This roasted beet and arugula salad with maple balsamic vinaigrette, pecans, goat cheese, and dried cranberries is so flavorful and hearty. It’s one of those recipes that’ll have even the biggest beet naysayer reaching for another portion!
You’re looking at one of my all-time favorite salad recipe to enjoy year round!
This Arugula Beet Salad features two of my favorite vegetables: juicy sweet red beets and peppery arugula.
While beets taste the sweetest when they are in season during the mid-summer through late fall, they are easy to find at the grocery store throughout the whole year.
Major bonus: Beets are loaded with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Plus, they’re naturally anti-inflammatory, and they’re even a great source of fiber!
This fancy-feeling Arugula Beet Salad combines perfectly roasted beets with fresh arugula, creamy goat cheese, maple candied pecans, sweet dried cranberries, and a mouthwatering homemade easy balsamic dressing.
The beets are incredibly juicy and filling, making this salad feel like a main course all by itself! Toasted maple pecans and dried cranberries add warmth, sweetness and a satisfying crunch, and the arugula adds a whole lot of peppery freshness.
Ready to dive in? Let’s discuss the simple ingredients for this unique and delicious beet goat cheese salad!
Ingredients for Arugula Beet Salad
Baby Arugula: Fresh and peppery, arugula is such an underrated salad leaf. The slightly bitter flavor complements the sweeter beets beautifully!
Beets: Red beets are high in folate, manganese, potassium, copper, magnesium, vitamin C, iron, and vitamin B6. Basically, they are nutritional powerhouses! And we’ll be roasting them to bring out their gorgeously caramelized sweetness! Use golden beets if you prefer.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Balsamic Vinegar: A classic duo that forms the base of our maple balsamic vinaigrette.
Pure Maple Syrup: One of the key flavors in this roasted beet arugula salad. It’s the hero ingredient in both the vinaigrette and the maple-toasted pecans. It infuses the whole dish with a gentle yet complex sweetness that’s addictively good.
Ground Cinnamon: The light heat of cinnamon complements the subtle maple syrup. Imagine a sticky cinnamon bun, but in salad dressing form!
Stone Ground Mustard: Adds a rustic warmth to the maple balsamic dressing. Use Dijon mustard instead if you’d like.
Raw Pecans: Toast them up with maple syrup and ground cinnamon to create crunchy, candied flavor bombs!
Avocado Oil: This oil is perfect for making our maple toasted pecans because it has a high smoke point and neutral flavor.
Sea Salt: A pinch of salt complements and enhances the sweetness of our candied pecans.
Goat’s Cheese: Rich and tangy – perfect for crumbling over your salad!
Dried Cranberries: A handful of dried cranberries brings a punchy tartness that completes the flavor profile.
Fresh Cracked Pepper: Add black pepper to taste!
Recipe Customizations
- Add an animal protein to the salad to make it a more filling, complete meal. Honey Garlic Baked Chicken Thighs, rotisserie chicken and My Go-To Crispy Salmon are great options!
- This recipe works whether your beets are warm or cold. This allows you to roast the beets a day or two in advance, saving time on the day.
- Feta cheese or gorgonzola cheese is an easy substitute for goat’s cheese.
- Swap out the balsamic vinegar for apple cider vinegar or lemon juice.
- Use baby spinach or spring greens instead of arugula if you prefer.
- Buy pre-cooked beets from the grocery store to save time.
- Use your favorite nut or seed, like crunchy walnuts, crunchy pistachios, sunflower seeds, or pumpkin seeds.
- Add roasted sweet potatoes or use them in lieu of beets.
How to Roast Beets
- Option 1: Roast your beet like you would a potato! Poke it with a fork, then wrap it in foil and roast in the oven at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 90 minutes, until fork tender.
- Option 2: This is my preferred method. Chop the beets into wedges using a sharp knife, then wrap the wedges in an aluminum foil packet. Place the packet on a baking sheet, and roast for 35 to 40 minutes. Both methods will taste the same, but one is twice as quick as the other!
How to Make Roasted Beet Arugula Salad
Begin by roasting the beets using your preferred method (see above!).
While the beets are roasting, mix together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, Dijon mustard, and ground cinnamon to form your vinaigrette.
Next, toast the pecans in a skillet with avocado oil, maple syrup, ground cinnamon, and sea salt over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to prevent burning, and remove the nuts when they become toasted and sticky.
Add the baby arugula to a large bowl and toss in the vinaigrette.
Follow this with the beets, toasted pecans, dried cranberries, and goat cheese.
Give everything a good mix to coat in the dressing, then serve!
For a beautiful presentation, lay out the dressed arugula on a serving platter and arrange the rest of the ingredients on top.
If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 12 hours. While beets are hearty enough to store for up to 1 week, the arugula begins to wilt fairly quickly.
Recipe Tips
- Roast the beets ahead of time to allow them to cool. They can be roasted up to 5 days in advance.
- Toss in any of your favorite vegetables. Avocado, carrots, cucumbers, and sprouts are amazing additions.
- Be careful to use a surface you don’t mind staining when chopping the beets (an old cutting board works great). Use gloves if you don’t want your hands to be stained red for a few hours.
This wholesome and filling beet and arugula salad is one of my go-to recipes during beet season. Let me know in the comments if you give it a try!
The perfect side dish for beat lovers, I’m willing to bet your whole family will love this beautiful salad! I see it as the perfect salad for a dinner party when you’re looking for a gorgeous side dish that also tastes amazing.
Can’t get enough of this roasted beet arugula salad? Here are five more fabulous recipes that use beetroot!
More Beet Recipes:
- Roasted Beet Salad with Whipped Ricotta and Citrus Dressing
- Roasted Beet and Herbed Vegan Ricotta Crostini
- Beet Pesto Pizza with Kale and Goat Cheese
- Broccoli Beet and Kale Brown Rice Bowls with Pesto
- Roasted Beet and Garlic Hummus
Arugula Beet Salad Recipe
Ingredients
For the Salad:
- 10 ounces baby arugula
- 3 large beets peeled and roasted
For the Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette:
- ¼ cup olive oil
- ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons stone ground mustard
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Maple Toasted Pecans:
- 1 cup raw pecans
- 2 tsp avocado oil
- 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup
- 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
For Serving:
- 1/2 cup goat cheese crumbles or feta cheese
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries juice-sweetened recommended
- Fresh cracked pepper
Instructions
Roast the Beets:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Scrub the beets and wrap each in aluminum foil. Place beets on a baking sheet and roast until very soft when poked with a fork, about 90 minutes. Allow beets to cool enough to handle. Unwrap them from the foil, peel them using a potato peeler or paring knife, and chop them into wedges.
Make the Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette:
- Add all ingredients for the vinaigrette to a small blender and blend until smooth.
Toast the Pecans:
- Add the ingredients for the maple toasted pecans to a small skillet and heat over medium-high. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the pure maple syrup comes to a full boil, begins to burn off, and the nuts become toasted and sticky. Be careful to keep a watchful eye on the nuts, and constantly stir to avoid burning them!
Prepare the salad:
- Add the arugula to a large serving bowl and toss in desired amount of Maple Balsamic Vinaigrette.
- Serve salad with roasted beet wedges, toasted pecans, dried cranberries, and goat cheese.
I don’t even like beets that much but I am so down for this super fall themed salad!
So glad to hear you’re jonesing after the salad – it really is magnificent, and beets have been so fab lately! Enjoy!
I’ll take a free salad any day. Beets are one of my favorite veggies, and I absolutely love them roasted. Mmm, that vinaigrette takes it over the top.
The vinaigrette is amazeballs, girl! So slurpable, it’s not even funny.
I friggin love reading what you write and staring at your pretty pictures. Can we take a vaca break and brew kombucha, make homemade soap, and douse ourselves in salad all day PUHLEASE?!
Oh gawl yes! Life should be made out of kombucha, soap, and salad… and coffee. And wine. But that’s it, that’s ALL we need!
This salad is to die for! Those beets are perfection. So beautiful!
Thanks so much, Katya! Let me know if you take ‘er for a spin!
I LOVE that you just said uuuuge, lol!! I think it’s hilarious when people don’t pronounce the “h”. Sigh, you always know how to me make me laugh. 😉
Yes, I agree, meaty beets are of the chisel!
That shot of steaming wedgies is making me crave one so bad right now. And with the maple balsamic dressing…ugh. Deeeelish!
So glad you get a kick out of uuuuuge too. I feel like the meaning of the word is so dramatic that you may as well go overkill with the whole thing but sucking in the h and letting all your air out in the one word. Lets eat some uuuuge beets with all zee dressing. MMMers. mmmm.
I’m getting around 5 GIANT beets a week in my CSA box, so, yeah, I totally need all the beet recipes I can find. This salad looks like perfection!
Ah jeez, I’m jealous of your CSA box! Let me know how you like the salad!
I’m not a big fan of arugula (it’s easy for me to get too much of it), but this dressing sounds absolutely awesome. I’m sure I’ll find a way to use it. And it sounds perfect for this salad.
Thanks, Susan! I’ve tried the salad with mixed greens and dino kale too, and really liked it. So glad you like the dressing – it’s seriously a winner!
This such a pretty salad. I love the combination of warm beets and goat cheese.
So glad you like it. Not everyone is up for a warm salad, but I say bring them on! Enjoy xo
I absolutely LOVE roasted beets! They always find their way into my grocery bag at the farmers market! And yes, wedgies for all of us!
Oh I love this pairing! Beets and goat cheese with walnuts are my favorite. LOVE this!
Perfect timing! Looks so good. Here on Vancouver Island our gardens are still unbelievably producing! I have a whole row of arugula and lots of beets still growing, so now I know I can simply combine the two and make your salad. Thanks!
This looks perfect. Meaty beets galore!
OMG beet salads are essential to my well being! Love that you serve the beets warm in this. Such a change! And that dressing yum! Thanks for sharing this salad is on my to make list!
My favorite type of salad is meaty non-meat salads! This recipe speaks to my heart and seriously can I just drink that dressing? Perfect. Pinning now and making it this week!
Sometimes I just don’t know what to do with beets, they are so pretty but how do I use allll the prettiness they bring? This salad looks PERFECT! p.s. I fully appreciate that you used the word ‘wedgies’ multiple times in this : )
Oh youv’ve come to the right place, sister! I absolutely love beets, but I fall into the same trap of running ideas for what to do with them. Let’s put our heads together and come up with the best beet wedgie recipes evah!!
I needed this salad recipe. Only I think I’ll use a half of my beet, which should equal your three large beets. Stephie and Alex were amazed at the size of my beets yesterday.
GAH I wish I was able to see those beets in person slash have one/ten of my own. I think you’ll love this salad! It’s so simple, but everything jives super well. The dressing?! Sluuurp, I could drink it through a straw!
I forgot to mention–my beets were white!! Who knew? Have you had them? They are milder than their red cousin (sister? mate? what the heck would it be?) and not nearly as pretty. Hey. They were 25 cents, and still quite good. And, yes! Beet wedgies would be the thing to have! (although I was being lazy and just diced them. But that big makes it harder to wedge).
Completely white?! I’ve seen the chioggia beets that are white and pink striped, but never an all-white beet. I must find an albino beet! And yeah, when they’re that big, they’d probably take like 2 hours to roast in their whole-form, which is just.too.much!