Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese, Walnuts & Honey-Dijon Vinaigrette
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With earthy beets, creamy goat cheese, crunchy walnuts, and a tangy vinaigrette, this salad looks fancy but comes together fast. Add sliced steak, salmon, or chicken, and it doubles as a gorgeous main.
This beet salad recipe 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 grocery stores, which makes the salad a breeze to prepare.
Be sure to dress the greens at the last minute so they don’t get soggy. Want to make the salad a complete meal? Try topping it with steak, grilled chicken or pan-seared salmon.
For a twist, swap the beets for sliced apples or strawberries, use pecans or pistachios instead of walnuts, or trade the goat cheese for blue cheese or feta.
“Absolutely delicious 💯 The dressing is superb. I follow the recipe to the T, I’ve made this 3x already this week. YUM!”
What You’ll Need to Make Roasted Beet Salad with Honey-Dijon Vinaigrette
- Dressing ingredients (red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, shallots, salt, pepper, and vegetable oil): A bright vinaigrette with subtle sweetness and a little zing. I prefer vegetable oil over olive oil here for its more neutral flavor.
- Mixed greens: The base of the salad—baby spinach and arugula are my go-tos, but any tender greens work.
- Roasted beets: Earthy, sweet, and vibrant. I use vacuum-packed store-bought beets for ease, but you can roast your own (see the recipe for the how-to). They keep well in the fridge or freezer, too.
- Walnuts and goat cheese: Add crunch, tang, and creaminess—an irresistible contrast to the beets and greens.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Make the vinaigrette base. In a small bowl, add the honey, Dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, shallots, salt, and pepper and whisk to combine.
Step 2: Add the oil. While whisking constantly, slowly stream in the oil until the dressing is emulsified. (Or just toss everything into a jar, seal it, and shake vigorously.) Gradually whisking in the oil or shaking the ingredients in a jar helps create a smooth dressing without needing to pull out the blender.
Step 3: Taste and tweak. Give it a taste and adjust the seasoning if needed—add a pinch more salt or a splash more vinegar, if you like. At this point, the dressing can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days; just give it a good shake before using.
Step 4: Toss the greens. Put the greens in a large bowl and toss with the vinaigrette. Arrange the greens on a platter or divide onto plates, then top with walnuts, goat cheese, and beets. Add the beets last so they don’t tint the rest of the salad pink. Serve and enjoy!
More Salads You May Like
Roasted Beet Salad with Walnuts, Goat Cheese & Honey-Dijon Vinaigrette
This roasted beet salad hits all the right notes—sweet, tangy, creamy, and crunchy. Great for dinner parties or jazzing up a weeknight meal.
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
- 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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
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- 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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Another great recipe from Once Upon a Chef that I will serve again and again. Thank you so much, Jenn! I avoid using foil unless absolutely necessary for environmental reasons. If others share that concern, here’s another way to cook the beets for this recipe: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, cut off the tops and roots, and peel the beets. Cut into 1 1/2 inch chunks, toss with 1.5 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tsp kosher salt, and 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper, and roast for approx 45 minutes or until beets are tender.
I agree about environmental waste, so I wonder if, instead of foil, these could be roasted in an oven proof casserole dish with a cover.
Hi Kathy, That should work – enjoy!
Hi, your recipe looks great. I don’t have any shallots. Is there anything l could use instead. Thanks
Hi Stacey, You could use an onion (preferably red), but chop it very finely – it will be stronger in flavor so I’d use a little less.
Hi Jenn, l actually had some spring onions and used them. It’s a great sauce and l can’t wait to make it with the proper ingredients next time. Thanks.
This salad is amazing! I love a good beet salad and will order it any time I see it on a menu, but have never tried to make one myself. This came together so quickly and easily. As many other reviewers commented, the dressing is out of this world and perfect for this salad.
I do have one question, you don’t mention toasting the walnuts. Should they be toasted or raw?
Glad you liked this! I don’t toast the walnuts in this, but you definitely can. 🙂
My go to salad dressing. It’s simple and delicious. Family and friends love it. Thanks Jenn!
Love this recipe, the dressing is amazing. Made this for friends last night and they couldn’t stop raving about the whole way through eating it! This is my new go-to beet and goat cheese salad, the dressing is definitely what makes it!
Hi Jenn,
Would this salad work with arugula, or a mix of arugula and romaine?
Thanks,
Mary
Definitely, it would be excellent with arugula. Please LMK how it turns out!
This dressing recipe is outstanding… I’ve made it three times during the past two weeks. Everyone has really liked it. For the salad I cooked the beets and diced them ahead of time – so handy to pull out of the fridge and put salads together. We toasted our walnuts in a bit of sugar for an extra bit of “special”. I intend to try more of your recipes very soon.
Love the dressing – it has been my go to all summer! I’ve been on a roasted beet and walnut craze and this was perfect! Thank you.
Wonderful salad, but I couldn’t find goat cheese, so I found a substitute recipe which was a combination of cream cheese and feta, Worked great!
I love this salad. It is my go-to salad to impress people! I made it for our company’s healthy lunch challenge and it was the most favorite salad!