This Red Beet Walnut Salad is as colorful and flavorful as they come. It is easy to prepare and enjoy all year round. You can make it as a warm side dish or a cold salad. Enjoy every bite!

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This recipe for beet walnut salad has been my favorite since childhood. It is a staple at gatherings in my native Armenia, especially during Christmas, Easter, birthdays and other special occasions. Even though it is traditionally made for festive occasions, it is just as great to enjoy on any day.

You can find beets in stores year round, but you will find sweeter and better tasting baby beets in winter.

Health Benefits of Beets

Beets reign supreme when it comes to nutrition. They are a natural source of antioxidants and minerals (and are even considered an aphrodisiac in some cultures). The list of health benefits ranges from reducing inflammation to preventing heart disease and lowering blood pressure.

Beets contain unique antioxidant pigments called betalains, which give beets their red color. Red beets are especially high in potent pigments known as betacyanins known for their antioxidant properties.

How to Cook Beets on Stove

Beets grow underground, so you will need to thoroughly wash them before cooking. I recommend buying medium or small size beets because the large ones take longer to cook and it is best to cook beets lightly to prevent loss of nutrients and color during cooking.
Touching beet juice and beet skin may stain your fingers and clothes, so consider wearing gloves and an apron when handling beets.

To cook beetroot, trim the tops and tails and rinse. Cook in a saucepan of salted water for 45 minutes to 1 hour (depending on size). Drain and cool. The skin should come off very easily by simply rubbing the beet.

How to Shred Beets

For this recipe, you will need to use some kind of shredding blade to break down the cooked peeled beets to the needed softened texture. You can use a food processor (the easiest and my preferred method), a box grater or a mandolin.

Food Processor: Cut the whole beet into 4-6 pieces. Put the shredding blade in your food processor, add the beet pieces and pulse until shredded.
Box Grater or Mandolin: If you haven’t already, trim the tails off the beets, but do not cut the beets into pieces. I recommend keeping the beets whole because it is much easier to shred them this way. Using the larger blade of your box grater or mandolin, shred all the beets into a large bowl. Be mindful of your fingers here as the blades may cut into your skin if you are not careful.

Ingredients You’ll Need to Make the Red Beet Walnut Salad

Beets: you will need 4 medium size red beets to cook and shred. If looking to buy beets cooked, try organic cooked beets by Love Beets.
Mayonnaise: I swear by Chosen Foods 100% avocado oil based mayo. It is my favorite clean label mayo. They also make a vegan version.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO): to amp up the creaminess of this salad. You can also use any other oil you have on hand, but I always dress my salads with EVOO.
Walnuts: add taste, texture and crunchiness.
Lemon Juice: adds to all the flavors.
Fresh Dill: adds a powerful refreshing touch of flavor.
Pomegranate Arils (optional, but I always include them): add sharpness and compliment the beets and walnuts perfectly.

How to Make This Salad Warm

This salad has a delicious warm variation, which is slightly different from the cold variation in the following ways:

The warm salad includes the additional step of separately caramelizing onions. You will need to dice one small sized yellow onion to sauté in 2 tbsp of avocado oil.
The warm salad requires no mayonnaise, and, therefore, becomes vegan.
The warm salad may be garnished with goat cheese or feta cheese crumbles (skip if vegan).

Step-by-Step Instructions for the Warm Salad:

Shred cooked beets. Set aside.
Heat avocado oil over medium heat in a pan and add diced onions.
When onions are lightly golden/caramelized, add the shredded beets and sauté for about 5 minutes. The goal is to simply warm up with beets (if you purchased them cooked) and mix them with sautéed onions. If you cooked beets yourself for this salad and they are still warm, you may skip this step and simply add the caramelized onions to the warm shredded beets.
Combine beets and onions, add lemon juice and mix gently.
Add the walnuts, season with salt and pepper and mix gently again.
Lastly add the cheese of choice (if desired) and garnish with fresh dill.

More Recipes You’ll Love

Creamy Shredded Carrot Salad – has a warm variation too
Turmeric-Spiced Carrots – great as a side dish