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:

Recipe video below:

This Raw Citrus Beet Salad is a gorgeous, bright, incredibly easy to make super food side dish and will even have non-beet lovers asking for more.

Ingredients

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

* I always use the food processor grater to avoid staining everything in my kitchen bright pink.
** 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 INFORMATION

SUBSCRIBE TO MY NEWSLETTERSign up to have my recipes emailed to you. Free!

This post was originally created in July 2014 and has been updated with more fun facts and tidbits for your reading pleasure.

Comments