This garlic mayonnaise beet salad with walnuts and fresh herbs is simple but surprisingly delicious and a perfect side dish to any meal. Its tangy and sweet taste goes exceptionally well with roast beef, pork, ham, turkey or chicken! Try it and it will become your favourite for holiday gatherings!
Here is another beet recipe to try for all beetroot lovers out there! Balsamic Glazed Beets with Goat Cheese and Mint.
The beet salad I am sharing today is the one I grew up eating for every holiday. It’s a staple in most Russian and Ukrainian households. I make it every time I serve a roast dinner as it compliments meat so well. If I don’t, my family and friends ask why it’s not there.
Funnily enough, I was very hesitant for years to share it on my website assuming no one would be convinced how incredible delicious it is based on photos and ingredients alone. This beetroot salad is something you really need to taste to appreciate!
So if you are willing to let me convince you with my words only, I will try.
What goes into beet salad?
This salad has quite an unusual but a very clever ingredient list. It’s all about contrasts of flavours and textures, which work so well.
I used to think I enjoyed it because I acquired a taste for it since childhood. It turns out everyone I serve it to LOVES it. No prior exposure required!
Here is what you will need. Cooked and grated beets, chopped walnuts, fresh parsley and dill. The herbs are actually optional but they do add a burst of freshness to this winter salad.
How do you make garlic mayonnaise dressing?
The dressing is very simple but without an exaggeration the thing that makes this salad.
Just mix mayonnaise, half a clove of pressed garlic, white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard and a tablespoon of water in a mason jar. Don’t be tempted to use an entire clove. A little of garlic goes a long way!
Then give it a good shake until all mixed. You might need to add more water for a desired dressing consistency. Delicious, zippy and refreshing!
How long does beetroot salad last?
This salad will last up 3 to 5 days refrigerated. What is absolutely great about this leftover beet salad is how well it keeps!
It is however, not suitable for freezing.
More Favourite Beet Recipes to Try:
- Beet and Sauerkraut Salad (Russian Vinegret Salad)
- Borscht Recipe
- Beet and Quinoa Salad with Goat Cheese
- Rainbow Slaw with Lemon Garlic Tahini Dressing
Walnut Beet Salad with Garlic Mayonnaise Dressing
Ingredients
- 500g/1lbs beets approximately 4 medium beets
- 65g/1/2cup chopped walnuts plus 1 tbsp for serving
- 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped plus a punch for serving
- 1 tbsp fresh dill, chopped plus a pinch for serving
- salt to taste
- 0.5 clove garlic, pressed
- 125ml/1/2cup mayonnaise (full fat or low fat)
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1 ½ tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp cold water to loosen the dressing
- black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Trim the beet leaves and wash them but do not peel as beetroot tends to bleed when boiled. Keeping the skins on reduces bleeding. Put them in a pot and cover with water, boil for 30 minutes for small beets. Test the doneness by piercing with a knife, the same way you would do with potatoes. Cool completely then peel and grate using a vegetable grater or a food processor, which is my preferred method.
- In a large bowl combine the grated beets, chopped walnuts and the herbs.
- In a mason jar combine the mayonnaise, pressed garlic, white wine vinegar, Dijon mustard and water. Cover with a lid and give a good shake until smooth. Pour the garlic mayonnaise dressing all over the beet salad and mix well. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve sprinkled with 1 tbsp of chopped walnuts and fresh herbs.
Notes
- Alternatively you can use pre-cooked vacuum packed beetroot, which makes this salad a snap to prepare.
- Fresh tarragon could also be used in addition or in place of the dill and parsley.
- Using food processor for grating is the quickest and the least messy way to work with beets. You can also use kitchen gloves to avoid hand staining.
Nutrition
Sylvia says
Can use use white wine instead of white wine vinegar
Julia Frey (Vikalinka) says
Yes, you can Sylvia but you will get less of a punchy flavour!
Diane says
Hello, loved the dish but to me it had a funny aftertaste. I believe that is because of the Dijon mustard of which I am not a big fan of. I increased the white wine vinegar and added a small apple to mask the mustard taste and then absolutely devoured it. I think next time I will just not add the mustard. All in all, a wonderful beet dish. I can’t wait to try your other recipes! Thank you!!
Julia Frey (Vikalinka) says
Hi Diane, that makes sense! I don’t like cloves, so whenever they are listed in a recipe I either exclude them altogether or add a tiny amount! Definitely make it without the mustard next time! I love the addition of an apple. In Russia that salad sometimes is made with prunes and they add a nice sweet and smoky flavour.
Jelena says
Hi, thanks for a lovely recipy. I think of tweaking it a bit to suit пост/lent and need a replacement for mayo. Could I simply use olive oil instead? Thanks in advance/Спасибо 🙂
vikalinka says
You can definitely use olive oil instead, Jelena.
Brittany says
Garlic Mayonaise sounds incredible. I think this recipe would be a huge hit at Thanksgiving! I can’t wait to try it. Thank you for sharing!