If you’re wondering how to roast beets, look no further: This recipe is incredibly easy, yields flavorful and tender beets and comes together with just a few simple ingredients.
Beets may not always be everybody’s favorite vegetable, but when prepared right they do taste absolutely wonderful!
I have to say, I’ve always love beets. They can taste absolutely wonderful in salads, are a great and nutritious side dish (try a little butter and flaky seas salt on your hot beets – so good!) and have the most beautiful color.
I consider myself incredibly lucky, because 2 of my kids enjoy them, too. So it’s a vegetable we buy (or sometimes grow) and eat a lot. I do grab the pre-cooked beets often, but sometimes we pick up fresh ones at the farmers’ market and use them to make our own roasted beets. So easy and delicious!
Ingredients you’ll need
Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!
Ingredient notes
- Beets: I prefer firm, medium-sized beets to roast. Large ones take absolutely forever in the oven, so I stick to ones about the size of a medium orange/ones I can comfortably hold in one hand.
- Thyme: I go for dried thyme here because I don’t always keep fresh on hand. Feel free to use a few sprigs of fresh thyme in place of the dried. You can also use a different herb you enjoy – oregano or even a seasoning blend like Italian herbs or Herbes de Provence are delicious.
- Oil: I prefer olive oil in this recipe, but canola oil or another neutral vegetable oil will work just as well.
How to roast beets in the oven
1. Start by slicing the top and bottom off of your beets, then cut them in half. If you have beets that are significantly larger than most others, slice them into quarters for more even roasting.
2. Next, place the beets in a large roasting pan and toss them with oil, salt, pepper and dried thyme. Roast uncovered at 400°F (200°C) for 30 minutes.
3. VERY CAREFULLY (hot!) remove the pan from the oven and tightly cover with aluminium foil.
4. Return the pan to the oven to roast until the beets are tender, about 30-45 more minutes, depending on the exact size of your beets.
5. Once the beets are done, you’ll want to let them cool for a few minutes until you can handle them. Either wear rubber gloves or use paper towels to scrub off their skins (they should slide right off).
Use the beets as a hot side dish or toss them with some balsamic vinegar and oil to chill and marinade for salads.
Recipe tips
- Make sure to pick evenly sized beets for even roasting.
- I prefer peeling the beets once they are cooked, because the cooked juices don’t stain as much as the raw juices. Hands are relatively easy to clean after handling the cooked beets vs handling the raw beets, too. Feel free to peel them before cooking if that’s what you prefer. The roasting time will stay about the same.
- Beets need a lot of seasoning to make sure they’re not bland. I generously salt them before roasting, but they usually need to have salt added to be served, too. A splash of balsamic vinegar or some butter, salt and pepper are very delicious on hot beets, and for cold salads I always marinade them in balsamic/olive oil/parsley/salt/pepper. Otherwise you’ll be disappointed at how bland they are.
- Store leftovers tightly covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Serving ideas
We most enjoy beets in a salad. They are very delicious just by themselves in a balsamic vinaigrette dressing. But they are also great when added to baby spinach, arugula or mixed baby greens. And they go great with some goat’s cheese or Feta cheese!
As a hot vegetable side dish, I will still often add a splash of balsamic, or place the peeled and diced beets back in the pan to roast for 5 more minutes with some balsamic and honey drizzled on top. Or just add a little butter and flakey sea salt for a more simple side.
PS they are also delicious with bacon, but then again… What isn’t?! ?
PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram.
Printable recipe
Roasted Beets
Recipe details
Ingredients
- 6 medium-sized whole fresh beets
- 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Scrub beets clean and wash well. Slice off tops and bottoms, then cut beets in half.
- Place beets in large roasting pan and toss with olive oil, dried thyme, salt and pepper. Roast in the hot oven, uncovered, for 30 minutes.
- Carefully remove pan from oven and cover with aluminium foil (careful, the pan is hot! Use oven gloves!).
- Return pan to oven and roast for another 30-45 minutes, until beets are fork-tender.
- Remove pan from oven and allow beets to cool for a few minutes (leave them covered or skins will not come off as easily). Using rubber gloves or paper towels, rub skins off of the beets.
- Either serve warm or chilled (see tips).
Notes
Ingredient notes
- Beets: I prefer firm, medium-sized beets to roast. Large ones take absolutely forever in the oven, so I stick to ones about the size of a medium orange/ones I can comfortably hold in one hand.
- Thyme: I go for dried thyme here because I don’t always keep fresh on hand. Feel free to use a few sprigs of fresh thyme in place of the dried. You can also use a different herb you enjoy – oregano or even a seasoning blend like Italian herbs or Herbes de Provence are delicious.
- Oil: I prefer olive oil in this recipe, but canola oil or another neutral vegetable oil will work just as well.
Recipe tips
- Make sure to pick evenly sized beets for even roasting.
- I prefer peeling the beets once they are cooked, because the cooked juices don’t stain as much as the raw juices. Hands are relatively easy to clean after handling the cooked beets vs handling the raw beets, too. Feel free to peel them before cooking if that’s what you prefer. The roasting time will stay about the same.
- Beets need a lot of seasoning to make sure they’re not bland. I generously salt them before roasting, but they usually need to have salt added to be served, too. A splash of balsamic vinegar or some butter, salt and pepper are very delicious on hot beets, and for cold salads I always marinade them in balsamic/olive oil/parsley/salt/pepper to chill. Otherwise you’ll be disappointed at how bland they are.
- Store leftovers tightly covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Jennifer D. Nutt says
These turned out wonderfully fragrant, moist and tender.
BARBARA ROE says
fantastic flavor everyone enjoyed.
Kathy Cooper says
It was great !
Gloria Botts says
This is my first try at roasting beets! I have to admit I loved them! The taste was amazing!