This simple, vibrant roasted beet and orange salad is a delicious combination of sweet and earthy beets, and tangy oranges. Simply served on a bed of peppery arugula and topped with toasted pistachios and a simple homemade vinaigrette.
This beautiful roasted beet salad is perfect for everyday meals, but elegant enough for a dinner party, and a great addition to your holiday dinner table.
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I am a big fan of beets (or beetroot, as this root vegetable is referred as outside of the USA and Canada), especially roasted beets. They are one of my favorite vegetables to roast because roasting beets intensifies their sweetness and it's so easy! You can roast them in the air fryer (here's how; air fryer beets), or in the oven.
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Why you'll love this orange beet salad
- Delicious: The best salads are full of contrasts, and this flavorful salad has it all. Sweet beets, juicy orange segments, peppery baby arugula, and the nutty crunch of pistachios.
- Easy: Once your beets are roasted, this easy salad comes together in no time.
- Nutritious: All of the fresh ingredients in this beetroot salad recipe are packed with vitamins, nutrients and fibre. So you can feel great about indulging in this delicious meal.
Ingredient notes
Salad ingredients
- Beets: Red beets are featured in this beet and orange salad. You can also use golden beets, but I like the color contrast of the red beet and orange slices. Look for small firm beets with unblemished skins. If the tops are attached, they should be fresh and green, not wilted or brown.
- Oranges: Sweet oranges like Mandarin oranges or clementines are great because they are easy to peel and segment. However, any fresh oranges will work. You can use navel oranges, or go with blood oranges or cara cara oranges.
- Arugula: I love the peppery bite that arugula adds to this beet and orange salad. But, feel free to use any fresh greens, like baby spinach, or any other leafy greens.
- Pistachios: These nuts add a delicious crunch, and I love their green tint when making this salad for a holiday dinner. But any nuts will be delicious, including walnuts, pecans, or slivered almonds.
Dressing Ingredients
- Olive oil: For best results, use extra virgin olive oil for the base of the salad dressing.
- White wine vinegar: You can also use white balsamic vinegar, or apple cider vinegar.
- Dijon mustard: Dijon mustard gives this beet orange salad a delicious hint of spice.
How to make it, step by step
- Scrub the beets and trim them by removing the stem and tail ends with a sharp knife.
- Wrap beets in foil and roast until fork tender, 45-60 minutes. Remove them from the foil packets and allow them to cool.
- When the beets are cool enough to handle, peel off the skins. Cut the cooked beets into wedges. Set aside to cool completely.
- Peel the oranges and divide into segments, removing any excess white pith.
- In a large bowl, whisk oil, vinegar, mustard, and salt.
- Add the beet slices and orange segments, tossing gently to coat.
- Arrange arugula in a salad bowl or platter.
- Arrange the beet mixture over the arugula. Sprinkle with the pistachios before serving.
Tips and variations
- Additions: Red onion slices are a great addition to this beet and orange salad. You can also add cheese. Feta cheese, goat cheese, or shaved parmesan cheese are all great options.
- Garnish: Add some fresh herbs for garnish and flavor. Try fresh mint leaves, basil leaves, or parsley.
- Dressing: Replace the white wine vinegar with unsweetened orange juice and orange zest for an orange vinaigrette. (You can also use lemon juice).
- Make it sweeter: Although I find that this roasted beet salad has plenty of natural sweetness from the beets and oranges, you can add a tablespoon of maple syrup to the salad dressing if you like a touch of extra sweetness.
- Beet tops: if your beets still have the greens attached, don't throw them away! They are delicious when sautéed with garlic and lemon. (Get the recipe: sautéed beet greens).
- Beet juice: Wear gloves if you want to avoid staining your hands when handling cooked beets. You can avoid staining your cutting board by washing it immediately in warm, soapy water.
- Storage: If you want to make the beet salad ahead and store it before serving, keep the salad separate from the arugula until serving it. Add the pistachios right before serving. The salad will keep, without the greens, for up to three days if stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
​Serving suggestions
This is a great salad for a light lunch on its own. But it's also an especially great side dish for almost any protein. I like to serve it with these grilled boneless chicken thighs, or air fryer baked salmon. It's also great with meatloaf, or country style ribs.
Are you a beet lover? Try these recipes, too
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a rating in the comments below and let us know how it turned out. Did you make any changes? We would love for you to share and your feedback is important! Thank you for visiting The Food Blog!
Recipe
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Beet and Orange Salad
Ingredients
- 5 medium beets trimmed and scrubbed
- 3 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
- 2 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 5 mandarin oranges peeled & segmented
- 2 cups arugula
- ½ cup pistachios shelled & roasted
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 400°
- Scrub the beets and trim them by removing the stem and tail ends with a sharp knife.
- Wrap beets in foil and place on a baking sheet. Roast until they are fork tender, about 60 minutes, depending on the size of the beets. Remove them from the foil packets and allow them to cool.
- When the beets are cool enough to handle, peel off the skins. Cut beets into wedges. Set aside to cool completely.
- Peel the oranges and divide into segments, removing any excess white pith.
- In a large bowl, whisk oil, vinegar, mustard, and salt. Add the beet slices and orange segments, tossing gently to coat.Â
- Arrange arugula in a salad bowl or platter.
- Arrange the beet mixture over the arugula.
- Sprinkle with the pistachios before serving.
Nutrition
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Danielle Wolter
what a great combination of flavors. this is def a salad i would like to try making!
Colleen
Hey Danielle, please do try! I know that you'll love it, and would love to hear how it turns out for you!
Kristine
Fist of all this salad is simply beautiful and secondly it's delicious! I have always loved beet salad, so I was super excited to try this. It was as good as it looks!
Colleen
Kristine, I'm so happy that you loved it as much as we do. It really is so pretty, but the combo of flavours is so good here. Thank you for sharing! ♥
Cathy
Love the idea of pistachios and clementines in this beet salad! Wow this looks amazing! Can't wait to try this salad!
Colleen
Thank you Cathy! I think you will love this salad. It tastes as amazing as it looks!
Adriana Lopez Martin
Absolutely love this combination, beets and orange go perfect together and the color is lovely very appetizing!
Colleen
Thanks Adriana, it really is a delicious combo and the beautiful colour is perfect for brightening up the table. 🙂
anjali
I love the combination you have here!! Three of my favorite ingredients
Colleen
Thanks Anjali! These three ingredients really make a tasty combo!
Kristen
Love how simple this salad is with the perfect complementary ingredients. Love the deep colours.
Colleen
Hi Kristin, beets add such beautiful colour to a winter salad, don't they?
Terri
What a gorgeous, delicious looking and creative salad! I love beets so I can't wait to try it!
Colleen
Thank you Terri! I think you'll love it!
Yvonne Langen
Nothing better than a beet salad to help you regain some nutritional balance in comfort food season. I love the combination of flavours here and the pistachios add a great textural component.
Colleen
Hi Yvonne, I'm so with you on regaining some nutritional balance! This salad is delicious, too, so it's isn't that hard. 🙂
Leanne | Crumb Top Baking
I love a good beet salad, and the addition of pistachios and oranges in this one puts it over the top! Also, thanks for the tip on peeling beets. I had no idea the skins would rub off like that after roasting. Definitely trying that!
Colleen
Hi Leanne, this salad turned out so amazing, hope you get a chance to try it out. And the beet peeling hack is for sure worth doing. 🙂
Loreto and Nicoletta Nardelli
Lovely combination of flavors in this salad. Love the addition of pistachios for crunch and taste.
Colleen
Thank you! I love the combo of beets, pistachio, and citrus. It works so well for both taste, and texture. 🙂
Mélanie @ Bon Appét'Eat
The colours are amazing and since I eat with my eyes, I totally salivating for this dish! Yummy!
Colleen
Thank you, Melanie. I think a lot of people eat with their eyes. Beets are just so beautiful, aren't they?
Denise@urbnspice
Such a very pretty salad, Colleen! Your pistachio trivia was very interesting, too. I am going to make this healthy beautiful salad soon. Love beets, pistachios and oranges - it’s a winner recipe!
Colleen
Thanks, Denise! So glad you liked my pistachio trivia! 🙂 I think you're going to love this delicious salad. Enjoy!
Philip - Chef Sous Chef
I just love how beets make everything so beautiful. Great salad!
Colleen
Hi Philip, I so agree! Beets are the jewels of the veggie family!
Lisa
Love love love beets! This looks beautiful and delicious!
Colleen
Thanks Lisa, we love them too! I hope you try and enjoy this amazing salad!
Elaine
There's a beautiful combination of flavours in this vibrant salad! Thanks for the tip about peeling beets!
Colleen
Thanks Elaine! it's such a simple salad to put together, but always a show stopper. 🙂