Roasted Beets get a bad reputation, and one that they don't deserve, because they are built from the start without flavor. My recipe wraps them in foil with butter, garlic, and thyme before finishing them with a honey lemon glaze. It is a simple make-ahead side dish, and the beets can be used in my Arugula Beet Salad the next day.
Roasted Beets At A Glance
- 🕐 Total Time: 75 minutes (15 min prep + 60 min cook)
- 🍽️ Yields: 4 servings
- 🍅 Cuisine Type: Mediterranean-inspired side dish
- 🧅 Flavor Profile: Deeply savory and sweet from foil-roasted beets, brightened by a honey lemon glaze with a tangy edge from apple cider vinegar
- 🥛 Dietary Info: Contains dairy (butter); naturally gluten-free
- 📦 Storage Notes: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days
- ⭐ Why You'll Love It: The glaze is built in the skillet, not just drizzled on, so it actually clings to the beets instead of pooling at the bottom of the bowl
Beets' natural pairing is with goat cheese, which is why it shows up in my Quinoa Salad with Beets. If you would like a brighter, more acidic finish than the honey glaze, try my Apple Cider Salad Dressing after the beets have been sliced.
Jump to:
These beets hold their own next to a simple main dish. Greek Chicken brings the same Mediterranean flavor or Salmon Piccata echoes the lemon in the beets. For a larger spread, start with the Marinated Artichokes to bring this meal to life.
Key Ingredients
You will need the following ingredients to make this roasted beets recipe:
- Beets - I kept the beets whole and roasted them tightly wrapped in foil rather than peeling and cubing them first. I found that cubing them first dried out the beets, and they lost their concentrated sweetness. By wrapping the beets and roasting them, they kept their moisture, and they gained a deep caramelized flavor.
- Honey - Honey turned this recipe into a plain roasted beet recipe into a flavor-packed side dish. I added it after roasting so it didn't burn in the oven, which is a common mistake for honey-glazed vegetables.
- Apple Cider Vinegar - Using a small amount of apple cider vinegar in the glaze kept the dressing from becoming one-note and overly sweet. I tested this with other vinegars and found that many of the vinegars were too strong and you couldn't taste the other flavors.
See the recipe card for quantities.
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Variations
- Butter - You can easily swap this for olive oil
- Honey - Maple Syrup works in the glaze if you prefer though you will lose the floral note.
- Apple Cider Vinegar - White wine vinegar is the closest or use a fresh lemon juice as a swap.
- Orange Zest - You can add some orange zest to the glaze for a more citrus-forward sauce.
How To Make Roasted Beets: Step-By-Step
Here are some quick visual instructions. Remember that full instructions with the exact ingredients are in the printable recipe card:
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the beets on a large piece of aluminum foil. Add the olive oil, butter, salt, pepper, thyme, and garlic. Toss the beets to coat them evenly. Wrap the foil packet tightly but leave a little room for steam to build.
Step 2: Place the packets on a baking sheet and roast for 35-50 minutes, or until the beets are fork-tender. Let the packets rest unopened for 10 minutes. Once they are cool enough to handle, unwrap the packet and rub the skins off with a paper towel. Discard the thyme and garlic.
Step 3: Slice the beets into bite-size pieces and place them in a skillet with the butter, honey, lemon juice, and apple cider vinegar. Toss them over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until the glaze clings to every piece and looks glossy.
Step 4: Finish them with flaky sea salt, black pepper, and a few thyme leaves before serving.
Gwen's Pro Tip
Glaze the beets while they are still warm from roasting and not after they have cooled. This will allow the glaze to cling to the beets and not pool at the bottom of the bowl.
Roasted Beets FAQ's
Yes, roast and peel the beets and then refrigerate them. Reheat the beets in the skillet before adding the glaze ingredients and right before serving. The beets should be warm to the touch before you glaze them.
No. They are a lot easier to peel if you roast them in the foil with the peel on. The skin will keep the beets from drying out.
Honey will caramelize quickly once it hits a hot pan. Keep the pan on medium heat and pull the skillet once the glaze looks glossy and clings to the beets.
Other Delicious Side Dishes
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Thank you!
Gwen
Roasted Beets With A Garlic, Thyme, Honey Glaze
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Equipment
Ingredients
Beets
- 2 pounds beets tops removed and scrubbed clean
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter cut into pieces
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper
- 2 garlic cloves lightly smashed
Honey Lemon Glaze
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons honey or more if you like them sweeter
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- If the beets are large, cut them in half. Leave the small and medium beets whole. Place them on a large sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil.2 pounds beets
- Add the olive oil, butter, salt, pepper, thyme sprigs, and garlic, then toss to coat.2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon fresh ground pepper, 2 garlic cloves
- Wrap the foil tightly into a sealed packet, leaving a little room for steam.
- Place the packet on a baking sheet and roast for 35-50 minutes, or until the beets are fork-tender.
- Let the packet rest unopened for 10 minutes. Carefully unwrap and, once cool enough to handle, rub off the skins with a paper towel or your hands.
- Slice or quarter the beets into bite-sized pieces. Place chopped beets in a skillet and discard the thyme sprigs and garlic.
- Add the butter, honey, lemon juice, and apple cider vinegar.1 tablespoon unsalted butter, 3 tablespoons honey, 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- Heat the skillet over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until the glaze clings to every piece and the beets are glossy.
- Finish with flaky sea salt, freshly cracked black pepper, and a few fresh thyme leaves before serving.
Notes
- Store. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Do not freeze.
- Reheat gently in a skillet to re-glaze rather than in the microwave, which can dry them out.
- Make Ahead. This recipe works well made a day ahead through the roasting step, then glazed just before serving by reheating the beets in a skillet and then adding the glaze ingredients.
- Size matters for even cooking. Cut large beets in half so everything finishes at roughly the same time. Leaving small and medium ones whole is fine; the goal is uniform size across the packet.
- Don't over-caramelize the glaze. Five to eight minutes in the oven or two to three minutes in a skillet is all it needs. The honey burns fast, watch it the entire time and pull it the moment it looks glossy and clinging rather than wet and liquid.
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