Raw Citrus Beet Salad is a gorgeous, bright, and incredibly easy to make vegan super food side dish salad recipe bursting healthy flavor.
It will even have non-beet lovers asking for more.
Confession time: I had never eaten a beet until the mature old age of 33. I had never purchased a beet at the grocery store, but when a bunch of them were pleasantly arranged in my CSA box a few summers ago, I was stumped. I asked a good friend, who is also a self proclaimed foodie, what to do with my beets and the response was “Throw them in the garbage. Beets taste like dirt.”
Now, I have an immense amount of respect for this individual who borderlines genius in many aspects of life, but given my now current love affair with beets, I’m shocked anyone could ever utter such words.
Fresh beets have never tasted so good.
Can you eat raw beets in a salad?
Of course you can! As with any plant based foods, you get the most health benefits when they are in their raw form. Score another point for the Raw Beet Salad!
If you love the way raw beets taste, you should try making Fresh Pressed Juice.
How do you prepare raw beets?
There’s not much to it. Beets come with a thin layer of skin that will need to be peeled. You can either thinly shave or grate them, and you are all set for your favorite fresh beet recipe.
Using a food processor with the grater blade will make easy work and easy clean up. You can use a box grater, but beets will splatter and stain.
Beets are gorgeous. How many foods out there will stain everything you own bright pink? I guess you could say it’s nature’s most flamboyant root vegetable. Beets are one of nature’s most coolest super foods.
What benefits do beets have?
A quick google search on the benefits of beets will tell you that:
- Beets are good for weight loss.
- Beets are great for brain and energy boost.
- Beets are nature’s viagra. Read about this one… it’s pretty stimulating. Get it?
- Beets are a super antioxidant for a long, healthy, pain free life.
- Beets have anti-inflamatory benefits. This includes natural wrinkle repelling, people.
- Beets provide cancer prevention. I’m guessing you know someone effected by cancer? Who doesn’t?
- Beets support cell detoxification and cleansing.
- Beets have been linked to improved mental health.
If those reasons don’t convince you to drop everything and run to the store – or better yet, your nearest farm – for some fresh beets, let me remind you that they are YUM.
How to make Raw Citrus Beet Salad:
Step 1: Shred beets and add to bowl. Add zest and juice from entire orange. Add zest and juice from lime to taste (this amount is subjective).
Step 2: Add olive oil and toss to combine. Add salt to taste and toss to combine.
Step 3: Add chives just before serving.
My favorite beet recipes:
- Beet Brownies
- Shredded Beet and Kale Salad
- Roasted Garlic Beet Hummus
- Red Velvet {Beet} Cinnamon Rolls
- Roasted Beet and Chèvre Crisps
- Fresh Beet Soup
Recipe video below:
Raw Citrus Beet Salad Recipe
RECIPE VIDEO
Ingredients
- 3 medium to large beets peeled and trimmed*
- 1 valencia orange with zest
- 1 lime with zest
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- salt to taste
- 1/2 cup chives minced
Instructions
- Shred beets and add to bowl. Add zest and juice from entire orange. Add zest and juice from lime to taste (this amount is subjective).
- Add olive oil and toss to combine. Add salt to taste and toss to combine.
- Add chives just before serving.
Notes
** The grated beets can be dressed and kept in the refrigerator, covered well, for a couple of days. They become more tender but don’t lose their texture, and the mixture becomes even sweeter as the beet juices mingle with the citrus. Toss again before serving.
Nutrition
This post was originally created in July 2014 and has been updated with more fun facts and tidbits for your reading pleasure.
I too need to confess that I only just started eating beets in my 30’s. I’m pretty annoyed about this since they are so amazing. Only recently have I started to enjoy them raw. This beet salad looks pretty awesome, I’ll have to pin so I remember to make it later!
I’ve been a lover of beets since I was a kid, but almost always cooked. Love the sound of this raw beet salad, I might add a little ricotta or goat cheese to the mix. Thanks for the inspiration. Cheers ~ Lindy
I made this for supper tonight and it was fantastic! So simple and yet so tasty. Added sunflower seeds and hemp seeds – it was amazing! Definitely a keeper!
Awesome! Thanks for letting me know, Brigitte!!! Much appreciated, Krissy
I found the dressing a bit sharp. Maybe a sour orange. I added a tbsp. Sugar and it perked it up. Great salad.
Yummmm
Wow, this was so simple and very good! I was skeptical about eating beets. My husband and I want to incorporate more healthy options into our family’s diet to avoid cancer and diseases so this seemed like a good choice. It was a perfect and delicious choice! Love the earthy flavors of the beet and the citrus flavors combined. Thank you!
Really good! This will be my go to fresh beet salad, because I LOVE the citrus dressing. I used the whole lime and would have added another if I’d had one on hand. I didn’t include the oil, but did add sunflower seeds on top for extra color and healthy goodness.
I made this salad but in Publix they have the raw beets already shredded and it may cost a little more but all the work is already done.and this salad is 😋
Hi, I grew up hating the taste of beets. I heard about their health benefits so I decided t give them a 2nd chance. I bought Golden Beets and I tried your salad. It was awesome thanks.
Glad you liked it! I’ve only made it with red beets, but will make it with golden beets from the garden this year!
Huge fan of beets!! Can’t wait to try raw, this sounds amazing for summer time/ cookout season!!!
Excited!!
Thanks, Monica! This salad is actually my favorite way to eat beets!
This is my go to beet recipe. Its simple and fantastic. Sometimes I add spiralized carrots and/or apple. Getting ready to make for a worksite I coach at to demonstrate that beets can be yummy!
Hey, can you please provide the sources of the statements you are making in the health benefits section above? Just wondering because by law, health claims cannot be made about a food or supplement unless proven in at least two double blind placebo trials with a large amount of participants. Thanks; can’t wait to see the scientific research.
Hi Eliza, As stated in the post, I just did a quick google search for “health benefits of beets” and I summarized what I found. I’m not making any specific claims and haven’t collected any scientific research on my own; I simply summarized what I found. Personally, I love to eat anything I can grow in my garden and really just love the taste of fresh beets. Sounds like you’re not a big fan of beets and/or don’t believe they can be that good for you? 😉
I love this salad , can’t wait for my family to try it.
Made it and loved it. It is a fabulous summer salad. Recently, following the less-than-ideal food consumption that occurs over the Christmas and New Years holidays, I found myself craving this salad again. My fridge is stocked, and I’ll happily be making it again today!