Raw Beet Salad with Goat Cheese
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An easy beet salad (I used Chioggia “Candy Cane” beets, but any type will taste good), with goat cheese, pistachios and greens and a quick, tangy dressing.
This is a simple beet salad that’s easy to make, and it’s a real show-stopper on the table. Thinly sliced beets are blended with sweet red onion, baby greens, goat cheese and pistachios.
The dressing is a quick mixture of olive oil, white wine vinegar and lemon juice, with a touch of honey to balance the sweet and tart flavors.
Colorful beets
Beets come in deeply intense colors — magenta, orange and yellow — but if you can fine Italian heirloom Chioggia beets, you’ll find that they are exceptionally drop-dead gorgeous.
They’re look unassuming, gnarly and typically beet-like on the outside, and striped liked sweet candy-canes on the inside (which explains their nickname) but if they’re cooked the pattern goes away. Chioggia beets are available at grocery stores with good produce sections as well as at farmer’s markets in the late summer and fall.
How to slice raw beets
- Before slicing, use a handy vegetable peeler to remove the skin. Oxo makes my favorite basic peeler, sturdy and sharp enough to deal with beet skins.
- To make lovely thin ribbons or strips, I often use a spiral slicer, a handy gadget that works magic on firm-textured vegetables and fruits – you can even make “noodles” with produce like zucchini.
- Sometimes I just use a sharp, heavy knife or a mandoline to make thin, even slices for the salad.
Any kind of beet will work for this recipe, if you’re in the mood for beets or brought home a load from the market, use smaller ones for the salad as they’ll be sweeter and milder-tasting raw. Try using a mixture of colors, which will look pretty and offer a variety of different beet flavors.
Raw Beet Salad with Goat Cheese
Ingredients
For the vinaigrette
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) fresh lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon (15 ml) white wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon (10 ml) liquid honey or sugar
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2-3 tablespoons (30-45 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, or use pistachio oil for a special treat
For the salad
- 1 pound (450 g) raw beets, peeled
- ¼ cup (40 g) thinly sliced red onion
- 4 cups (170 g) mixed salad greens
- ¼ cup (60 g) fresh crumbled goat cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped pistachios
Instructions
Make the dressing
- Whisk the lemon juice, vinegar, honey (or sugar) and salt in a small bowl until honey is dissolved. Gradually pour in the oil and whisk to combine.
Assemble the salad
- Shave the beets into ribbons with spiral slicer, or cut them into thin discs with a mandoline or sharp knife.
- Put the beets in a salad bowl with the onion and greens. Drizzle with enough dressing to coat, about 2 tablespoons, and toss together. Sprinkle the goat cheese and pistachios over the salad. Serve with additional dressing on the side.
Karen’s Notes and Tips
- Any kind of beet will work for this recipe, if you’re in the mood for beets or brought home a load from the market. Choose smaller ones as they’ll be sweeter and milder-tasting when raw.
Nutrition
Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.
Hey, I’m Karen
Creator of Familystyle Food
I’m a food obsessed super-taster and professionally trained cook ALL about creating elevated dinners with everyday ingredients. Find simplified recipes made from scratch and enjoy incredibly tasty food! Read more about me here.
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Chanced upon some chioggia beets. So glad to have come by this recipe. Gorgeous looking salad with perfectly balanced flavours and textures! So delicious and yet, so fuss-free! Family loved it.
Thanks Betty – I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
This salad is incredible! It is one of our family’s favorite ways to use up candy cane beets. The flavors are divine and it’s a recipe I keep coming back to!
Incredible! Family favorite!
I just got Chioggia beets from my CSA and whipped up this salad. I had some goat feta cheez and that hit the spot.
What a beautiful salad! I love the way the beets are cut so thin! I’m sure it’s delicious too!
Girl – I feel like an obsessive fan, but your recipes always get me – we must have the same interest in taste, because your post are always dead on with what I’m craving!
Thanks, Callie! I feel the same about your delicious ideas…
I love beets and goat cheese together- I need to look at my farmers market for some of these candy cane beets!
I love your description of beets – sweet sugar kisses with a spoonful of dirt! So true. 🙂 These are so beautiful – I had NO idea that these even existed!
Lindsay, they are stunning aren’t they? Funny how earthy tastes can be so appealing. I love how vegetables come in so many colors and tastes.
I LOVE BEETS!
How pretty and undoubtedly delicious!
I love them, too. We’ve had them a couple of times recently. I like the shaved idea.
I can’t get over the “dirt” taste that comes with beets, but I still these pictures are gorgeous!