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Our Favourite Roasted Beet Salad
We weren’t always Roasted Beet Salad fans…but then our favourite farmer started bringing beautiful bright yellow and pink striped beets to the market. Now every summer, we look forward to the moment Farmer Robert of 100 Mile Produce starts showing up at market with bins of fresh beets. Robert somehow grows the sweetest, most flavourful beets we’ve ever tasted, and when we see yellow and candy-striped varieties, we know this roasted beet salad is going on our menu.
We’ve served this roasted beet salad at family dinners, bbq potlucks, as well as part of a good meal prep sunday, and without fail, someone asks for the recipe. It’s colourful, earthy, and a little sweet, with just the right tang from our maple-Dijon vinaigrette. The creamy feta and crunchy toasted nuts (or seeds) take it right over the top.
Why Roasted Beets Make the Best Salad
Raw beets are actually really delicious–thinly sliced in a salad or as part of a crudites platter, but roasted beets is what you want for this salad.
The heat concentrates their natural sugars and makes them tender without losing that deep beet flavour. Plus, when you mix yellow beets with candy-striped beets, you get a salad that’s almost too pretty to eat—without the “everything turns pink” effect of using only red beets.
And let’s be honest…
The reality is, in order to cook the beets properly, the beets are not actually ‘roasted’ but rather ‘steamed’. In order to cook them evenly and peel them even easier, we need some steam action. So by adding some liquid and covering them up we are, in fact, not roasting the beets but steaming them. It’s the way Kirstie’s grandma used to prep them up for her summer Borscht recipe! (stay tuned!)
Ingredients
- 6 roasted beets (a mix of yellow and candy-striped if you can find them)
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 2 tsp maple syrup
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 2-3 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 1/2 cup toasted nuts (almonds or pecans) or toasted seeds (pepitas)
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Roast the beets: Preheat oven to 425°F. (see video below for tips!)
- Place beets snuggly in a baking dish. Season generously with kosher salt and drizzle with olive oil. Add about a cup of water and wrap the baking dish tightly in foil.
- Roast until fork-tender, 45–60 minutes depending on size. Let cool slightly, then they will easily peel.
- Cut into slices or diced.
- Make the vinaigrette: In a small bowl, whisk together Dijon mustard, maple syrup, salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Slowly whisk in olive oil until smooth and emulsified.
- Bring it all together: Gently toss beets with vinaigrette, then top with feta, toasted nuts or seeds, and parsley.
- Serve: This salad is delicious slightly warm or chilled.
Notes
Jody & Kirstie’s Roasted Beet Salad Tips
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Mix the colours: Yellow and candy-striped beets keep the salad bright and beautiful without bleeding colour onto everything.
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Make ahead: Roast your beets and prep your dressing up to two days ahead. Assemble just before serving.
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Balance is key: If your beets are extra sweet, add a splash more lemon juice for brightness.
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Try goat cheese: It’s a creamy, tangy alternative to feta that works beautifully here.
Cook With Us!
Like this recipe? You should try cooking with us! Start with an on-demand pre-recorded class, or jump in to the best experience with our live classes!
We have taken many classes over several years, and they never disappoint! Kristie & team always have great pointers and tricks to learn in the video. We love the Japanese burgers, and they are always a hit with guests. That's the thing: you make the recipe at home, it doesn't take a long time, and the result is so good that you want to make it again and again. Just try one, you'll see. 🙂I had such a fantastic experience at the cooking class! My daughter and I had an amazing time — our Bao Buns and Crispy Chicken turned out delicious, and we learned so much throughout the session. It was a fun, inspiring, and rewarding evening. I can’t wait to come back for another class. Highly recommend!Our virtual cooking class experience was top notch! Well organized, wonderfully communicated, and entertaining! A delicious outcome which boosted our confidence to try more challenging recipes in the future. Highly recommend!I have taken a few classes in the past - always find the products delicious, and I enjoy the challenge of trying to keep up 🙂
I subscribe the updates and get links to recipes - I recently made the Olive Oil Lemon cake. It turned out delicious – as you said in the description, very moist! My daughter has a birthday in strawberry season and typically she asks for strawberry shortcake with a traditional shortcake recipe… I served the lemon came this weekend with a bit of whipping cream and fresh strawberries (your picture was quite enticing) and her comment was that her birthday request this year would be to replace the traditional shortcake with this recipe!I've taken several on-line cooking classes from The Culinary Studio and have really enjoyed each one. The recipes are delicious and the instructions are very well laid out. I always learn new cooking tips and skills.It has been most likely a year and a half since I’ve made moussaka. Having the recording available was a godsend. So good and lots of leftovers! Having the recording is priceless!
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Most of the meals I make are from your repertoire. I think I have close to 60!Love these ladies! Classes are easy to follow, informative, filled with all kinds of tricks & tips and best of all DELICIOUS!! This is our "night out" dining adventure that we can re-do & show off to our family & friends.My husband and I joined the Valentine's Day Date Night cooking class. Very enjoyable experience full of informative tips and thorough explanations followed by a delectable meal. Thank you Kirstie & Jodie. We'll be back!I recently did an online Lamb Briyani class. It used some cooking techniques I wasn't familiar with and produced a dish that was as tasty as the best Indian food I've ever had the pleasure of enjoying.I have done a few classes with the Culinary Studio and always enjoy the classes and the fabulous meals. They deliver the food to my door all prepped for the class if I like (which I do!). Highly recommended.We did a virtual zoom cooking class. It was better than cooking classes we have done in a actual class. We really enjoyed our ourselves. We have made the meal a couple of times since the class. We have friends over for the session and have great restaurant quality mealsThe Culinary Studio is an wonderful online chef duo!
You will learn delicious recipes taught in real time from start to end by two good friends who want nothing more than to teach you how to cook and and have fun doing it. Class presentation is practical and encouraging with one chef starting and one playing 'catch up' so you do not miss anything and no question will go unanswered!
The recipe with food pack is perfectly packaged and always arrives on time to make it easy so you do not have to shop!
Several recipes from the Culinary Studio are in our regular rotation!
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Make-Ahead Tips
One of the best things about this roasted beet salad is how easy it is to prep ahead. We often roast a big batch of beets when the oven’s already on for something else, then they’re ready for salads, grain bowls, or snacking all week. Check out our video below on How to Roast & Peel Beets.
You can also make the maple-Dijon vinaigrette up to 3 days in advance and keep it in a jar in the fridge. Just assemble the salad right before serving to keep everything fresh and crisp.
Storage
If you’ve got leftovers, store the beets, dressing, and toppings separately when possible. Once dressed, the salad will keep in the fridge for up to 2 days, though the nuts or seeds will lose some crunch. We like to store roasted beets whole or sliced in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 5 days, they’re delicious in sandwiches, wraps, or alongside grilled meats.
Easy Ingredient Swaps
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Cheese: Goat cheese, blue cheese, or even shaved Parmesan work beautifully instead of feta.
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Nuts & Seeds: Swap pecans for walnuts, almonds, or hazelnuts—or use pepitas or sunflower seeds for a nut-free version.
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Greens: Add a layer of arugula or baby spinach under the beets for more volume and a peppery bite.
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Vinaigrette: Try balsamic vinegar or apple cider vinegar in place of lemon juice for a warmer, richer dressing. Check out our blog HERE for 10+ Vinaigrette ideas!
Why We Love This Salad
For us, this dish tastes like summer in Ontario—sweet beets from Robert’s farm, maple syrup from just down the road, and parsley from our own garden. It’s hearty enough for lunch, elegant enough for a dinner party, and every bite is a reminder that simple, seasonal food is often the best.
