Name: Simple Roasted Beets
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Ingredients: 1 lb red beets; 1.5 tsp olive oil

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These roasted beets from the farmers market are absolutely delicious and so simple to make. With only two ingredients, consider this your go-to roasted beet recipe. They are exquisite all on their own and perfect for canning, pickling, using in beet salads or as a beautiful side dish with dinner.

Simple Roasted Beets Recipe - Dish of Roasted Beets Closeup

Let’s roast some beets!

I almost always have a jar of homemade pickled roasted beets in my fridge when they’re in season. I love spooning out a couple pieces to have with dinner, or as a topping for salads, sandwiches and burgers!

Beets are sooo healthy you guys. And roasted beets are absolutely delicious if you leave them in the oven long enough to brown them a little. I could eat the entire pan straight from the oven!

Consider this a go-to roasted beet recipe when you need beets for:

canning and pickling
beet salad
a side dish
or just because

Ingredients You’ll Need

Fresh beet from the farmers market cut in half

All you need to make out-of-this-world roasted beets is a pound of fresh beets and some olive oil.

A pound of fresh red beets
Olive oil (1.5 teaspoons)

Yep, that’s it.

If you start with flavorful, soil-grown beets, there’s no need for seasoning to make them taste good.

Yes, there are a variety of little things you can add to roasted beets to enhance their flavor…a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, goat cheese, sea salt, fresh dill and so on.

But, let’s start with the basics – a beautiful roasted beet in all its glory.

How to Buy Beets

Beets are quite easy to find at the farmers market and this is my preferred place to buy them. Time and time again I find the veggies I buy at the farmers market taste remarkably better than even the organic version at healthy grocery stores.

If you can find a bunch of beets that still have the greens attached, save them and make sautéed beet greens. Attached greens are also a sign that the beets you’ve found are freshly-picked. This is because the beet greens are the first part of the vegetable to spoil. If the greens are in tact, those beets haven’t been out of the soil long.

Bundle of fresh beets from the farmers market with the beet greens attached

Here’s another thing – your beets don’t need to be perfectly round, clean and blemish-free in order to be great. As a root vegetable, beets grow underground in soil. The beets I buy at the farmers market are far from “perfect” in appearance and as long as they haven’t gone soft, they will be just fine.

When are Beets in Season

Beets grow during the cooler months that surround summer and this is when you’re likely to find fresh beets at the farmers market. If you live in Florida you’ll find them all winter at the farmers market and if you live far north you may be able to get fresh beets all summer long.

FUN FACT – Here in the United States and Canada we call them beets, but in many other countries they are called beetroot. A beet is a root vegetable after all. I lived in Australia years ago and beetroot was a popular ingredient on sandwiches and burgers – which I highly recommend by the way!

In the USA and Canada we call them “Beets”, but in many other countries they are called “Beetroot”.

How to Make Simple Roasted Beets

1. Clean and peel the beets

If you bought beets with the stems and greens attached (yes!), remove and save them for sautéed beet greens!

Use a paring knife to cut off any root tendrils extending from the bottom of the beets. Then, rinse the beets under running water to remove the soil remnants and make peeling less messy.

Next, using a vegetable peeler, peel all the skin off the beets. Your hands will turn red during this process, but a good wash in soapy water will remove most of it. The rest will fade in no time.

Peeled beets and the peelings on a cutting board showing the process of preparing beets to roast

2. Chop the beets

Chop the beets into one and a half inch chunks and place them in a large bowl. For small beets this will mean cutting them in half, for medium beets you’ll cut them into quarters. For larger beets you’ll quarter them, then slice each quarter in half lengthwise.

The goal when cutting up the beets is to create pieces that are roughly the same size and could be eaten in a bite or two each. Not too small or they’ll dry out.

3. Toss with olive oil

Gently toss the beets with a teaspoon and a half of olive oil so they are fully coated. Then spread them out on a parchment-lined baking pan.

4. Roast

Roast the beets on the middle rack of an oven that’s pre-heated to 350 degrees. Roast for 45 minutes to get beets that are starting to brown just a little. Because all ovens are different, I recommend peeking at the beets at the 35 and 40 minute mark in case yours runs hot.

Frequently Asked Questions about Roasted Beets

How long to roast beets?

At 350 degrees Fahrenheit, I’ve found 45 minutes of roasting to be the sweet spot. Your beets will be tender and a little browned. You can leave them in longer for a softer beet and even crispier edges. Just be careful as they will start to shrivel up if left too long.

How do you know when beets are done roasting?

Your beets are done roasting when they are tender if pierced with a paring knife. You shouldn’t feel resistance on the knife. Visually, the outside of the beet will be starting to brown.

Do I need to flip beets while roasting them?

There is no need to flip these beets while roasting them in the oven.

Other Recipes Made with Beets

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