These roasted beets are for everyone! If you already love beetroots, I think you’ll be a big fan of this foil-free, no-peeling-required roasted beet recipe. If you don’t enjoy beets (yet), this roasting method just might change your mind.
These roasted beets feature lightly caramelized, tender-but-not-quite-crisp exteriors and deep, condensed flavor. I don’t love beets in all applications, but these? I have to stop myself from devouring the whole pan before dinner.
With this method, simply scrub the beets well before baking. No need to peel before or after baking. The skin, which is perfectly edible, just seems to disappear during the baking process.
The trick to pan-roasted beets is to drop the temperature a bit. I always roast potatoes, Brussels sprouts, carrots, and pretty much all the other veggies at 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
For beets, since we don’t want crispy outsides (tender is nicer), we’ll roast at 375 degrees. Easy!
How to Serve Roasted Beets
Enjoy these roasted beets as a simple side dish, or gussy them up as I did in the first photo (I used fresh dill, chives, goat cheese and a thick balsamic vinegar).
You can also serve them as a component within your meal, or on top of a hearty salad. You’ll find some suggestions below to help you improvise.
Flavors that pair well with roasted beets:
- Arugula and other bold greens, including collard greens
- Avocado
- Balsamic vinegar, as well as red wine vinegar and apple cider vinegar
- Black pepper
- Carrots
- Creamy cheese and dairy, including feta, goat cheese, blue cheese, ricotta, crème fraîche, sour cream and plain yogurt
- Fennel
- Fresh herbs, including dill, basil, chives, mint, parsley, cilantro, tarragon and thyme
- Honey and maple syrup
- Lemon and orange
- Lentils (here’s how to cook them)
- Nuts and seeds, including pistachios, hazelnuts, walnuts, pecans, pine nuts, pepitas and sunflower seeds
- Onions, especially green, red and shallots
More Irresistible Beet Recipes
- Colorful Beet Salad with Carrot, Quinoa & Spinach
- Gaby’s Roasted Beets and Labneh
- Simple Beet, Arugula and Feta Salad with Hilary’s Balsamic Thyme Dressing
Craving more roasted veggies?
Roasting vegetables is a simple art. Here are quite a few delicious options:
- Roasted Asparagus
- Roasted Broccoli (Plus Four Variations)
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Roasted Carrots (Three Ways)
- Roasted Cauliflower (Four Ways)
- Roasted Green Beans
- Roasted Potatoes
- Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Please let me know how your beets turn out in the comments! I love hearing from you.
Perfect Roasted Beets
- Author:
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Side dish
- Method: Roasted
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
- Diet: Vegan
Learn how to roast beets with this simple recipe! No foil here. For best flavor, slice the beets and roast them on a pan, as you would other vegetables. Recipe yields 4 side servings and fits perfectly on a half-sheet pan.
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds beets (about 3 large or 5 small-to-medium)
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and line a large, rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean-up. Scrub the beets well with a vegetable brush under running water (no need to peel them at any point).
- Using a sharp chef’s knife, slice off the base of each beet to create a flat surface, and slice off the skinny pointy ends as well. Place each beet with its flat side against the cutting board and slice the beets in half, then slice the beets into wedges of even thickness, about ½ to ¾-inch thick on the widest edge.
- Place the beet wedges on the prepared baking sheet. Drizzle the beets with the olive oil and sprinkle with the salt. Toss until the beets are evenly coated, then arrange them in a single layer across the pan.
- Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, tossing halfway, until you’re able to pierce through the beets with a fork with light pressure. Season with additional salt, to taste, if desired, and serve.
Notes
Yield notes: If you’re roasting less than 1 ½ pounds of beets at a time, your beets will have more room around them and may finish roasting a bit sooner. If you want to double the recipe, I’d suggest using two baking sheets in the lower and upper thirds of the oven, swapping the pan positions after tossing.
Vegetable enthusiast. Dog lover. I'm probably making a big mess in my Kansas City kitchen right now. 
MariadelPilar
Thank You for your amazing recipes We enjoyed it
Judy11
Are the beets cooked and served with the skins on? I usually take the easy way out and cook them in the pressure cooker. It’s quick and skins peel off in a flash. But my favorite way to eat beets is usually pickled. They hold well in the fridge that which is especially helpful since hubby refuses to even try a beet.
Kate
Hi Judy! No need to peel the beets when they are prepared in this manner. I just scrub them well with a vegetable brush before baking and don’t notice the skin at all. Your pickled beets sound wonderful!
Patti C
I just received your cookbook and love it! The vegetarian chili is 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ ⭐️ Your photography is gorgeous!!!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you so much, Patti! I hope you find many new favorite recipes in the book. :)
Ivory
My dad use to eat this when I was a little girl. He would always have a jar of beets in the refrigerator. I never liked the taste of them, but I would be willing to give them a try again. Why, because yours looks amazing. Thanks for sharing
★★★★★
Kate
Hi Ivory! I think these beets just might turn you into a beet fan. :)
Pam Treffehn
I like to roast my beets whole, then cube for pickled beets etc….
Is it better to roast them at 375 as well? I’ve also tried steaming them in my instant pot – and they turn out pretty good~
Kate
Hi Pam! I haven’t tried roasting beets whole. If you’re pleased with how your whole roasted beets turn out, I don’t know that dropping the temperature is necessary (it will take longer). If you try it, I’d love to hear how they compare!
Charles Matthews
Kate, you had me at roasted. I never appreciated beets until I lived in England (beetroot). It’s a superfood. Roasted beets are wonderful! Have you ever had a pickled beet and cheese sandwich? (Great UK recipe). Thanks for all you do, Kate.
Kate
Charles, thank you for your note! No, I’ve never had a pickled beet and cheese sandwich, but that sounds FANTASTIC! I will look for a recipe for that so I can try it. :)
Kristen
Beets are so underappreciated. Love this roasting technique! Usually I steam-bake my beets and sometimes they turn out a bit mushy; I really like your approach here. Thank you!
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Kristen! Please report back on how you like these. They are my favorite!
Nathalie
I will definitely try this method next time I make the Best Veggie Burger from the Northstar cafe, Columbus OH (recipe you can find on The Kitchn website – have you ever heard about this AMAZING burger?!). It sounds way shorter than the whole-piece-roasting method: sometimes the beets I get at the farmers market weigh over 1 kg/2lbs!
Thanks, Kate!
Kate
Hi Nathalie! Yep, this method would definitely be faster. Hope it works great for the burgers. I haven’t tried that recipe, but I fairly recently tried and failed to create my own beet veggie burger, so I’ll have to try that one for insight! Thank you for sharing!
Leslie
Do we peel the beets? is the skin edible after roasting?
Kate
Hi Leslie! No need to peel the beets at any point. I truly can’t tell it’s there after the beets are roasted, and it’s perfectly edible.
VanStealth
Do you eat the skin? No mention of peeling after roasting.
Kate
Hi Van! Sorry, I wrote about that within the recipe but will clarify earlier within the post. No need to peel these beets at any point. They are perfectly edible with the peel (you won’t even notice it).
Pia Sillem
It turned out really well, thank you!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m so glad! Thank you, Pia.
Ashwini Vaidya
Excited to try this recipe! Do you keep the peel on while roasting? If so, do you peel it off before serving?
★★★★★
Kate
Hi there! I don’t think that peeling the beets is necessary at any point. I just scrub the beets well with a vegetable brush. I don’t even notice the peel when I’m eating the roasted beets!
Patt
I love beets, roasting brings out their earthy flavour, but I particularly enjoy them pickled and served with a salad. My mum would preserve them and they’d sit all winter on the shelf, then when summer came around I’d devour them. Beetroot relish is also a favourite. Guess I just love beetroot. Thanks for posting Kate.
★★★★★
Kate
Hey Patt! You’re in good company in the comments here. I’ve heard from several people who love pickled beets and I’m looking forward to trying them! Have a great day!
Darius Koenig
I’m not a fan of aluminum foil either, so I use a small covered enameled cast iron Dutch oven, no oil needed. I clean the beets, leave them whole and can fit 3 good-sized beets in the Dutch oven. Usually takes about an hour at 400 degrees. I read somewhere that it’s important to get some steaming action during the roasting to prevent drying out and to ensure they cook all the way through. When they are done (fork goes through) I can easily peel or leave the skin on. I also throw in a few beet stems into the Dutch oven as an added bonus.
Kate
Thank you for sharing!
Tristin @ Home Cooked Harvest
I am obsessed with beets! Weirdly enough, I even loved them as a child. There is something about that earthy flavor that gets me every time. I really like them pickled and thrown into a smoothie. I don’t think I have ever tried them roasted. This recipe is on my radar!!
★★★★★
Kate
Hooray! I’m delighted to hear you loved this recipe, Tristin.
engine44
I’ve never made roasted beets before. Do you start with raw beets? Thanks.
Kate
Yes, start with raw beets, scrubbed clean under running water.
Arianna
Wow, this is truly the best method for making beets! I’ve always cooked beets whole and peeled them afterwards— it takes a long time and peeling makes a mess of the kitchen. This was simpler, faster, and the flavor was more concentrated! This recipe was a huge hit in my house. We didn’t even notice the skin on them. Thanks for teaching me a better way, Kate!
★★★★★
Kate
I’m happy you think so, Arianna! Thanks for trying it and reporting back it was a hit in your house.
Constantina
Hello.. I love your recipes and I love beets. Two summers ago, 2019 when we could still vacation with family, an aunt of my husband’s came to our home on the island of Samos in Greece. She did some of the cooking during her stay. Her way of making beets, which I’ve incorporated every time, is to roast, just like the recipe above, and when preparing to serve you add salt, pepper, any vinegar you might have on hand, olive oil, and the magic ingredient a grated clove of garlic. You can of course roast the garlic, to make it sweeter. The garlic has brought this dish to an other level for me. Try it, I think you will like it.
★★★★★
Kate
Thank you, Constantina! My goodness, I love Greek cooking and can’t wait to bring my husband to the Greek islands (I went to Amorgos a couple of years ago). Love your suggestion and will definitely try it!
Ethna
Best beets I’ve ever tasted. They are so sweet and I love the texture of the skin!
Thank you so much Kate!!
★★★★★
Kate
Hooray! Thanks, Ethna!
Nancie
I just roasted the beets per directions and they are fantastic. Leaving the skin on made a little crispy edge to each piece. Thanks so much for this easier & quicker recipe. I’ll be adding these to salads and grains.
★★★★★
Amy Prussack
Fabulous recipe! A revelation for me and my mother who has been peeling beets before cooking for years. And we both agree that they are delicious!
★★★★★
Kate
So glad to hear it! Thank you for reporting back, Amy!
Lisa
I would like to make these as a side dish for a family gathering. Can you make this recipe a day ahead? How would you reheat?
Kate
Hi Lisa! These beets are a great make-ahead option, yes. I honestly think they’re very nice at room temperature, or you could store them in a baking dish and gently reheat in the oven the next day. I’d probably bake at 350 just until warmed through, which shouldn’t take very long.
Chris McInnis
How small are you cutting your beets? Do you like them crunchy? Even at 400 degrees and with the beets diced to about 1/2 inch pieces, we found at 40 minutes they weren’t even close to cooked. Note – This is not a critique of this recipe in particular. It seems like every roasted beet recipe out there underestimates the cooking time and I’m completely baffled.
Kate
Hi Chris, I have notes in the recipe on how thick to cut the beets. Time can vary for different ripeness of beets, but I found this method to work the best.
Shauna
Yeah roasting the beats with the skin on do not work for me they were still noticeable and darker and a bit tough it really doesn’t take much longer to peel them I recommend doing that
★★★
Kate
I’m sorry you didn’t like these with the skins. But yes, feel free to remove them. Thank you for your feedback, Shauna.