Easy Roasted Beets
on Feb 14, 2020, Updated Mar 12, 2024
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These easy roasted beets are made with just beets, salt, and oil. It’s my go-to beet recipe that’s simple and never disappoints! If you’re searching for a healthy, simple vegetable side dish, these roasted beets are definitely contenders.
Don’t let anyone tell you that beets taste like dirt. These are so sweet and rich, you’ll make a beet-lover out of anyone.
Table of Contents
- A Healthy Oven-Roasted Beet Recipe
- How do you clean beets?
- How do you peel beets?
- Why are beets healthy for you to eat?
- How do you pick the best beets at the store?
- Can you use the green leafy parts of beets in anything?
- Commonly asked beet questions:
- Simple Roasted Beets Recipe
- Other Vegetable Recipes You’ll Love:
- This Would Be a Great Side to These Easy Dinners:
A Healthy Oven-Roasted Beet Recipe
Beets always get a bad rap. Some people harp on them and say they’re too difficult to make, while others take up issue with their flavor and texture. I happen to love, love, love beets, and I’m pretty sure this is the recipe that could change all those haters’ minds! If you ask me, roasting beets is the very best way to cook them. It makes them candy-sweet and the perfect side to really any meal.
If you’ve ever said (or thought) that beets taste like dirt, I think a little olive oil and kosher salt may just do the trick and show you the light. We have beets growing in droves in my garden, so I’ve learned to work with them and have perfected this recipe. Even my kids love them hot off the pan when they’re just a little crispy around the edges. If that doesn’t convince you to attempt these beautiful roasted veggies, I don’t know what will!
I do love beets, and if you ask me, roasting them is the absolute best way to cook them. It makes them candy sweet. These would be perfect as a simple side to just about any meal and if you have a few leftover, they are excellent served cold in salads. I have beets coming up in masses in my garden, and this is what I do with them over and over again. I’m telling you, I aim to make a beet fan out of you and this is where it starts.
How do you clean beets?
Give the beets a good scrub (like you would a potato) to get any hidden dirt off. I have this little scrubber and we love it. Then use a sharp knife to cut off the tops and bottoms (stem and root ends) of your beets.
How do you peel beets?
Use a paring knife or a vegetable peeler to remove the skin from the outside of the beet. Both are good options. Cutting beets will stain your hands red and stain any curtains or clothes that might be nearby. Wear gloves if you don’t want red fingers and an apron to shield your clothes if needed.
Why are beets healthy for you to eat?
Did you know that beets are high in fiber, potassium, vitamin C, and magnesium? Now you do!
How do you pick the best beets at the store?
When picking out beets at the store, choose ones that are firm to the touch and have nice perky greens on top, instead of droopy, wilted greens and soft beet roots (the part we eat).
Can you use the green leafy parts of beets in anything?
Yes, you can wash and eat the beet tops too! They are pretty strong as far as greens go, but are loaded with all kinds of vitamins and minerals. I use a little in my green smoothies or sauté them up with olive oil and salt. Small leaves are good raw in salads too.
Commonly asked beet questions:
Are beets good for you?
Beets are a GREAT veggies to incorporate into your diet because they’re low calorie and a wonderful source of nutrients, like vitamin C, fiber, and folate. They even have healthy elements that help to lower blood pressure and improve physical stamina! That means they’re great for kids and adults alike.
Do you leave the skin on beets when roasting?
Just like potatoes, beets are grown underground and they have a tough skin on their surface. It’s important to scrub them well to remove excess dirt and peel the skin before cooking them because it’s pretty tough and unsavory to eat.
What do roasted beets taste like?
Contrary to popular belief that beets taste like dirt (c’mon, you guys know I wouldn’t feed you dirt!), roasted beets actually take on a nice sweet, but earthy, flavor and have a similar consistency to roasted potatoes.
Roasting beets in the oven is easy:
- Just wash the outside and give the fresh beets a quick peel and then rinse again.
- Slice uniformly thin (the key to having them cook evenly!)
- Toss of olive oil and then lay them out on a sheet.
- Sprinkle with salt.
- Bake and then enjoy!
Simple Roasted Beets
Ingredients
- 4 to 5 beets
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Wash the beets and use a vegetable scrubber to wash the outside. Remove the stem and root end with a sharp knife. Use a vegetable peeler or paring knife to peel the beets. Slice the beets into 1/4-inch thick rounds and place them in a small bowl.
- Drizzle the olive oil over the sliced beets and then toss to combine. Place the sliced beets in a single layer on your prepared baking sheet and sprinkle with kosher salt.
- Roast in the hot oven until the beets are fork tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Enjoy hot with additional salt to taste.
Video
Notes
- Give the beets a good scrub (like you would a potato) to get any hidden dirt off. I have this little scrubber and we love it. Then use a sharp knife to cut off the tops and bottoms (stem and root ends) of your beets.
- Use a paring knife or a vegetable peeler to remove the skin from the outside of the beet. Both are good options.
- Cutting beets will stain your hands red and stain any curtains or clothes that might be nearby. Wear gloves if you don’t want red fingers and an apron to shield your clothes if needed.
- Did you know that beets are high in fiber, potassium, vitamin C, and magnesium? Now you do!
- When picking out beets at the store, choose ones that are firm to the touch and have nice perky greens on top instead of droopy, wilted greens and soft beet roots (the part we eat).
- Did you know that you can wash and eat the beet tops too? They are pretty strong as far as greens go, but are loaded with all kinds of vitamins and minerals. I use a little in my green smoothies or sauté them up with olive oil and salt. Small leaves are good raw in salads too.
Nutrition
Other Vegetable Recipes You’ll Love:
- The Life Changing Magic of the Veggie Box
- Classic Potato Salad Recipe
- Easy Roasted Cauliflower Recipe
- Simple Maple Roasted Butternut Squash
- Simple Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Cauliflower
- How to Bake a Potato
- Easy Baked Butternut Squash Recipe
This Would Be a Great Side to These Easy Dinners:
- The Best Baked Chicken Legs
- 5 Ingredient Slow Cooker Chicken Legs
- The Best Oven Baked Chicken Leg Quarters
- Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin and Potatoes
This recipe was originally published in 2017, and has been updated and rephotographed in February 2020.
This easy roasted beets recipe is one of the easiest and best ways to eat a beet. They come out sweet and salty and it’s a breeze to get them ready to cook too. You’ll make this beet recipe again and again to go with your favorite dinners.
Hate to pop your bubble, but just like cilantro tastes like soap to some people, beets DO taste like dirt to others. Like me. It’s not an opinion. It’s a scientific fact as some of us have taste buds that register things differently than others. I am in the food world and I’ve had amazing chefs prepare beets for me and it does not matter how the prepare them. It’s still sliding into home plate, face first with a mouth full of dirt for me. That said, they are beautiful. I just bought a bunch in a variety of gorgeous colors and they will become a radiant raspberry colored dip for a gala function I am catering. I’ll watch from afar as 130 oooo and ahhh over my food spread and dive into the beet spread with relish. Pun intended. But me and beets will always have a love hate relationship. We were not meant to be in love.
Turned out perfecto 👌 I actually did it at 375° for 20 minutes. Delicious 😊
thanks for the baking time and temp
Tasty! I used an egg slicer to make even slices. The beets were peeled and sealed in juices at the store so they were pretty soft.
I was looking for a quick recipe rather than roasting for 1 hour or longer. This was perfect with purple and golden beets very thinly sliced and some salt and EVOO. Thank you!
Once every 10 years I make myself try beets…..I’ve got 8 years to go so I’ll wait until then…….I’ll pass this recipe on to my sister to try….her family eats beets happily.
bahaha at least you try!
I never peel mine…too much hassle! Simply cut off both ends so that slices will be flat, them wash & scrub really well. I use a sharp paring knife to kind of “scrape” around the rough areas close to the ends. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, & garlic powder & they’re good to go! No one has even even noticed they had not been peeled! LOL
Great idea!
Made this last night, substituting Nu-Salt for the regular salt and adding Mrs. Dash Garlic and Herb seasoning; family devoured the beets and asked when I’d be making them again! Thank you SO much for such a simple yet perfect recipe!
Sounds so yummy! So glad you enjoyed them.
Why would you scrub your beets if you’re just going to peel them anyway?
Beets can be super dirty but the grit can be small and it’s not pleasant to eat and I grow my own so they are straight out of the ground. A good scrub is always a good idea.
Love this recipie …. but consider recommending another solution than wearing plastic gloves to protect from beet stains. Soap and cold water will deal with the stain and the gloves are horrible for the environment.
Such simple beets and so yummy!
I enjoy ur sassy writing style miss melissa…I have always wondered how to cook beets….simple and awesome..