An easy recipe for how to cook beets on the stovetop! Full of nutrients & antioxidants, beets are great for smoothies, side dishes, salads & snacking!
Beets. Do you love them or hate them? Have you ever tried them before?
My mom has a thing for vegetables. In fact funny story. When my parents got married my mom asked my dad “what his favorite vegetable was” and he said he didn’t know because he didn’t eat vegetables!!! She just couldn’t believe it so she took it as her personal mission to first, get him to eat vegetables, and second to find to out what his favorite is. Needless to say my mom converted him to a vegetable lover. When I was growing up my mom loved to garden so we would always be outside picking things off the plants or vines to bring in and use for dinner that night – so we in turn had just about any and every vegetable under the sun.
There was always one weekend a year where my mom and dad would dedicate to canning all day. They would can tomatoes, peppers, green beans, and beets. Then they would store all those mason jars in our basement for easy access. My brother and I loved it because we would just go straight for the beets every time!
We big puffy heart beets! They are filled with antioxidants and other good nutrients, are sweet, and absolutely delicious!
I ate them alot when I was growing up but then stopped around college. They weren’t exactly the easiest thing to get in college, if you know what I’m saying. (its ramen town when you’re in college) Well, a couple of years ago I went to a Salad bar restaurant in our area and they had BEETS! So of course I got them .. and was brought back to my first love…. mmmmm.
Now Cason adores them too, he could probably eat an entire meal of just beets. The kid cracks me up, “more beets mommy!”
So of course I needed to learn how to make them at home, buying already prepared beets (that are not in a can) can be a little pricey. Which meant it was time to call momma, the ever trusted source in cooking and figure out how to make my own!
You can cook beets two ways, you can boil them or you can roast them. I have done both and prefer to boil them because the skin is SOOOOO much easier to remove. It literally just squeezes off, and believe me, after my share of red hands the ease of skin removal is an important factor when deciding how to cook them. 🙂
Depending on your beet size, you boil them for 20-30 minutes put them in an ice bath immediately and remove the skin right away. Slice them up and store them in an air tight container for eating later.
I serve them as a side, eat them as a snack, put them in smoothies, or on top of salads.
Happy cooking!
How do you eat your beets?
How to Cook Beets
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Total Time: 35 mins
- Yield: 4 cups of diced beets 1x
- Category: How To
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Description
An easy recipe for how to cook beets on the stovetop! Full of nutrients & antioxidants, beets are great for smoothies, side dishes, salads & snacking!
Ingredients
- 6 beets, skin on (I used 3 red and 3 golden)
Instructions
- Prepare a large bowl with water and ice.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Add beets to pot. (if using red and golden beets, be sure to put them in separate pots or the red will dye the golden beets)
- Boil for 20-30 minutes depending on size of beets. (test one of them – you should be able to easily remove the skin if you can’t them let it cook longer)
- Remove beets from boiling water and place in an ice bath.
- Remove skin from beets using your hands, rinse, and slice/dice beets.
- Store in an air tight container.
Keywords: how to cook beets, beet recipes, how to cook beets on the stovetop, best way to cook beets, how to boil beets, easy beets recipe
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IF YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE, BE SURE TO SNAP A PIC AND HASHTAG IT#JOYFULHEALTHYEATS. I LOVE SEEING WHAT YOU MAKE!
42 comments on “How to Cook Beets”
Thank you! I love beets but had never made fresh ones before. This was so simple – I used two forks to peel the beets once they were ready so I didn’t have to touch them. I used one fork to hold the beet down on the plate and the flat edge of the other fork to gently scrape away the peel. Sliced ’em and diced ’em and they were delicious with no additions whatsoever. Again, I appreciate the information. I will just mention though that either one loves beets or hates them with a vengeance, no matter how they are prepared. My husband was disgusted by these lovely organic golden beets fresh from our kitchen but my son thought they were wonderful.
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woohoo! So glad you and your son liked them! We are a BEET family! 🙂
I love beets., my husband loves them as well and cooks them all the time . Unfortunately he s deployed and I haven’t been able to eat them since he was deployed.(over six months ago). They are so messy and hard to cook but with your recipe I m definitely going to give it a shot and hope for the best hehehe
Thanks a lot! 🤗👍
Ok, I remember eating RED BEETS ew as a kid but the way I made these according to the recipe- has me rethinking my fav veggies! This was absolutely delicious! Thank you for the story and recipe.
This method worked so wonderfully! Thank you!
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Just tried this! I found some beautiful golden beets at the store in the organic section. I didn’t even know beets came in the golden variety. Google directed me to you, and this was a simple yet effective way to cook them! I found myself snacking on some as I sliced.
Thank you!
Yes, golden beets are delicious plus they are just pretty! So glad you liked them AND that you found the cooking process to be simple!
I bought some fresh beets the other day and have not cooked them yet. I bought some that I guess are pickled. I am eating them, but I can not stand vinegar. I won’t be eating them this way again.
Brilliant!
Here is a recipe for beets salad!
2 beets cupped
2 oz lemon juice
2 oz of cilantro
1 oz of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
#delish
Thankyou for input. My first time boiling four gorgeous beets in vinegar.
I planted my own beets here in Ghana, West Africa and they are growing so beautifully. I am glad to see this. It is so helpful. I know I am going to enjoy them for a long time. Thanks a lot.
Oh you will love them Gladys, beets are my favorite! I need to plant them in my garden this year, great idea! 🙂 Hope you enjoy!
What a great post, Krista. My youngest loves beets if he gets them at a salad bar or something, but I never make them at home because I don’t know how. Thank you for this!! I’ll have to start cooking them here.
Thanks Andi! That is exactly why I wanted to learn how to do it, my son loves them… ok I do too. 🙂
Happy beet making!
gosh, these beets are so gorgeous…. I’m slowly becoming a beet convert. Never loved the earthy flavor, but if they are diced up small in a salad I’m a big fan.
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They are awesome in salads, subtle but perfect!
I’ve always been too intimidated to cook beets – totally doing it now! I looooove beets!
I was too girl, I tried it a couple of times and failed but this time its a winner! 🙂
I am not gonna lie, my only memory of beets is the slimy sliced ones from the can. Needless to say, I have not attempted them again! Pathetic, I know but with this simple step by step guide, maybe I should give them a second shot!
Oh girl! Those are gross, you need the fresh ones. It will change your world!
i absolutely LOVE beets and your photos are beautiful!
Thank you so much Chrysta! 🙂
I have never had beets before and have always been to big of a wuss to try them. But you have convinced me that they are super healthy so I am thinking we will need to try them. 😉
So many helpful tips!
They really are, they fight against so many different diseases including heart disease and cancer! Great immunity booster!
Try it .. try it… try it!
Then tell me what you think. 🙂 hehe
You are speaking my language Krista! I ADORE beets – always have! I’ve got some growing in my garden right now and cannot wait!! Yours look absolutely perfect!
Sooo fun! I need to grow them next year. How long do they take? Can you tell I’m jealous! 🙂
I have actually never really tried beets…. but these are so gorgeous, I feel like I’m missing out! Definitely pinning these to experiment with later!
You are!!! Go try some beets, they are incredible, definitely one of my favorite vegetables and my little guy loves them! So good for you!
ive never tried beets either. how would you suggest seasoning them?
★★★★★
Honestly, you don’t need much. I like them plain, but you could add a little salt or drizzle with balsamic and they’d be great.
At a friend’s suggestion I tried peeling my beets before roasting. It was super easy and made for much less mess. I thought it would affect the taste somehow, but it didn’t–at least, not that I could tell! I have never tried the boiling method, but I think I’ll try both on the same night and see if I can taste a difference. 🙂
Hm.. interested. Did you just peel with a knife or peeler because the skin is not super easy to get off. When I boil it it literally just comes off so stinking easy. Let me know what your results are, i’m curious! 🙂
ok, I love this. . I hate working with beets because they are so messy but love the end result. And ROASTED golden beets .. be still my heart. . my fave!!!!
haha.. so with you. Roasted anything .. be still my heart.
They are super messy but when I finally listened to my mom and boiled them.. viola.. not as much mess. At least not red hands which was a step up for me. 🙂
So, my only experience with beets was the time that I added them to my juice (via a juicer) and I didn’t like it. But my sister (who works part time at a juicing restaurant) told me that even though she doesn’t like beets in her juice, she loves them roasted.
YES roasted beets are amazing.. they are just harder to get the skin off. SO boil them for alittle to get the skin off then roast for alittle bit and – deliciousness awaits you! 🙂
I have a 2 year old that loves beets beyond belief! Again, she’s 2!! 😀 Beautiful photos!
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haha.. I totally understand my 3 year old son loves them too. Hurray for healthy kiddos! 🙂 Thanks Kate!
My oldest is the only other one in my house who will eat beets. You should see my husbands face when he sees them. 🙂 Great post!
What! So funny… my 3 year old loves them and my husband eats them because I put them in front of him. heheh. 🙂
Im just learning how to start liking beets and this how-to is helpful. They are just so beautiful!!
Thanks so much Zainab. You will love that! I saw that panna cotta post from today too with beets.. you go girl! I haven’t baked with them yet, not brave enough yet. 🙂