How to Roast Beets (With or Without Foil)

Name: How to Roast Beets (With or Without Foil)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 50 min
Ingredients: 1 lb. beets (2-4 medium-sized); 1-2 Tbsp. oil (olive or avocado); ½ tsp. salt; ¼ tsp. black pepper

Knowing How to Roast Beets in the oven the right way will bring out their natural sweetness and turn any beet naysayer into a beet-loving fan! The process couldn’t be easier with one of these three methods: wrapping whole beets in foil, covering in a skillet, or peeling and cubing before baking. You can then serve up the roasted vegetables as a simple side dish or mix them into your favorite recipes!

Roasted beets are unwrapped and ready to be peeled.

Best Roasted Beets Recipe

Beets get a bad rap.

With their earthy notes and somewhat “dirt-like” taste, most people have crossed them off of their menus entirely.

But boy are they missing out!

If only people knew that the simple process of roasting beets in the oven brings out their naturally sweet flavor.

Yup, that unwanted dirt taste is almost completely gone.

And whether you’re in a rush or want to roast them low and slow, there are three different methods below that you can choose from:

Roasting them whole in foil, covering them in foil, or peeling and cutting them into cubes before baking!

(If you’d rather cook them up more quickly, you can also boil beets instead.)

Preparing Whole Beets for Roasting

Since beets are grown underground it is extremely important that you rinse and scrub them thoroughly before baking.

Also, if you buy anything organic, beets are the ones to splurge on! Much like potatoes, they soak up a lot of the pesticides and fertilizers in the soil when they are growing underground.

After you have rinsed and scrubbed the beets, you’ll need to cut and remove the leaves.

Keep about 1-2 inches of the stem on the beet root. This helps to decrease the amount of beet juice that oozes out while baking.

Coat each beet with 1 teaspoon of oil and rub it into the skin.

Beet is coated in olive oil before baking in the oven. — Drizzle the beet with oil.

Method 1: Roasting Beets Wrapped in Foil

The most classic way to roast whole fresh beets is to wrap them individually in a piece of aluminum foil:

Wrap in Foil

Surround a whole beet in a piece of aluminum foil large enough to completely enclose it. You can also place a piece of parchment paper between the beet and the foil if you’re worried about the metal leaching into the beet.

Oil covered beets are wrapped in foil before roasting.

Bake Beets in Oven

Place wrapped beets on a large baking sheet so it will catch any of the juices that run out while roasting. Bake at 400°F for 45-75 minutes, depending on their size.

Smaller beets will be ready in as little as 45 minutes, medium-sized beets in an hour, and large beets in an hour and fifteen minutes.

Beets are wrapped in foil and roasted in the oven on a baking sheet.

Method 2: Cover Beets in Foil

Another easy alternative to wrapping the beets in the foil is to actually place them in a cast-iron or oven-safe skillet.

You’ll still place a piece of aluminum foil on top of the skillet, but the metal will not be directly contacting the food.

If you’d like to take it a step further, you can even place toothpicks into the beets so the foil is not touching any of them.

Roast beets in a cast-iron skillet that is covered with foil for 40-70 minutes, or until cooked through. Flip them over halfway through cooking so the side touching the skillet does not burn.

Beets are added to a cast iron skillet and baked in the oven.

The only downside to this method is the beets can get pretty charred and are slightly harder to peel. Make sure you keep a close eye on them while baking.

Method 3: Roasting Peeled and Cut Beets

Another quick method, that is used in this Roasted Beet Hummus and this Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Salad, is to peel the beets and cut them prior to roasting. This can get a little messy since the beet juice will run all over your cutting board, but it is the fastest way to roast beets.

Peel the Skin

Use a vegetable peeler to remove the skin. Make sure to do this over a plastic cutting board as the beet juice may stain a wooden one!

Whole beets are peeled with a vegetable peeler before being roasted in the oven.

Cut into Cubes

Remove the stem end and cut beets into ½ to 1-inch cubes. The smaller you dice them the faster they will cook.

Fresh whole beets are chopped before roasting in the oven.

Bake in Oven

Toss the cubed beets with oil, salt, and pepper and arrange in a single layer on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake at 400°F for 30-40 minutes, or until the beets are tender. Flip them halfway through to ensure even roasting.

Cubed beets are roasted in the oven with olive oil on a baking sheet.

Peeling Whole Roasted Beets

Let the beets cool until they are comfortable to the touch.

Using your fingers, easily peel back the skin on the roasted beets. — Peel by hand.

Baked beets are peeled using a paper towel after roasting in the oven. — Peel by hand.

There are 3 different ways you can peel whole beets once they are roasted:

Use your bare fingers to remove the peel on the beetroot.
- Golden beets do not stain your fingers, so this is the best method to use when peeling those.
Hold a paper towel in your dominant hand and pull back the skin on the beet to remove it.
- The paper towel prevents the red stain from getting all over your hands.
Peel back the skin on the beetroot with a paring knife.
- This technique is ideal for stubborn peels that are adhered to the root.

How to Select Beets

When you’re buying beets at the grocery store you’ll have the options of buying them with their stems and leaves attached or solely purchasing the beetroot. (That’s the hard, brown, potato-like part.)

The choice is totally yours to make! If you buy the beets with their greens, you can always add them to smoothies or mix them into soups to use them up.

To select the best beets you’ll want to look for these key features:

Smooth and unbruised. Select ones that have little to no cuts or bruises on their skin.
Hard and firm. Soft and mushy beets have either been damaged during transport or are becoming rotten.
Fresh leaves. Wilted greens mean the vegetable is spoiling and will not last much longer.
Similar size. If boiling beets, it’s best if you select ones that are a similar size so they cook within the same amount of time.

Meal Prep and Storage

To Prep-Ahead: Roast up a big batch of beets to use in a variety of recipes.
To Store: Keep cooked beets in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.
To Freeze: Seal in a freezer-safe airtight container and freeze for up to 8 months.

FAQs

Is it better to peel beets before or after roasting?

If you are roasting cubed beets, it is best to peel them first. However, whole beets are easier to peel after they have been cooked.

How do I know when roasted beets are fully cooked?

Check for tenderness with a fork or knife, when they slide in easily without resistance the beets are done.

What is the healthiest way to cook beets?

Boiling beets is the healthiest method since you do not need any oil. The second healthiest way is to roast them in the oven, as only a little oil is used.

Can you eat the skin of a roasted beet?

Beet skin is technically edible, however most people prefer to remove the skin since it is tough.

Roasted beets are peeled and chopped before using in recipes.

Expert Tips and Tricks

Same size. Get beets that are similar in size and shape, so they roast up evenly.
Wait to peel. If you are roasting whole beets, the skin will come off easily after they are done cooking.
Grab a knife. Use a sharp knife to assist with difficult skins.
Save your tools. Beet juice will stain so it’s best to work on a plastic cutting board.
Avoid metals. Place parchment paper between the beets and foil to prevent leaching.

Recipes with Roasted Beets

Once you have the roasted beets you can use them in so many different ways!

Turn into Pickled Beets.
Use in a Roasted Beet Hummus recipe.
Add them to a Warm Fall Salad.
Puree into a Creamy Beet Soup.
Pair with some ricotta and honey.
Serve them up in a Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese or as Roasted Beets with Goat Cheese.

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