9 Vibrant Beet Recipes That Can't Be Beat (Sorry, Had To)

Roasted and tossed into salads, blended into soups, or fried into latkes, we love them all!

By
Mimi Young
Mimi Young
Mimi Young
Editor
Mimi Young is an editor and pastry chef. She has also curated and written numerous recipe roundups for Serious Eats.
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Published June 02, 2025
A bowl of beet and cherry soup with a swirl of sour cream

Serious Eats / Hannah Hufham

Until I went to culinary school, I'd never cooked a beet, much less eaten one that hadn't come out of a jar or can, which my mom would occasionally slice up and toss into a green salad if she was feeling fancy. I didn't like or dislike them per se—they were simply "garnish." My opinion completely changed once I tasted roasted beets and realized what I had been missing for the first 25 years of my life (cue the choir). Whether they're raw, roasted (my preferred method), baked, or simmered, fresh beets have a sweetness, savory earthiness, and intense pigmentation that you just can't get from most store-bought canned or jarred varieties.

To celebrate all that we love about this unbeatable root vegetable, I gathered some of our favorite vibrant beet recipes, including soups, salads, latkes, gratin, and even a hot pink cocktail, so tune in to the beet that strikes your fancy.

  • Pickled Eggs and Beets

    Pickled eggs and beats on a plate

    Serious Eats / Amanda Suarez

    A fixture at Pennsylvania Dutch picnics and potlucks year-round, these sweet and tangy eggs are typically conserved alongside red beets, which give them their signature vivid magenta hue. Our recipe starts with already-pickled beets, which make the beet-pickled eggs easier and faster to prepare, and also more delicious.

  • Chilled Beet and Cherry Summer Soup

    A bowl of beet and cherry soup with a swirl of sour cream

    Serious Eats / Hannah Hufham

    This refreshing chilled soup gets its gloriously vibrant hue from fresh beets and sweet cherries. Some of the cherries are left whole to provide pops of sweetness to balance the earthy savoriness of the beets, while sour cream and fresh lemon juice add brightness and tang.

  • Beet Latkes

    Overhead view of beets latkes

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

    Inspired by the delectable flavors of beet skordalia, a Greek dip made with potatoes, beets, walnuts, and plenty of garlic, these vibrant latkes come out beautifully crisp as a well-made latke should. Frying the raw shredded beet also results in a perfect balance of sweet and savory, which pairs seamlessly with the punchy garlic, zesty onion, starchy potato, and chopped nuts. A dollop of horseradish sour cream is icing on the (beet) cake.

  • Roasted-Beet Salad With Horseradish Crème Fraîche and Pistachios

    Roasted beet salad with horseradish crème fraîche and pistachios in a wooden bowl

    Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt

    Roasting beets in a foil pouch is one of the best methods of intensifying their flavor and sweetness, while keeping them juicy and tender. In this recipe, roasted beets are dressed in a honey-sweetened vinaigrette with fresh tarragon and chives, then piled onto a bed of horseradish crème fraîche, and topped with chopped toasted pistachios.

    Continue to 5 of 9 below

  • Roasted Root Vegetables With Lime Dressing

    Roasted beet, carrot, and onion salad drizzled with lime dressing

    Serious Eats / Nik Sharma

    Another great thing about roasting beets, whatever the hue, is that the water-soluble pigments responsible for their colors regenerate while they rest after cooking, so they lose none of their vibrancy. Here, a punchy, zesty lime dressing adds brightness to the earthy, sweet flavors of the roasted beets, carrots, and onions.

  • Roasted-Beet and Citrus Salad With Ricotta and Pistachio Vinaigrette

    Roasted beet and citrus salad with ricotta and pistachio on a plate with fork

    Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt

    While beet and citrus are a classic winter salad pairing, I'd argue that the combination is perfect virtually year-round. If you're using various colors of beets, dress the red beets separately so their color doesn't bleed into the others and turn them all bright pink. Layer the beet and citrus salad over a bed of ricotta, then top with more dollops of ricotta and a sprinkling of chopped toasted pistachios.

  • Creamy Beet Gratin With Pistachio Crumble

    A slice of creamy beet gratin with pistachio crumble served from a cast iron skillet and plated

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

    With jewel-toned beets peeking out from a blanket of caramelized crumble, you'd swear you were looking at a slice of fruit pie and not a delicious, savory gratin. Here, sliced beets are layered with a smoky, chile-spiked cream and topped with a crunchy pistachio crumble made with panko breadcrumbs. The beet slices are first lightly coated with cornstarch to help thicken the cream, which makes the baked gratin easier to cut.

  • Hot Ukrainian Borscht

    A bowl of Ukrainian borscht topped with sour cream and dill

    Serious Eats / Vicky Wasik

    For this take on the Ukrainian classic, we start with peeled and diced raw beets, which yield a more intense beety flavor and deeper purple hue than roasted beets. Not only do you shave off a bit of overall cooking time, but you also don't lose any valuable beet juices and flavor with that initial roasting step.

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  • The Hot Pink

    A round glass holding The Hot Pink, a neon pink cocktail. There is ice in the glass as well.

    Serious Eats / Autumn Giles

    This hot pink cocktail starts with a salad-inspired savory shrub made with beets, celery, and horseradish. Horseradish provides the spicy kick, while celery provides a light, refreshing counterpoint to the earthy savoriness of the beet. You'll want a bold gin like Tanqueray to stand up to the aggressive flavors in the shrub.

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