The Best Ever Roasted Golden Beets!
Roasted golden beets make for an elegant, simple start to any meal. During roasting, the beets become tender and sweet — you can simply cut them with a fork! — and they seem to pair well with everything from roasted chicken, to seafood, even lamb! It’s an impressive side dish that requires minimal effort.
Why we love roasted beets so much:
The recipe for these roasted golden beets is inspired by a salad I enjoyed while in Paris a few years back. While dining at the bar, I enjoyed an appetizer of roasted beets with horseradish creme fraiche. Roasted red beets, a spicy, creamy, tangy sauce, and something crunchy on top, though I can’t quite remember what. I savored every bite, and I’ve been thinking about it ever since.
Thankfully, roasted beets are crazy simple to make!
Tender beets are naturally sweetened. Their flavor pairs so well with spicy horseradish. Crunchy walnuts, super fresh and nutty extra virgin olive oil, and flaky sea salt. Promise you won’t regret this, not one single bite!
If you love this recipe, be sure to try our Sheet Pan Roasted Vegetables next!
Ingredients for Roasted Golden Beets with Horseradish
For the roasted beets:
- Golden beets, though of course you could substitute red beets or Chioggia beets
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
For the horseradish cream:
- Sour cream
- Horseradish cream
- Extra virgin olive oil
For serving:
- Arugula micro greens (packed with nutrients!) or other fresh herbs, such as tarragon, dill, chives, or chervil
- Walnuts or other nut
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Flaky sea salt
Beet lovers, be sure to try our Beet Salad with Greek Yogurt Dressing next!
How To Cook Golden Beets: Roasting 101!
There are a number of different ways to do this.
- Roasted beets in a baking pan: If the beets are large, halve or quarter them, leaving the skin on (as seen here), place cut side up in a roasting dish, then drizzle with olive oil, kosher salt, and pepper. Cook at high heat until tender, about 60 minutes at 400 F. Let cool about 5 minutes before gently rubbing the skin off with a paper towel or kitchen towel.
- Roasted beets in foil: Place whole or halved beets on a square of aluminum foil, then top with olive oil, salt and pepper. Fold the aluminum foil up and over the beets, sealing them completely. Place on a baking sheet and roast for 45 minutes – 1 hour. Let cool 5 minutes, then remove skins as directed above.
- For this method, make lots of smaller packages of beets instead of one large one.
We prefer the first method as it’s more roasting and less steaming. But either is fine.
Fun fact: When I worked in restaurants, I used to make a beet salad every single day. Whole beets cooked in a large pot of boiling water until a cake tester pierced through them easily, about 45 minutes. I peeled a lot of beets.
Variations On Roasted Golden Beets
The same cooking method applies whether you’re roasting golden beets, red beets, or chioggia beets (these are the gorgeous ones that look like a candy cane on the inside!), or any other kind you get your hands on.
They’re all delicious, nutritious, and require similar cook time which is ultimate determined based on the thickness of the beet.
How Long To Roast Beets
When roasting, cook at a high temperature — at least 400 F, but higher is fine. Cooking time varies depending on size of beets and whether they’re cut, but typically 1 hr is perfect. Roasted beets are very forgiving!
You’ll see below that the golden beets are quartered. If I were using small red beets or chioggia beets, I would have likely left them whole. Just depends on the size.
What To Serve With Golden Beet Salad
Wait, salad? Yeah! It’s not a traditional arugula or spinach salad, but this golden beets recipe makes one hell of a starter for an elevated meal.
Here’s how I like to compose a beet salad:
Roasted beets + something creamy + something crunchy + fresh herbs or mixed greens + quality extra virgin olive oil + flaky sea salt. (If you want to bulk it up, a store bought or homemade roast chicken is the way to go!)
You can interpret this in any way!
- Creamy: horseradish cream sauce, creme fraiche, herb aioli, homemade ricotta, goat cheese
- Crunchy: walnuts, pistachios, marcona almonds (yum!), homemade croutons, rye crackers
- Greens: arugula, tarragon, oregano, mint, dill, baby lettuce, swiss chard greens
- High quality finishing oil: EXTRA VIRGIN!
- Flaky sea salt — this one isn’t open for interpretation
Speaking of flaky salt, let’s discuss more…
Why Flaky Salt?
I could talk salt all day long!
Okay, there are many different types of salt, but here is a run down on the major ones:
- Table salt: the most common, but I never use this. I don’t even keep table salt in our house! Contains iodine. Dissolves quickly. If a recipe calls for table salt, do not substitute with other salt unless you adjust the ratio. 1 Tbsp of table salt is way more pungent than 1 Tbsp kosher salt.
- Kosher salt: my go-to all-purpose salt. It’s flakier than table salt, but dissolves easily when cooking or baking with it. Does not contain iodine.
- Flaky salt: these are your large, coarse flakes that are perfect for finishing dishes such as grilled meats, any and all crostini, and of course baked goods! Nothing beats (beets? hah!) a chocolate chip cookie fresh out of the oven with flaky sea salt generously sprinkled on top. I keep Maldon Sea Salt by my stove at all times.
There are of course other varieties, but those are the main ones you’ll see used in recipes. Finishing dishes with salt and seasoning food appropriately is a game changer. Don’t be scared of salt!
Can I Use Frozen Beets Instead?
The short is answer is yes. You can pretty much always substitute frozen vegetables when roasting, but we highly recommend using fresh.
The water content in frozen veggies makes them more likely to steam than roast. Having said that, as long as the beets (or other frozen vegetables) are in a single layer in your roasting dish, not touching, they should be fine.
You may need to add 5 minutes or so to the cook time below.
What To Serve With Roasted Golden Beets?
A roasted or rotisserie chicken is utter perfection. We also love to serve this beet salad with slow baked salmon, chicken Milanese, and roast rack of lamb — swoon!
For another light side dish, serve with our must make Well Seasoned house salad. It’s the best ever, and easily adaptable based on the season!
For those nights when you want simple, healthy food that feels a touch elegant, this is the recipe for you!! If you make these Roasted Golden Beets with Horseradish, please let us know by leaving a review and rating below!
And make sure to sign up for our newsletter and follow along on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, and Facebook for more Well Seasoned recipes! DON’T FORGET to tag us on social channels when you make a recipe at #wellseasonedstudio !! We LOVE seeing what you’re up to in the kitchen!
Looking for more restaurant-worthy meals? Check out the following recipes!
- Slow baked salmon with herb-shallot butter
- Accidental vegan roasted vegetable salad
- Creamy sun-dried tomato chicken with mushrooms and white wine sauce
- Easy chicken milanese with fennel
- Crispy anchovy chicken
Roasted Golden Beets Recipe with Horseradish
Ingredients
For beets
- 3 lbs beets any variety and color
- 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
For the horseradish cream
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2-3 Tbsp prepared horseradish
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
For serving
- 1/2 cup arugula microgreens or other greens / fresh herbs, such as dill, tarragon, or chervil
- 1/4 cup walnuts roughly chopped
- 1 tsp flaky sea salt
- high quality extra virgin olive oil for drizzling
Instructions
To roast beets
- Pre-heat oven to 400 F. Cut beets into small wedges about 1″ thick (either halved or quartered), then place in a large roasting dish. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, and pepper, then cover with foil and roast for 1 hour. Beets are fully cooked when a knife cuts them with no resistance. If not done, cook for an additional 15-20 minutes.
- Let cool slightly, then use a kitchen towel or paper towel to gently rub off the skin. Set aside. Meanwhile, make the horseradish cream.
To make horseradish cream
- Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl, then whisk to combine. Set aside.
To serve
- Spoon a thin layer of horseradish cream on the bottom of a serving bowl or platter, reserving additional sauce on the side. Layer roasted peeled beets on top.
- Top beets with arugula microgreens, walnut pieces, and a sprinkling of flaky sea salt. Finish with a generous drizzle of high quality extra virgin olive oil. Serve immediately or at room temperature.
by far this is my favorite beet receipt. EXCELLENT!!!
I boiled beets, skinned and shredded in small french fry size. S/Pepper oil. mixed
then I divided beets into two bowls. I made the Horseradish cream for one bowl.
BOTH were delicious.
Oh, I love that!! This recipe always reminds me of dining in France. Really delish! xo, Ari
Really enjoyed this recipe! I used Marcona almonds for crunch but otherwise followed the recipe as is. The next time I’ll probably peel the beets first but that’s the only other change I’d make. My friends couldn’t believe how simple the sauce was; they wanted to eat it by it’s self. 🙂 All in all this was a great side to a non-St. Patrick’s day corned beef dinner.
Love hearing this, thank you so much! Yes, you can totally peel the beets beforehand — I find it easiest to just use a paper towel to rub them off after they’ve cooked. Raw beet stains are harder to get off than cooked beet stains lol. ENJOY! xo, Ari
In the process of making this dish for the first time, so can’t speak to the deliciousness factor yet although it sounds devine. I had a few large golden beets, so I sliced them prior to roasting as you recommend and drizzled with EVOO, S&P. Any idea why they turned black??? They don’t look appetizing at all currently and nothing like your photos. I’m still going to use them and see if it affects the taste at all – fingers crossed it doesn’t. First time roasting golden beets (a pro with red ones) and am mystified as to why they turned black. Appreciate feedback or answers if you have any.
Hi Kara! I believe that what you’re describing is the yellow beets oxidizing. The same thing happens with apples or avocados if not used right away. So in this instance, if you cut red beets ahead of time, they mostly stay the same color (or will only darken slightly), but a golden beet if not used immediately (roasted, boiled, really any method of cooking), will darken. One way to treat them is to rub them with acidic water after slicing if not cooking immediately. But that adds one extra step to the cooking process — I’d recommend not cutting until ready to cook. Hope this helps! xo, Ari