An easy beetroot and goats cheese salad recipe with crunchy toasted walnuts, drizzled with a delicious honey mustard dressing.
Perfect as a light lunch or side salad with roast chicken, honey glazed salmon, or roasted vegetables.
Earthy beetroot complements the creaminess of the goats cheese so well in this easy beetroot salad recipe, with the toasted walnuts giving it a lovely crunch.
The honey mustard dressing elevates it to the next level of tasty though, and I always made extra dressing to store in the fridge!
I have been known to take a spoon to the dressing, straight from the fridge, and slurp it on its own...it's that good!
👩🍳 Love easy salad recipes? Try my curried rice salad too!
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✔️ Why you'll love this recipe!
- Elevates goat cheese salad with earthy roasted beets, creating the perfect salad recipe.
- Quick and easy to make.
- Serve as a light lunch or main course.
- Lots of options to customise.
🛒 Ingredient notes
- Beetroot - I like to use mini roasted beetroot that you can buy from the supermarket, which I slice in half. You could substitute for sliced pickled beetroot instead, or even roast you own beetroot (personally I don't like the purple hands you get when cooking beetroot at home).
- Goats Cheese - a soft and creamy goats cheese complements the sweetness of the beetroot. Crumbled feta cheese or blue cheese can be used instead.
- Walnuts - toast the walnuts in a frying pan before adding to the salad to create extra texture and crunch.
- Salad Leaves - I use a mixture of rocket (arugula), spinach, and lambs lettuce, but any bagged salad is fine.
- Cherry Tomatoes - for added colour.
- Salad Dressing - a simple honey mustard dressing made with extra-virgin olive oil, cider vinegar, dijon mustard, honey, salt and pepper. Swap the cider vinegar for balsamic vingar or red wine vinegar if you prefer.
🔪 How to make beetroot and goats cheese salad
The recipe card with ingredient quantities and detailed instructions can be found at the bottom of the post
One: Place the walnuts in a frying pan (no oil needed) and fry until toasted. Be careful, they will go from golden brown to burnt very quickly! Keep moving them around the pan with a wooden spoon.
Two: Mix the olive oil, cider vinegar, honey, dijon mustard, salt, and pepper in a small bowl with a whisk.
Three: Halve the mini beetroot (or if using large beetroot, quarter them), and cut the cherry tomatoes in half with a sharp knife.
Four: Lay the salad leaves on a large platter and top with the beetroot, crumbled goats cheese, walnuts, and tomatoes. Drizzle with the salad dressing just before serving.
💭 Expert tips
- Drizzle the dressing over the beetroot and goats cheese salad just before serving. If you do it too soon before serving, the salad leaves will wilt.
- Make double the quantity of honey mustard salad dressing and store the extra in a sterilised jam jar in the fridge. It will keep for up to 2 weeks.
- Always use extra-virgin olive oil for salad dressings, for a far superior taste and flavour!
- Wear gloves when cutting the beetroot to prevent your hands from getting stained.
🍴 Serving suggestions
Serve the beetroot salad on its own, or with some fresh crusty bread or homemade focaccia (pesto focaccia would go well with it), for an easy light lunch.
I also like it with roast chicken, air fryer chicken breasts, salmon, or courgette fritters, for a more substantial main dish.
📖 Variations
This easy beetroot salad with creamy goats cheese is very easy to customise! Here are a few ideas.
- Swap the walnuts for pecan nuts or hazelnuts.
- Add cooked chickpeas or cannelini beans for added protein.
- Swap the honey in the dressing for maple syrup.
- Use feta or blue cheese instead of goats cheese.
- Sprinkle over thinly sliced red onion for more flavour.
- Use roasted golden beets, as well as red beets.
- Add freshly squeezed orange juice or lemon juice to the salad dressing.
- Sprinkle over pumpkin seeds or pine nuts for added crunch.
- Add cooked green beans or roasted root vegetables to make the salad more substantial.
🥡 Storage
To Store: If making the salad ahead of time, hold back the dressing until you're just about to serve it, to ensure the salad leaves don't wilt. Leftovers can be kept in the fridge for up to 3 days.
❓ Frequently asked questions
Creamy goats cheese compliments earthy sweet beetroot really well!
Yes! You can grate raw beetroot into the salad instead of using cooked beetroot if you prefer.
😋 More salad recipes to try
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
- Courgette & Feta Salad
- 5 Bean Salad
- Prawn, Avocado and Mango Salad
- Creamy Tuna Pasta Salad
- Spicy Potato Salad
- Herby Halloumi Couscous Salad
- Honey Mustard Chicken Pasta Salad
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Recipe
Easy Beetroot and Goats Cheese Salad
Ingredients
- 100 g Walnuts
- 100 g Salad Leaves rocket, spinach, mixed leaves
- 250 g Cooked Mini Beetroot
- 100 g Soft Goats Cheese crumbled
- 100 g Cherry Tomatoes
For the honey mustard dressing
- 1½ tablespoon Dijon Mustard
- 1½ tablespoon Honey clear runny honey
- 1½ tablespoon Cider Vinegar
- 1½ tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- ½ teaspoon Sea Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Pepper
Instructions
- Place the walnuts in a frying pan (no oil needed) and fry until toasted. Be careful, they will go from golden brown to burnt very quickly! Keep moving them around the pan with a wooden spoon.100 g Walnuts
- Mix the olive oil, cider vinegar, honey, dijon mustard, salt, and pepper in a small bowl with a whisk.1½ tablespoon Dijon Mustard, 1½ tablespoon Honey, 1½ tablespoon Cider Vinegar, 1½ tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil, ½ teaspoon Sea Salt, ¼ teaspoon Pepper
- Halve the mini beetroot (or if using large beetroot, quarter them), and cut the cherry tomatoes in half with a sharp knife.250 g Cooked Mini Beetroot, 100 g Cherry Tomatoes
- Lay the salad leaves on a large platter and top with the beetroot, crumbled goats cheese, walnuts, and tomatoes. Drizzle with the salad dressing just before serving.100 g Walnuts, 100 g Salad Leaves, 250 g Cooked Mini Beetroot, 100 g Soft Goats Cheese, 100 g Cherry Tomatoes
Notes
- Drizzle the dressing over the beetroot and goats cheese salad just before serving. If you do it too soon before serving, the salad leaves will wilt.
- Make double the quantity of honey mustard salad dressing and store the extra in a sterilised jam jar in the fridge. It will keep for up to 2 weeks.
- Always use extra-virgin olive oil for salad dressings, for a far superior taste and flavour!
- Wear gloves when cutting the beetroot to prevent your hands from getting stained.
- Swap the walnuts for pecan nuts or hazelnuts.
- Add cooked chickpeas or cannellini beans for added protein.
- Swap the honey in the dressing for maple syrup.
- Use feta or blue cheese instead of goats cheese.
- Sprinkle over thinly sliced red onion for more flavour.
- Use roasted golden beets, as well as red beets.
- Add freshly squeezed orange juice or lemon juice to the salad dressing
Gwynn
Such a delicious, refreshing and beautiful salad! The homemade vinaigrette is the finishing touch!
Michelle
Love the pairing of beetroot and goats cheese together -- such a flavourful yet light salad!
Natalie
I just saved your recipe, I will make this salad for lunch tomorrow. Looks amazing. So healthy and nutritious. And that dressing... oh, just one big yum!
Farah Maizar
This salad speaks to me! Beetroot and goat cheese are the perfect pairing and adding toasted walnuts sounds heavenly! Can't wait to try this out!
Casey
I had a ton of beets from Costco and this salad was perfect to enjoy them! I subbed blue cheese for the goat cheese and it was DELISH!!!
Lubna
Omg....this looks incredibly easy and delicious. Will be trying this in coming Ramadan. I love salads with walnuts.