This balsamic beet salad is loaded with creamy avocado and crunchy maple walnuts tossed with fresh greens for the perfect mix of sweet, savory, and tangy. It works beautifully as a light meal or a delicious starter for special dinners!
Beets are one of my absolute favorite vegetables. Surprised? I don’t share as many beet recipes as I’d like, and that’s because I have an unpopular opinion: boiled beets are superior to roasted beets, and I will die on this hill. Shocking!? Roasted beets are trendy, but I grew up eating them boiled, and that’s how I love them. If you’ve tried my vegan borscht, you know that boiled beets are tender and evenly cooked — something I can never quite achieve with roasting (I’ve playfully called roasted beets “beet jerky”). Plus, boiling is way easier than roasting (read on and you’ll see what I mean).
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With that in mind, I boiled the beets for this beet salad. If you’re really attached to the idea of roasting, check out the FAQ section for instructions on how to do that. But if you give boiling a try, I don’t think you’ll regret it!
After they’re cooked, we marinate the beets in a mix of balsamic and red wine vinegars for the perfect zippy flavor, then toss them with a vibrant mix of greens, walnuts, red onion, and avocado, finished with a zesty balsamic vinaigrette. It’s a delicious combination and the salad is super satisfying — hearty enough for a main, but also perfect as a show-stealing starter!
Ingredients You’ll Need
Below you’ll find a list of ingredients in this recipe, with notes and substitutions. Scroll all the way to the bottom of the post to see the full recipe, including the amount of each ingredient.
Beets. We’re using fresh beets. I like to buy the roots only, since we’re not using the greens here. If all you can find is whole beets with the greens, give this sautéed beet greens recipe a try.
Balsamic vinegar. Try to use a good quality, aged balsamic vinegar. It should be thick and syrupy with some sweetness to it.
Red wine vinegar.
Sugar. We’re using organic granulated sugar to keep the recipe vegan, since conventional sugar is often processed using animal bone char.
Salt and pepper.
Olive oil. You’ll use this in the dressing, so go for high quality extra virgin olive oil for the best flavor.
Shallot.
Garlic.
Dried thyme.
Walnut halves. Pecans also work great in this recipe. If you’ve got a nut allergy, try pepitas.
Maple syrup.
Red onion.
Salad greens. You can use your favorite here! I like spring mix, arugula, or (my favorite) a mix. Baby spinach, lettuces like romaine and escarole, or even massaged kale could be used.
Avocado.
Tip: If you love the combination of beets and balsamic vinegar featured in this salad, you’ll definitely want to check out my balsamic beet burgers recipe.
How It’s Made
Below is a detailed photo tutorial on how to make this dish. Scroll all the way down if you’d like to skip right to the recipe!
Boil the beets. Start with this, since it can take a while. It’s easy, though! Just cover them with water in a saucepan, and boil them until they’re easy to pierce with a fork. Plan for at least 35 minutes, although this can take up to an hour. Drain and rinse them with cold water when they’re done, then let them cool.
Peel the beets. Make sure they’re cool! Once they’re fully cooked, you should be able to easily rub the peel off using your hands.
Marinate the beets. Quarter and slice them, then place them in a bowl and stir in balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Let them sit while you prepare everything else.
Tip: Taste-test everything! Try your beets, dressing, and walnuts, and make any flavor adjustments you see fit, like adding salt, pepper, or sugar.
Make the dressing. Place olive oil, balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, minced shallot and garlic, dried thyme, salt, and pepper into a jar or lidded container, and give it a good shake to combine the ingredients.
Make the walnuts. Stir them together with maple syrup and salt, then arrange them on a baking sheet and pop them into a preheated oven for a few minutes, until the syrup dries and the nuts are golden brown. Let them cool.
Optional step: Soak the onion. Just do this if you’d like to reduce the raw onion bite. Cover your sliced onion with cold water in a bowl, and soak it for a few minutes. Drain and rinse the slices before using them.
Assemble the salad. Arrange the greens, beets, avocado, red onions, and maple walnuts in a large salad bowl. Drizzle the salad with dressing, then give it a toss. Sprinkle it with some salt and pepper, if you’d like.
Tip: This recipe makes a generous amount of dressing. Only use as much as you like! The rest will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for a week or two.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yep! It includes no gluten-containing ingredients as written.
Absolutely! Preheat the oven to 400°F. Scrub the beets and wrap them in foil. Roast the beets for 45–60 minutes, until they’re fork tender. Let them cool, rub off the skins, slice, and continue with the marinating step.
Yes! You’ll still need 3 or 4 medium beets. Since jarred beets tend to be small, you may need more like 8 to 10.
Leftover beet salad will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for about 3 days. Leftover dressing will keep for at least a week, and up to 2 weeks.
Variations
Golden beet salad. Use golden beets instead of red. They’ll be milder and a bit sweeter than red beets.
Add citrus. Citrus goes great with beets! Chop up a few oranges or throw in some mandarin slices. You can also add some zest to the dressing.
Skip the greens. The beets, avocado, onion, and walnuts make for a great chopped salad.
Make it a sandwich or wrap. Slather some good bread or a wrap with hummus, and stuff it with your beet salad. Delicious! And a great way to use leftovers.
More Salad Recipes
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Balsamic Beet Salad with Maple Walnuts and Avocado
Ingredients
For the Marinated Beets
1 ¾ pounds fresh beets (weighed after greens are removed, about 3 to 4 medium beets)1 ½ tablespoons balsamic vinegar1 ½ tablespoons red wine vinegar1 teaspoon organic granulated sugar½ teaspoon black pepper¼ teaspoon salt
For the Dressing
½ cup olive oil3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar1 ½ tablespoons red wine vinegar1 tablespoon minced shallot1 garlic clove, finely minced½ teaspoon dried thyme½ teaspoon salt
For the Maple Walnuts
½ cup walnut halves1 tablespoon maple syrup¼ teaspoon salt
For the Salad
½ medium red onion, sliced6 ounces salad greens (arugula and spring mix work great)1 ripe avocado, quartered and slicedSalt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Scrub and rinse the beets well, then place them into a medium saucepan. Fill the saucepan with water, making sure it covers the beets by about an inch. Place the saucepan over high heat and bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat and let the beets simmer until they’re easily pierced with a fork, which can take anywhere from 35 minutes for small beets to over an hour for very large beets. Add hot water to the pot if it reduces too much.
Drain the water when the beets are done boiling, then briefly rinse them with cold water. Let them sit until they’re cool enough to handle. Be careful here, as the outside can sometimes feel cool while the inside is still very hot.
Once the beets are cool enough to handle, use your hands to remove the peel by gently rubbing them. It should slip off easily.
Quarter then slice the beets and place them into a medium bowl. Add the balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, sugar, pepper, and salt, then stir to evenly coat the beets. Let them sit while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
To make the dressing, add all of the ingredients to a jar or small container with a lid, then shake until the dressing is emulsified.
To make the maple walnuts, first preheat the oven to 400°F.
Place the walnuts, maple syrup, and salt into a small bowl, then stir until the walnuts are evenly coated.
Arrange the walnuts in an even layer on a baking sheet. Bake the walnuts for about 5 minutes, until most of the syrup has dried up and the nuts are lightly browned. Keep a close eye on them to prevent burning.
Let the walnuts cool on the baking sheet while you assemble the salad. They will crisp up as they cool.
Optional step: Place the onion slices into a small bowl and cover them with cold water. Let them soak for 5 to 10 minutes, then drain and rinse them. This will reduce the raw onion bite.
To assemble the salad, place the greens into a large salad bowl. Add the marinated beets, red onion, avocado, and maple walnuts. Drizzle with as much dressing as you like, gently toss, and season with salt and pepper to taste, if desired.
Serve.
Notes
Nutrition information is for a main dish serving (¼ of the recipe) and assumes you’re using all of the dressing.
Nutrition
Calories: 549kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 44g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g | Monounsaturated Fat: 26g | Sodium: 758mg | Potassium: 1095mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 631IU | Vitamin C: 26mg | Calcium: 78mg | Iron: 3mg
