This vegan beet salad recipe uses fresh red beets, blood oranges, and and pomegranate seeds for a healthy and addicting dish. I love the way the fruity flavors complement the earthy flavors of the roasted beets.
This salad is versatile and can be served for lunch, dinner, or a healthy side. Salads are a delicious way to use up beets from the garden. And, they’re full of health benefits, making them a great addition to any vegan recipe.
About the ingredients:
- Beets – You’ll be roasting the beets for the best flavor. If you don’t grow your own beets at home, you can easily find them at the grocery store. You can use cooked beets in this recipe as well to save time. But, the flavor and texture will be slightly different.
- Blood orange – Blood orange complements the flavors of the beets and adds a fruity punch.
- Pomegranate molasses – Pomegranate seeds, sugar and lemon juice come together on the stove to form a delicious syrup that is used in this salad. It’s very easy to make, and you’ll love how the flavors come together.
- Lemon – Lemon is used to make the pomegranate syrup for the dressing. In my experience, lemon works much better than lime in this recipe.
- White wine vinegar – A small amount of white wine vinegar adds a punch of acidity that levels up the flavors in this recipe.
- Arugula – This is the base for the salad, but you can also use another green like spinach. I happen to love the texture of arugula and find it easier to make salads with.
- Almonds – If you do not have almonds on hand, pumpkin seeds will also work very well.
- Red onion – The sharp flavors of red onion often work well in veggie salads. If you’re not a fan of onion, you can leave this ingredient out.
Step 1: Roast the beets
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a small pan (lined with aluminum foil for easier cleanup) place scrubbed beets with their tops trimmed, and drizzle 1 Tbsp. of olive oil and sprinkle ½ tsp salt over and make sure they’re coated well.
- Pour ¼ c water in the pan, cover it with foil and place in the oven to roast for about 45-50 minutes until they are fork tender. Smaller beets will cook more quickly. Remove and allow to cool at room temperature.
Step 2: Make the dressing
- In a small saucepan place 2 Tbsp. of pomegranate seeds, 2 Tbsp. white sugar and the juice from half a lemon (about 1/2 oz). Simmer over low to medium heat until a thick, syrup-like consistency forms. Strain out the pomegranate seeds. They can be discarded, or used for garnish later.
- Remove from heat and add 1/4 cup of blood orange juice (about 1/2 of one blood orange), 2 Tbsp. olive oil, 1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar and a pinch of salt. Whisk together.
Step 3: Prepare the salad
- Once the beets are cooled, cut the tops off and peel. You can also run the beets under cold running water to avoid staining. Slice the beets into thin wedges.
- Peel the remaining oranges and slice into wedges.
- Thinly slice the onion.
- In a large bowl, combine the beets, oranges, onion and remaining pomegranate seeds. Toss gently with dressing. Add arugula and mix to evenly coat the greens. Sprinkle with toasted almonds and serve immediately.
Recipe FAQs
Can this salad be served the next day? – Yes, if you store this salad in an airtight container in the fridge it will taste just as good the next day. I also like to leave the dressing separate and mix everything together before eating.
What other additions work in this salad? – This salad works well with sweet apples sliced up, raw cashews, raw carrots, and other root vegetables.
How can I make this salad sweeter? – If you are looking to add more sweetness, try adding a touch of maple syrup to the dressing.
How can I make this salad a main dish? – You can prepare this dish as a meal-sized salad and add additional protein (like more nuts, tofu, or vegan feta cheese alternatives) for a more filling meal.
I hope you enjoy this vegan beetroot salad. I have never been a fan of consuming raw beets, so I love experimenting with all the delicious ways to use fresh beetroot in the kitchen. This festive recipe is perfect for the holiday season which is quickly approaching! What healthy recipes will you be preparing this winter?
Vegan Roasted Beet Salad (With Fruity Dressing)
Ingredients
- 3-4 medium sized beets
- 3 Tbsp. olive oil
- ¼ cup water
- ¼ tsp salt
- ½ lemon juiced
- 2 Tbsp. white sugar or coconut sugar or sugar substitute
- 1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
- 2-3 blood oranges
- ½ medium red onion sliced
- 1 cup pomegranate seeds
- 4-5 cups arugula
- ⅓ cup sliced almonds roasted
Instructions
Roast the beets
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a small pan (lined with foil for easier cleanup) place scrubbed beets with their tops trimmed, and drizzle about a tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle ½ tsp salt over and make sure they’re coated well. Pour ¼ c water in the pan, cover it with foil and place in the oven to roast for about 45-50 minutes. Remove and allow to cool.
- In a pan lined with foil, place the scrubbed beets with their tops trimmed, and drizzle with 1 Tbsp. oil and 1/2 tsp salt. Coat well.
- Pour 1/4 cup water into the pan. Cover with foil and roast in the oven for about 45 minutes until fork tender. Allow to cool.
Make the dressing
- In a small saucepan, combine 2 Tbsp. pomegranate seeds, 2 Tbsp. white sugar and the juice of half a lemon. Stir and simmer over low heat until a thick, syrup-like consistency forms. Remove from heat and strain out pomegranate seeds.
- Whisk in the juice from half a blood orange (1/4) along with 2 Tbsp. olive oil and 1 Tbsp. white wine vinegar. Salt to taste.
Prepare the salad
- Cut the tops off of the cooled beets and peel under cool running water. Slice into thin wedges.
- Peel the remaining oranges and slice into wedges.
- Cut the onion in half and slice thinly.
- In a large bowl, combine the beets, oranges, onion, remaining pomegranate seeds and toss with dressing. Add arugula and mix to evenly coat the greens. Serve with toasted almonds.
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