Below are my favorite ways tocook beets including steamed, boiled, or roasted beets!
Beets are one of my favorite vegetables and can be enjoyed hot as a side dish or chilled in a salad. They’re easy to cook and jam-packed with flavor!
A Healthy Favorite
Beets are packed with essential vitamins, minerals, and compounds, and flesh can be used as an organic dye as well! You can find red beets, purple beets, even striped beets!
Once cooked the can be enjoyed hot or chilled and are a great addition to tossed salads or even added into hummus for a pretty pink dip!
How to Prep Beets
- Beets are a root vegetable and grow underground so you’ll want to give them a good scrub before cooking.
- Cut off the stems and leaves at the top (you can cook beet greens as well).
- While some people peel beets, they’re kind of messy and to be honest, it’s not necessary to do before cooking. Once cooked the skins just slide right off.
- If the beets are large, cut them in halves or quarters so they cook faster.
Beet skins and their juice will stain fabric, so be sure to use paper towels or a kitchen towel that you don’t mind getting dirty! If you’ll be handling the beets, wear gloves if you have them.
How to Cook Beets
Prepare beets (as above) and cook using one of the methods below.
In the Oven:
- Clean, dry and cut beets.
- Toss them with olive oil and salt and pepper.
- Roast in foil for about 55-60 minutes.
Serve warm, cold, or use in a simple salad topped with goat cheese!
On the Stove:
- Clean, dry, and cut beets.
- Add a little lemon juice to some water and cover the beets. The lemon juice will keep the beets from bleeding and look extra bright after they are cooked!
- Bring to a boil. Then simmer until tender, about 45 minutes.
Cool beets by placing them under cold running water until they can be handled. Toss in a salad, serve warm, or mashed!
In the Microwave:
Just like cooking potatoes in the microwave, beets need very little preparation. Choose beets that are uniform in size so they cook evenly!
- Rinse and prick each beet all over with a fork.
- Using a Pyrex glass dish, place beets in and add about 1/3 cup of water.
- Using a damp paper towel or plastic wrap, cover the dish and microwave on high about 5 minutes or until you can smell them starting to cook.
Beets will continue to cook once they’re removed from the microwave, so be sure not to overcook them! Rinse them in cold water to stop the cooking process.
To Freeze
Small, cooked beets can be frozen whole, but larger, cooked beets that have been cut or sliced will thaw out grainy and soggy. The best thing to do with thawed cooked beets is to put them in a smoothie, a muffin mix or blend into a healthy vinaigrette dressing!
More Veggie Tips
- How to Steam Cauliflower
- How to Cook Asparagus (Steam, Grill, Bake)
- How to Steam Broccoli
- How to Prepare and Roast Kohlrabi
- How to Cook Spaghetti Squash In The Microwave
- How to Cook Acorn Squash
5 from 41 votes↑ Click stars to rate now!
Or to leave a comment, click here!
How to Cook Beets
Beets are a delicious veggie, great as a side or in salads. Cook these pretty veggies in the oven or on the stovetop!
Prep Time 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time 1 hour hour
Total Time 1 hour hour 5 minutes minutes
Servings 4 servings
Author Holly Nilsson
Ingredients
- 1 pound beets or as many as desired
- olive oil *for roasting
- salt and pepper *for roasting
Instructions
To prepare beets, cut off the stem and leaves (these can be cooked separately).
Scrub the outside of the beets and dry.
If beets are large, cut in halves or quarters.
Cook beets using one of the methods below.
Once cooked, use rubber gloves or paper towels to rub the beets and the skins will just slide right off.
Serve warm with butter or chilled in salads.
Steam
Place unpeeled beets in a steamer basket in a pot.
Add 1" water to the pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer about 30 minutes (longer for larger beets).
Ensure you check the water level as it evaporates.
Boil
Fill a large pot with enough water to cover the beets by 1".
Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice to the water.
Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook until beets are tender, about 35 minutes (longer for larger beets).
Roast
Toss beets with olive oil, salt & pepper. Preheat oven to 375°F.
Place beets on a large piece of tinfoil and wrap to seal as a packet. Roast the foil package for 1 hour or until beets are tender when poked with a fork.
Notes
Nutritional information is for beets only.
5 from 41 votes
Nutrition Information
Calories: 49 | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 88mg | Potassium: 369mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 37IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Side Dish
Cuisine American
© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Categories:
Like our recipes?
Follow us on Pinterest!
Recipes you'll love
About the author
Holly Nilsson is the creator of Spend With Pennies, where she creates easy, comforting recipes made for real life. With a passion for nostalgic flavors and simplified techniques, Holly helps busy home cooks create delicious meals that always work. She is also the author of “Everyday Comfort,” which promises to inspire even more hearty, home-cooked meals.
See more posts by Holly
Follow Holly on social media:
Free eBook!
Subscribe to receive weekly recipes and get a FREE Bonus e-book: Quick & Easy Weeknight Meals!
You can unsubscribe anytime by clicking the “unsubscribe” link at the bottom of emails you receive.
