Really, WHAT is so good about Beets?? (Also 3 Favorite Recipes for Beets)
By Jill Boman
Beets: People either love 'em or hate 'em, but if you don’t already love beets, you'll definitely want to give them another chance after learning about all the many amazing things this superfood does for your body! Plus the 3 simple beet recipes in this post will help you start enjoying their health benefits right away.
(Note from Kelly: Kent and I both used to despise beets, but oh-my-gosh, now it's one of our very favorite foods! We just started trying them a few years ago, and we especially love a good beet salad with goat cheese and a delicious vinaigrette. Another favorite is to just stir-fry them in butter until almost soft, then add a splash of balsamic at the end with sea salt and fresh-cracked pepper — yum. I didn't even know about all of these ways that beets are so good for us that Jill shares below, I only knew that they tasted good!)
Besides providing fiber (food for healthy gut microbes and faster elimination transit time) and an impressive array of vitamins and minerals including vitamin C, beta carotene, B vitamins including folate, potassium, manganese and boron, the humble beet's super powers are extensive:
- anti-cancer/anti-tumor
- anti-inflammatory
- high in powerful antioxidants including lutein and zeaxanthin, which are useful for preventing and treating cataracts and macular degeneration. Beets also increase levels of our body’s own master antioxidant, glutathione, which is critical for detoxification.
- provides methyl donors (folate, betaine), required for phase 2 liver detoxification byproducts' excretion out of the body
- protects against radiation thanks to their betaine and antioxidant content
- increases oxygen and blood flow to muscles which improves exercise endurance (our bodies convert the nitrates in beets into nitric oxide, which relaxes and dilates blood vessels)
- reduces high blood pressure (thanks again to the nitric oxide our bodies make from the nitrates in beets)
- fights viral and bacterial infections
- lowers risk of heart disease and dementia
- Read more about the super powers of beets here and here.
Don’t panic if you notice your pee or poo has turned red the day after eating beets. It's called beeturia and even though it looks scary, it's completely harmless and actually the hilarious subject of one of my favorite Portlandia skits:
And on that note (ha!), here are some delicious recipes for beets!
The Simplest Beet Salad
Apple cider vinegar perfectly complements the earthy, sweet flavor of beets in this simple slaw. I often serve it alongside burgers, but its crunchy texture and bright flavor and color would also contrast nicely with a creamy main dish like Kelly’s Beef Stroganoff, Paprika Chicken with Pasta and Herbed Sour Cream Sauce, or a creamy soup.
You can see in these photos that I used both red and golden beets for this salad. Isn't the combination pretty?
Simplest Beet Salad
Ingredients
- Raw Beets—2 large or 3 to 6 small scrubbed and shredded (I leave mine unpeeled and use a box grater)
- Apple Cider Vinegar 1 Tablespoon
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1 Tablespoon
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a medium sized bowl. It keeps well for several days in the refrigerator and even tastes better the next day after it's had time to marinate. This is such a healthful slaw that it’s worth it to make a large batch once a week and eat a small serving each day at the beginning of your main meal to stimulate the digestive process.
(Note: By the way, if you buy beets with the green tops, don't toss those greens! They're delicious sautéed in butter or bacon fat along with some garlic, salt and pepper!)
Roasted Beets
I often roast beets along with cubed regular or sweet potatoes or butternut squash. Roasted beets, especially when they become slightly caramelized, are like candy to me! I especially love them served on top of a green salad with homemade blue cheese dressing (shown here on my salad along with my bunless burger, homemade ketchup, and the sweet and red potatoes I roasted on the same pan with the beets)!
Roasted Beets
Ingredients
- Beets 2 large or 3-6 small, scrubbed and cubed
- Expeller Pressed Coconut Oil 1 or 2 tablespoons melted (enough to coat the beets)
- Garlic 1 or 2 cloves minced or pressed, or 1/2 to 1 teaspoon Garlic Powder (optional, but so good)
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Toss all ingredients together in a large bowl and spread onto a large baking sheet (line with parchment paper if made of aluminum or if Teflon-coated). Roast in 375 degree oven for 30-45 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a knife and slightly caramelized on the surface. Depending on the size the beets are cut, it may take longer.
Lacto-Fermented Beet Kvass
Beet Kvass is an enzyme-rich, traditional Eastern European tonic that is absolutely teeming with all the vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals in beets plus gut-supportive beneficial bacteria. Its earthy, salty, sour flavor is a bit of an acquired taste, but I encourage you to give it a chance. After a few days you will find yourself craving it. This recipe is found on page 610 of Nourishing Traditions. Sally Fallon recommends drinking a 4-ounce glass, morning and night as a digestive, blood, and liver tonic.
Doesn't this jar of beet kvass look like it needs a superhero cape?
Makes 2 quarts
Lacto-Fermented Beet Kvass
Ingredients
- Beets 3 medium or 2 large organic, peeled and chopped coarsely (see note on peeling beets below)
- Whey 1/4 cup (see note below)
- Sea Salt 1 tablespoon
- Filtered Water
Instructions
- Place beets, whey, and salt in a 2-quart glass container. Add filtered water to fill the container. Stir well and cover securely. Keep at room temperature for 2 days before transferring to refrigerator.
- When most of the liquid has been drunk, you may fill up the container with water and keep at room temperature another 2 days. The resulting brew will be slightly less strong than the first. After the second brew, discard the beets and start again. You may, however reserve some of the liquid and use this as your inoculant instead of the whey.
- Note: do not use grated beets in the preparation of beet tonic. When grated, beets exude too much juice resulting in a too rapid fermentation that favors the production of alcohol rather than lactic acid.
More Notes on beet kvass:
- I usually start with 1 quart and halve this recipe. I fill my jar 1/2 to 2/3 with beets before adding the rest of the ingredients. Large beets are cubed, small beets are quartered. I’ve fermented beet kvass at room temperature with a tight fitting lid and also with just a coffee filter secured with a rubber band as a cover and it’s worked for me both ways. I’ve also let it ferment much longer than two days (a week or more), especially in the winter when room temperature is cooler. You can taste it and transfer it to the fridge (in a glass jar or bottle with a tight fitting lid) when it tastes tart enough for you.
- When the batch is ready I drain most of the kvass out of the jar, transferring it to a new jar to refrigerate immediately so that I can get the next batch of kvass started right away (rather than waiting until the first batch is mostly consumed). I add half the original amount of salt to the second batch, fill with filtered water again, cover tightly and shake to distribute the salt, then place in a cupboard to ferment. The beet chunks can be used for two batches before there’s not enough left in them to contribute any more. After the 2nd batch start the next batch with fresh beets.
- Be sure to leave a small amount (about 1/4 cup per quart) of kvass to kick start (inoculate) the next batch.
- I’ve started kvass without whey and it also works, but if you don’t have some kvass from a previous batch the addition of whey really does help kick start the fermentation. If you don’t have whey you could also use juice from a jar of raw sauerkraut or liquid from a jar of Bubbies pickles (which is a raw, lacto-fermented product sold refrigerated in many stores) or from any other raw fermented veggies. To obtain whey, strain organic full-fat yogurt through an unbleached coffee filter or cloth in a fine meshed strainer placed over a bowl for several hours—I usually let mine strain in the refrigerator overnight. The clear watery liquid in the bowl is whey. Don't toss the thick yogurt left behind! It's delicious mixed with a little honey and vanilla and spread on muffins or toast or on apple slices!
- Once the kvass is placed in the refrigerator I find the flavor improves with age. It keeps for a long time refrigerated, but if you can wait at least a couple days to begin drinking you will probably enjoy the flavor more.
- If you notice a white or pale grey film on top of your fermenting kvass, don’t automatically assume it’s mold. Mold is generally fuzzy, but sometimes a film called kahm, caused from harmless wild yeasts, will develop. You can read about kahm here and then decide for yourself if you want to just skim it off or toss the batch and start over. Personally, I just skim it if it forms unless it's really bad. Usually if I skim it off daily, once the fermentation really kicks in, it stays away (I prefer the flavor of kvass fermented several days). One way to reduce its formation is to use an airlock lid like Pickle Pipes.
- I never peel my beets, regardless of what I'm using them for. Call me a rebel. Besides, the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and detoxification-supporting betalain pigments are even more concentrated in the peels. Bring on the betalain!
- Try flavoring your beet kvass by adding slices of fresh ginger to the beet chunks. You can also mix finished beet kvass with orange juice or other vegetable juices. Some people say that the addition of sliced cabbage to the beet chunks (in the first ferment) improves the flavor but I've never tried it. Give it a try if you don't like the flavor of traditional kvass and comment below on how that worked for you!
- In my experience, after I've made several batches of beet kvass the flavor progressively improves. I don't think this is just a result of my body craving it, but the ferment seems to refine itself after several batches. It becomes more refreshing and even effervescent. Another reason to keep your beet kvass ferment going!
There you have it, 3 of the best recipes for beets — let us know what you think!
Related Posts you might like:
- Nourishing Traditions Sauerkraut
- Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Sweet a Spicy Dipping Sauce
- How to Make Raw Milk Yogurt, Whey, and Cream Cheese or “Yogurt Cheese”
- Top Simple Ways to Boost Your Health with Apple Cider Vinegar — this stuff is amazing. That link has a free printable you can download once you subscribe to Kitchen Kop emails.
About Jill: My husband and I live in Waco, TX, along with our two awesome young adult kids (AND now in Dallas during the 
week while my husband attends chiropractic college). I have a small business selling handmade personal and home care products at our farmer’s market and local retail sites. I am also Kelly’s blog assistant.? I am passionate about real food nutrition, natural health, local food, and I love to cook. Fortunately we have access to lots of local food via Waco’s fantastic year-round farmer’s market, nearby farms, and even a grocery store that sources much of its food locally. See all my posts here.
Tim Robinson says
(Sarah) Started beet kvass yesterday with onions and cabbage.
Jill-David Boman says
Oh yum, Sarah! I’ve never tried it that way before. Is that how you normally do it?
Tim Robinson says
Yes, that is how I normally do it. For me it seems to take away a lot of the saltiness. I love onions but most of my family cannot stand onions. I need to get them somehow!
Jill Boman says
Have you tried including some chopped or shredded cabbage in the ferment along with the beets? I’ve read that improves the flavor, but I haven’t tried it myself. Don’t give up, Christina! I find that my beet kvass’ flavor changes over time.
Christina Stephens says
Hi Kelly. I need some advice. I made the beet kvass from the Nourishing Traditions book but, well, it’s *awful*! Not even my husband will drink it and he loves everything fermented. He said it tastes like beet vinegar. Any hints on what I did wrong? Did I leave it out on the counter for too long?
Jill Boman says
How long did you leave it on the counter for, Christina? The longer anything ferments, generally, the more sour it will become. I usually leave my kvass on the counter for a few days to 1 week. Also, the warmer your house is, the faster it will ferment.
Christina Stephens says
I started it May 1 and put it in the fridge May 6th. I guess that was too long. Superman tried it 2 days later and said it was yucky. I’ll try again soon. I bought the beets at the farmers market and not sure if they were organic anyway.
Thank you!
Amie Adams Green says
Pickled beets. The best
Amie Adams Green says
Grew up loving them but love grandmas pickled beets the best
Tracy says
I am nightshade intolerant the past almost year, so the past month I’ve been using beet marinara and ketchup (purchased to try but going to start making). Yesterday I tried a half oz from a bottle of beet kvass for the first time! This one was also flavored with rosemary and something else. Yes, salty, sour, beets, but it reminded me a bit of sauerkraut juice with that earthy flavor of the beets.
Another way I like them is boiled till mostly soft and toss them on the grill with oil and salt. Try that, folks! ♡ I love them roasted in the oven but grill them and wow.
Going to have to try these recipes soon! I dose lots of beets in our garden. If the snow ever melts off of it. We had a 5′ drift that’s now down to just under 4’….
Tracy says
dose = forsee
Jill Boman says
Ooh, I love the idea of flavoring beet kvass with rosemary! And grilled? I never thought of that, but I’ll bet it’s incredible! Thanks so much for mentioning those great ideas, Tracy! And how cool that you’ve been able to replace tomatoes with beets in marinara and ketchup. I’ve seen recipes like that *somewhere* out there on the web (I couldn’t tell you where exactly at the moment, but a google search should turn some up). You’ll have to hop on here after you harvest all your beets in your garden and share any new recipes you come up with! Can’t have too many beet recipes!
Sarah says
Make sure to source GMO free beets! My mouth is now watering for beet kvass. I am the only one in my family who cares for beets. My favourite way to make kvass is with cabbage and onions. If our local store does not have organic beets and organic cabbage I will have to make a special on Monday to Harvest Health!
Jill Boman says
Beet kvass with cabbage AND onions! I’ll bet that tastes awesome–a more savory and complex flavor! Have you included garlic as well? I’m loving these great ideas! Good point about the GMO issue too, Sarah. Though I’m pretty sure that so far GMO sugar beets are only used for the production of sugar (and that whenever we see “sugar” on a label with an undisclosed source we can assume it’s from GMO Roundup Ready sugar beets), but it pays to stay sharp because you never know when the industry will try to slip another GMO past us! I only buy organic beets–and organic *anything* that I’m fermenting especially–so that I know the natural microbes on the vegetables are going to be conducive to a good ferment.