Colorful Beet Salad with Carrot, Quinoa & Spinach
Reset with this healthy superfood salad featuring raw beets, carrot, quinoa, spinach, edamame and avocado. It's as colorful as it is nutritious!
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on August 1, 2024
Reset with this healthy beet salad recipe featuring superfoods like carrot, quinoa, spinach, edamame and avocado. This salad is as flavorful and nutritious as its bold colors would suggest.
This beet salad is tender, crisp and irresistible! The light apple cider, lime and herb dressing brings it all together.
Yesterday was not my day. I stayed up too late the night before (will I ever learn?). I ate lasagna for breakfast, forgot several important items on my grocery list, and fell over in yoga class. More than once. Maybe it was a normal day after all.
I managed to piece together this mega colorful beet salad with ingredients from the store and some substitutions based on what I had at home.
It’s a meal-in-a-bowl version of my simple beet and arugula salad that helped me find some much-needed balance during my totally ungraceful day. The recipe comes from a brand new cookbook called Inspiralized, by my friend Ali Maffucci.
Beet Salad Tips
The original recipe called for two beets instead of one beet, one carrot, and chopped mint instead of cilantro. I toasted the nuts (it’s a pain, but adds so much flavor!) and tinkered with the dressing a bit. I love how it turned out!
I don’t have a spiralizer (the contraption that turns vegetables into noodles), so I picked a recipe that didn’t necessarily require one (although, if you’re buying the book, you’ll need a spiralizer as well). I made do with my mandoline and julienne peeler. (This post contains affiliate links.)
All that said, don’t worry if you don’t have any of those things! You can make this salad with a sharp chef’s knife as well. (Or better yet, Charlotte grated the beet and carrot on her box grater!)
Watch How to Make Colorful Beet Salad
Please let me know how this salad turns out for you in the comments! I love hearing from you.
Craving more colorful, healthy recipes? I think you’ll love my cookbook! Here are a few more options on the blog:
- Simple Beet, Arugula and Feta Salad
- Peanut Slaw with Soba Noodles
- Colorful Chopped Salad with Carrot Ginger Dressing
- Build-Your-Own Buddha Bowl
- Veggie Sushi Bowls
Colorful Beet Salad with Carrot, Quinoa & Spinach
Reset with this healthy beet salad recipe featuring superfoods like carrot, quinoa, spinach, edamame and avocado. It’s as colorful as it is nutritious! Recipe yields two meal-sized salads or four side salads. If you plan on having leftovers, store the greens separately from the other prepared ingredients and toss just before serving.
Ingredients
Salad
- ½ cup uncooked quinoa, rinsed
- 1 cup frozen shelled edamame
- ⅓ cup slivered almonds or pepitas (green pumpkin seeds)
- 1 medium raw beet, peeled
- 1 medium-to-large carrot (or 1 additional medium beet), peeled
- 2 cups packed baby spinach or arugula, roughly chopped
- 1 ripe avocado, cubed
Vinaigrette
- 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint or cilantro
- 2 tablespoons honey or maple syrup or agave nectar
- ½ to 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, to taste
- ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- To cook the quinoa: First, rinse the quinoa in a fine mesh colander under running water for a minute or two. In a medium-sized pot, combine the rinsed quinoa and 1 cup water. Bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then cover the pot, reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Remove the quinoa from heat and let it rest, still covered, for 5 minutes. Uncover the pot, drain off any excess water and fluff the quinoa with a fork. Set it aside to cool.
- To cook the edamame: Bring a pot of water to boil, then add the frozen edamame and cook just until the beans are warmed through, about 5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- To toast the almonds or pepitas: In a small skillet over medium heat, toast the almonds or pepitas, stirring frequently, until they are fragrant and starting to turn golden on the edges, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a large serving bowl to cool.
- To prepare the beet(s) and/or carrot: First of all, feel free to just chop them as finely as possible using a sharp chef’s knife OR grate them on a box grater. If you have a spiralizer, you can spiralize them using blade C, then chop the ribbons into small pieces using a sharp chef’s knife. If you have a mandoline and julienne peeler (this is a pain), use the mandoline to julienne the beet and use a julienne peeler to julienne the carrot, then chop the ribbons into small pieces using a sharp chef’s knife.
- To prepare the vinaigrette: Whisk together all of the ingredients until emulsified.
- To assemble the salad: In your large serving bowl, combine the toasted almonds/pepitas, cooked edamame, prepared beet(s) and/or carrot, roughly chopped spinach/arugula (see note above about leftovers), cubed avocado and cooked quinoa.
- Finally, drizzle dressing over the mixture (you might not need all of it) and gently toss to combine. You’ll end up with a pink salad if you toss it really well! Season to taste with salt (up to an additional ¼ teaspoon) and black pepper. Serve.
Notes
Recipe adapted from Inspiralized: Turn Vegetables into Healthy, Creative, Satisfying Meals by Ali Maffucci.
Make it vegan: Opt for maple syrup or agave nectar instead of honey.
Make it nut free: Opt for pepitas instead of almonds.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
I absolutely loved this salad – and I don’t normally enjoy beets! However, I slightly modified it by roasting my sliced beets and whole carrots for about 20 minutes. Made a warm, inviting dish. I must add, roasting the almonds is totally worth it!!
Your warm version sounds great, Meghan! Happy this one changed your mind on beets.
I made this last night. Instead of raw beets, I roasted it for 30 mins because I love the earthy taste of roasted beets. Everything else I kept the same. I loved it, the texture was amazing. Although, I’m a carnivore, I didn’t miss the meat and felt quite full. I literally could eat this everyday, it’s that good! Thanks for sharing such a wonderful recipe. I loved that it’s also so good for you!
Some earthy roast beets sound excellent with this, Vivian. I’m so happy it satisfied!
After making a root veg stew last week, I had an extra beet rolling around in my crisper and I had no clue what I was going to do with it and I was worried it would end up going bad. This recipe is delicious. I subbed chickpeas for the edamame because I needed to use some up, added extra lime juice in the dressing, and cut the sweetener in half. Perfection!
Sounds delicious, Caitlin!
I made the beet salad for dinner tonight and it was absolutely delicious! My husband loved it, too!! I used mint leaves in the vinagrette and topped off the salad with crumbled goat cheese. The recipe is definitely a keeper!!
Thank You!!
Goat cheese sounds *amazing* with this, Graciela! Thanks for commenting.
I made the colorful beet and quinoa salad tonight and it was delicious . My husband really liked it too. I cannot wait to have the leftover for lunch tomorrow, I will just add some fresh avocado . I use pumpkin seeds which I toasted in the mini oven as i did not want to use another pan! I have made quite a few of your recipes and they are always a nice surprise. Thank you!
Thank you for the kind comment, Francoise! Fresh avocado sounds delicious with this salad.
I have been cooking a lot lately, trying many different healthy recipes found on blog such as yours and I have to say this is THE BEST salad I have ever tasted. It has it all : colours, crunchiness, softness, many different tastes in one bite, it is amazing. I have already served it a couple of time paired with homemade carrot falafels and it’s been such a success both times! Thanks for sharing :). Next on my list is your Lebanese Lemon-Parsley bean salad which I can’t wait to test! cheers.
This is so kind, Ophélie! Thank you so much, I’m so glad it was a hit. Those falafel sound delicious!
Hi,
I’ve always used canned beets. But this recipe, I bought fresh beets. I’m wondering if I need to boil the beets first before chopping them? A friend told me that I supposed to boil them first before eating the beets. Any advice? Thanks so much!
Hi, Winnie! You can eat beets raw, no need to boil them before chopping. You’ll want to make sure you peel it, though. :)
Like everyone else has said, I could eat this salad every day! I made it last night then had to make it again for dinner tonight.
I used roasted pepitas and cilantro in the dressing, and used an ample amount of beets. I also added some medium tofu and extra cilantro (because I can never get enough cilantro!) My boyfriend and I were absolutely blown away! The flavors blend so well together even though I added so many beets and cilantro. Thanks so much for posting this recipe! This will definitely be staple meal in our house now!!!
I’m a guy who doesn’t really cook. But my sister-in-law made this and it blew my mind. Best salad I’ve ever had. I plan to make it a staple in my weekly diet. Like – every day. I can eat the same thing daily if I like it enough. This one is there with so much health in such a tight package of amazingness.
Thank you. Some grilled chicken breast on the side and I have myself the perfect meal
Oh and – sorry I had to make a non vegetarian comment :-/
But seriously great recipe.
Awesome! I’m so glad you loved this so much, Jason.
I made this with kale and garbanzo beans instead of spinach and edamame. It was so delicious! I love the shredded beets and carrots! I’ll need to find some edamame and make it exactly as written sometime soon!
Yum! That sounds like a delicious variation, Melanie.
Oh my goodness – this is the most delicious salad!!! I have been following Kate for almost a year now but as a busy mom of 3, hadn’t found the time to try any of the many recipes that I had bookmarked. I made this salad today and it totally rocked my world! So yum and worth the effort. I definitely will find the time to make many more of your recipes soon!
Oh, I’m so happy to hear this, Melinda! I’m so glad you were able to try this.
Thank you for reminding me of this salad! I wanted to make it long ago, but had forgotten about it. And it is too tasty to be forgotten! I made this last night to go along with our salmon, and it was a huge hit with my family. They were grateful for another salad alternative. I loved every bit of this salad/dressing and will definitely be making it more often! Thank you Kate!! And congratulations on your cookbook success, can’t wait to get my copy!!
I’m so glad this popped up again for you, Nicole! I love this one, too. And I hope you love the cookbook!
I took this salad to church today and received RAVES. It is so good. The only suggestion I would make would be to add the honey last to the dressing and just add to taste. It was a little sweet for me without adding additional lime juice. Also I used both mint and cilantro. Definitely a keeper. Thank you.
Great! I’m so happy this was a hit, Leanna.
For the first time, like ever, I didn’t harass my kids to eat dinner. When they didn’t eat this, I was secretly celebrating because I wanted to eat the entire thing myself. Your recipes are always good, but this was OFF THE HOOK.
Hahaha! This made me laugh, Leigh. I’m glad you had this all to yourself!
Six stars. Forgot the avocado until having it as leftovers and it was heavenly either way. Beautiful, too – will definitely make for company!
Thank you, Melanie! I hope your company enjoys it.
This was very easy to make and just tasted great! I will definitely do this more often. Thank you Kate!
Perfect! Thanks, Laura!
I had cooked beets so I did a small dice. Otherwise followed the recipe. It was delicious and so nice for a main on a hot day! Thank you!
Great! I’m glad to hear this works with cooked beets, too.
What a hit! I made this for a grad party for my nephew. Someone actually licked the bowl. I skipped the avocado and added an orange and some grated rind. I’m making it again today.
Haha! That’s amazing. I’m so glad it was such a hit!
I made this and loved it! Super easy, tasty and nutritious!
This salad is wonderful! I’ve been trying to eat more raw foods and this nearly raw salad is awesome. I knew it was going to be good but it still blew my expectations out of the water, and my fiance loves it too! I used mint for the dressing and almonds.
I just got my farm box with all these veggies except the spinach! I’m going to substitute kale (it always seems to be in abundance). Looks good!
Let me know what you think, Sue! Enjoy :)
Could the salad be made a day in advance? Would it be better that the dressing be added right before it’s served or mixed in with it sitting in the fridge until the next day? My friends absolutely love this salad it’s a huge hit thank you!
I recommend to make this salad at the same time it is going to be served to get the freshness, but I have had it for leftovers before. If you do want to make it ahead, leave off the dressing until ready to be served as you noted. Thanks so much for your review, Norah!
I’d love to try this recipe! I’m currently half-way through Whole30 program and can’t have sugar. Do you have a suggestion for the dressing? I’m thinking it would be too tart if I just omitted the sweetener. Thanks in advance!
Hey Hayley! I’d omit the sweetener and add vinegar to taste (you’ll probably want to use less of it, since the sweetener won’t be there to help balance the flavors).
Yet another delicious salad! It was fresh and tasty and vibrant. My husband, not a huge beet fan, really enjoyed it, and even wanted leftovers for lunch! I used cilantro b/c I didn’t have any mint. I thought it would be weird with the beets and classic vinaigrette, but it totally fit in and complemented the earthy beets. Good job, Kate. :)
Well, thank you Marta! I am happy your husband enjoyed it as well. Thanks so much for your comment and review!
5 stars plus+++
wow this is really good, it will definitely be one of my regular salads.
cant wait to make it at x-mas and introduce it to my family. i didnt have all the ingredients listed so i made a few modifications.
i substituted:
– edamame for chick peas
-apple cider vinegar for red wine vinegar
-i used one carrot and one beet
-i used both mint and cilantro
-also i made the quinoa with veg, broth
and i used the maple syrup.
thank you so much for posting this wonderful recipe.
You are sweet! Thank you.
hi
i made this recipe this morning and had it for lunch it was still a little warm, i refrigerated the rest, and now as i am writing this, i am eating some for supper, chilled, right out of the fridge. it is still delicious, i thought the spinach might be a little wilted, but no, it tastes amazing.
wow, back in the fridge after supper and i’ll have the rest tomorrow.
this might be the best salad i ever had!
It is a great salad to have leftover! I don’t usually say that about a spinach salad, but this one works well. I am happy you thought so as well. Thanks so much for your review!
anyone try cheese in this salad?
I haven’t. I really like it without cheese. But love to hear what others think!
I added grilled haloumi cut into strips and plan to try soft feta as a avocado substitute! The haloumi addition was delicious! I also added some kale. I took this salad to a bbq and it was very popular :)
Kate– Thank you for a lovely dinner party, featuring this salad! The recipe is infinitely tinker-able, which makes it even better. Here’s how I tinkered:
§ Used a bag of Trader Joe’s Power Greens (kale + spinach + chard), rolled, sliced & “massaged,” because kale is easier to digest that way, and it didn’t seem to hurt the spinach & chard. (Massaging does reduce the bulk of greens, so you might want more.)
§ Used Trader Joe’s cooked & peeled beets (saves a lot of time).
§ Added broiled cherry tomatoes & broiled sliced multicolored bell peppers.
§ Also added on top: mandarin segments & feta cheese
§ I found the vinaigrette tasted too acidic at 2.5 parts lime/vinegar to 1 part oil. So I made it with a little less acid than oil (2.5 to 3).
Everybody loved this salad–making it again!
Just made it! (only omitted the olive oil). It is PERFECT! Thank you :)
Perfect! Thanks for the review, Mirka.
I didn’t have edamame or cilantro and this salad was still absolutely delicious without them!!! Also, I had golden beets and Apple cidar vinegar so that’s what I used. This is a keeper. Thank you!
That’s great to hear! With them though, it’s even better. I appreciate the review, Nicole.
I had all ingredients except the edamame, cut the dressing recipe in half, and it was still delicious! We eat a lot of salads in spring/summer, and this new one will be a definite repeat. Thank you!
You’re welcome, Margaret! Thanks for the review.
I am so making this for dinner. I just got my gallbladder removed and now doctors told me that my liver is ‘deranged’ (like whatever that means) and I totally need to change my diet. So I am looking at some recipes that contain superfoods that are said to be good for the liver but still delicious enough for me to keep my sanity. This beet salad seems to have all the ingredients I’m searching for and I’excited to try it tonight. This will be my first time eating quinoa though so I hope it will be as yummy as it looks. Thanks Kate!
Let me know what you think!
Hello, the dressing calls for way too much acid to pair with only 2 tbs. oil. I added at least 3 more tbs. olive oil to balance the acidity of the vinegar and lime juice. Otherwise, it was very good!
If you like, you can always increase the oil amount. I like the tanginess it provides.
This salad is absolutely amazing! I received among other things in my farmer’s delivered veggie box a few days ago some beets and the cutest little carrots. This recipe was perfect since I had all the other ingredients at home already. I skipped the almonds because I was making the salad to take with my for lunch at work this week and they just seem to kind of disappear in the salad when it sits for a few days. The salad is so tasty and delicious. And really pretty since everything turned red after I mixed it up. I didn’t add the avocado until today and everything else held up really well. I am already looking forward to lunch tomorrow when I get to eat this yummy and healthy salad again.
Fresh produce its the best! Thank you, Annika for sharing. I appreciate the review.
I just stumbled upon your website searching for “gluten free/vegetarian recipes”. What a delightful collection you have on here! I’m excited to try so many of these!
I’m happy you stumbled on it too! Let me know what you think as you try out recipes.
What could I use instead of edamame?
You could omit, or try snap peas instead. I haven’t tried it, so let me know what you think!
I ended up just using extra carrots, but it was delicious! I probably doubled the amount of cilantro, but I really like cilantro. And I liked the amount of acid – I wasn’t sure about lime juice and vinegar, but it totally worked.
Pet peeve is people who rate a recipe while admitting they haven’t yet made it. This give a false overall rating in my mind. That being said, I went ahead with this recipe even though I had reservations about the sweetness in the dressing on top of sweet veggies like beets and carrots. But it was really tasty and I served it in local organic lettuce leaves. My vegan friends raved about it and since beets are a superfood, it will become part of my rotation.
I’m glad you still gave it a try, Mary! Thanks for your comment and review.
This is an amazing salad. I actually made it without quinoa because I was in a hurry and forgot–and it was still perfect. My beets were also roasted (but cold) because I had extra from another recipe. Seriously fantastic!!
Thanks for sharing! I really appreciate the review.
I loved this salad!
I didn’t have just quinoa, but the package I had, had sprouted brown rice, hulled millet, split peas, quinoa and wild rice. I cooked this up, and added the beetroot (no carrot), roasted broccoli, toasted pine nuts and avocado. I didn’t have cilantro, so I made the dressing as you suggested – but added chopped basil instead.
Oh my word, it was wonderful! Thank you so so much for sharing. I love your site. <3
Thanks for sharing and for your review! I’m glad it worked with your substitutions.
I was skeptical to try this because I’m not a huge fan of beets – but this recipe has made me completely rethink my palate! I just finished my salad and I want to make another one! Thanks so much for sharing!
Hooray! Thank you, Sam. Love to hear that.
This turned out absolutely DELICIOUS!! First time with quinoa for my 2 little ones:) Thank you! Definitely a keeper! I read a lot about quinoa and its health benefits are really interminable. One has to go include it in their diet.
Wonderful to hear, Samantha! Thanks for sharing.
So very good. It convinced my previously beet-hating husband that he might just like beets – in the right context.
Yes! They need to be prepared just right. Thanks for your review, Crystal.
Great recipe Kate! I LOVE the homemade dressing! I used 4 tsp of maple syrup cuz I need to cut back on sugar and it came out so well, I will be making this instead of store-bought salad dressing. At first I thought this was more like a spinach salad but although there is spinach in it, it is definitely a beet salad with lots of goodies. I like avocado so I used 1 small avocado for half the salad. My husband (and I) had it last night and loved it! I have a picture of it but don’t know how to upload it. The website wants to use my camera but the salad is long gone. Oh well…. I assembled half the salad last night so we have more for today.
Thank you, Annie!
Thank you for this vibrant, gorgeous recipe. It is a wonderful mix of healthy and visually appealing and complements many dishes.
You’re welcome, Ellie!
I made your colorful beet and carrot and quinoa salad with spinach and both my husband and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I love you web site and refer to it often to make something new and healthy and delicious. We have never been disappointed.
Wonderful! I’m happy to hear that, LaVerne. Thanks for your review.
This was so good! Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe! I added some radishes too (seeing as they were in my fridge) and they added a nice bite along with the edamame! Going to make on the weekly :)
You’re welcome, Eloise! Thanks so much for your comment and review.
Just made this recipe. I am always roasting beets but discovered that quite a bit of their nutrients can be lost while cooking. Raw, I discovered , maintains them as well as being delicious! ( and don’t toss out the tops as they have even more vitamins in the leaves )
I and my wife just loved this dish even though I was missing the edamame. Didn’t let that stop me and I will be making this regularly. Not only for its nutritional benefits but because it is just so delicious!
Thank you .
Thanks for sharing, Mark!
Added feta cheese to it and its amazing! I love the combination of beetroot and feta. I used a stick blender to whizz the ingredients for the dressing, worked super well Thankyou!
You’re welcome, Alicia!
I would have rated this higher but for the dressing. Found the dressing almost “inedible” However the vegie/quinoa/combo is great and made my own vinaigrette to go with it.
I’m sorry you felt that way! Thanks for sharing.
This could be my favorite salad recipe I have ever made. I absolutely love it!! I use pickled beets…because I like them and it is quick. One afternoon while planning to make your spring rolls for an afternoon gathering I just ran out of time and instead added the mango to this left-over salad and rolled it up- SOOO delish!! Thanks again. You are my go to gal for great fresh recipes
Thank you, Melanie!
So yummy! I replaced the spinach with kale softened with some of the olive oil, lime, and salt. We had it with a piece of roasted salmon, it was a perfect dinner.
Thank you for sharing, Anja!