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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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!
Definitely!
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
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!
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.
Great recipe I made it twice and everyone loved it. I make the dressing to use on other salads. It has great flavor.
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.
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.
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.
I’m allergic to onion so I skip it or sometimes use radish to enhance flavor.
Oh, lordy, this was awesome!
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.
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,
Thanks for your reply! I’ll try the salad with our salmon this week.
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
I don’t like using vegetable oil, what would you use as a substitute? Can’t wait to try this, it looks delicious.
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.
Great recipe but I use olive oil instead, delicious salad thanks for the recipe 😊👍
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!