If you are looking for the easiest way to prepare beets, this Roasted Beets recipe is just what you have been searching for. It is as simple as it gets, and works every time! The beets come out perfectly tender and the balsamic and thyme added in at the end takes the flavor to the next level.

A close-up of a white bowl with colorful roasted beets

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Why We Love Roasted Beets

Every summer, I make my mom’s recipe for Pickled Beets over and over, and I never get sick of it. But come wintertime, I want a beet recipe that will warm my soul. This Roasted Beets recipe is just what I want.

Last month, we talked a lot about Storing Crops. Storing crops are hearty fruits and veggies that can be harvested and stored for long periods of time. Beets are yet another example of a great storing crop. While they are grown and harvested in the warmer months, once you remove the beet greens, you can store the beetroots all winter long!

That means if you are trying to buy locally grown produce in an effort to reduce your carbon footprint, while supporting your local farmers, then eating storing crops like beets in the winter is a great way to go!

This easy vegetable side dish goes perfectly with a wide variety of dinners and main courses. They are lightly sweet, and the fresh herbs and balsamic vinegar make them so flavorful.

Ingredients For This Recipe

ingredients for the recipe on a wooden board
  • 2 pounds beets, (I used Chioggia, golden and red beets)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • Freshly ground pepper to taste
  • 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

Step-By-Step Instructions To Roast Beets

collage with the steps to make this recipe

Step 1: Preheat oven

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Step 2: Cut and Mix Beets with Seasonings

On a cutting board, peel the whole beets with a sharp vegetable peeler. (Wear gloves if you don’t want your hands to be temporarily stained.) Cut the beets into 1-inch chunks. Toss the raw beets, oil, salt and pepper in a 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Spread them in a single layer and cover with aluminum foil.

Step 3: Roast in a Covered Baking Dish

Roast, lifting off the piece of foil to stir once or twice, until the beets are tender when pierced with a fork, about 40 minutes.

Step 4: Season with Balsamic Vinegar and Thyme

Remove the beets from the oven and add in the thyme and balsamic. Toss them and then let them roast again uncovered so that the balsamic creates a glaze of sorts! In 10 more minutes, the beets will be glazed, tender and utterly delicious! Serve warm or at room temperature.

The roasted beets with whole uncut beets and the mis en place

Expert Tips and FAQs for making Perfect Roasted Beets

More on why we recommend roasting the beets after they are peeled

  • When you roast whole unpeeled beets (in foil on a rimmed baking sheet) you have to wait for them to cook through. It is important to know that this takes a really long time when they are whole. It can take an hour for small beets or two for larger beets.
  • If you have beets that are different sizes, you will have to remove some from the oven and leave others to continue roasting. This whole babysitting thing kind of goes against the spirit of this being a hands-off method.
  • You also have to wait until they are cool enough to handle to get the skins off with a paper towel and cut them. That’s no big deal if you have to wait for them to cool anyway like for use in a salad. But if you are intending to serve them hot, it is a waste of time since you will then have to heat them back up again.
  • You can’t add flavor to them until after they are peeled.
  • We suggest to peel them while they are raw (with a vegetable peeler.) Then cut them into bite-sized pieces so they will cook more quickly.
  • They can be roasted until they are tender in literally half the time this way!
  • You can season them before you cook them so the seasoning and additional flavors (like the balsamic and thyme in this recipe) cooks into the beets and makes them more flavorful!

Variations To Try

You can make this roasted beet recipe without the addition of balsamic vinegar and thyme, but I really love beets with the vinegar to balance the sweet beet taste. The fresh thyme also makes it more delicious! It is fun to experiment with flavors. This one just happens to be my favorite!

  • Feel free to use another type of herb or another vinegar.
  • We also love using different colors of beets mixed together, but it’s also really pretty to make this with all one color. Golden beets are a favorite!
  • Try adding on crumbled goat cheese or feta at the end.
  • Serve these chilled drizzled with Walnut Balsamic Vinaigrette or Tarragon Vinaigrette.
  • Blue cheese is a great addition to beets. The flavors just pop together! Top these roasted beets with crumbled blue cheese and chopped toasted walnuts. Instead of thyme, use chives or fresh tarragon.
  • You can also try lemon juice or orange juice instead of balsamic vinegar. Add in a little lemon or orange zest for even more citrus flavor.
Do you peel the beets before or after roasting?

We suggest peeling before roasting. While it is true that beets are unique in that they can easily be cooked in their skins, then peeled. {This phenomenon is true when you boil them or roast them.} The skin acts like a jacket and holds the moisture in and almost steams them! Once they are tender, you can rub the skin with a paper towel and it just slides right off the beets. This seems like the best most hands-off method, but in reality, it has a few problems. Namely, this is much slower, if the beets are different sizes they cook unevenly, and you can only season them after they are cooked. For these reasons we recommend peeling the beets, cutting them into even pieces and roasting them in a covered baking dish. Read more here.

What is the best kind of pan to use?

The key to getting the beets to cook properly once they have been cut is that you have to keep them covered while they roast. Otherwise, they can get tough! Covering them will trap the steam (just like their skin would have done) and yields perfectly tender beets every time!
Normally I like to roast veggies like butternut squash or roasted turnips on a rimmed baking sheet. In the case of beets, I roast them in a 9 by 13-inch pyrex or ceramic baking dish and cover it with aluminum foil because I want to trap that steam in to help soften them.

What can you do with roasted beets?

These are great for meal prep and to add as a side dish in your meal prep containers. Because they reheat so beautifully they make a terrific make-ahead side dish. They are great added to salads too (pair with goat cheese for a classic combination.) We like to serve them with roasted crispy skin chicken or pork loin. In the fall and spring when it is warm enough to grill these beets pair well with Grilled Boneless Chicken Thighs.

How do you reheat roasted beets?

Leftover beets can be stored in an airtight container for four days. They can be reheated in the microwave on high heat, stirring occasionally until steaming hot. They can also be reheated in a casserole dish (coat it with cooking spray or brush with extra-virgin olive oil first.) Make sure it is covered with foil so they do not dry out. Bake until they are steaming hot, about 25 minutes on 350 degrees.

More Beet Recipes

a bowl of beets chunks from the side with a bottle of balsamic vinegar behind it

Thanks so much for reading! If you are new here, you may want to sign up for my email newsletter to get a free weekly menu plan and the latest recipes right to your inbox. If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought!

Happy Cooking! ~Katie

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a bowl of chunks of roasted beets from overhead

Roasted Beets Recipe

★★★★★

4.9 from 9 reviews
  • Author: Katie
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 3 cups 1x
  • Diet: Vegan
Print Recipe

Description

Here is a recipe for basic roasted beets. Peel them, toss them with oil and seasoning. Roast them in a baking dish covered with foil to help them soften. Then season with balsamic vinegar and thyme at the end for added flavor! 

Ingredients

Scale

2 pounds beets, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks

2 tablespoons olive oil

½ teaspoon salt

Freshly ground pepper to taste

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

Instructions

1.     Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

2.     Toss beets, oil, salt and pepper in a 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Cover with foil.

3.     Roast, lifting off the foil to stir once or twice, until the beets are tender when pierced with a fork, about 40 minutes.

4.     Add balsamic vinegar and thyme and toss to coat. Return to the oven, and roast uncovered for 10 minutes.

5.     Serve warm or at room temperature.

Notes

You can use any color beets for this recipe. Note that the red beets will stain the other colors a bit as they cook. To prevent your hands from turning red when you handle the beets, wear disposable gloves. 

  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 50 minutes
  • Category: Side Dish
  • Method: Roasting
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 2/3 cup
  • Calories: 161
  • Sugar: 15 g
  • Fat: 7 g
  • Carbohydrates: 20 g
  • Fiber: 5 g
  • Protein: 5 g

Keywords: roasted beets,how to roast beets,peeled roast beets

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