If you’ve never salt-roasted beets, you’re in for a treat. Nestled in a bed of salt and roasted until perfectly tender, the beets become deeply sweet, earthy, and incredibly delicious. And it’s fun - like an art project of sorts!
If you’ve tried my Salt-Roasted Chicken, you already know how magical this technique can be.
Just like with the chicken, the salt creates a protective crust that locks in moisture while the beets roast, concentrating their natural sweetness and making them incredibly tender. This is why this method is sometimes called salt-crusted beets
And, just like the chicken, there’s something fun about cracking open the salt crust to see what’s inside!
Ingredient Notes
- large beets - Red, golden, and Chioggia beets (pink and white "candy cane" striped) can all be salt-roasted. The most important thing is to use beets that are similar in size so they finish cooking at about the same time.
- coarse salt - You will need about 3 cups. Coarse kosher salt is ideal for salt-roasting because it forms a sturdy crust around the beets that's easy to crack and remove after roasting. I do not recommend using a fine table salt.
How to Make Salt-Roasted Beets
- Preheat the oven to 400℉.
- Cut off the stems and root "tail" if there is one, from each beet. Wash them well, leaving them wet, which will help the salt stick to them. DO NOT PEEL THEM, and only cut off badly damaged portions if you have to. Ideally, the beet flesh itself won't come in direct contact with the salt.
Recipe Tip: It's a good idea to wear cooking gloves when handling beets (even yellow and lighter beets) because they'll (temporarily) stain your hands.
- Add a layer (about ¼ to ½-inch) of the salt to the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Roll each beet in the salt and then place them on top of the salt in the baking pan, and pour the remaining salt over them, using your hands to cover them as much as possible.
Recipe Tip: You'll note in the images above that I had to cut off some of the skin of the beets - I only did this because they were a bit damaged - it's best to cover them in the salt, while they're still completely covered with their skins.
- Roast (uncovered) in the preheated 400℉ oven until they are very tender, about 90 minutes (for the large beets). Insert the point of a knife right through the salt crust starting after about 1 hour of roasting to check if they're ready. It should very easily slide in and out.
- Let them sit until they're cool enough to handle. Gently use your fingers to peel off the salt and then the skins. (You might also need a vegetable peeler to help you.) Rinse the beets under lightly running water, pat them dry, and then slice them any way you'd like to.
They can be cut into thin slices, wedges, cubed, etc.
How to Serve Salt-Roasted Beets
Salt-roasted beets are delicious warm, at room temperature, or cold. They can be used in so many ways once they’re roasted, peeled and sliced.
- Side dish. Slice the beets into wedges and toss them with a little olive oil, lemon juice, and fresh herbs like dill, chervil, parsley, thyme, or tarragon.
- In salads. They’re especially good with goat cheese or feta, toasted pine nuts, crisp greens, and a delicious salad dressing, like Creamy Avocado-Lime Dressing or Blood Orange Vinaigrette (my favorite!).
- Beet appetizer. Arrange sliced beets on a platter with fresh mozzarella slices, crumbled Feta, then drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
- Marinated. They are absolutely incredible marinated in rice wine vinegar with a touch of granulated sugar (unless they’re already super sweet). I serve them as a side this way, or added to salads.
- In grain bowls. I love them added to lentil or quinoa bowls for a quick and easy meal.
- In sandwiches and wraps. Thinly sliced salt-roasted beets are also great with cream cheese or goat cheese, with arugula in a sandwich or wrap. I also love this idea with Macadamia Nut Hummus.
- Alongside roasted meats. The natural sweetness of beets is a particularly delicious contrast with roast lemon chicken, Garlic-Rosemary Pork Chops, or Asian Pear Marinated Steak.
How Long Will They Keep
- Leftover salt-roasted beets can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- If you’ve marinated with vinegar, they’ll keep a bit longer, up to about 2 weeks.
More Fun Recipes with Beets
I hope you love this cooking project as much as I do. Delicious and fun!
Salt-Roasted Beets
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 pounds fresh, raw beets (about 5 large beets)
- 3 cups coarse salt
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400℉.
- Prep beets. Cut off the stems and root "tail" if there is one, from each beet. Wash them well, leaving them wet, which will help the salt stick to them. DO NOT PEEL THEM, and only cut off badly damaged portions if you have to. Ideally, the beet flesh itself won't come in direct contact with the salt.
- Assemble. Add a layer (about ¼ to ½-inch) of the salt to the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Place the wet beets on top of the salt in the baking pan, and pour the remaining salt over them, using your hands to cover them as much as possible.
- Roast. Roast (uncovered) in the preheated 400℉ oven until they are very tender, about 90 minutes (for the large beets). Insert the point of a knife right through the salt crust starting after about 1 hour of baking, to check to see if they're ready. It should very easily slide in and out.
- Cool and prep to eat. Let them sit until they're cool enough to handle. Gently use your fingers to peel off the salt and then the skins. (You might also need a vegetable peeler to help you.) Rinse the beets under lightly running water, pat them dry, and then slice them any way you'd like to.
Eha Carr
Salt-roasting fish is very popular in Australia but the latter is given a much thicker coat of about 1-2 cms of crust before cooking - ie looks like a big white loaf of bread 🙂 ! Interesting that the method also works so well with a vegetable . . . must try and suggest others do so also .. .
Mimi Rippee
Wonderful!!!!! And I love that photo!
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