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This garlic mayonnaise beetroot 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 salad 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 many Eastern European 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 incredibly 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.
Ingredients
I’m convinced that beets – or beetroot – are a deeply under-appreciated root vegetable. Spend time with me and you’ll discover that I love beets, and look for opportunities to use them whenever I can.
The natural sweetness of beets is remarkable, and recipes that harness this can add an incredible shine to all sorts of meals, especially as a way to offset rich, savoury flavours like that of a roast. (Pretty incredible when combined with meat in a soup as well – see borscht for example!)
This beetroot salad has quite an unusual but a very clever ingredient list. It’s all about the 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.
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, This is an affiliate link.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!
It’s a simple but delicious dressing that is worth keeping around for other purposes. Definitely worth using on a whole range of salads!
Recipe Tips and Notes
- I’ve given the recipe for using fresh red beets in this salad, but my preference is actually to use vacuum-packed beetroot, easily found in grocery stores. They’re ready to use and make this salad much, much easier and quicker.
- Using a This is an affiliate link.food processor to grate the beets is another way to make this recipe as easy as possible. It’s much quicker than doing it by hand.
- Beets can stain like nothing else! I keep a set of kitchen gloves on hand for working with beets, and always use an apron.
- Chop the walnuts, but don’t go too hard at it. The pieces should be substantial enough to provide some texture and crunch to the salad. Save a few to sprinkle on the salad before serving.
- Be a bit gentle when tossing the salad. Mix it with a fork or spoon just enough to coat the ingredients with the salad dressing but stopping when this is done.
- For a different take on this salad, try adding feta cheese.
- Fresh tarragon can be used in place of the parsley and dill.
Serving suggestions
I used a similar approach to a beet salad I included in my seafood-based Scandi grazing board, and this would be amazing there too. Because of its complex taste and bright colour, it’s pretty much perfect when added to any kind of grazing spread.
Otherwise, it’s a great side dish, especially with a heavy meat-based dinner. I’ve also eaten it as a light lunch or with a salad, especially when I have leftovers to grab from my fridge.
Storage and leftovers
This beetroot salad will last up 3 to 5 days refrigerated in an This is an affiliate link.airtight container. 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
Equipment
- This is an affiliate link.Food processor
Ingredients
- 500g/1lb 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
- ½ clove garlic, pressed
- 125ml/1/2cup mayonnaise (full fat or low fat)
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 1½ tsp This is an affiliate link.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
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can use use white wine instead of white wine vinegar
Yes, you can Sylvia but you will get less of a punchy flavour!
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!!
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.
Hi, thanks for a lovely recipy. I think of tweaking it a bit to suit ะฟะพัั/lent and need a replacement for mayo. Could I simply use olive oil instead? Thanks in advance/ะกะฟะฐัะธะฑะพ ๐
You can definitely use olive oil instead, Jelena.
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!