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Balsamic-Glazed Roasted Beets

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These beets are oven-roasted, intensifying their natural sweetness, and then tossed in a tart and syrupy balsamic reduction.

Spoon in a dish of roasted beets.

If you’re a beet lover like I am, you’re going to love (and maybe even obsess over) these simply prepared beets. They’re oven-roasted, which intensifies their natural sweetness, and then tossed in a tart and syrupy balsamic reduction.

You can serve them as a side dish, but more often than not I just keep them in the fridge for snacking and tossing over salads. The best part is that they’re good for you! Beets are a nutritional powerhouse — they cleanse the body, are chock-full of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, and are a great source of energy.

What you’ll need to make Balsamic-Glazed Roasted BeetsBeet ingredients including kosher salt, olive oil, and balsamic vinegar.

How to make them

Begin by cutting off the tops and roots off the beets, then peel the skin using a vegetable peeler. Be sure to use a stain-proof countertop or cutting board (not wood) because the juice stains. It will turn your hands pink too, but washes off pretty easily.

Peeled beets on a cutting board.

Cut the beets into 1 1/2-inch chunks, and then toss them on a foil-lined baking sheet with olive oil and kosher salt. Roast in a 400-degree oven for about 40 minutes, or until the beets are tender when pierced with a thin-bladed knife.

Beet chunks on a lined baking sheet.

In the meantime, make the balsamic glaze. Combine the vinegar and maple syrup in a small, shallow pan and reduce it by about half. The syrup should just lightly coat the back of a metal spoon. Pay close attention and be sure not to over-reduce it; because of its high sugar content, it goes from sweet and syrupy to burnt and hard very quickly.

Bubbling balsamic mixture in a pan.

Toss the syrup with the beets and season to taste with salt and pepper. As you can see, the beet juice bleeds into the glaze, which turns it a gorgeous purple color and makes it earthy, sweet and — quite honestly — good enough to drink.

Balsamic-glazed roasted beets in a serving dish.

Serve hot or cold. Enjoy!

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Balsamic-Glazed Roasted Beets

These beets are oven-roasted, intensifying their natural sweetness, and then tossed in a tart and syrupy balsamic reduction.

Servings: 4-6
Total Time: 45 Minutes

Ingredients

  • 6 medium beets (2 bunches, or about 3½ pounds)
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • ⅓ cup inexpensive balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Remove the leafy stems and roots of the beets and peel each one with a vegetable peeler. Cut the beets in 1 ½-inch chunks.
  2. Place the cut beets on the prepared baking sheet and toss with the olive oil and salt. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, tossing once with a spatula midway through, until the beets are tender when pierced with a thin-bladed knife.
  3. Meanwhile, combine the vinegar and maple syrup in a small, shallow sauté pan. Cook over medium heat until the liquid is just slightly thickened and lightly coats the back of a metal spoon. It should be reduced by about half (or to about 3 tablespoons). Pay close attention and be sure not to over-reduce it; it goes from sweet and syrupy to burnt and hard very quickly.
  4. Toss the glaze with the roasted beets. Serve hot or cold.

Nutrition Information

Powered by Edamam

  • Per serving (6 servings)
  • Calories: 97
  • Fat: 5 g
  • Saturated fat: 1 g
  • Carbohydrates: 13 g
  • Sugar: 10 g
  • Fiber: 2 g
  • Protein: 1 g
  • Sodium: 243 mg

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

  • This is a great recipe! My son, who is vegan, and I shared this. He really liked it a lot and so did I. His only suggestion is to add one more tablespoon of maple syrup to the balsamic glaze. Other than that, it was very easy to make.

  • Absolutely the best way to make beets! My beets were small, and consequently got cut into smaller pieces. I definitely should have adjusted roasting time, they were a little too crunchy. But the balsamic glaze was outstanding and they were delicious nonetheless. So much tastier than stovetop beets.

  • I absolutely love beets and this recipe really converted my family to join in the love! No changes to the recipe are necessary but I do love to add goat cheese with these!! It’s also delicious on a bed of arugula with goat cheese and chopped pistachios!! Yummm

  • Hi!
    Approx how long does it take to reduce? Thank you!

    • Hi Julie, It’s such a long time since I made this that, unfortunately, I don’t know how long it takes — I’m sorry! Your best cues are waiting until the mixture lightly coats the back of a metal spoon and is reduced by about half (or to about 3 tablespoons). Sorry I can’t give you a more exact answer, but the next time I make this, I will update the recipe.

  • Beets from our garden – they were delicious! Ate leftovers next day. Just harvested all our beets so will enjoy again tonight. Yummy!

  • Trader Joe’s beets worked beautifully, used only 2 teaspoons of maple syrup and 1/3 cup napa valley raspberry balsamic vinegar, the raspberry took it over the edge in perfect. Please list nutrition in your menus and many thanks for all you do.

    • Glad you enjoyed these (and I just added the nutritional information for them)! 🙂

  • Do you think I could use the ready to eat beets that are found in the refrigerator section of Trader Joes and use those instead to save time? Thanks so much for all your wonderful recipes!

    • Glad you like the recipes, Danielle! Yes, using the pre-cooked beets should work. 🙂

  • I love this recipe, just made it and now have to wait until dinner to actually eat them which is going to be hard! Love the sweet and savoury taste. Never roasted beets before and was amazed at how easy and relatively mess free it is compared to boiling the beets and then cutting and seasoning, which is the way I was thought from when I was little. Will definitely repeat!

  • These beets are Wonderful! I harvested my first crop of beets three weeks ago, and then more to follow. I followed the instructions exactly the first time. They were perfect for me, but my family asked me to add more maple syrup. This time I used 3 Tablespoons of Maple Syrup, with No other adjustments. I still love them!! Another perfect recipe, Jenn.

  • Another superb recipe… I use your recipes all the time… The great thing is that the ingredients are perfect, down to the amount of salt and pepper required.

    Don’t have to change any quantities. Only for some recipes that require fresh cream I use Greek yoghurt as I can’t eat cream.

    Thank you …

  • Wow! – Kinda small beets – came up a little short on volume, and added some carrots cut to the same size to fill in. Unsurprisingly, they took on a lot of the red color. Result was really attractive on the plate, without detracting at all from the taste. Shouldn’t be classified as a vegetable, these are closer to candy.
    Thanx.

  • I have never been a fan of beets, but my husband loves them. I have made some of your recipes and thought let me give this one a try. This made me into a beet lover. The taste was unbelievable and I would not change the recipe at all. I might try a mixer of colored beets next time.

  • This first recipe I tried from Onceuponachef remains my favorite. It turns out that it is not only much easier & less messy to peel uncooked beets than hot cooked ones (which I’ve done for 50 years) they are super tasty & sweet. And the easy glaze is miraculous addition. Try them!

  • Finally! A recipe that makes me AND my husband happy to eat beets! This was fantastic. As a non-intuitive cook, I appreciate the way no assumptions are made of previous cooking knowledge, and the pictures of how it’s supposed to look at various stages ensures that it WILL turn out like the pictures!

  • I only have regular syrup.. would that work fine?

    • Hi Crystal, Can you clarify what you mean by regular syrup? Do you mean pancake syrup?

  • I made this with a chocolate balsamic. Yummy.

  • We love beets in our house, and this is a simple-yet-tasty way to enjoy them instead of just reaching for a jar.

    The glaze is delicious, but what really sells these is the gorgeous color…dark, dark red, almost black, like a pint of Guinness held up to the light. This is a dish that proves you eat with your eyes as well as your mouth.

  • A lover of beets, this recipe is a keeper. Did not change a thing except mode of cooking. I roasted in convection onen, less time and temperature.

  • Whilst I do appreciate new ideas for Passover, as one of those quaint people who only uses foods labeled as Kosher for Passover this is yet another recipe using items that are Chametz free but are not available kosher for passover, namely Maple Syrup! I have cooked the beets with regular maple syrup and they are delicious!

    • — Jacquie Hassan
    • Reply
  • These were absolutely delicious! A new family favourite

    • — Amara-laine Shields
    • Reply
  • Thank you for your recipes. Each one I tried was very well received. Is there any substitute for balsamic vinegar that would work here?

    • Hi Sim, Unfortunately, I don’t think there’s a good substitute for the balsamic vinegar in this recipe– sorry!

  • sorry the balsamic vinegar failed the recipe!

  • I have made this beet recipe several times. Everyone, without exception, always loves it.

  • We loved this recipe. It reminds me of a healthier version of harvard beets.

    • — Elizabeth Prest
    • Reply
  • I wondered if I can make this entire recipe the day before a dinner party and then reheat it? Thank you.

    • Hi Bridget, I think you could get away with that. You may need to add a little water if the glaze is getting too thick. Hope you enjoy!

  • This recipe is so good in its simplicity. Yes, equally good hot or cold, or room temperature. We receive a lot beets in our CSA share, and this is one way we enjoy eating them.

    • — Joanne Peterson
    • Reply
  • I thought this would taste too vinegary because it was so strong when I was cooking it down, but it came out so sweet when the glaze was mixed with the beets. Such a delicious side dish, thanks for this recipe 🙂

  • Great and easy recipe! My fiance loves beets and I wanted to surprise him with a beet dish that he would love. It is easy and delicious! These were very good warm but even better after sitting in the fridge for awhile! Will definitely be putting this into our cook book 🙂

  • Had some friends over for dinner one evening – the husband is especially fond of beets (as are we), so we made this without pre-testing. It was a great success!

  • Yummy! I loved it, my non-beet eaters did not like it (mind over matter). The sauce was easy to make. I did my prep work ahead since I had multiple things going to be cooked at once. Very easy recipe. I think the sauce could be used with steak or maybe pork chops, too. In my opinion this was fabulous. The color is so rich in color. Makes your plate look amazing. I highly recommend this recipe, and again beets can be sliced up ahead and cooked later. (1-2 hours ahead & possibly longer).

  • I made this last night for dinner. I paired it with “Pan Seared Salmon with Soy Mustard Glaze”, and it was delish. I wouldn’t change anything. The glaze was super easy to make. I prepared it the last ten minutes before the beets came out, so everything was ready to be combined at the same time. I loved the ease of making it, and all the ingredients were things I already had in the kitchen… Tons of flavors – I like the sweet and sour combo. If you like beets, you’ll like this dish. I wonder if next time I threw in some silvers of garlic to roast together, how that would work. =) Dinner was ready in under an hour. Fast and healthy. No complaints here!

  • Hi Jenn,
    Can I substitute honey for the maple syrup?
    Thanks!

    • Hi Ash, Yes, that would work fine.

  • Love beets and balsamic vinegar so the combination of these two was a win win in our opinion!

  • This looks absolutely delicious! Must try.

  • Beets were not a family favorite-they are now!

  • The beets are very flavorful: sweet and sour. The balsamic vinegar brings out the flavor of the beets. I served the Balsamic-Glazed Roasted Beets(onceuponachef.com) with Seared Swordfish with Tomato-Saffron Coulis(recipe at food52.com). This dinner is an excellent combination of flavors and is a colorful presentation on the plate.

  • These were perfect! I cooked them exactly as written and they came out great!

    • — Carrie Hirshfield
    • Reply
  • New version of beets for my family and they liked them a lot.

  • Love roasted beets; love balsamic.

    The combination of the two are wonderful – and pretty too.

    I drizzled just a little really good balsamic over mine when I plated.

  • These are wonderful as a side or as a part of a composed salad.

  • Wow, this recipe was a nice surprise, I usually eat beets, with vinegar, sugar & sliced onions. Or I combine it with fresh natural horseradish, ground up & mixed with beets, to put on turkey sandwiches. But I have a new love for beets now, with this recipe.

  • This is a great recipe and a hit for my family. Instead of foil lining, I just used a Demarle flexipan. We had a little left over that we enjoyed adding to a salad the next day. Delicious!!

  • The beets sound amazing. Never thought of balsamic on them before. YUM!

  • I can not wait to try this recipe. I love beets! Have you ever tried roasting veggies in a covered cast iron pot? Everything cooks faster and stays juicier.

    • I haven’t, Vickie, but I certainly will now 🙂

  • Oh em gee these look SOO good! Such a beautiful side dish. I love beets – they are like candy! I like them roasted plain but I’m sure the balsamic glaze will make them even more decadent. Thanks!

  • I love your recipes! But since the new year I haven’t been making any of your food since my husband and I started a diet based on counting calories!
    I wonder if there is a way for you to provide us the nutrition facts of your recipes…we miss eating your food!

    Hebah

    • You can get the nutritional information for any recipe using free sites (and smartphone apps) such as LoseIt or MyFitnessPal. You create a dish, enter the ingredients and how many portions it makes. It will give you all of the nutritional information such as fat, calories, carbs, protein, etc.

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