While store-bought precooked beets are convenient, knowing how to cook beets at home can be beneficial and may save you money. As one of nature’s most beautiful vegetables, beets are highly nutritious, versatile, and tasty. But compared to sweet potatoes or carrots, beets aren’t winning any popularity contests—they can take a while to cook, not everyone likes their sweet yet earthy flavor, and (if not handled properly) they will dye your hands red. Here, we share various ways to cook beets, some common types, and how to choose and prepare this root vegetable.

Types of Beets

Beets are rich in antioxidants, folate, and manganese, making them an excellent addition to healthful meals. But did you know there are various types of beets beyond the red beet? Here are a few common beet varieties you may find at a local store or farmers market.

• Red beets: By far the most common beet you’ll come across at the supermarket is the striking red beet with its garnet red color.
• Golden beets: Similar to red beets in flavor, golden beets are named as such for their yellow color.
• Chioggia beets: Commonly known as the candy cane beet, Chioggia beets are reddish-pink on the outside and feature a red-pink and white striped interior.
• Avalanche beets: Avoid red-dyed hands and counters with this white beet that typically has a sweeter flavor than other beet varieties.
• Baby beets: While not a specific type of beet, baby beets are any beet that is harvested early; because of their size, they can be cooked whole.

How to Choose and Prepare Beets for Cooking

Despite their beauty and adaptability, beets tend to scare off some home cooks. But with these tips for choosing beets and preparing them, you can enjoy their delicious taste and nutritional value year-round. Regardless of the cooking method, you can eat beets in various ways—from serving them as a side dish or incorporating them into a recipe.

Try adding beets into a salad or top off a grain bowl, serve as an appetizer with ricotta, feta, or yogurt, blend into a colorful dip, or use as a spread on a sandwich. Beets pair well with olive oil, salt, pepper, and fresh and woody herbs.

Shopping for Beets

Look for small to medium beets, which tend to be more tender than larger ones (and cook faster, too). You’ll want beets with a firm texture, deep color, bright unwilted leaves, and smooth, blemish-free skin. The vegetable should still have its taproot attached (the long root at the bottom), but it shouldn’t be hairy as this could mean the beet is tough and old.

Prepping Beets

To prepare beets for cooking, cut away the greens to reserve for sautéing, then give the beets a good wash to remove dirt. Try scrubbing with a vegetable or produce brush. Wait to clean beets until you’re ready to use them; doing so earlier will encourage them to spoil faster. You can inject flavor into beets with herbs and spices, and there’s no need to peel them before cooking—you can peel beets once cooked by gently rubbing off the skin with a paper towel.

How to Cook Beets

Now that you’ve prepped your vegetables, you can get to cooking that gorgeous bunch of beets. The size of the beets will affect the cooking time, but generally, beets should be cooked until tender when pierced with a fork. After cooking, cooled beets can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 10 days.

Roasting Beets

Roasting concentrates the beet’s sweet and earthy flavor. All you need is a hot oven and aluminum foil for this popular cooking method.

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. Loosely wrap prepped beets individually in aluminum foil and place them on a rimmed baking sheet. (If roasting small beets, wrap them together in aluminum foil).
3. Roast, checking halfway through, until tender when pierced with a fork, 45 to 55 minutes. If beets look like they’re drying out, sprinkle with a bit of water, re-wrap in foil, and continue roasting.
4. Set beets aside until cool enough to handle. Hold one beet using a large piece of paper towel and rub off the skin with the paper towel to peel; discard the skin. Trim ends if needed. Continue with the remaining beets.
5. Cut into wedges, slice, or chop, and dress with olive oil, salt, and pepper, if desired.

Oven-Steaming Beets

Steaming beets in the oven rather than baking helps preserve more of their healthy vitamins and minerals. This method also allows beets to retain their beautiful, vibrant color.

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Place prepped beets and 3 tablespoons to ¼ cup water in a shallow baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Add rosemary, thyme, bay leaves, or sage, if desired.
3. Cover tightly with aluminum foil, and bake until beets are tender when pierced with a fork, 45 to 60 minutes. Set aside until cool enough to handle.
4. Rub off skins with paper towels to peel; discard skin. Trim ends if needed.
5. Cut into wedges, slice, or chop, and dress with olive oil, salt, and pepper, if desired.

Steaming Beets

Steaming is a go-to for cooking batches of one to four pounds of beets and prevents the root vegetable from drying out.

1. Add about 2 inches of water to a saucepan with a lid.
2. Set a steamer basket in a saucepan, making sure the water does not touch it.
3. Add prepped beets, bring water to a boil over high, and cover. Cook, until beets are tender when pierced with a fork, 30 to 45 minutes. Set aside until cool enough to handle.
4. Rub off skins with paper towels to peel; discard skin. Trim ends if needed.
5. Cut into wedges, slice, or chop, and dress with olive oil, salt, and pepper, if desired.

Boiling Beets

This is a quick and easy method for cooking beets. Keep about 1 inch of the stem attached to the beet to prevent loss of nutrients as it boils.

1. Place prepped beets in a large saucepan and cover with water. Add a large pinch of salt.
2. Bring water to a boil over high and cook beets at a rolling boil, until tender when pierced with a fork, 30 to 45 minutes. Set aside until cool enough to handle.
3. Rub off skins with paper towels to peel; discard skin. Trim ends if needed.
4. Cut into wedges, slice, or chop, and dress with olive oil, salt, and pepper, if desired.

Grilling Beets

The best way to grill beets is in a neat foil package, much like roasting in the oven. This ensures beets stay tender and prevents them from drying out and turning chewy if sliced and grilled. Any size of beets works, but this is when small beets really pay off.

1. Preheat a grill to medium-high (375 F to 450 F).
2. Stack two large pieces of aluminum foil and place prepped beets, preferably small, on top of the double-layered aluminum foil. Add rosemary, thyme, sage, or bay leaves, if desired.
3. Drizzle beets with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Fold and seal all sides of aluminum foil to create a package. Cut a few small vents on the package to help release steam when cooking.
4. Place on grill grates and grill, until tender when pierced with a fork, 30 to 50 minutes. Set aside until cool enough to handle.
5. Rub off skins with paper towels to peel; discard skin. Trim ends if needed.
6. Cut into wedges, slice, or chop, and dress with olive oil, salt, and pepper, if desired.

Sautéing Beets

Quickly cooking beets in a hot pan allows for an extra dose of flavor, plus other veggies or beet greens can come along for the ride. It’s a great method to give new life to pre-cooked and leftover beets. Alternatively, trim and peel fresh beets with a Y-shaped vegetable peeler, then thinly slice them into half-moons before sautéing.

1. Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high.
2. Add about 3 prepped medium beets and season with salt and pepper. Stir in chopped fresh rosemary, thyme, sage, or your choice of dried herbs, such as Italian seasoning or herbs de Provence.
3. Cook, stirring, until warmed through (if using pre-cooked beets), 2 to 3 minutes. If using raw beets that are peeled and cut into half-moons, add 3 tablespoons of water to the skillet and cover. Cook, until beets are just tender, 5 to 10 minutes.
4. Add greens and cook, stirring throughout, until greens are wilted, about 5 minutes.

Cooking Beets in an Instant Pot

If you can, take advantage of the efficiency of an Instant Pot. It shaves off time when cooking beets and keeps them smooth and tender.

1. Add 1¼ cup of water to the Instant Pot. Fit the steamer insert inside the Instant Pot and place the prepped beets on top.
2. Lock the lid and turn the pressure release valve to seal. Select to cook on manual, at high pressure, for 15 minutes.
3. Turn off the Instant Pot and wait about 10 minutes to depressurize partially. Release the remaining pressure, remove the lid, and transfer the steamer insert with the beets to a work surface covered with paper towels. Set aside until cool enough to handle.
4. Rub off skins with paper towels to peel; discard skin. Trim ends if needed.
5. Cut into wedges, slice, or chop, and dress with olive oil, salt, and pepper, if desired.

Air Frying Beets

Using an air fryer essentially roasts beets, but saves you significant time. However, unlike most other cooking methods, beets should be peeled before air frying. Peel using a vegetable peeler (Y-shaped peelers are ideal), and then chop beets into equal-sized pieces for even cooking. Use disposable gloves or peel beets with hands submerged in cool water to avoid stained hands.

1. Heat an air fryer to 400 F.
2. Trim and peel two pounds of beets. Cut into 1-inch pieces.
3. Toss with a drizzle of olive oil, and season with salt and pepper in a large bowl.
4. Arrange beets in an even layer on the air fryer basket and air-fry for 8 minutes. Toss and rearrange in an even layer and cook, until beets are fork-tender, about 10 minutes more.

Microwaving Beets

Cooking beets in a microwave can be a convenient and fast way to add beets to your dinner plan. Plus, you won’t lose any nutritional value. Like with air frying, it’s best to peel beets before microwaving.

1. Peel prepped beets and cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Place in a microwave-safe baking dish.
2. Add about 1/3 cup of water to the dish, along with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Add other herbs if desired. Stir to combine and coat the beets.
3. Cover the baking dish with plastic wrap and poke holes in the plastic. Microwave on high until fork-tender, about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.