This Raw Beet Salad is an easy way to eat beets that you’re gonna love. Mix it with the Aleppo Cider Vinaigrette to make all the flavors pop!
Why a raw beet salad? We often see a classic roasted or steamed beet salad, but not one with raw beets. I can tell you that while it’s slightly different, it’s equally delicious. In fact, raw beets are more nutritious than cooked beets. Plus, you don’t have to go through the trouble of cooking them. I think it’s a win-win, don’t you?
There are other ingredients, too! Along with the shredded red and yellow beets, you’ll mix in carrots, apples, red onion, caramelized pecans, dried apricots, fresh herbs, and some Parmesan cheese. It’s a salad with many flavors and textures that just work so incredibly well.
I also happen to love the colors. It’s picture perfect.
Ingredients:
- Green Apple – I love the tartness of green apples in salads. I think they work much better. But if you have a strong aversion to green apples, then you should use whatever apple you prefer.
- Lemon – I use half the lemon for the vinaigrette and half the lemon to soak the apples in, so that they don’t turn brown. But, all of the lemon juice for soaking the apples is poured into the salad.
- Red Onion – If you don’t love red onion, you can use one large shallot instead. I soak the onion in water to remove some of the bitterness.
- Dijon – If you don’t have Dijon on hand, but happen to have grainy mustard, you can use that instead.
- Aleppo Pepper – You can substitute a mixture of paprika and Korean chili flakes or crushed red pepper flakes.
- Golden Beet – if you can’t find a golden beet, you can use an extra red beet for this raw beet salad. However, golden beets and pretty easy to find these days!
- Shredded Carrots – Feel free to buy a bag of pre-shredded carrots to make prep a bit easier. or you can shred them yourself into a matchstick cut.
- Caramelized Pecans – The same thing as candied pecans. Found at most grocery stores these days. Sometimes in the nut aisle and sometimes in the crackers or snacks aisle.
Raw Beet Salad with Carrots and Apples
Equipment
- 2 Medium Bowls
- Strainer
Ingredients
- ½ green apple cut into thin matchsticks
- 1 lemon zested and juiced
- ¼ large red onion thinly sliced
- ½ teaspoon Dijon
- ½ teaspoon Aleppo pepper
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 medium to large golden beet peeled and cut into thin matchsticks (about 1 overflowing cup full)
- 1 medium to large beet peeled and cut into thin matchsticks (about 1 overflowing cup full)
- 1 cup shredded carrots
- ½ cup roughly chopped caramelized pecans
- 10 dried apricots thinly sliced
- 1/3 cup parsley leaves and thin stems
- 1/3 cup dill fronds
- Shaved Parmesan cheese to taste
Instructions
- Place the apple sticks in a medium bowl and toss with half the lemon juice.
- Place the red onion in a medium bowl and cover with cold water. Let sit for 10 minutes, then drain and pat dry (TIP: This removes some of the pungency of raw onions. If you don’t mind the flavor of raw onions, you can skip this step).
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the Dijon, Aleppo pepper, apple cider vinegar ,and the remaining lemon juice. While whisking, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until emulsified. Season with Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste.
- In a large bowl, combine the golden beets, red beets, carrots, drained onions, lemon juice tossed apples, pecans, apricots, parsley, dill, lemon zest, Aleppo cider vinaigrette, and as much shaved parmesan cheese as you’d like (I used a little more than ½ cup). Season with a big pinch of Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Salad is best served immediately. Components can be prepped up to one day ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Aleppo Cider Vinaigrette can be made up to 3 days ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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