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Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese, Walnuts & Honey-Dijon Vinaigrette

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This pretty roasted beet salad makes the perfect starter for a dinner party.

roasted beet salad on platter

This beet salad with goat cheese and walnuts is my go-to dinner party salad. I don’t think I’ve ever served it without sending a few people home with the recipe. Years ago, I would roast my own beets, but high-quality vacuum-packed roasted beets, such as Love Beets, are now available in the produce section of most supermarkets, which makes the salad a breeze to prepare. Be sure to dress the greens at the last minute so they don’t get soggy, and top the salad with the beets as opposed to mixing them in (tossing the beets with the salad will turn everything pink!).

What You’ll Need to Make Roasted Beet Salad with Honey-Dijon Vinaigrette

beet salad ingredients

Step-by-Step Instructions

In a small bowl, combine the honey, Dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, shallots, salt and pepper.

vinegar, mustard, honey, shallot, and seasoning in bowl

Whisk to combine. Then, whisking constantly, slowly add the oil in a steady stream. (Alternatively, add all the ingredients to a jar, cover with the lid, and shake vigorously to blend.)

adding oil to whisked vinegar mixture

Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
vinaigrette for beet saladPlace the greens in a large bowl, drizzle with about half of the vinaigrette and toss to combine. Add as much of the remaining vinaigrette as desired and toss again. Arrange the greens on a large platter or divide onto plates, then top with beets, walnuts and goat cheese. Serve immediately.

roasted beet salad on platter

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Roasted Beet Salad with Walnuts, Goat Cheese & Honey-Dijon Vinaigrette

This pretty roasted beet salad makes the perfect starter for a dinner party.

Servings: 6 to 8
Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Total Time: 20 Minutes

Ingredients

For the Vinaigrette

  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1½ tablespoons Dijon mustard
  • 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1½ tablespoons minced shallots
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
  • ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil

For the Salad

  • 10 ounces mixed greens
  • About ½ lb vacuum-packed roasted beets, cut into wedges (see note)
  • ½ cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
  • 3 ounces goat cheese

Instructions

For the Vinaigrette

  1. In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, Dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, shallots, salt and pepper. Whisking constantly, slowly add the oil in a steady stream. (Alternatively, add all the ingredients to a jar, cover with the lid, and shake vigorously to blend.) Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

For the Salad

  1. Place the greens in a large bowl, drizzle with about half of the vinaigrette and toss to combine. Add as much of the remaining vinaigrette as desired and toss again. Arrange the greens on a large platter or divide onto plates, then top with beets, walnuts and goat cheese. Serve immediately.
  2. Note: If you'd like to roast your own beets, you'll need 1 bunch of medium beets (about 3). Preheat oven to 425°F and set an oven rack to the middle position. Wipe or scrub the beets clean, then trim stems down to one-inch (leave "tails" on). Place the beets on a large piece of aluminum foil, drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil, then wrap foil around the beets to form a neat packet. Roast directly on a rack in the middle of the oven until tender, about 1 hour. Test for doneness by piercing the largest beet with a knife. If it enters easily, it's done. Unwrap the beets and let sit until cool enough to handle. Use your hands or a paring knife to peel the skin, then cut into wedges.
  3. Make-Ahead Instructions: The vinaigrette can be made up to 4 days ahead and stored in the refrigerator. Before serving, let sit out at room temperature for about 30 minutes, and then shake to re-emulsify.

Nutrition Information

Powered by Edamam

  • Per serving (6 servings)
  • Calories: 242
  • Fat: 21g
  • Saturated fat: 3g
  • Carbohydrates: 11g
  • Sugar: 9g
  • Fiber: 2g
  • Protein: 4g
  • Sodium: 322mg
  • Cholesterol: 7mg

This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.

Gluten-Free Adaptable Note

To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.

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Comments

  • Absolutely fabulous salad! Have made this as written many times and always get asked for the recipe. I do think this salad is so pretty so plate this individually rather than toss in a large salad bowl.

    • — Nanci on February 21, 2024
    • Reply
  • as Emeril would say, “Kick this up a notch.” Peel your beets before cooking, cut into wedges, mix with EVO, salt and pepper and roast until slightly caramelized. served over arugula.
    HEAVENLY

    • — Carol on January 26, 2024
    • Reply
  • Absolutely delicious 💯 The dressing is superb. I follow the recipe to the T, I’ve made this 3x already this week. YUM!

    • — Naly R. on January 20, 2024
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  • Is there a reason you use vegetable oil instead of olive Oil?

    • — Joanne on November 28, 2023
    • Reply
    • I like vegetable oil as it’s more neutral in flavor, but feel free to use olive oil if you’d prefer.

      • — Jenn on November 28, 2023
      • Reply
  • Can I prepare the beets a day or two ahead? Leave whole and refrigerate then bring to room temperature to serve?

    • — Barbara on November 16, 2023
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    • Sure!

      • — Jenn on November 16, 2023
      • Reply
  • Delicious! The dressing was divine. It had the perfect sweetness and acidic balance. And the beet and goat cheese combo – doesn’t get better! We put chicken on top and my 3 year old gobbled it all up!

    • — Jasmine Scheffer on November 7, 2023
    • Reply
  • I made this salad with the potato leek soup and my husband rated the meal 5 stars. The salad was delicious and I loved the tip about the Love Beets roasted beets. I was able to find them at my local grocery store. Game changer! I will make this salad again and again.

    • — Luann Crawford on November 6, 2023
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  • I am thinking of serving this salad at Thanksgiving. What would be a good substitute for goat cheese? Fresh mozzerella? blue cheese? feta?

    Thanks.

    Ellen

    • — Ellen Young on October 30, 2023
    • Reply
    • Hi Ellen, I’d go with blue or feta cheese. Hope everyone enjoys!

      • — Jenn on October 30, 2023
      • Reply
  • I’ve just acquired a taste for beets recently and can’t believe was I’ve been missing after having this salad. It’s delicious.
    For my vegan sister-in-law, do you think I could substitute honey with agave or something else? Of course I would leave out the goat cheese and let her use whatever it is she chooses, but the dressing is to die for. Any ideas about a honey substitute?

    • — Anne on October 15, 2023
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    • Glad you like the salad! You can replace the honey with sugar or maple syrup.

      • — Jenn on October 16, 2023
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  • I tend to shy away from salads because I don’t like salad dressing but this salad including the dressing was absolutely outstanding … Wow this is my new only favorite salad !

    • — GraceV on October 8, 2023
    • Reply
  • We love this salad! Had to make an adaptation – on the fly – when could not get pre-roasted beets. Just grabbed a couple of cans of Baby Beets. Drained, quartered, drizzled with olive oil and roasted (400 degrees) until starting to brown a bit. Stir and roast another 5-6 minutes. Cool and add to salad.
    Just writing this makes me hungry for Beet Salad!
    Jackie H

    • — Jackie Holman on October 5, 2023
    • Reply
  • Another delicious dish, agree with many reviewers – all the recipes are fail safe, original tasty and often so fast. Used store pre cooked vacuum packed beets, lightly toasted my walnuts otherwise as written. Enjoyed learning about all the different dressing you make, now doubling dressing volumes to use later on mixed greens for last minute meals. Both cookbooks on order from our local bookstore; decided they are a must have for the value of everyday variety, flavour, and reliability.

    • — Samantha on September 22, 2023
    • Reply
    • Thanks so much for your support with the cookbooks – hope you enjoy them!

      • — Jenn on September 22, 2023
      • Reply
  • This salad is amazing because its good for you and tastes awesome!!

    • — Lisa on September 10, 2023
    • Reply
  • I had a couple of cans of beets leftover from the lockdown, so I decided to make this recipe. I believe fresh or vacuum packed beets would have been better, but I’m enjoying this! I used arugula instead of mixed greens.

    • — Linda Mac on August 13, 2023
    • Reply
  • This salad was AMAZING!! My family doesn’t like beets, but they enjoyed it very much. I think the dressing made it great for them. The first time I roasted the beets, second time all I had was canned – not so much on that one. But with the roasted beets, it was to die for!!

    • — Emily on August 9, 2023
    • Reply
  • My husband loves Roasted Beet Salad. A local restaurant serves one of the best so I decided to re-create it for dinner. The thought, however, of turning on the oven @ 400* for an hour here in ATL when it’s already 1000* with 500% humidity (ok maybe it was only 95* w 97% humidity), was not something I was eager to do.
    Browsing thru my recipe collection, I ran across your recipe using the vacuum-packed LOVE Beets. What a genius idea! My local market had only the sliced pickled style in stock so I drizzled them with a bit of EVOO and S&P; Popped them in the toaster oven @ air-fry for a very few minutes to try to bring out a bit of roasted flavor.
    I used mixed butter greens coarsely shredded instead of mixed greens as it was what I had on hand. I also used chopped pistachios instead of walnuts – husband preference. But the dressing … Oh.My! I could eat it with a spoon; it was so good. I plated on individual plates and drizzled the whole salad with a bit of reduced balsamic vinegar.
    Thank you @OnceUponAChef for a wonderful light dinner salad for a DAWG Day Sunday in ATL.

    • — A@d4U on July 31, 2023
    • Reply
  • Would this lovely recipe work with bleu cheese crumbles instead of goat cheese? We are having some guests for dinner who do not care for goat cheese. Thanks for your thoughts!

    • — Bill Hannaford on July 22, 2023
    • Reply
    • Definitely!

      • — Jenn on July 24, 2023
      • Reply
  • Jenn, I adore your recipes, not the least of which is this beet goat cheese salad. The flavors meld so well that it’s gone into my rotation. A loaf of bread and a glass of wine. Perfect!
    My question is, I have a friend who hates beets and I know she would love this salad as she’s a big goat cheese fan. Is there anything you can suggest in lieu of the beets? No worries if not – your shaved brussel sprout and kale salad is divine! Thanks! Jan

    • — Jan on May 29, 2023
    • Reply
    • Hi Jan, so glad you like the recipes! You could definitely substitute something for the beets. Strawberries, blueberries, or blackberries would also be delicious. I’d love to hear how it turns out if you try it with one of these!

      • — Jenn on May 30, 2023
      • Reply
  • I really loved this! The vinaigrette was made with Safflower oil for neutrality and was wonderful paired with the goat cheese (I used Cypress Grove “Purple Haze”). I toasted a combo of walnuts & pecans. While I roasted the beets for 1 hour as stated, I have found a much shorter/easier method for cooking beets. I microwave with 1 tablespoon of water in a covered dish on High for 6-8 minutes. They are very tender and don’t have the vitamins boiled out of them. Since they are coated in dressing, you won’t notice much difference.

    • — Anne K on May 22, 2023
    • Reply
    • Great recipe I made it twice and everyone loved it. I make the dressing to use on other salads. It has great flavor.

      • — Mary on May 29, 2023
      • Reply
  • I made this for me and my fiance who hates beets. He loved it, and it was as good as the best beet and goat cheese salad I’ve ever had. I used golden beets and tossed a few of the beet leaves into the salad. Thanks for this recipe.

    • — Kim on April 26, 2023
    • Reply
  • I was excited to try this recipe, but the shallots are way too strong! And I put less than a tablespoon! I had the salad for lunch and the bad taste lingered for hours. I had my doubts about adding the shallots in the first place, but I read vinegar cuts the taste of shallots, so I thought it might be ok. It’s not. I didn’t want to waste the dressing so I just tried a little more with dinner, but I can’t. It’s terrible. It’s going in the trash.

    • — Cat on April 18, 2023
    • Reply
    • Rinse chopped onions (onion family) under cold running water to remove the strong sulfur taste (J Pepin). You probably got a really strong shallot – it happens occasionally.

      • — Barb Ottolino on July 20, 2023
      • Reply
    • I’m allergic to onion so I skip it or sometimes use radish to enhance flavor.

      • — Laurie Welsh on October 5, 2023
      • Reply
  • Oh, lordy, this was awesome!

    • — Zoosie on April 11, 2023
    • Reply
  • Hi Jen,
    My daughter and I love beets so I want to try this recipe. Not sure what main dishes would pair well with it. Could you please make a suggestion or two? Really love all your recipes I’ve tried so far! Thanks for your help.

    • — Gail on March 25, 2023
    • Reply
    • Hi Gail, This is a very versatile salad that could work with so many main dishes – I often serve it with simple salmon or steak.

      • — Jenn on March 28, 2023
      • Reply
      • Jenn,
        Thanks for your reply! I’ll try the salad with our salmon this week.

        • — Gail on April 2, 2023
        • Reply
  • Wonderful! And the pre-cooked beets are a marvelous find. I used pecan halves rather than walnuts and thought they were delicious, as was that dressing. I used a really good French goat cheese. Wouldn’t change a thing

    • — Elbee on March 6, 2023
    • Reply
    • I don’t like using vegetable oil, what would you use as a substitute? Can’t wait to try this, it looks delicious.

      • — Barb on October 5, 2023
      • Reply
      • Hi Barb, I use vegetable oil here because it has a more neutral flavor. You can use olive oil, but the flavor might be a little strong.

        • — Jenn on October 5, 2023
        • Reply
  • Great recipe but I use olive oil instead, delicious salad thanks for the recipe 😊👍

    • — Marsha on February 9, 2023
    • Reply
  • After enjoying roasted beet salad with goat cheese at Pisgah Inn in North Carolina, I began a search for that very recipe. This one is as close as it gets! I have made it many times and often add in various things I have on hand. Today I added chopped artichoke hearts. The vinaigrette is the best. I used minced sweet onions and extra-virgin olive oil. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. It is hands down my favorite!

    • — Suzy on February 8, 2023
    • Reply
  • Delicious! I bought the beets with greens on. I added green apple slices, toasted walnuts and the beet greens to the spring mix. My PT asked me for the dressing recipe! Thank you!

    • — Kelly on January 24, 2023
    • Reply
  • Really looking forward to making this! Can I use pickled beets instead of roasted beets?

    • — SG00 on January 21, 2023
    • Reply
    • They’ll have a slightly different taste, but they’ll work. Hope you enjoy!

      • — Jenn on January 21, 2023
      • Reply
  • This was outstanding! Found the precooked beets at Wegmans..so easy. And I used a tip I read in the comments section…put all ingredients for the salad dressing into a wide mouth mason jar and used an immersion blender to mix. Thanks for another great..and healthy recipe!

    • — Marybeth on December 30, 2022
    • Reply
  • Great recipe. I made it yesterday. Did not have shallot, so I eliminated it. Also used extra virgin olive oil, and it was wonderful. Will make it again.

    • — Monna on December 26, 2022
    • Reply
  • The salad was great and was very easy to make. The vinaigrette was delicious!

    • — Susan on December 9, 2022
    • Reply
  • 5 star recipe! I make this all the time! Tastes like something from a fancy restaurant. If you like beets, this is a must try! I make the beets in my instant pot. I make the dressing in my mini chopper. So good! So good! *****

    • — Tracy on November 8, 2022
    • Reply
  • Jen, I made this salad a few days ago. We really enjoyed it! We like the salad ingredients a lot; the greens, goat cheese, beets, and walnuts really go together. The vinaigrette is special….unique and delicious!

    I used to cook beets for salads. It was a little bit of trouble, so we didn’t have that type of salad often. Then, a few weeks ago I made a salad with beets in it (not this one), and discovered “Aunt Nellie’s Baby (whole pickled) Beets at our local Publix grocery store. We’ve had a few salads with Aunt Nellie’s Baby Beets since then, including your recipe. I recommend them.

    Thanks for another delicious recipe!

    Richard

    • — Richard Wilson on October 31, 2022
    • Reply
  • I ended up using honey goat cheese, as the supermarket was out of regular; but it came out wonderful! Love this recipe!

    • — Leah on September 11, 2022
    • Reply
  • Jen,
    As with all of your salads (and recipes for that matter) this was absolutely delicious! I recently made a grilled romaine salad from a recipe I found on Food Network and it made me wonder if you’d ever experimented with a recipe for it? If so I’d love to try your version as your salad dressings are always spot on! Thanks for all that you do for us home cooks to keep our families happy and healthy! 🥰

    • — Candice on August 27, 2022
    • Reply
    • Glad you enjoyed, Candice! I’ll add the grilled romaine salad to my list. 🙂

      • — Jenn on August 28, 2022
      • Reply
  • What do you think about adding quinoa to this salad to make it a bit more hearty?

    • — Victoria on August 4, 2022
    • Reply
    • Love that idea 🙂

      • — Jenn on August 4, 2022
      • Reply

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