Simple Beet and Feta Salad
This beet and feta salad with balsamic dressing is restaurant-level delicious. The recipe is easy to make with simple ingredients.
Updated by Kathryne Taylor on February 19, 2026
This salad features a few marvelously complementary flavors: earthy beets, creamy feta, bitter arugula, savory toasted pepitas and tangy balsamic dressing. Itโs a bold combination that beet fans will adore.
The recipe is the simplest of my beet salads, and the easiest to make. (Shout-out to a couple of my other favorites, Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese & Pistachios and Colorful Beet Salad with Carrot, Quinoa & Spinach.)
It tastes elevated and looks beautiful. Consider it for weeknights, dinner parties and holiday suppers. This salad has been a winner for ten years in a row, and Iโm excited to share it with you again with updated photos.
Raw Beets? Are you sure?
Yes! This salad takes advantage of raw beets. If you slice them thinly, thereโs no need to cook them. Theyโre crisp like radish, and their intensity is balanced by the other flavors and textures.
You could substitute roasted beets if youโre skeptical, but the raw beets are worth a try. Theyโre the reason this beet salad comes together more quickly than most others.
Serving Suggestions
This hearty salad is a great accompaniment to soups, casseroles, frittatas and more! Here are a few suggestions:
- Best Lentil Soup
- Creamy Roasted Cauliflower Soup
- Frittatas (Stovetop or Baked)
- Spinach Lasagna
- Vegetarian Stuffed Acorn Squash
Storage Tip
Arugula is a tender green. If you intend to have leftovers, wait to dress individual servings when youโre ready to eat them so the arugula doesnโt wilt. Store the salad and dressing separately in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 4 days.
Simple Beet, Arugula and Feta Salad with Balsamic Dressing
This simple salad features a few marvelously complementary flavors: earthy raw beets, bitter arugula, salty feta, savory pepitas and sweet and tangy balsamic dressing. Recipe yields 4 salads and is easy halved or doubled.
Ingredients
- ยผ cup raw pepitas (green pumpkin seeds)
- 2 medium red beets (about 12 ounces; weโll use them raw*)
- 3 cups arugula (3 ounces), roughly chopped
- โ cup (2 ยฝ ounces) crumbled feta
- Homemade balsamic vinaigrette, to taste (about ยผ cup)
Instructions
- First, toast the pepitas in a skillet over medium heat until fragrant and making little popping noises, about 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer them to a bowl to cool.
- Peel the rough skin from the beets with a vegetable peeler, then slice off and discard the tip and rough end of the beet. If you have a mandoline, use it to slice the beets into thin matchsticks (watch your fingers!). If you donโt have a mandoline, place the larger flat side against the cutting board and slice the beet into super-thin pieces. Working in reasonable batches, stack a few slices on top of each other and cut them into long, thin matchsticks.
- In a medium-sized serving bowl, combine the beets, arugula, crumbled feta and pepitas. Drizzle in just enough dressing to lightly coat the salad once tossed. Toss and serve. (If you intend to have leftovers, wait to dress individual servings when youโre ready to eat themโstore the salad and dressing separately in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 4 days.)
Notes
2025 recipe edits: I revised this recipe for clarity and adjusted the amounts for a balanced salad that yields 4 salads. I doubled the pepitas, tripled the arugula and more than doubled the feta.
Make it dairy free/vegan: Omit the feta. Substitute a large ripe diced avocado, and stir a tiny splash of olive oil and pinch of salt into the pepitas before using (or try sliced Kalamata olives to make up for fetaโs saltiness).
*Beet notes: Raw beets are great and offer some crispness to the salad. If youโre skeptical, you could substitute thinly sliced roasted beets or store-bought cooked beets, such as Love Beets brand.
Nutrition
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionistโs advice. See our full nutrition disclosure here.
Iโm diabetic, so this simple beet salad recipe is perfect for me. Thank you.
I come back thanks the newsletter. I used to do this recipe with goat chesse and its amazing too. Iโll add the balsamic vinaigrette to it! Tak Tak
Wonderful! Thank you for sharing!
Recipe does not say to cook the beets. Iโve never eaten them raw. Are they supposed to be boiled or roasted first, then peeled and julienned?
Hi Steve! In the ingredients is calls for 2 medium red beets and there arenโt cooking instructions, just cutting instructions (step 2) as you wonโt need to cook these! I hope this helps.
I do this recipe the easy way with canned beets.
I julienne the beets and heat them in the microwave.
I add balsamic dressing to the hot beets & dump it on top of arugula.
The beets soak up the dressing.
It is delish!
Add any nuts and some white cheese shavings.
I love it!
? Where is the link to Hilaryโs Balsamic Thyme dressing? ? Thanks
Hi! Sorry, this was an older post so Iโm not sure if it is available anymore โ as to why it isnโt linked.
This salad has become a weekly staple in my house! I didnโt know you could eat beets uncookedโฆ
I love it! Thank you for sharing, Karen. I appreciate your review.
A great simple and quick salad! I used sunflower seeds and goat cheese, also added some baby kale.
outstanding! wouldโve eaten the whole recipe. added ground flaxseed, amla powder, and chia seeds for extra nutrition. eliminated oil, added 1 T cherry jce to reduce maple syrup. also subbed with young kale [had no arugula]. made your balsamic dressing, too. definitely will make again as garden beets came in abundance this year.
Thank you for sharing how you made this one, Dodie.
This was really yummy! I had 2 beets to use so I gave this a try, although I didnโt have arugula so I subbed half a small head of iceberg lettuce that I had in the fridge. I also grated the beets as I donโt have a mandoline and it seemed quicker/easier than matchsticks. I made the homemade balsamic vinaigrette and sprinkled in some dried thyme.
The beet salad looks really good. Iโll have to try it โ I much prefer raw beets to cooked ones.
My favorite part of the beet is actually beet greens, which can be cooked similar to swiss chard but are a bit more tender and slightly sweet in flavor. I have been known to buy a bunch of beets for the greens โ then end up throwing out the beets themselves, after they have sat unused in the fridge for too long. I hate to waste them (or to eat cooked beets), and recipes like this beet salad recipe should help.
i have never ate/made beets before/ is this salad using raw beets? or do you cook them at all ?
Hi! You can use raw beets here. I hope you love them!
Incredibly DELICIOUS and quite easy to make! I made your balsamic vinaigrette, as Hilaryโs was not available at our Whole Foods. My husband and our grown children absolutely loved! It will become one our regular salads. We make and enjoy so many of your recipes. Thank you!
Thank you for your review, Nancy! Iโm happy you enjoyed it.
Arugula and beets, the perfect marriage.
Thank you, Diane! Iโm happy to hear you enjoyed it.
Did you use raw beets or did you cook them? Thanks in advance.
No need to cook your beets for this salad. I hope you love it, Kathleen!
I really appreciate your reply. I happen to have a jar of canned matchstick cut beets from a Polish grocery store. Do you think itโs okay to use already cooked beets in this case?
Sure! Let me know what you think, Kathleen.
I didnโt grow up with beets. And until now Iโve only come across โroastedโ beets recipe. So imagine my surprise when I came across this recipe! And I am soooo glad. I love beets. But I just assumed that I need to roast them, Iโve pretty much only had them in the cool seasons when I feel like cranking up the oven.
This was a great recipe!! Thank you.
Youโre welcome, Alex! Thank you for your review.
Donโt you cook the beets?
Hi, no need to cook the beets.
Are the beets raw??
Yes, I hope you try it!
how are the beets cooked?
They donโt need to be for this recipe.
Really good, especially considering how few ingredients in this recipe. I did use about equal amounts of arugula and beets. I shredded the beets using the shredding disk on my food processor.
Thanks Kate for another great recipe. This was really nice and simple. I used cooked beets however because they often sell them like that where I live. I will definitely be making this again.
Hello, do you think anchovies could be added.
Hi Eric, I donโt eat fish, so Iโm not sure how those flavors would meld.
This salad had a range of flavors textures and eye appeal. I love it. And it perked up the tamales i served with it.
Thanks so much.