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This sweet, savory and earthy raw beet salad recipe with walnuts and fresh goat cheese comes together in about 15 minutes and looks gorgeous at the table.
Why we love this recipe
Raw beets are a revelation. They’re crisp and refreshing and totally different from cooked ones. This simple and simply perfect salad is a great way to use them. The combination of:
- Earthy, sweet beets
- Tangy, creamy goat cheese
- Toasty, crunchy walnuts
- And a sweet and savory dressing gets the balance just right
It comes together in a flash but tastes of depth and complexity. And as a bonus, it offers all the health benefits of unadulterated beets plus a surprisingly long-burning source of energy.
What you’ll need
Here’s a glance at the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe.
- Raw beets have a milder flavor than their cooked counterparts, plus a pleasing crunch. You can use any type of beets that you like.
- Fresh goat cheese (also called chèvre) is creamy, tangy, and savory. It makes a beautiful pairing with earthy beets.
- Sherry vinegar is like a sultry, brooding version of red wine vinegar. It’s wonderful, but if you don’t have it, you can substitute red wine vinegar.
How to make it
Here’s what you’ll do to make a beautiful raw beet salad with goat cheese and walnuts. You can see the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post, and get all the details in the recipe card below.
- Trim and peel the beets and the onion. Use a mandoline or box grater to shred them.
- Toast the walnuts in a dry pan.
- Add the beets, onion, walnuts, and orange zest to a serving bowl. Pour in the dressing ingredients and toss well.
- Add crumbled goat cheese and microgreens if using, and serve.
Expert tips and FAQs
Nutrition is a highly individualized matter, but beets have been linked with lots of health benefits. They’re packed with fiber and essential nutrients and have been associated with improved blood flow and even increased athletic performance.
Mmhmm. For something a little different, replace some of the beet with carrot, or with some carrot and some green apple.
You can make the salad up to a few hours in advance, since beets are hearty and will hold up well. Sprinkle on the goat cheese and microgreens (if using) at the last minute. Store any leftovers tightly sealed in the fridge or up to two or three days.
More beet recipes
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Raw Beet Salad
Ingredients
- 3 cups (200 grams) julienned raw beets from about 2 to 3 medium beets
- ½ small red onion, peeled
- ½ cup (60 grams) chopped walnuts
- Zest of 1 orange
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) sherry vinegar
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) freshly squeezed orange juice
- ½ teaspoon (3 grams) Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 ounces (57 grams) fresh goat cheese
- Microgreens to garnish, optional
Instructions
- Trim and peel the beets. Cut beets and onion on the julienne blade of a mandoline slicer, or grate them on a box grater if you don’t have a mandoline.
- In a small, dry frying pan, toast the walnuts over medium heat for a few minutes, tossing occasionally, until fragrant and lightly browned in spots.
- Place beets, onion, walnuts, and orange zest in a medium mixing bowl. Add the oil, vinegar, orange juice, mustard, salt, and pepper, and toss to combine.
- Plate salad in a large serving bowl or individual bowls and top with crumbled goat cheese and microgreens.
Notes
- Beets vary widely in size, but three cups of julienned or shredded beets will come from about two medium beets.
- You can use beets of any color, but a mix of red and golden looks gorgeous.
- For a nice variation, replace some of the beet with carrot, or carrot and apple.
- This salad can be made up to a few hours in advance. Add the crumbled goat cheese just before serving.
- Leftovers will keep tightly sealed in the fridge for up to a week.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Raw and crunchy beet salad is great with goat cheese. Great recipe
Thank you! It’s hot, I have beets in the fridge, and I don’t feel like cooking… this is perfect.
I really love goat cheese it is really delicous. Most of the time I eat it as a dessert or use it to make a salsa.
Lovely. I really like the flavour combinations you’ve got going. I’m going to email this recipe to a raw beet devotee friend of mine. She’ll love it!
I love the ode to Teddy via beet salad. But you’re right–they do seem to be the key to a long and healthy life. I’ve been a beet-phobe for most of my life, but now I seem to be making up for lost time. I prefer when, like this salad, they are not the main event, but merely an accent or a garnish to the meal’s center piece. Here is a beet and red onion relish to top a turkey burger I made last week. Come to think of it, your salad might have been the perfect side complement as well!
Oh, Layla, I’m so glad you liked it! My mandoline came with a guard, which I use religiously when the pieces get even remotely small. I think even a box grater could send me to the E.R. if it came to it (a serrated butter knife and some rice krispie treats once did, in fact), so I tend to just go for it and say a silent little prayer when I cut. Or step on the treadmill. Or into the shower, really.
Happy birthday to the little one! I can’t believe he’s turning four already.
Carolyn, this one was a big hit with friends yesterday! I will make it again, and maybe I will even buy a mandoline so I can do it right (but will I wind up in the emergency room?). Sadly, no luck pushing it on my own (soon-to-be — tomorrow!) 4-year-old.
well C,
for the first time… eva… I actually think I might willingly try beets… well… if you prepare them! LOL!
they look gorgeous and sound delicious (which is an amazing feat … considering I normally don’t even like to look at them, let alone think about eating them!)
Yum! I always order a raw-beet salad from one of the places near my office. It has a sweet basil dressing, but this one sounds more refreshing!