Beet Salad with Goat Cheese and Balsamic

This beet salad recipe is a stunning fall or winter side dish! Goat cheese, apples, and arugula fill it with a delightful mix of textures and flavors.

Roasted Beet Salad

I love all the colors in this roasted beet salad recipe. The vibrant greens, the red and golden beets, the pale pink shallot, and the dots of white cheese. This kind of colorful salad is exactly what I like to serve at a dinner party or holiday meal. It adds some needed freshness to a spread of, say, stuffing and mashed potatoes, and it looks so striking, but it’s delightfully simple to make. You can even prep the components a day or two in advance!

Fresh beets with greens attached

Beet Salad Recipe Ingredients

To make this beet salad recipe, you can use any variety of beets. Red beets, golden beets, or pink Chioggia beets would all work well. Use a mix of colors if you can, but if red beets are all that’s available, don’t worry. The salad will still look beautiful and taste great.

And tip: if the beets’ tops are still attached, don’t toss them! Instead, save them to make this yummy sautéed beet greens recipe. Waste not, want not!

Beet salad recipe ingredients

Here’s what else you’ll need to make this beet salad recipe:

  • Granny Smith apple – It adds crunch and sweet-tart flavor. A ripe pear would work nicely here too.
  • Fresh greens – I like to use arugula or spring mix to create the salad’s fresh base. A sprinkle of microgreens is a nice touch too.
  • Soft goat cheese – A perfect partner for roasted beets! Its funky flavor and creamy texture pair wonderfully with the sweet, earthy root veggies.
  • Toasted walnuts – For extra earthiness, richness, and crunch.
  • Thinly sliced shallot – For sharp depth of flavor.
  • Balsamic vinaigrette – I make my own with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, a little maple syrup, garlic, and mustard. Its sweet, tangy flavor really brings the salad together.
  • And flaky sea salt and fresh black pepper – To make all the flavors pop! I love the delicate crunch that the flaky salt adds to this beet salad, but if you can’t find it, regular sea salt would be fine too.

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

Roasted beet salad with goat cheese and walnuts

Roasted Beet Salad Serving Suggestions

This beet and goat cheese salad is a perfect side dish for any fall or winter meal. You could enjoy it for lunch with a bowl of potato leek or butternut squash soup or serve it for dinner with pasta, risotto, pizza, or polenta. It would also be a great addition to a holiday spread. Serve it for Thanksgiving with classic dishes like green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, and mashed potatoes, or pair it with lasagna or baked ziti for another holiday meal.

To get ahead, you can cook the beets and make the dressing up to two days in advance and store them in the fridge. Just before serving, assemble the salad with the roasted beets, goat cheese, apple, walnuts, shallot, and greens. Drizzle on the dressing, and serve!

Beet salad recipe

More Favorite Salad Recipes

If you love this roasted beet salad recipe, try one of these fresh salads next:

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Beet Salad with Goat Cheese and Balsamic

rate this recipe:
5 from 75 votes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Serves 4
This beet salad recipe is just as pretty as it is delicious! I love to serve it when I'm entertaining. If you want to get ahead, you can roast the beets and make the dressing up to 2 days in advance and store them in the fridge. Assemble the salad just before serving.

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 400°F.
  • Wrap each beet in a piece of aluminum foil and drizzle generously with olive oil and pinches of salt and pepper. Place the beets on a baking sheet and roast for 40 to 90 minutes, or until soft and fork-tender. The time will depend on the size and freshness of the beets. Remove the beets from the oven, remove the foil, and set aside to cool. When they are cool to the touch, peel the skins. I like to hold them under running water and slide the skins off with my hands.
  • Let the beets cool and chill them in the fridge until ready to use.
  • Slice the beets into ¼-inch-thick rounds. Assemble the salad with the greens, shallots, apples, beets, walnuts, cheese, and microgreens, if using. Drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette. Season with flaky sea salt and pepper and serve.

44 comments

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Rate this recipe (after making it)




  1. Val Hargett
    09.05.2023

    5 stars
    Delicious. I didn’t have greens the first time so I ate the rest by itself. Bought arugula and made it again. Great recipe!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      09.06.2023

      I’m so glad you loved it!

  2. Mark
    08.20.2023

    Step 2 first sentence is errant. You instruct to wrap the beets and then oil them, in reverse order of what you meant (I hope!).

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      08.22.2023

      Hi Mark, I place the beets on the foil and drizzle them onto the beets in the foil so I don’t have to dirty another pan or surface. Hope that helps!

  3. ItsMeTheDee
    08.16.2023

    5 stars
    The combination of the slightly sweet beets, the deliciousness of the pungent goat cheese, the tangy crisp apple and the crunchy toasted walnuts were an awesome combination. I also made your balsamic vinaigrette and it was all perfect. Paired it with grilled steak and a warm toasty baguette. Perfect dinner. Thanks for the great recipe!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      08.16.2023

      I’m so glad you loved it!

  4. Yum, this looks so good! I would substitute mango for apple and leave out vinegar, pepper and onion to make it less acidic. I bet coriander would be yummy for a citrusy taste…you’re giving me ideas 🙂

  5. Kristina
    05.15.2023

    I ended up making the recipe exactly as written (including peeling the beets, they were thicker/tougher than I expected) and it was delicious! I served it with lunch for Mother’s Day, and my Mom loved it!

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      05.19.2023

      Hi Kristina, I’m so glad it was a hit!

  6. Kristina
    05.11.2023

    I’ve never used beets before… is it okay to clean well but not peel? A lot of other root vegetables (carrots, potatoes) I actually prefer with the skin left on.

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      05.12.2023

      Hi Kristina, you can leave the skins on if you prefer. I hope you love the salad!

    • FLORICE
      07.17.2023

      5 stars
      THIS ROOT VEGGIE ISN’T DESIGNED TO EAT WITH THE SKIN ON.

  7. Raquel
    04.21.2023

    5 stars
    Love the combo of beets and pears. I made this with 50/50 spinach/arugula, toasted walnuts, honeyed goat cheese, and a honey Dijon vinaigrette (made with apple cider vinegar, as balsamic can dominate a flavor). This was absolutely delicious!

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      04.21.2023

      Sounds amazing! So glad you enjoyed the salad.

  8. Ariel
    04.20.2023

    So the verbiage says to wrap the beats in foil and drizzle with olive oil, etc. So we are first taking (washed or unwashed?) beats, cuttings the stems, drizzling with olive oil, etc., then covering in foil, correct?

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      04.20.2023

      Hi Ariel, I could see how that might be confusing! Yes, wash and trim the beets, place them on individual pieces of foil, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt, wrap the foil around them, and bake.

  9. Renee
    02.27.2023

    5 stars
    This salad was an amazing complement to our steak.

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      03.03.2023

      So glad you loved it!

  10. Philippa Raby
    02.21.2023

    I made this recipe combining your roasted chickpea recipe for a bit of crunch. Delicious!

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      02.23.2023

      So glad you loved it!

  11. Michelle
    01.01.2023

    5 stars
    Wow. Wanted to use up some golden beets I had and found this recipe. I took to a New Year’s Eve party last night. One of the best salads I’ve made and I make alotta salads. The only change I made was to sauté the shallots. Really delicious salad.

  12. J Johnston
    12.15.2022

    The instructions don’t mention what to do with the beets to put them in the salad. It looks like about a ⅓” slice? Cut in half as well?

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      12.16.2022

      Good catch! You’re right, we cut these into about 1/3″-thick slices.

    • Radouane
      01.20.2023

      Best way to cook the beets, is to wrap each beet in foil and place in the oven. until softness is achieved. Beets retain their juice and sweetness that way.

  13. Melisende
    12.04.2022

    5 stars
    Good salad and can use substitute whatever you might have – pepitas for walnuts, red onion for shallots, feta for goat cheese, etc. I prefer to add a few more greens myself and the vinaigrette recipe makes more than enough to extend the salad.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      12.06.2022

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it!

  14. Pascale
    10.24.2022

    Very good. Me and my husband love this salad.
    You can change the cheese for feta.
    We did it with parsley and it was great.
    Thank you.
    Pascale from Lac St-Jean

    • Phoebe Moore
      10.28.2022

      We’re so glad you love the recipe!

  15. Julia
    08.11.2022

    5 stars
    WOW This salad is my second “discovery of the year” this year! (First one being zucchini soup). I grew some beets in the garden this year, different colors, and they were great for this recipe. I boiled them instead of roasting (easier for me). The combination of flavors in this salad is incredible!!! Made the dressing as suggested – and it is the bomb! Thank you so much!! <3

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      08.12.2022

      Hi Julia, I’m so glad you loved it!

  16. JB
    05.27.2022

    Don’t discard the beet tops. They’re delicious sauteed with some garlic infused olive oil & lemon. Or mix them into the rest of your greens.

  17. Rb
    05.24.2022

    5 stars
    I love this salad! 2 happy accidents made it extra delicious. First, found cooked whole beets at Costco and this salad is a great way to use them. Second, i had goat cheese with cranberries, the first time i made this recipe and it worked really well! So now i add cranberries to this salad along with plain goat cheese

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      05.26.2022

      I’m so glad the salad has been a hit!

  18. Carol
    05.22.2022

    What is the orange item in the Beet salad with Goat cheese!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      05.23.2022

      Hi Carol, they’re yellow beets, the salad is great with any color beets you have.

  19. Azure
    04.22.2022

    5 stars
    I made this salad tonight. I used feta cheese as I did not have any goat cheese, still delish! The combination of flavors just makes this recipe POP! I even made the homemade Balsamic Dressing. A winner will definitely make again and again.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      04.27.2022

      Hi Azure, I’m so glad it was a hit!

  20. Jillybean
    03.02.2022

    I just received your new cookbook and I am salivating. I notice many of your recipes call for walnuts. I am highly allergic to walnuts. What nut would you recommend to substitute it for?

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      03.03.2022

      I’m so glad you’re enjoying it so far! I think it depends on the recipe, but pecans are usually a great sub since they have a similar texture.

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Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.