Last Updated on December 29, 2024 by Sabrina Currie
With crunchy cucumbers, sweet roast beets and salty feta, this beetroot and cucumber salad with creamy dill dressing is an ultra-satisfying, healthy salad. Fresh veggies get briefly marinated in vinegar before topping crisp greens. The creamy dressing has classic flavors of dill and grated horseradish adding fresh earthy flavor. For a faster version, buy precooked or canned beets and make this in just minutes. (Vegetarian and GF)
Why You'll Love This Recipe
This beet and cucumber salad is hearty and refreshing. It can easily be a main course salad or a side salad and if you cook the beets ahead of time, it is really fast to make (you can even 'cheat' with precooked or canned beets from the grocery store to make it faster). The crunchy textures and fresh herbs paired with soft, cooked beets is a match made in heaven. With the most beautiful color, this makes a wonderful holiday salad, too.
Beetroot and cucumber salad pairs well with roast beef because of the creamy horseradish dressing. It also goes well with simple seafood or chicken recipes like crispy salmon bites, baked salmon, chicken and wild rice soup or easy chicken pasta.
If you love beets, you might like my traditional borscht recipe, Greek beet salad or roasted beet and pumpkin salad.
Jump to:
Recipe Ingredients
This beet cucumber salad recipe is a great way to get in your daily values of vitamins, nutrients, protein and fiber. Once the beets are cooked, the rest comes together in just few minutes.
- Beets - I've cooked my own beets for this and I grew red ones but you can easily sub in golden beets or those cool striped beets called Chioggia. No time for fresh beets? You can also use canned beets or precooked vacuum sealed beets from the refrigerated salad section of grocery stores. They have just as much delicious taste. TIP: Cut beets on a cutting board over a non-porous countertop, they can stain wood and marble countertops.
- Cheese - Tangy, bold feta cheese with it's salty flavors is a great foil for the sweet beets. Both goat or cow feta taste great, so go with your personal preference.
- Cucumber - I like long English cucumber for it's tender edible peel but you can use any other fresh cucumber like Armenian or salad cukes. If the peel is tough, use a vegetable peeler to take the tough outer skin off before seeding and slicing.
- Onion - A sweet onion adds great flavor but you can use a red onion for it's pretty color if you prefer.
See recipe card for quantities.
Substitutions + Variations
There are lots of easy ways to customize your own cucumber beetroot salad. Here's a few ideas!
- Raw beets - Did you know you can eat raw beets? They are hard and if you want to make this a raw salad, I recommend you spiralize or thinly shave the beets with a mandolin so they are easy to eat. Use gloves and work in a spot that is easy to clean after as beet juice will splatter if you are spiralizing them.
- Nuts - Don't have walnuts? Toast up some pecans, pine nuts, hazelnuts or pistachios for the crunch. To make it nut free, crunchy pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds are a good option.
- Greens - This is a hearty salad and can handle hearty greens. You can use chopped baby kale, arugula or spinach for this. This can easily be a delicious lettuce-free salad. The addition of cucumbers gives enough freshness on it's own. Without lettuce, the salad is smaller, making it a lovely appetizer.
- Cheese - Soft crumbled goat cheese makes a great substitution for the feta cheese if you prefer.
- Herbs - Dill is delish but other herbs like fresh mint, fresh coriander leaves or slivered chives make great variations.
How To Video
Need to see how it's done? Watch this quick video that will show you in less than 3 minutes how to seed your cucumber, roast your beets and mix the dressing.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Get the beets roasting (or boiling if you prefer) and while they cook, you can chop up the onion and cucumber and mix together the creamy horseradish dill dressing. Serve it up in a large bowl or a wide platter and let everyone dig in.
Tip: To avoid stained hands, wear gloves or use a paper towel to hold the raw beets while peeling and chopping.
Step 1. Peel beets and cut into half-inch pieces. Place in aluminum foil, drizzle olive oil over and season with a pinch of sea salt and pepper. Wrap the beets up and roast in a preheated 400°F oven for 45 minutes, or until they are soft. Alternatively, you can simmer the beets in water for 30 minutes or until tender when a knife is inserted.
Step 2. Once beets are cooked, place them in a bowl while still warm and add balsamic vinegar, toss to coat and set aside. (This makes them into mildly pickled beets, feel free to make extras for a pickle plate later in the week.)
Step 3. While beets are roasting, slice cucumber in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Then slice the cucumber crosswise into ½" c-shaped slices and place in a bowl. Slice onion into thin rounds and add to the cucumbers. Pour ½ cup of white vinegar over and set aside to marinate while the beets are cooking.
Step 4. In a small bowl, combine minced shallot and remaining teaspoon of vinegar.
Step 5. Add remaining ingredients for the dressing to the shallot.
Step 6. Whisk together dressing ingredients until smooth.
Step 7. Scatter leafy greens on a large platter. Drain the vinegar off the beets, cucumbers and onions and arrange the vegetables over the greens.
Step 8. Add the beets and walnuts.
Step 9. Top with crumbled feta cheese.
Step 10. Drizzle with creamy dill horseradish dressing and serve remaining dressing on the side for guests to add more if they like.
Serve up this simple salad with some crusty bread for lunch or a light dinner or pair it up with roast beef, grilled or baked salmon. It makes a beautiful and colorful centerpiece at any table.
Leftover beetroot and cucumber salad can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The lettuce will get soggy after a day so you may want to discard the lettuce and toss in some fresh greens when you want to eat it.
Expert Tips
The beets can be cooked and the dressing made up to 3 days ahead and stored separately, covered in the refrigerator. Chop the cucumber and lettuce the day of serving and toss with the nuts and feta just before serving.
FAQ's
The seedy center contains a lot of extra water. By seeding it, it helps prevent a soggy salad.
More Delicious Salad Recipes
For more easy recipes, check out some of my other favorite salads.
- Roasted Beet Pumpkin Salad With Feta And Pistachios
- Apple Walnut Salad
- Easy Arugula Burrata Salad With Oven Roasted Grapes
- Easy Arugula Spinach Salad With Quick Pickled Onions
If you have any questions or comments, you can find me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook. I try to answer any recipe related questions quickly as I know you might be in the middle of making it.
Also check out my FREE PRINTABLE meal planner to make menu planning and grocery shopping a breeze and my shopping guide. And if you like this recipe, I would love it if you give it a star rating in the recipe card.
Cheers and happy cooking, Friends! Sabrina
📖 Recipe
Beetroot and cucumber salad with creamy dill dressing
Ingredients
- 2 cups beets about 4 medium-large beets
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 Long English cucumber, seeded and sliced
- 1 c sweet onion, sliced
- ½ c balsamic vinegar
- ½ c + 1 teaspoon white vinegar ½ cup for cucumbers, 1 teaspoon for the minced shallot
- ¼ c sour cream
- ¼ c mayonnaise
- 1 tablespoon shallot, minced
- 1 handful dill reserve some sprigs to garnish before serving
- 1 tablespoon horseradish
- ½ teaspoon each, salt and black pepper plus extra to season beets before roasting
- ½ c walnuts, coarsely chopped
- ½ c feta cheese, crumbled
- 4 cups romaine lettuce or other leafy greens, chopped
Instructions
- Peel and cube beets and place in aluminum foil. Drizzle olive oil over and season with a pinch of sea salt and pepper. Wrap the beets up and roast in a preheated 400°F oven for 45 minutes, or until they are soft.
- While beets are roasting, slice cucumber in half lengthwise and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds. Then slice the cucumber crosswise into ½" c-shaped slices and place in a bowl. Slice onion into thin rounds and add to the cucumbers. Pour ½ cup of white vinegar over and set aside to pickle/marinate while the beets are cooking.
- Once beets are done, place beets in a bowl while still warm and add balsamic vinegar, toss to coat and set aside.
- In a small bowl, combine minced shallot and remaining teaspoon of vinegar. Add sour cream, mayonnaise, horseradish, dill, salt and pepper and whisk together until smooth. Scatter leafy greens on a large platter. Drain the vinegar off the beets, cucumbers and onions and arrange the vegetables over the greens. Drizzle creamy dressing over and sprinkle top with chopped walnuts, crumbled feta cheese and additional sprigs of dill. Alternatively, serve the dressing in a dish on the side for everyone to help themselves.
Leave a Reply