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These whole oven roasted beets are so easy and come out perfectly tender and sweet: they’ve become our obsession! Here’s how to transform this humble root vegetable into a sweet, tender, and surprisingly delicious side dish.
Do you love the earthy flavor of beets? This nutritious, hot pink veggie is enjoying somewhat of resurgence in public opinion. Yes, the beautifully sweet, tender taste of roasted beets is like none other.
Here’s the best way to cook beets: roasted whole. This oven roasted beets recipe takes about an hour, but it brings out the sweetest flavor. You don’t even need salt and pepper, they’re that good! Alex and I were floored at the flavor that comes out of baked beets. We love them with goat cheese as an appetizer, in a beet salad, or whizzed into bright pink hummus.
How to make oven roasted beets: a tutorial
It takes about 1 hour to make whole oven roasted beets, but it’s well worth it for the flavor. We recommend roasting up a big batch, and then keeping them in the refrigerator for the week. Roasted whole beets will keep about 3 to 5 days in a sealed container.
Want to cut the time in half? Make Instant Pot Beets in just 30 minutes.
Step 1: Wash the beets. Then trim off all but about 1 inch of the beet greens. Leaving on the stem while roasting helps keep the beets from “bleeding” out red juice in the oven.
Step 2: Rub the beets lightly with olive oil. Then place the beets in an oven-proof dish. If you don’t have this type of dish, you also can wrap each beet individually in aluminum foil and place them on the oven grates.
Step 3: Roast the beets for 45 to 90 minutes, until tender when pierced with a fork. The time depends on the size of the beets. Check every 10 minutes until they are tender. Medium beets generally take about 1 hour.
Tip: You can save the beet greens! Here’s our favorite recipe for beet greens: a beet green omelette.
Peel the beets after roasting them
Once the beets are roasted, allow them to cool for a few minutes. Then place them under cool water and rub off the skins with your fingers.
Watch out: this process is a little messy! Your fingers will get a little stained with beet juice, and so might your kitchen if you’re not careful! It will wash off your hands eventually, but you’ll want to wipe up beet juice counter or sink stains immediately.
Storing leftovers
You can serve oven roasted beets immediately after baking. Or, store them refrigerated in a sealed container for 3 to 5 days. Keeping them whole (avoiding slicing) helps them to stay the freshest.
Ways to eat roasted beets
Making oven roasted beets is a great weekend project: throw them in the oven and roast while you catch up on laundry and Netflix. Or if you have a pressure cooker, you can make Instant Pot beets in 30 minutes. Once you’ve got baked beets, what’s your favorite way to eat them? Here are all our favorite beet recipes:
- Turn them into an appetizer with Roasted Beets with Goat Cheese
- Make a Beet Salad or Arugula Beet Salad.
- Mix up Beet Hummus, an electric pink dip that tastes just as lovely as it looks.
- Don’t have time for roasting? Try a Beet Smoothie or fire up the grill for Grilled Beets.
Dietary notes
This oven roasted beets recipe is vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free, and gluten-free.
Frequently asked questions
No, you don’t need to peel beets before roasting. The skin will actually help protect them from drying out during cooking. After roasting, the skin will slip off easily.
Roasting time depends on the size of the beets and your oven temperature. Generally, medium-sized beets take about 45-60 minutes to roast at 425°F (220°C). Larger beets may take up to 90 minutes.
Beets are done when they are easily pierced with a fork. You can also check by gently squeezing them – they should feel tender.
Yes, you can freeze roasted beets for later use. Simply peel and cut them into desired shapes, then store them in a freezer-safe container or bag for up to 3 months. However, we think they are best eaten freshly roasted.
Easy Oven Roasted Beets
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 6 to 8 1x
Description
These whole oven roasted beets are so easy and come out perfectly tender and sweet: they’ve become our obsession! Here’s how to transform this humble root vegetable into a sweet, tender, and surprisingly delicious side dish.
Ingredients
- 6 to 8 beets
- Olive oil, for rubbing
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
- Wash the beets. Trim off all but about 1 inch of the beet greens (you can save them for later and use them in salads). Leaving on the stem helps keep the beets from “bleeding” out red juice in the oven.
- Rub the beets lightly with olive oil. Place the beets in a covered oven proof dish. (You also can wrap each beet individually in aluminum foil and place them on the oven grates).
- Roast the beets for 45 minutes to 1 ½ hours, depending on the size and freshness, until tender when pierced with a fork. Check every 10 minutes until tender; we’ve found medium sized beets take about 1 hour.
- Allow them to cool for a few minutes. Then place them under cool water and rub off the skins with your fingers. (It’s a little messy and your fingers will get a little stained, but it’s ok! The beet juice washes off.) Serve immediately, or keep them refrigerated in a sealed container for 3 to 5 days (keep them whole to stay the freshest).
- Category: Essentials
- Method: Roasted
- Cuisine: Beets
Fresh beets straight out of Amish garden using your recipe for roasting tonight
Thank y’all
Wish me luck male at 79 yrs young lol
These beets were perfect! I left them in with some other vegetables I had roasting. 1 hour and 45 minutes didn’t change them at all. I put on latex gloves when I removed the skin and sliced them up. They were gorgeous and delicious. I served with with baby spinach, marcona almonds, golden raisins, and goat cheese. Drizzled lemon olive oil and white balsamic over it. Incredible! Thank you~
Thank you for the terrific recipe! This was super easy and the beets turned out great! I accidentally left the beets in the oven for an hour and 45 minutes and it was no problem. Also, bonus, my hands did not get very pink removing the peels. I will be preparing this way again soon!