can roast 1 beet or 10 – it’s entirely up to you
- extra virgin olive oil – you need about a teaspoon of olive oil per beet
- Kosher or sea salt – about a 1/2 teaspoon of salt per beet
How To Roast Beets
- Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Even though the beets are wrapped in foil, their juices tend to leak out and can cause a mess. This makes cleanup quick and easy.
- Clean beets. Beets need to be scrubbed clean before roasting. They are like potatoes and grown in the ground so while they may look clean, they’re dirty. Give them a good scrub first.
- Trim off the leaves and the root. To make peeling easier after roasting, I cut off both ends of the beet before roasting. Simply trim off the root end and also the top of the beet removing all leaves. Refer to my video in the recipe card to see how I do it.
- Place each beet on a piece of foil and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
- Wrap beets individually in foil and place on the prepare baking sheet.
- Roast beets at 400F for about an hour for medium to large beets.
- Check for doneness. Beets are done roasting when an inserted skewer or toothpick easily pierces the beet and goes straight through to the center of the beet easily.
Smaller beets can take as little as 30 minutes while extra large beets can take 70 minutes or more.
How To Prepare Roasted Beets for Eating
- Let the beets cool. The beets don’t need to cool completely however. In fact, I let them cool for about 20 minutes or until they are cool enough to handle.
- Remove skins. This is most easily done with a paper towel. Just rub the outside of the beet with a paper towel and the skin should slide off. Be careful, beet juice stains. If you have some serious stubborn skins you can use a paring knife or vegetable peeler to remove those skins.
- Finally, cut the beets into wedges or slices and they’re ready to serve. Keep beets refrigerated until ready to eat.
Can Oven Roasted Beets Be Frozen?
They can. Let beets cool completely, cut or slice and then transfer to a freezer safe ziploc bag. Beets can be safely frozen for 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator.
How Long to Roast Beets?
Beets can take as little as 30 minutes and as many as 90 minutes to roast. It will depend entirely on their size. Here’s a rough guide:
- small beets: 30 – 45 minutes
- medium beets: 45 – 60 minutes
- large beets: 60 – 90 minutes
How To Store
Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
How To Serve
I most frequently serve beets on or in a salad. They are magical when combined with goat cheese so a simple salad of your favorite greens (love arugala) roasted beets, goat cheese and walnuts is one of my favorite lunches.
Oven Roasted Beets are delicious on their own or simply dressed with a little balsamic vinegar and olive oil. Sometimes I’ll whisk together a quick balsamic vinaigrette and toss the beets in the dressing. Try this:
Easy Balsamic Vinaigrette
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- add in some chopped fresh thyme or other herbs
If you really want to amp up the flavor, add in a teaspoon of Dijon mustard and some salt and pepper.
More Side Dish Recipes
- Funeral Potatoes
- Air Fryer Brussel Sprouts with Garlic and Parmesan
- Candied Yams
- The BEST Pea Salad
- Creamy Cucumber Salad
- Oven Roasted Red Potatoes
How To Roast Beets
Roasted Beets
Ingredients
- 6 beets fresh, with steams and leaves still attached
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon Kosher salt or sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and set aside.
- Scrub beets well to move any dirt or debris. Trim off the leaves and the root end. (Watch video for this step.)
- Place each beet on a piece of foil and drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Wrap the foil around the beet and place on prepared baking sheet. Repeat for remaining beets.
- Roast beets at 400F for about an hour for medium to large beets. Start checking smaller beets at 30 minutes. For even cooking, flip beets over about halfway through the cooking time.
- Beets are done roasting when an inserted skewer or toothpick easily pierces the beet and goes straight through to the center of the beet easily.
- Let the beets cool for about 20 minutes or until they are cool enough to handle. Remove the skins by gently rubbing the outside of the beet with a paper towel. The skin should slide off. If you have some serious stubborn skins you can use a paring knife or vegetable peeler to remove those skins.
- Finally, cut the beets into wedges or slices and they’re ready to serve. Keep beets refrigerated until ready to eat for up to 1 week.
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