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Here’s our step by step tutorial on how to boil beets on the stovetop until they’re perfectly tender! This easy method is perfect for adding this bright root vegetable to salads, side dishes, soups, and more.
Looking to cook up some beets? Alex and I are big fans of this nutritious pink root vegetable (after years of avoiding it!). We love eating it in anything from a beet salad to soup to beet hummus.
There are several ways to cook beets: you can roast them or pressure cook them. But one of the quickest ways is to boil them on the stovetop! Boiling beets is simple and quick: it’s our favorite method when we’re in a hurry.
How long to boil beets?
Boiling beets is a fast and easy method: small beets boil in about 20 minutes, medium beets in 30 minutes, and large beets in 40 minutes.
Compared to about 1 hour to roast beets, it’s a big time savings! Making oven roasted beets does accentuate their sweet flavor a bit more, so that’s our preferred method. But if you’re in a hurry, boiling beets is the way to go.
How to boil beets: a tutorial
We recommend cooking up a big batch of boiled beets, and then keeping them in the refrigerator for the week. Cooked whole beets will keep about 3 to 5 days in a sealed container. (Oh and make sure to make some beet hummus! You’ll thank us later.) Now, ready to get started?
Step 1: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Wash the beets. Then trim off all but about 1 inch of the beet greens. Leaving on the stem helps keep too much red juice from “bleeding” out while boiling beets, but there will still be some leakage into the water.
Step 2: Boil 20 to 40 minutes until tender when pierced with a knife. Smaller beets take about 20 minutes, medium beets about 30 minutes and large beets about 40 minutes or more.
Step 3: Allow the beets to cool for a few minutes. Then place them under cool water and rub off the skins with your fingers. Watch out: this process is a little messy! You’ll want to take care not to splash too much, and wipe up any beet juice stains right away. The beet juice will eventually wash off of your hands.
Storing leftovers
You can serve the boiled beets right away. Or, keep them refrigerated in a sealed container for 3 to 5 days to use in recipes throughout the week (keep them whole to stay the freshest).
Tips
- You can save the beet greens: here’s the best recipe for beet greens!
- Here’s how to store beets if you’re not using them all.
Ways to use boiled beets
Once you’re done boiling beets, you can use them in so many different ways! Here are some of Alex and my favorite beet recipes:
- Salad. Our favorite is this Beet Salad, starring greens, tangy dressing, and crunchy pistachios. Or try this Arugula Beet Salad.
- With goat cheese. Go for Beets with Goat Cheese: slice them into rounds and top with goat cheese, chives, and a drizzle of olive oil.
- As hummus. Boiled beets add a bright pink color to Creamy Beet Hummus.
- In a veggie burger. Try these Smoky Black Bean and Beet Burgers.
- In brownies. How much fun do these Sneaky Beet Brownies sound?
Of course, you probably have your own favorite ways to use this healthy root vegetable! Tell us in the comments below.
Dietary notes
This boiled beets recipe is vegetarian, gluten-free, plant-based, dairy-free, and vegan.
Frequently asked questions
Boiling beets is a quicker and easier method than roasting, especially if you’re short on time. It also helps retain their vibrant color and nutrients.
No, it’s best to leave the skin on while boiling as it helps prevent the beets from bleeding and losing their color. You can easily peel them after they’re cooked.
Beets are done when they are fork-tender. Insert a fork into the thickest part of the beet; it should slide in easily with little resistance.
Yes, you can freeze boiled beets. Peel and cut them into desired shapes, then store them in a freezer-safe container or bag for up to 3 months.
How to Boil Beets
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 1 to 8 1x
Description
Here’s our step by step tutorial on how to boil beets on the stovetop until they’re perfectly tender! This easy method is perfect for adding this bright root vegetable to salads, side dishes, soups, and more.
Ingredients
- 1 to 8 beets
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Wash the beets. Then trim off all but about 1 inch of the beet greens. Leaving on the stem helps keep the beets from “bleeding” out too much red juice, though they will still bleed into the water. (You can save the beet greens: here’s the best recipe for beet greens!)
- Once the water is boiling, add the beets. Boil 20 to 40 minutes until tender when pierced with a knife. Smaller beets take about 20 minutes, medium beets about 30 minutes and large beets about 40 minutes or more.
- Allow the beets to cool for a few minutes, then place them under cool water and rub off the skins with your fingers. (It’s a little messy and your fingers will get a little stained, but it’s ok! The beet juice washes off.)
- Season with salt as desired. Serve immediately, or keep them refrigerated in a sealed container for 3 to 5 days (keep them whole to stay the freshest).
- Category: Cooking Method
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: Vegetarian
I wash the beets and peel them then cut into pieces … then boil the beets. Once tender I keep the beets in a glass jar and add the boiled water into the jar then store in fridge.
Couple of days and. I start drinking the beet water regularly and add other juice to it like pomegranate or lemonade.
Let me know if that’s a good idea?!
Got beets in my CSA share this week
Making pickle
I make a beet soup / borscht
Very simple , few ingredients with fresh cooked beets. Thanks for your way of boiling beets. Use the liquid too .
I am cooking beets today so we can have them with skordalia and our aloo gobi + brown rice for dinner. :) Couldn’t remember how long to boil them.
I’m boiling beets today to make Hungarian Borscht.
Thanks for the tips.
~ Mary Lou
What about picking? This is my favorite. I could use the best recipe. I always end up having to add more vinegar or sugar at a later date. I leave them in the refrigerator and they last until July.
I want them because they are a good source of nitrate which is a precurser in the creation of NO ( nitric oxide ) which has shown to be beneficial for cardiovascular health. I also just like them.
to make Ukrainian borscht
We love beetroot I boil it with orange peel salt and half an onion makes a nice flavour .. thanks for your recipe advice
making pickled beets and hard boiled eggs to snack on .
Should you cover the saucepan with a lid when boiling/simmering?
Not needed!
Got a basket from out Farmers Market! Always loved beets and the fresher the better! Going to try some of these great recipes. Definitely buying more on our next visit this week!!! Thank you!!👍🏻❤️
Asked on your site ” Why I am boiling beets?”<
Love them pickled , so I was trying to do a batch like my Grandmother used to make.
Of course I won't be able to make like she used to but. I want to try.
Enjoy!
Reason, I’m boiling beets or any other way of cooking them, is simply because I love beets, so darn good, and good for you. !!!
i love boiled beetroot is my life i love boiled beetroot mm chesburger
Why do you add salt when boiling the beets?
It allows for best flavor of the boiled beets!
Easy to follow and delicious
Ty
My husband and I love red beets , we grew them the first time this year , we must have done something wrong , I only got 3 , but it’s ok , I think I’ll make pickled eggs , thank you , you guys look happy ! We are happy our children are all grown, we have 11 grandchildren we hardly see , I’m not good at this social media, I hope before we pass , we get to off the grid and live in a small camper , God Bless you , be safe and stay happy
Too hot to roast ’em, so boiling it is. Gonna make Harvard Beets for dinner.
I received four beets in last weeks CSA. The greens and stems were amazing sautéed with chopped garlic scapes in olive oil. These few boiled beets will be roughly chopped into a random dice using two knives, and served hot, sprinkled with white vinegar and salt and pepper. My Mom preferred hers with butter instead of vinegar. This is nostalgia food for me. The way my Mom always prepared them for us when we were kids, some sixty years ago. I hope I get more beets this week!
Boiling beets is the way my mother always cooked them. I’ve roasted them, but I prefer them boiled although I cannot taste a difference.
I am boiling some small beets which I have quartered before boiling. They have been at a rapid boil, at sea level, for over an hour and a half. They are still difficult to penetrate with a fork (and with teeth). Your instructions suggest a much shorter cooking time. What gives?
That’s very unusual! Those must have been some seriously tough beets — were they home grown?
A friend of mine said she always boils her beets. I have been baking them and it takes a long time. Will be boiling them tonight for the first time.
I am trying beets for the first time
We live in Houston Tx. It’s too warm to use an oven April thru September.
Thank you for the recipe 👍
I cook beets to slice and add to a swiss cheese sandwich. I dont know anyone else who does that but i grew up in England and i loved these sandwiches with some mayo or salt, however you like to spruce up the flavor
My favorite sandwich enhancer is balsamic vinegar with oregano!
Sounds great!
I love beets in a little vinegar and I’m preparing for surgery, so I’m upping my veggies. Beets are probably my favorite vegetable, I also have broccoli, kale, bell peppers, tomatillo, carrots, apples,banana and hicama on the menu for the rest of the week and years!
My girlfriend read they may help me maintain an erection.
(fingers crossed)
Hi guys! I’m boiling beets to make a Haitian beet salad. I haven’t made them in a while, and I wanted to make sure I had the boil-time correct. :). thanks!
I am boiling beets to make a European salad with boiled eggs, carrots and potatoes with little bit of Mayo :) or just peas and beets with Mayo salad :)
I’m boiling to make beet salad. My grandma made very basic. Beets, mayonnaise, salt & pepper
Thanks so much for instructions on boiling beets. We received several small beet roots today and will be trying them in hummus and muffins or brownies.
Just wanted to know how to boil. Just having with a meal. I grew up with beets from my moms garden. Would love to make pickled beets sometime. My father loved them
Freshly picked from my Allotment. I’m boiling them for two reasons. 1, I’m wanting to eat healthier rather than than just chucking them into a roasting time and the second reason is that I’m pickling the other half and canning them.
my neighbour has an allotment so she gave me some to try. I have never boiled beetroot before. Wish me luck
What i have found. Is that spray nine cleaner spray works wonders on beet and Turmeric juices. They disappear gone :)
I’m boiling beets to make a purée.
Listened to a program on BBC Radio 4 which went into their health benefits. Decided to give it a go.
I saw the bundle of baby beets in the supermarket and it reminded me of the times I got my hand slapped for trying to get the warm beets as my grandma peeled them.
They are on the stove for my supper..They won’t last long enough to go in the fridge !!
Thank you from Mid Wales UK
Use cooked beets to make Harvard Beets, which we love or pickle a few and keep in refrigerator.
I’m boiling beets to put in smoothies to lower my blood pressure but can’t have the oxalates because I tend to get kidney stones and boiling supposedly gets rid of it.
I’m making a “Beet, Lentil & Spinach Salad w/Pomegranate Dressing” because it’s Summer in Oztraylia at the moment)! Recipe as per this Chef’s weblink (it looks amazing): https://www.feastingathome.com/beet-lentil-spinach-salad/
I am boiling beets to make Rosolli Salad.
I’m boiling beets to use in plant-based “meatballs”!
I am disappointed that there is no mention as to if the beet should be covered by the boiling water.
Yes the beets should be covered by the boiling water! Since the recipe calls for a large pot of boiling water, this should be enough to cover the 1 to 8 beets specified in the recipe. Let us know if you have any more questions!
making beetroot and apple chutney – delicious
I cook them then slice them real thin and a onion slice real thin use pesto for the condiments and there is your healthy sandwich.salt and pepper to your taste. Yummy
Sounds delish!
I make a boiled beet and boiled egg chopped salad.
We boil beets and love them. Question is more about the remaining red water. Is that healthy to drink the boiled beet water?
I’m not sure! It probably has some of the nutrients.
I’m boiling to make soup – Irish chef Clodagh McKenna’s recipe
I boiled my beet then cooled and cut in medium pieces the added equal amounts of boiled water and vinegar and bottled for the winter.So good !!!!
Thank you very much💕🙏
I usually do a wonderful beet smoothie but I love beet salad. Thought I would make one for dinner.
Boiling so I can fry them for supper tonight.
I am boiling beets to make “cream” of beet soup. I sauté onion and garlic in olive oil then add chicken broth a couple of peeled and diced potatoes and boil til potatoes are done. Then I add cooked cubed beats and return to boil until heated through. Then purée the whole beautiful mess into a ruby blissful soup! A dollop of sour cream and some chopped chives on each serving tops it off.
I just tried your boiling beets recipe. It was easy peasy. Thank you very much!
Cooking beets to pickle them
cooking them to make pickled beets
I followed your directions. They were easy. After cooking, I cut up my beets into pieces, added salt, pepper, fine extra virgin olive oil and fine basalmic vinegar. Served with a creamy goat cheese. Delicious. Thank you for the instructions.
Boiling beets from a friend’s CSA harvest – going to make Harvard beets to accompany grilled lamb chops and zucchini.
Making Pickled Beets. I hope they turn out as good as my Mom’s were when I was growing up.
So many beets from the CSA! Boiling for salads – I’ll make with goat cheese always, then sometimes with salmon or pistachios.
I would like to save my beets to roast when frozen,can iboil them less
I Just pulled 2 from the garden, boiling them now ready for tonight’s meal.
I’m making pickled red beets and with pickled red beet eggs.
basic ingredient for “Saltibarciai”
We’ll have to try that!
I’m boiling beets to mix with an orange sauce and orange chunks. The beets I have are huge and have been boiling an hour as opposed to the 25 minutes the recipe said. You post confirms for me I’m not doing anything wrong. I just need to keep being patient.
Very easy to understand also other ways to cook beetroot and different ideas how to use then.
I usually boil about 6 beets, peel them, slice, and while still a little warm put them in the juice of 1 fresh orange and about a half cup of red wine vinegar. Then add about 1/3 cup sugar and shakeit up…Voila! Homemade pickled beets!
But today while buying the beets the lovely Polish lady next to me was buying a horseradish root and told me how delicious it is with grated cooked beets…
SO I am boiling beets to check it out!
I boil them and freeze them in small portion size for my smoothies
I am boiling beets because I LOVE THEM!!!! Fresh beets are one of my favorite foods.
I’m boiling rainbow beets and will then pickle them with some spices.
Going to make beetroot chutney for christmas.
Making borscht. Julian cooked beets with cabbage, saurkraut. Some beat juice too. Fabulous so tasty
Once cooked am going to slice and put into jars and cover them with spiced vinegar for christmas
I’m boiling beets because they are a few days old snd I dint want them to go bad.
Boiling beets because I was given a good amount of them from a friend who’s family has a farm. I have been looking over the recipes you listed and am excited to try some! Also, my children love smoothies and I hear they are also a great addition to them and are super healthy! Win win!!
Boiling beets to make Ukrainian Beet/Horseradish relish.
Yup, Romanians also use it like that: grated boiled beets, grated horseradish, a bit of vinegar and sunflower seeds oil (or any kind, depending on what country you’re in) – mix them together and let them rest in the fridge to get the horseradish spice infused into the beets; it’s usually served with meats.
October 2, 2020:
Preparingfor Ukrainian Borscht Soup
Boiling them to eat! Yummy 😋
Cloves for pickled beets (along with vinegar sugar salt and pepper)
I m boiling beets to detox my liver.
My husband is saying that I need to cook beets and serve with vinegar, brown sugar & spices. What spices.
Never heard of this way before.
Just because we like beets and they were right there before our eyes in the grocery store.
I’m boiling beets for canning. :)
Gonna try a beetroot punch