This beautiful and tasty arugula beet salad made with beets, goat cheese, and candied walnuts has a delightful balsamic vinaigrette dressing and is perfect as a side salad or as a standalone lunch salad. [Instant Pot and stovetop instruction included for cooking the beets.]
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Table of Contents
Introduction
It seems as though every restaurant I go to these days has some kind of beet dish. Beets have become really popular in recent years; you can find beets in everything from hummus and salads to drinks and even cakes.
I love beets and their distinct, earthy flavor but I don’t cook them very often because my kids don’t really care for them.
So I order beet salads every chance I get when I go out to eat.
The combination of ingredients in this salad with beets is a common one on restaurant menus – arugula, goat cheese, beets, walnuts, and balsamic salad dressing – that are simple and taste perfect together.
One reason people avoid cooking beets is that they can take a long time to cook. There are different ways to cook beets: you can roast beets in the oven, boil beets in water on a stove-top or you can steam beets.
The best and quickest and easiest way to cook beets is to steam beets in the Instant Pot pressure cooker. Instant Pot beets cook in 20 minutes including time to come to pressure. Cooking beets on the stovetop takes almost twice as long.
Beets or beetroots are loaded with healthy vitamins and minerals, and are full of fiber – in other words, beets are good for you! Having this brightly colored superfood in your diet can really pack quite a nutritious punch.
This Arugula salad with beets, goat cheese, and walnuts can be served as a side salad to a main course such as Instant Pot Coq au Vin or Instant Pot Shrimp and Grits.
Tips and Substitutions
Beets
- To make the salad really stand out, try to use different varieties of beets such as yellow and orange beets!
- Pick beets with the greens till attached and with a smooth skin.
- If you don’t use all the Instant Pot beets, you can store the pressure cooked beets in the fridge for a couple of days.
Substitutions
- I sometimes use pecans instead of walnuts and feta cheese instead of goat cheese.
Staining
- Watch out for beet juice – it gets on everything (I speak from experience!) Make sure you use a cutting board or plate to place your beets on, or you might end up staining your countertop.
- If you have trouble getting the stain out of your hands, use lemon juice or try this trick using baking soda.
Beet greens
- Don’t throw away the beet greens and stems. They can be cooked the same way you would cook Swiss chard or other greens: put them in a soup or saute them in olive oil.
FAQS
It could be the size of the beets. Larger beets and older beets are harder to cook. Just pressure cook them for another couple of minutes. Hard water can also affect cooking time.
If you’re new to the Instant Pot and aren’t familiar with how to use it, you might find it helpful to first read one of the following guides and then come back here to learn how to make this recipe.
- Instant Pot DUO Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot ULTRA Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO EVO PLUS Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO NOVA Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO GOURMET Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot DUO CRISP Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot PRO Beginner’s Manual
- Instant Pot PRO CRISP Beginner’s Manual
Beet Salad – Ingredients
- Brown sugar
- Chopped walnuts
- Ghee or butter
- Olive oil
- Balsamic vinegar
- Dijon mustard
- Black pepper
- Sugar
- Salt
- Garlic
- Beets
More details in the recipe card at the bottom of this post
How to Make Instant Pot Beet Salad (Step by Step Instructions)
- Make dressing
- Make candied walnuts
- Place steamer basket in Instant Pot
- Place beets in basket
- Pressure cook
- Release pressure
- Cool beets
- Peel and cut beets
- Assemble salad
Make dressing
- Combine balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, Dijon mustard, garlic, salt, black pepper and sugar using a whisk; set aside.
Make candied walnuts
- Combine butter or ghee, walnuts and brown sugar in a small frying pan.
- Saute until sugar has melted and walnuts are toasted.
- Cool on a silicone mat or parchment paper.
Place steamer basket in Instant Pot
- Rinse the beets and trim the stems of the beets, leaving about 1 inch, (and leave the roots intact.)
- Fill inner pot with 1 cup water.
- Place steamer basket in the inner pot.
Place beets in basket
- Place beets in the steamer basket.
Instant Pot Duo Pressure Cook 15 minutes
- Close the lid and make sure steam release handle is in ‘Sealing’ position
- Press Manual (or Pressure Cook) and + or – until the display reads ‘15′ (15 minutes).
Instant Pot Ultra Pressure Cook 15 minutes
- Close the lid.
- Select Pressure Cook mode and adjust the time to 15 minutes (00:15).
- Press Start.
Pressure Cooking Process (Duo and Ultra)
- Instant Pot display will change to On.
- Once the Instant Pot is pressurized, the float valve will go up.
- The display will count down to 0; it will then switch to Keep Warm mode and display ‘L0:00’ or ’00 00′ and begin to count up the number of minutes since pressure cooking completed.
How to Quick Release Pressure (QR) on the DUO
- Move the steam release handle to Venting. Steam will come out of the steam release handle.
- When your Instant Pot is depressurized, the float valve will be in the down position.
- Press Cancel and open the Instant Pot.
How to Quick Release Pressure (QR) on the ULTRA
- Press down on the Steam Release Button until it locks into place, and steam begins to come out of the Steam Release Valve.
- When your Instant Pot is depressurized, the float valve will be in the down position.
- Press Cancel and open the Instant Pot.
[Find out more about the pressure release methods and how and when to use them. ]
Cool beets
- When cool enough to handle, remove steamer basket from inner pot.
- Cool Instant Pot beets completely.
Peel and cut beets
- Cut off both ends of each beet.
- Peel with a vegetable peeler or remove skin with your hands.
- Cube Instant Pot beets into ½ inch pieces.
Assemble salad
Assemble individual salads:
- Start with a layer of arugula or other greens
- Sprinkle goat cheese, candied walnuts
- Add beet pieces
- Drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing
How to Make Arugula Beet Salad with Stovetop Beets
Make the recipe as directed except boil the beets in a large pot and drain.
- Fill a large pot with water.
- Add the beets to the water.
- Bring the water to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
- Cook beets until tender, about 45 minutes to one hour.
- Carefully drain the beets and allow to cool
See the recipe card below for detailed instructions.
Arugula Beet Salad with Candied Walnuts and Goat Cheese
Equipment
Ingredients
Balsamic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing
- 3 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 4 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder
- ¼ teaspoon granulated sugar
Candied Walnuts
- 1 tablespoon ghee or butter
- 1 cup walnuts chopped
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
Beets
- 6 medium beets
Salad
- 6 cups arugula
- 2 oz goat cheese crumbled
- Candied walnuts
- Beets
- Balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing
Instructions
Balsamic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing
- Combine balsamic vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, Dijon mustard, garlic, salt, black pepper and sugar in a small bowl.
- Stir with a whisk and set aside.
Candied Walnuts
- Combine butter or ghee, walnuts and brown sugar in a small frying pan.
- Saute until sugar has melted and walnuts are toasted.
- Cool on a silicone mat or parchment paper and set aside.
Instant Pot Beets
- Rinse the beets and trim the stems of the beets, leaving about 1 inch. (Leave the roots intact.)
- Fill inner pot with 1 cup water.
- Place beets in a steamer basket in the inner pot.
- Pressure cook for 15 minutes on High Pressure.
- Do a quick release of pressure and open the Instant Pot. [Read More: The Different Pressure Release Methods]
- Press Cancel to turn of Instant Pot. Open the lid and when cool enough to handle, remove steamer basket from inner pot.
- Cool Instant Pot beets completely.
- Cut off both ends of each beet.
- Peel beets with a vegetable peeler or remove skin by hand.
- Cube beets into ½ inch pieces.
Stovetop Beets
- Fill a large pot with water and add the beets to the water.
- Bring the water to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
- Cook beets until tender, about 45 minutes to one hour. Carefully drain the beets and allow to cool.
- Cut off both ends of each beet. Peel beets with a vegetable peeler or remove skin by hand. Cube beets into ½ inch pieces.
Assemble Individual Salads
- Start with a layer of arugula.
- Sprinkle goat cheese and candied walnuts.
- Add beet pieces.
- Drizzle with balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing.
Notes
- Substitute pecans for walnuts if you wish.
- See the blog post for detailed recipe tips.
Nutrition
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I am not a certified nutritionist. I provide my best estimate of nutritional information merely as a courtesy to my readers. If you depend on nutritional information for dietary or health reasons, I suggest using your favorite online nutrition calculator to confirm the nutritional value of this recipe based on the actual ingredients that you use.
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More Instant Pot Side Dishes
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Perfect Instant Pot Mashed Parsnips and Potatoes
Instant Pot Wild Rice with Cranberries and Pecans
sissi
great instructions and super recipe
Paint the Kitchen Red
Sissi, thank you for trying it out and I’m very happy to hear you liked it.
Launa
Excellent salad‼️ The flavor combination is very well balanced. This is a keeper. Thank you.
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thanks, Launa – so glad you enjoyed the recipe. I’ve on beets kick lately and put them in everything!
Eric Post
Is it possible to cook and cut the beets the night before and assemble the salad the next day?
Paint the Kitchen Red
Eric – I do this sometimes. So, yes. Thanks for your question.
Lesley
Fantastic salad, have made 4 times already!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Thanks for the comment, Lesley – I’m so happy you liked it!
Sam
Wow, amazing flavors! And it was really easy to make, thanks to your awesome instructions and beautiful photos! thanks for sharing!
Paint the Kitchen Red
You’re welcome, Sam!
Heather
I made this salad to take to a family event. The whole salad was great: the pepperiness of the arugula contrasts well with the candied walnuts, along with the acidity of the balsamic dressing and the tartness of the goat cheese. But I wanted to comment of the beets. They were amazing! So many people asked how I made them because their consistency was perfect. I never would have thought about using the Instant Pot to cook them had I not found this recipe. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
Paint the Kitchen Red
Heather – you’re so welcome. Comments like yours help out other readers who’re looking at the recipe, so I really appreciate it; thanks for taking the time to comment 🙂
Bruce
A perfect complement to a lazy summer evening meal. Thanks, Bruce
Paint the Kitchen Red
Bruce, I agree! It’s a very refreshing salad. Thanks for taking the time to comment.