salads

Beet and Citrus Salad with Pistachios

Name: Beet and Citrus Salad with Pistachios
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 4 medium Beets (about 1.5 lbs, red or golden); 2 large Oranges (navel or blood oranges); 1 medium Grapefruit (optional, adds bitterness); 0.33 cup Pistachios (roughly chopped); 3 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil; 1 tbsp Red wine vinegar; 1 tsp Honey; 0.5 tsp Salt; 0.25 tsp Black pepper; 2 tbsp Fresh mint (finely chopped); 0.5 cup Greek yogurt (optional, for serving)

Earthy roasted beets meet bright citrus in this stunning salad. Pistachios add crunch, and optional yogurt adds creaminess.

vegetarian gluten free

More Recipes

Prep 15 min

Cook 1h

Total 1h 15m

Servings 4

Difficulty Easy

Ingredients

Instructions

Preheat oven to 200°C / 400°F. Wrap each beet in foil and place on a sheet pan.
Roast 50-60 minutes until a knife slides through easily. Let cool in foil.
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.
Segment citrus: Cut off top and bottom, slice away peel and pith, then cut between membranes to release segments. Catch the juice.
Whisk olive oil, vinegar, honey, reserved citrus juice, salt, and pepper.
If using yogurt, spread on a platter and season with a pinch of salt.
Arrange beets and citrus on yogurt (or directly on platter).
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 pair beautifully with citrus (oranges, grapefruit), creamy elements (yogurt, goat cheese), nuts (pistachios, walnuts), and fresh herbs (mint, dill). The earthy sweetness of beets needs brightness and crunch as contrast.

The Story Behind This Dish

This salad looks like it came from a restaurant, but it’s just a matter of combining two naturally beautiful ingredients: jewel-toned beets and bright citrus.

The earthy sweetness of beets against acidic citrus creates a contrast that’s both visually stunning and delicious.