Learn how to make perfect oven roasted beets in foil, including tips for how long to roast them, how to roast beets for salad, and other ways to use baked beets/beetroot. The earthy flavor and soft texture of these root vegetables can’t be “beet!”
It’s no secret that I love beets. If you’re a longtime Veg World reader, then you probably know about my affinity for these earthy vegetables! They’re not for everyone, but if you’re reading this post, hopefully you enjoy them too.
The best way to prepare beets is baking them whole. I’ve been using this method to make oven roasted beets in foil for years! Why wrap beets in foil, you ask? Well, sealing them in aluminum foil creates a packet of heat that perfectly and evenly steams the beets. By the way, check out my Instant Pot Beets for another great way to cook them.
The whole process is really easy. Even though it takes a while for beets to cook, there’s minimal prep involved. So, grab your beets and let’s get started!
Ingredients and Equipment
- Beets: You can roast all types of beets in foil. So, if you’re wondering how to roast golden beets, not just red or chioggia, you use the same method. Try to get beets that are similar in size, so that they take about the same time to bake. If you have beets of varying sizes, see the FAQ section for tips.
- Olive oil: I like to rub the beets with olive oil before wrapping them in their foil packets. You can also use avocado oil.
- Aluminum foil: You’ll need a square of foil for each beet that you roast. Use enough foil to completely wrap the beet.
- Baking sheet: It’s helpful to put the beet foil packets on a baking sheet while they’re in the oven. I’ve also baked them directly on the oven rack, but using a baking sheet prevents any liquid from leaking into the oven.
Instructions
The instructions for making oven roasted beets in foil are repeated in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. Here are the steps with photos to guide you.
Place a trimmed and scrubbed beet in the center of a square of aluminum foil. Drizzle with a tiny bit of olive oil and use your hands or a brush to coat the beet skin in oil.
Place the beet foil packets on a baking sheet and transfer to the center rack of the oven. Bake for 45 to 60 minutes until the beets are tender when pierced with a fork. The cooking time depends on the size of the beet.
Serving Ideas
Oven roasted beets in foil can be used in a ton of ways! After removing the skin, you can slice them into pieces for a salad. They taste especially delicious with goat cheese, nuts, and a vinegar or lemon juice dressing. You can also grate whole roasted beets for slaws or baked goods and blend them into smoothies.
Here are some delicious recipes that use roasted beets:
- Beet and Fennel Salad with Citrus Dressing
- Beet Pasta Sauce
- Healthy Apple Beet Muffins
- Red Cabbage Slaw with Beets
- Beet Pancakes (Baby and Toddlers)
- Roasted Beets and Burrata with Orange Balsamic
- Fudgy Beet Brownies
- Strawberry Banana Beet Smoothie
- Summer Harvest Beet Gazpacho
- Roasted Golden Beets with Miso Maple Sauce
Storage
Roasted beets will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. You can also freeze them (sliced or whole) for up to 6 months. For more tips, see my tutorial on How to Freeze Beets.
FAQ
For best results, use beets that are similar in size so that they take the same amount of time to roast. If you have beets of varying sizes, you can cut larger ones in half to make them closer in size to smaller beets. Alternatively, you can group small beets together in one foil packet (or two if needed) so that they are more similar in size to large beets. Finally, you can keep your beets as they are and just remove the foil packets with smaller beets from the oven earlier than you remove the larger beets.
Roasting time for beets depends on their size. Small or medium beets (2 to 2.25 inches across) take about 40 to 45 minutes to roast, depending on the strength of your oven. Medium-large and large beets (2.5 to 3 inches across) take about 60 minutes to roast. If you have very small (“baby”) beets, check them at 30 minutes since they may not need that long to roast.
Yes, beet skin is edible. However, it can be tough even after roasting, so most people prefer to peel it off with their fingers. Peeling it after roasting instead of before is preferable when baking whole beets, since leaving the skin on helps keep in the beet juices while they cook so they don’t dry out.
Beets are known for their ability to dye things red, including hands and cutting boards. To avoid staining your hands, wear gloves while handling beets or wash your hands frequently. I usually rinse my hands several times during preparation instead of bothering with gloves. To avoid staining cutting boards, use plastic boards instead of wood or bamboo. If you only have wood or bamboo, don’t worry, just wash them immediately after cutting the beets.
I’d love to hear how you like this recipe! Rate/review using the stars on the recipe card or in the comments, and follow the Veg World on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Looking for something totally different? Browse the recipe library.
📖 Recipe
Oven Roasted Beets in Foil
Equipment
- Aluminum foil
Ingredients
- 3 beets
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (205 degrees C). Prepare 3 squares of aluminum foil and set aside.
- Trim the roots and stems (and the leaves if you have them) from the beets. Scrub each beet under running water with a vegetable brush, your hands, or a paper towel to remove dirt.
- Place each beet in the center of a square of foil. Drizzle a little bit of olive oil on each beet and rub the oil over the skin, using your hands or a brush.
- Fold the foil over each beet, then fold in the sides to make a sealed packet.
- Place the foil packets on a baking sheet. Transfer the baking sheet to the oven. Roast for 45 to 60 minutes, until the beets are tender when pierced with a fork (the fork should glide right through them without much resistance).
- Remove the beets from the oven. If you want to use them immediately and don't need to keep them warm, carefully open the foil packets using oven mitts (watch out for the steam). To speed up the cooling process, you can slice the beets in half and/or run them under cold water.
- Once the beets are cool enough to handle, rub the beets with your hands to remove the skin with your fingers.
- Use the beets in salads, baked goods, smoothies, and more!
- Leave a rating or review by tapping the stars on this recipe card (above) or in the comments section (at the end of the post).
Notes
- Try to get beets that are about the same size so that they take a similar amount of time to cook. If you have some large and some small beets, you can slice the large beets in half to make them closer in size to the small beets. Alternatively, you can put a few small beets into one foil packet to make them closer in size to the large beets. Or you can just keep the beets as they are and remove the smaller ones from the oven before the larger ones.
- Roasted beets will last for up to a week in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- To avoid staining your hands, wear gloves when handling beets or wash your hands frequently.
Jeffrey
Enjoyed very much, quick, easy and tasty.
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
Hi Jeffrey, I’m glad to hear it! Thanks so much for your comment.
Bev Cloutier
Nice and easy
Lizzie Streit, MS, RDN
So glad to hear it!
Behzad Ameri
sounds interesting, will try it today.