Pickled Beet Salad

This pickled beet salad is full of delicious and nourishing ingredients such as berries, pecans, spinach and with a simple vinaigrette. A colorful, sweet and tangy salad that is perfect for a dinner party or to just brighten your day.

You might also like this festive spinach and goat cheese salad.

Today I remade this old post because I always fall in love with golden beets at this time of year. The color always catches my eye and I’ve learned to love beets as I got older. So I made this beautiful and nutritious pickled beet salad with gorgonzola, pecans and berries.

This delicious salad tastes tangy, tart, sweet, crunchy, creamy and nutty. It has it all! The nuts, fruit, cheese and pickled beets make the perfect combination for a spring salad and it’s so pretty it would look great on your holiday table or serve for a dinner party. Or you can add some grilled chicken or salmon to make it more of a meal.

Recipe ingredients and substitutions.

The simple ingredients I used for this dish were pickled beets, red onion, pecans, blueberries, raspberries, baby spinach, and gorgonzola cheese. For the balsamic vinaigrette I use white balsamic dressing, soy sauce, honey and olive oil.

• pickled golden beets and red onion – I used sliced red onion for the color but you can also add some onions in the pickled beet and use those instead or eliminate them if you don’t like onions.I used golden beets because they are beautiful but you can use regular beets. I also made my own quick pickle and I’ll show you how but you can also use canned sliced beets, or even roast your own. (See this beet hummus recipe for how to do that).
• fruit and nuts – I just wanted to use blueberries and raspberries because I love the flavor and color. You can use other berries like blackberries or strawberries if you want or just one of any of these berries. I use pecans because they are my favorite nut for recipes but you can use sliced almonds, walnuts, pistachios, pine nuts, etc.
• baby spinach – This is the base of the salad but you could also use kale or even arugula. Arugula has an awesome peppery flavor but it’s hard for me to find in my grocery store. You can also use other lettuces but I like the using these greens better.
• gorgonzola cheese – This cheese is a bit milder than blue cheese but that would work too. Other cheeses you can try are goat cheese, feta cheese, shaved asiago or fresh parmesan cheeses. I think a stronger cheese like these work the best. A very sharp cheddar could work too.
• dressing – The honey, soy sauce, balsamic and olive oil is a simple salad dressing with the perfect flavor combination. You can use low sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos if you don’t like soy. I used white balsamic vinegar but that’s sometimes hard to fine so you can substitute with white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar. You don’t need extra virgin olive oil because that might over power the other ingredients but a lighter olive oil or try avocado oil as a substitute. And lastly you can use maple syrup for the honey.

Note you can add other vegetables to this salad like cucumbers, tomatoes, radishes, peppers, carrots, etc. I was trying to keep it simple with my selection.

How to pickle beets – quick pickle recipe.

For my quick pickled beets, I used my husband’s pickled jalapeño recipe and pickled them the day before. You can make these in the morning and eat them at night at least 6-8 hours to soften. They are best if you wait 24 hours.

Sometimes I add thinly sliced red onions but you can just add them raw to salad. That is up to you. They are much milder when pickled though.

To make these quick pickled beets:

1. Thinly slice the peeled raw beets and add them to a jar. If you want to add the onions slice them thinly as well and add to the jar.
2. Add the pickling liquid which is water, vinegar, salt, sugar, crushed garlic cloves, oregano and coriander seeds to a pot and bring to a boil. If you don’t have all these the only important ingredients are the water, vinegar, salt and sugar.
3. When the pickle solution has boiled, pour it over the beets. You may have extra pickling juice so either throw away or save for another pickle recipe.
4. Let pickled beets cool and then add a lid and put in the refrigerator over night.

I hurried up and took a picture of them before I ate them all. They add a nice tang and crunch to salads and sandwiches, though I like to eat them straight out of the jar. 

You can quit pickle other veggies too. Chop or slice your favorite vegetables, pickle them and store in your refrigerator. They taste great on salads and sandwiches as they add another layer of flavor. I have a great quick pickled green beans recipe that makes a great healthy snack!

How to make pickled beet salad.

Step 1: First make the dressing by whisking together the soy sauce, olive oil, vinegar and honey. It’s light but with a touch of sweetness and goes well with the tart fruit and tangy beets.

Step 2: If you want to dress the salad before you serve it then add the spinach and sliced onions to a large bowl and pour the dressing over. Add as much or as little as you want. Mix well then plate on a platter.

Step 3: Add and arrange the pickled beets, pecans, berries and gorgonzola to the salad and serve. You can also just arrange the salad and serve the dressing on the side.

Originally I serve this on a platter (below) and looks very nice for a dinner party or holiday salad. Today I just use a large plate (above) because just my husband and I were eating it.

If you wanted to make it more of a main dish you could add some grilled chicken or salmon on top. Both would be delicious and make this more of a complete meal.

Store leftovers in an airtight container. Please scroll down for the printable recipe card.

More deliciously easy beet recipes to try.

If you have some extra beets or want to experiment with more things to make with them, here are a few of my favorite recipes that you might want to try. I especially love the noodles and hummus!

• lemony hummus
• roasted golden beet noodles with goat cheese (below) or with basil
• beetroot and horseradish sauce for roast beef
• beet and cheese stuffed endive appetizer
• salad with goat cheese and pine nuts
• veggies chips

I hope you give this quick pickled beet salad recipe a try. You can change up the fruit, nuts and cheese. Try some strawberries, almonds and goat cheese or apples, walnuts and feta. The possibilities are endless! Enjoy.