How to Roast Beets

Knowing how to roast beets turns those deep red beauties into sweet, versatile veggies you’ll fall in love with. We’ll teach you how to roast them two ways, either whole or in wedges, perfect for salads or sides.

Why You’ll Want to Know How to Roast Beets

• You can store roasted beets in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week – perfect for meal prep and holiday leftovers! They freeze well, too.
• Raw beets are crisp and crunchy, but roasted beets have a soft, buttery texture, similar to cooked yams.
• Serve them warm with butter and a little salt & pepper, or chilled on top of a salad.

Roasted Beets Ingredients

Beets – These gorgeous cranberry-colored root veggies are full of vitamins and nutrients, and they’re low in calories and fat. Cooked, pureed beets can also be used to give red velvet cake its signature color!

Extra Virgin Olive Oil – EVOO is one of the most versatile items in your kitchen. Since it’s loaded with healthy fatty acids and antioxidants, it’s good for you both inside and out – no, really! We all know it’s used for baking, marinating, and vinaigretting, but some DIY skin and hair treatments call for EVOO, too.

How to Roast Beets

The full recipe is below, but here you’ll find all the steps for making this recipe perfectly the first and 100th time, along with useful tips and info!

For both whole roasted beets and roasted beet wedges, preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit (adjust for altitude if appropriate) and clean the beets before you roast them. You can use a fruit & veggie wash if you want, but really a thorough scrub with a vegetable brush and cold water will do the trick. You just want to remove the dirt from your root vegetables.

For whole roasted beets, trim away most of the stem, leave the peel on, and coat your clean beets with extra virgin olive oil. Wrap them up in an aluminum foil pouch, then place them in the oven and let them roast!

Depending on the size of your beets, roasting will take anywhere from 35 to 50 minutes. I recommend you start checking them after 35 minutes, though, so they don’t overcook. You’ll know they’re ready when you can easily pierce them with a fork. Set them aside until they’re cool, then peel and slice into medallions.

Roasted beet wedges are just as easy as whole roasted beets. You do need to remove the whole stem and peel your dirt-free beets using a peeler or a paring knife before you roast them. Once they’re peeled, cut them into wedges, then coat them in EVOO. No foil pouch needed here – spread the wedges evenly on a sheet pan and toss them in the oven!

Chef’s Tips

• If you’re roasting large beets whole, wrap them individually in foil to make sure they roast evenly.
• Perfectly tender roasted beets are easy to peel – just rub them with a paper towel and the skins will come right off! If they don’t, you’ll want to cook the beets a little longer.
• Beets are gorgeous, but the juice can stain everything. Don’t let that scare you away from them, though! Just be careful, wear an apron, and if you do happen to get beet juice on some fabric, immediately dab (don’t rub!) the spot with a paper towel to absorb the liquid, flush the area with cold water, then treat the area with stain remover or lemon juice & vinegar.
• The most common beets at your local grocery store are standard red beets, but if you’d like beets with a little sweetness, try to find Chioggia beets. They’re sometimes called Candy Cane Beets because they’re red-and-white striped inside, which also makes them fun for the holiday table.

More Roasted Recipes

• Roasted Sweet Potato Salad
• Roasted Cauliflower Steaks
• Roasted Fingerling Potatoes
• Roasted Radishes with Garlic Browned Butter
• How To Roast Garlic

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