This Pickled Beet Salad recipe is the perfect spring and summer side dish. With cucumbers, feta cheese, pistachios, and red onion it’s a colorful mix of texture and flavors.
Did I mention this salad keeps beautifully in the fridge for days? Just toss it together once and enjoy it all week long – the flavors actually get better as they mingle!
A lot of beets are grown where I live in Michigan and I’m slightly obsessed with this Pickled Beet Salad. It’s a summer lifesaver when it’s too hot to cook and the garden is overflowing with fresh cucumbers and dill. It’s become my go-to for good reasons!
Unlike other beet salads that can be one-note, this version is truly special. You get a vinegary-sweet note from the pickled beets, creamy tang from the feta, a spicy bite with red onion, and crunch from the pistachios and cucumber. But what makes this recipe truly special is the dressing! It’s made with a little olive oil, pickled beet brine, and a few spices to really round out all the flavors.
If you’re a sucker for pickled veggies like I am, try my Quick Pickled Jalapenos, Quick Pickled Carrots, or these Quick Pickled Green Tomatoes.
Pickled Beet Salad Ingredients
Below is a list of all the ingredients you will need to make this salad, plus important notes you will not find in the recipe card. Keep reading because they are super helpful!
- Pickled Beets: I recommend using canned, whole pickled beats for this salad. I chop mine in half and then half again for the perfect bite-sized chunks.
- Cucumbers: Slice or dice these the same way as the pickled beets. I cut the ends off my mini (Persian) cucumbers, then cut them in half and in half again before chopping into 1/2 inch chunks.
- Red Onion: To avoid an overpowering bite of onion, you’ll want to slice it very thin, almost like shaved onion. Just cut the onion in half and then half again, before thinly shaving into quarters circled shapes.
- Feta Cheese: You’ll want a container of whole feta in brine (it tastes the best). Then you can cut it off in chunks and crumble it by hand. Or go ahead and grab a container of crumbles if it’s easier.
- Pistachios: These add a delicious nutty crunch to the salad. Leave them in halves or lightly chop into smaller pieces, whichever you prefer is great.
- Dill: Fresh dill is best in this salad, but dried will be fine if that’s all you have or can find.
- Dressing: This is a blend of extra virgin olive oil, some pickled beet juice, Dijon mustard, salt and black pepper.
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
How to Make Pickled Beet Salad
This salad is seriously so easy to make that you’ll be making it at least once a week. Below is a quick summary so you can see just how easy.
1. Mix up the dressing. In a small bowl whisk together the extra virgin olive oil, pickled beet juice, Dijon mustard, salt and black pepper. Set aside.
2. Toss together the salad. Combine the pickled beets, cucumbers, and red onion. Pour over the dressing and toss together. Refrigerate the dressed pickled mixture for at least a few hours.
3. Sprinkle on the toppings. Add the crumbled feta cheese, chopped pistachios, and fresh dill. Serve!
Storing Leftovers
This Pickled Beet Salad stores really well in the refrigerator and actually tastes better the second or third day. Just make sure you put it in an airtight container or wrap with plastic wrap to keep it covered. I do recommend eating this salad within 7 days for the best textures and flavors.
What to Serve With Pickled Beet Salad
If you’re stuck on what foods go well with this salad, you have lots of options.
It goes with everything from these Brown Sugar Ham and Cheese Sliders, Smoked Hot Dogs, Baked Cajun Chicken Thighs, Fish Sliders, Oven Baked Chicken Wings, Pesto Crusted Salmon, Greek Yogurt Chicken, or this Garlic Chicken.
It is also the perfect addition to summer potlucks, Easter dinner, for a light lunch, or a bright side dish to go along with a heavier meal.
Surprising Recipe Variations
The pickled beets taste amazing with a large variety of cheeses and nuts. You can swap the feta cheese for goats cheese, Cotija, or other types of crumbly cheeses. For the nuts you can use toasted pecans and walnuts or even dry roasted almonds.
As for the beets, I do not recommend using regular canned beets (they lack in flavor for a well rounded salad). But, I have used spicy pickled beets and even some mustard pickled beets that were fabulous in this salad.
More Fresh Salad Recipes You Might Enjoy
Pickled Beet Salad
INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups pickled beets - drained with brine reserved, cut in 4s (half and in half)
- 1 cup cucumbers - mini Persians, 1/2" rounds cut in 4s (half and in half then chopped in 1/2" chunks)
- ¼ cup red onion - thinly sliced or shaved
- ⅓ cup feta cheese - crumbled
- ¼ cup pistachios - roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons dill - fresh, chopped
DRESSING
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons pickled beet brine
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a small bowl, whisk together the extra virgin olive oil, pickled beet brine, Dijon mustard, salt, and black pepper. Set aside.
- In another bowl, combine the chopped pickled beets, chopped cucumbers, thinly shaved red onion, and the dressing. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 12 hours.
- Lightly stir the pickled mixture before sprinkling over the salad feta cheese crumbles, chopped pistachios, and fresh chopped dill. Serve immediately.
RECIPE NOTES
STORING INFORMATION
- Refrigerated, in an airtight container, for up to 7 days.
- Keeping at room temperature and freezing is not recommended.
Metric conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.
