Beet and Mandarin Orange Salad with ginger lemon dressing

This roasted beet and mandarin orange salad with ginger lemon vinaigrette can be quickly prepared in 20 minutes. The shredded and roasted beetroot completely soaks up the dressing to give you a yummy vegan summer salad!

About the recipe

Earthy sweet beets with zesty oranges, refreshing mint and crunchy almonds brought together by a delicious ginger lemon dressing! Like all my salad recipes, this healthy beet and mandarin orange salad tastes as amazing as it looks.

It also happens to be vegan and whole30. Beets and oranges not only look and taste good together but are also good for you.

Dressing can make or break a salad. Like how the pumpkin spice vinaigrette on my quinoa pumpkin salad makes it vibrant and yummy. Or the simple oil-free dressing on mung sprouts salad.

The citrus ginger dressing is another reason you’re going to love this recipe. It is ridiculously easy to make and gives an aroma that will make you want to drizzle it on every edible thing!

And don’t forget that both orange and ginger combined have a ton of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Health benefits of beets and oranges

Beetroot can lower blood pressure, which may lead to reduced risk of heart disease and other ailments. This root vegetable can also improve oxygen use, stamina, and exercise performance. (source)

Oranges, due to their high vitamin C content, help in the absorption of iron from the beets. Oranges are also rich in antioxidants and nutrients that promote heart health and help prevent kidney stones. (source)

Try beetroot masala vada or beetroot cutlets if you’re in a mood for healthy snacks with beets.

Salad ingredients

• Beetroots
• Mandarin oranges
• Mint leaves
• Almonds
• Ginger orange dressing
  • fresh orange juice- I used freshly squeezed juice from mandarin oranges, you can also use no-added sugar store-bought orange juice.
  • lemon juice
  • grated ginger
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • red pepper flakes
  • Himalayan pink salt (or sea salt)
  • pepper

How to make beet and mandarin orange salad- step by step

(You can find the exact measurements and instructions in the printable recipe card at the end of this page.)

How to cook beets for salad

The trick to making this beet salad lies in preparing the beets. Beets are very juicy and leave out a lot of moisture when boiled or steamed. And we all know that a soggy vegetable is the wrong choice for salad.

Unless you’re roasting the beetroot in the oven as in walnut feta beetroot salad. In that case, the beets turn out caramelized and juicy.

However, I wanted an even easier and quicker method to cook beets without making them water-logged and without using an oven.

After a few trials, I came up with this easy way of “dehydrating” the beets: Peel the beets and shred them in a food processor. Place them in a wide pan and spread out as much as you can.

Cook on medium-low heat, stirring continuously. Do not close. The beets will “sweat”, leaving out moisture and cooking in its own juices.

Keep stirring until the juices evaporate completely. Once the beets cool down, they are ready for the salad.

There, you have dehydrated the beets in your kitchen without a dehydrator! You’ve prepped the beets in 10 minutes, while roasting or boiling would have taken about 45 minutes to an hour. It’s a win-win situation.

Ginger lemon dressing

This orange ginger dressing is a super easy one (like the dressing for tandoori paneer salad or Indian chickpea salad)- Squeeze fresh juice from the mandarin orange (or use store-bought). Mix it with lemon juice, grated ginger, chilli flakes, salt, honey, and olive oil. Shake it all up and drizzle on the beets and oranges.

The beets have already released moisture, so they easily soak up the ginger lemon dressing with all its amazing flavors. Add some mint for that herby flavor and toasted almonds for crunch, we have the best beetroot orange salad you can’t resist. So HEALTHY, so TASTY!

Make ahead option

This summer salad keeps well in the refrigerator for a couple of days. In fact, it tastes better the next day. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

It tastes great either way. However, it is not suitable for freezing, since mandarin oranges tend to lose their texture and flavor when frozen.

What to serve with this vegan summer salad

• Pumpkin soup without cream, roasted garlic and tomato soup or lemon garlic quinoa for vegan options;
• Baked lemon mustard fish
• Panko crusted fish
• Citrus marinated salmon
• Lemon garlic chicken
• Baked chicken legs with olive oil.

Click here for more main dishes to pair with beet orange salad.

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