This cucumber beetroot salad is light and refreshing, and works so perfectly as a side salad for both summer and holiday meals! Easy to make, packed with veggies and so tasty from a flavorful maple ginger dressing.
Why not check out my mango cucumber salad or my apple cucumber salad for next time!
Beets are always such a popular ingredient here on the site, with my butternut beet salad, beet kale salad and my vegan beetroot risotto being well-loved recipes. Do check them out for more tasty fall flavors!
This cucumber beetroot salad combines the light refreshing cucumber with the more earthy flavor of beets. Simple but delicious, it makes for a tasty side salad to go with meat, fish or plant-based dishes.
If you prefer, you can use beets that are already cooked, such as those in a vacuum pack. You can also make a canned beet salad as an alternative. Just make sure they aren't in vinegar!
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⭐ Why this recipe is so good
Light and refreshing. Although beets have a more earthy flavor, combining them with freshly sliced cucumber and mint leaves makes for a lighter salad. Do check out my cucumber and fennel salad and cucumber pomegranate salad for more refreshing options!
Versatile. Pair this cucumber beet salad with BBQ food in the summer months, or hot mains during the fall and winter.
Easy to make. We simply roast the beets and combine with an easy flavorful maple ginger dressing.
🥒 Ingredients
All the ingredients and their quantities are set out in the recipe card below.
Some notes on a few of them:
- Beets - I like to roast my own beets so grow them myself (or buy in the store!). If it works for you, then canned beets or vacuum-packed beets also works as long as they are plain and not in vinegar.
- Cucumber - I use English cucumber, but Persian cucumber is also delicious!
- Ginger - I suggest using fresh ginger root rather than ground ginger for the dressing. It has a much lighter and zingy flavor.
📖 Swaps and variations
Swap maple syrup for honey. It also works so well with the ginger for the dressing.
Use dill rather than mint. Dill works wonderfully with beets, although you may wish to use a little less ginger as it would compete with the flavor.
Add feta cheese. If it works for you, the addition of feta makes this a more hearty salad. Alternatively, fresh mozzarella cheese would be lovely.
🔪 Step by step instructions
Just a few steps to make this cucumber beetroot salad, and all are easy to do:
Step 1
Prepare the beets. Top and tail the beets, and give them a good scrub to clean. Wrap in foil and place in the oven to roast until easily pierced with a knife (image 1).
Step 2
Slice the beets. Once they have cooled, slice the beets (image 2).
Step 3
Toast the pumpkin seeds. Place in a dry (without oil) pan and heat gently until they start to very slightly brown and pop (image 3).
Step 4
Make the dressing. Grate the ginger, then combine with the other ingredients for the dressing and stir or whisk (image 4).
Combine the cooked beets, cucumber slices, pumpkin seeds and mint leaves on your serving plate and drizzle over the dressing. Serve immediately and enjoy!
💭 Recipe tips and notes
- Wrap the beets fully in foil to roast in the oven.
- Use an apron to prepare the beets, and maybe avoid wearing a white t-shirt as beets are known to stain very easily!
- Check the beets are fully cooked by using a sharp knife to see if they are tender to their centres.
- Arrange the vegetables just before serving as the beets will begin to stain the cucumber slices.
📋 Frequently asked questions
It's down to personal preference whether to peel the cucumber or not. Personally I prefer to do so, but it isn't necessary.
No, it isn't necessary to remove the skins as we are roasting the beets. They are edible and have a soft texture.
It tends to be best to cook beets for salads. You can, however, remove the tough skin with a knife or vegetable peeler and then either spiralize beets or grate them finely into a salad.
You can use beets that have already been cooked, such as canned beets or vacuum-packed beets. Make sure they aren't in vinegar as that would change the flavor a great deal!
If it works for you, you can add cheeses such as feta cheese or fresh mozzarella. Sliced chicken or turkey would also work well. For a vegan beet salad, add toasted nuts or seeds.
🍽 How to serve this sliced beet salad
- Serve as a side salad with meat, fish or plant-based dishes. My rosemary chicken fillets or my pan fried panko herb chicken would be great additions!
- Have a soup and salad lunch, perhaps with my butternut apple soup or my vegan gnocchi soup.
- Enjoy this cucumber beetroot salad during the warmer months as a side salad for BBQ food such as my paprika chicken skewers or honey ginger grilled chicken or for summer picnics.
🥗 More tasty salads
Enjoy choosing from so many flavorful and fun salads here, including my beet and carrot salad, herbed quinoa fennel salad and my roasted fruit caprese salad. Some recent recipes to enjoy:
I'm always in the kitchen, so come join me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest to be the first to hear of new recipes! And please do leave a star rating ⭐⭐⭐ if you've tried the recipe!
📖 Recipe
Cucumber Beetroot Salad
Equipment
- Aluminium foil
Ingredients
- 3 medium beets
- ½ English cucumber skin removed, to preference
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
- 1 tablespoon mint leaves
- 1 cup butter lettuce or arugula
For the maple ginger dressing
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon fresh ginger root grated
- 1 teaspoon maple syrup
- pinch salt
- pinch black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 200C / 390F.
- Prepare the beets by removing their tops and tails. Give them a good scrub to clean. Wrap in aluminium foil and bake for 45-60 minutes until tender when pierced with a sharp knife.
- Once they have cooled, finely slice the beets with a sharp knife.
- Add the pumpkin seeds to a dry pan (without oil) and heat for 4-5 minutes until they begin to very slightly brown and pop. Move them around occasionally to avoid burning.
- Combine the ingredients for the maple ginger dressing and stir or whisk.
- Layer the cucumber and beet slices on your serving plate, and sprinkle over the pumpkin seeds and mint leaves. Drizzle with the dressing and serve immediately.
Notes
- Wrap the beets fully in foil to roast in the oven.
- It isn't necessary to peel the beets. The skins are soft and edible.
- Use an apron to prepare the beets, and maybe avoid wearing a white t-shirt as beets are known to stain very easily!
- Check the beets are fully cooked by using a sharp knife to see if they are tender to their centres.
- Arrange the vegetables just before serving as the beets will begin to stain the cucumber slices if left too long.
- Please note that nutritional information is offered as a courtesy. It is auto-generated and should be understood to be an estimate.
- apple cider vinegar and ginger, which score 1.
- black pepper, which scores 2.
- beetroot scores 0, but is higher oxalate.
Ness says
Dressing was very delicious! I used apple cider vinegar. I added pomegranate seeds and salmon into mine. I’ll definitely be making this again in the future.
Claire says
Lovely to hear that you enjoyed it Ness, and I'll have to try adding some pomegranate too as it sounds delicious!