salads

Beet Citrus Salad

Beet citrus salad with roasted beets, orange, grapefruit, pistachios, mint, and a sharp olive oil dressing.

Vegetarian Gluten-Free
Back to Recipes More Recipes
Prep 15 min
Cook 1h
Total 1h 15m
Servings 4
Difficulty Easy

Ingredients

Need a different yield?

Open this recipe in the scaler to adjust servings and turn the ingredients into a grouped shopping list.

Scale this recipe

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 200°C / 400°F. Wrap each beet in foil and place on a sheet pan.

  2. Roast 50-60 minutes until a knife slides through easily. Let cool in foil.

  3. When cool enough to handle, rub off skins under running water. Cut into wedges or rounds.

    Tip: The skins slip off easily when beets are properly roasted.

  4. Segment citrus: Cut off top and bottom, slice away peel and pith, then cut between membranes to release segments. Catch the juice.

  5. Whisk olive oil, vinegar, honey, reserved citrus juice, salt, and pepper.

  6. If using yogurt, spread on a platter and season with a pinch of salt.

  7. Arrange beets and citrus on yogurt (or directly on platter).

  8. Drizzle with dressing. Scatter pistachios and mint. Serve at room temperature.

Storage & Meal Prep

Roasted beets can be prepared up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated. Assemble the salad just before serving for the best texture and presentation. Dressed salad keeps for 1 day but the colors will bleed.

Variations

  • Beet and Blood Orange Salad: Use blood oranges instead of navel oranges for a more dramatic color contrast and deeper citrus flavor.
  • Beet Salad with Goat Cheese: Replace the yogurt with crumbled goat cheese and add toasted walnuts instead of pistachios for a classic combination.
  • Golden Beet and Citrus Salad: Use golden beets to avoid color bleeding. They have a slightly milder, sweeter flavor than red beets.

FAQ

How do you roast beets for salad?

Wrap each beet individually in foil and roast at 200°C / 400°F for 50-60 minutes until a knife slides through easily. Let cool in the foil, then rub off the skins under running water. They slip off effortlessly when properly roasted.

Can you make beet salad ahead of time?

You can roast the beets up to 3 days ahead and store them peeled in the refrigerator. Prepare the dressing and segment the citrus the morning of serving. Assemble just before serving for the best presentation.

What goes well with beets in a salad?

Beets need contrast. I use citrus for acidity, pistachios for crunch, mint for a clean finish, and yogurt only when I want a softer plate.

Interactive Nutrition Map

4 Servings

Customize Ingredients

Dairy
Greek Yogurt (Full-Fat)
123 g
Vegetables
Beets (Raw)
680 g
Fruits
Orange (Fresh)
468 g
Grapefruit (Fresh)
246 g
Nuts & Seeds
Pistachios
41 g
Oils & Fats
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
41 g
Herbs & Spices
Salt
3 g
Black Pepper
0.5 g
Fresh Mint
10 g
Condiments
Red Wine Vinegar
15 g
Sweeteners
Honey (Raw)
7 g

Per Serving

360kcalCalories
13gProtein
43gCarbs
18gFat
10gFiber
Sodium
170mg7% DV
Potassium
1037mg22% DV
Calcium
161mg12% DV
Iron
2mg11% DV
Magnesium
76mg18% DV
Vitamin C
90.1mg100% DV
Vitamin A
86µg10% DV
Vitamin K
8.1µg7% DV
Folate
239µg60% DV
Beets (Raw)
Orange (Fresh)
Grapefruit (Fresh)
Pistachios
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Red Wine Vinegar
Honey (Raw)
Salt
Black Pepper
Fresh Mint
Greek Yogurt (Full-Fat)
* Nutrition is an estimate; actual values vary by ingredient brands and cooking methods. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

The Story Behind This Dish

On my table, beet citrus salad is a winter side when oranges are good and the oven is already on. It is not a Sardinian marker dish, but the logic fits the way I like to eat: roast the vegetable, cut the fruit cleanly, dress at the end.

I roast the beets whole so they stay dense and do not water down the platter. Once they cool, I rub off the skins and cut them into wedges or rounds.

I segment the citrus over a bowl and keep the juice for the dressing. That gives the oil and vinegar something better to hold onto than plain sweetness.

I assemble this at room temperature. Yogurt can sit underneath, but I leave it out when I want a cleaner salad. Pistachios and mint go on last so they stay clear.

Part of: Pantry Lunch Playbook

Related: Fennel Orange Salad | Roasting and Braising Vegetables