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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. And 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.
“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: I use vacuum-packed, precooked beets to save time. They’re already cooked and ready to use—no roasting necessary. If you prefer to start with fresh beets, see how to roast beets below.
- Walnuts and goat cheese: Add crunch, tang, and creaminess.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To Make Roasted Beet Salad
Make the vinaigrette: In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, Dijon mustard, red wine vinegar, shallots, salt, and pepper and whisk to combine. While whisking constantly, slowly stream in the oil until the dressing is emulsified. (Alternatively, you can toss everything into a jar, seal it, and shake vigorously.)
Assemble the salad: Put the greens in a large bowl and toss with the vinaigrette. Arrange 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!
Make-Ahead and Storage Instructions
This salad is easy to prepare ahead of time. The vinaigrette can be made up to 4 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator. Let it sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before serving, then give it a good shake to bring it back together.
You can also prepare the beets ahead of time and refrigerate them until ready to use. Keep the greens, beets, walnuts, and goat cheese separate, and toss everything together just before serving so the greens stay crisp. Add the beets last to keep them from turning the whole salad pink.
How to Roast Beets for This Salad
As mentioned above, I use vacuum-packed, precooked beets to save time, but you can absolutely roast your own. You’ll need about 3 medium beets.
Preheat the oven to 425°F and set a rack in the middle position. Scrub the beets clean and trim the stems to about 1 inch, leaving the tails intact. Place them on a large piece of aluminum foil, drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and wrap into a packet.
Roast directly on the oven rack for about 1 hour, or until a knife slides easily into the largest beet. Let cool until you can handle them, then peel and cut into wedges. Allow the beets to cool before adding them to the salad.
Roasted Beet Salad with Walnuts, Goat Cheese & Honey-Dijon Vinaigrette
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 freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
For the Salad
- 10 oz mixed greens
- ½ lb vacuum-packed roasted beets, cut into wedges (see note)
- ½ cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
- 3 oz 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.
Notes
Nutrition Information
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.
See more recipes:
Roasted Beet Salad Variations
This salad is easy to change up depending on what you have on hand. Try pecans or pistachios instead of walnuts, or swap the goat cheese for feta or blue cheese. For a different take, replace the beets with sliced apples or strawberries. To make it a complete meal, top the salad with sliced steak, grilled chicken, or pan-seared salmon.
More Salads You May Like
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Excellent beet salad, Jenn! I make this all the time, it’s our ‘go to’ whenever we have beets on hand. Quick question: how long do you think the vinaigrette will keep in the fridge? Thanks!!
Glad you like it! The dressing will keep nicely in the fridge for 4 to 5 days.
how long are the beets good for after roasting them?
Hi Jonathan, I think they’d last nicely in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
Excellent recipe! I can’t get enough of the dressing! So glad I made a double batch for later 🙂
Hi Jenn,
I love your recipes! I always check your website first when making a new dish 🙂
I am planning to make this salad for Christmas Eve, but a few of the guests are not fans of goat cheese. What would be a good substitute? I know feta is a common one, but wondering how a crumble blue cheese or gorgonzola would be?
Thanks!
Hi Caitlin, Blue cheese or gorgonzola would be fabulous options.
Such an awesome salad and love love LOVE the dressing (we’re beekeepers, so always looking for ways to incorporate our honey into recipes). The perfect touch of sweetness that pairs with the tart goat cheese, nuts and earthy beets.
Absolutely love this recipe! Great combination of flavours and looks lovely. Because I’m lazy I used jarred pickled beets and it still turned out fantastic. Thank you Jenn!
I made this salad last night as a test run for Thanksgiving. I am a lazy cook who does not cook much. I used what I had on hand, shortcutting where possible. A homemade balsamic reduction was substituted for your dressing. I toasted almonds and used them to replace the walnuts. I also added tangerine segments.
It might not be as good as yours, but I loved it and will serve it again tonight. Thank you for inspiring me to use my kitchen!!
Loved the vinaigrette, however the beets themselves were totally lacking in flavor making the salad taste rather bland. What would your suggestion be to give the beets some flavor…maybe marinating them in the vinaigrette several hours before serving?
Sorry you found them bland! Sure, you could using the dressing as a marinade to infuse the beets with more flavor. 🙂
My wife and I first enjoyed a warm beet salad on a summer evening at a restaurant near the water. It was delicious. This recipe captured that night and frankly was even better. I always make the recipes as written, at least the first time, and I find that there is no need to change this recipe in the future. It was perfect as written and is super simple to make! Thanks again for making me look good in front of the family!
This is a really lovely salad. Very different from more traditional salad and very light. Makes a great started for a summer dinner party.
This is a Family Favorite salad . That’s saying a lot since my daughter is not a fan of beets. The dressing is a perfect combo of flavors . Requests to share this salad recipe with many friends I know confirms my review is 👍
Hi Jenn would white wine vinegar work for this dressing?
Thanks so much your recipes are amazing!
Glad you like the recipes! Yes, I think you could get away with white wine vinegar in the dressing.
Loved this great salad! And the dressing is amazing!!