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This Beet Quinoa is made with steamed beets, fluffy quinoa, and a little red onion all tossed in a delicious dressing. It’s one of our favorite quinoa side dish recipes to serve with grilled chicken and fish. If you like beets, you will love this dish!

Beet Quinoa is a cream colored bowl.

Beets and quinoa make a great combo, especially when they’re tossed together a tasty dressing! Our beet quinoa is easy, delicious and impossible to mess up! 

Why We Love This Recipe

  • Great Flavor. The dressing that we toss this beet quinoa with is SO good, it makes this dish a winner! You may like the dressing so much that you’ll want to turn this into a salad by adding some arugula and Feta cheese… and that’s okay. We’ve done it too!
  • Simple Ingredients. You will only need a handful of ingredients to pull it together.
  • Quick and Easy. It comes together in about 30 minutes. Enjoy it hot or cold!

Beet Quinoa Recipe Ingredients

Clear glass bowls filled with diced steamed beets, cooked quinoa, minced red onion and salad dressing for a beet quinoa recipe.

  • Quinoa. We use white quinoa for this recipe.
  • Beets. Steamed red beets are finely minced to toss with quinoa.
  • Onion. We use red onion, but you could use green onion if you like.
  • Seasoning. Just a little salt and pepper for seasoning. The dressing adds so much flavor, no extra seasoning is needed.
  • Dressing. We toss this beet quinoa with a delicious dressing, made with extra-virgin olive oil, red wine vinegar and spices.
  • Fresh Parsley. We like to garnish with a little fresh parsley.

Find printable recipe with the measurements below.

Clear glass bowl filled with steamed beets and quinoa.

How To Make It

  1. Make Dressing. We like to start with the dressing, so the ingredients have a chance to blend together while the quinoa cooks and the beets steam. To make the dressing, just dd all the ingredients in a mason jar, seal the lid and vigorously shake to blend ingredients.  Refrigerate until you’re ready to use.
  2. Steam Beets. Slice off the ends of the beets. Peel the beets and slice them fairly thin. Beets can be a little messy and can stain (even your skin), so if you have disposable food preparation gloves, you might want to use them. Add a couple of inches of water to a large pot. Drizzle in a tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt to the water. Place a large steaming basket inside making sure the water doesn’t come above the basket. Add the beet slices to the basket and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to a low simmer.  Pace a lid on the pot and simmer on low for 10 to 15 minutes or until the beets are just fork tender. Remove the beets right away from the hot steamer basket. The beets will continue to cook after you remove them from the heat so you don’t want to over cook them. Steaming time may vary depending on the size that you cut the beets and the size of your pot and steamer basket. Don’t over-crowd the basket so all of the pieces can steam evenly.  Also, be sure to watch the water level while cooking in case you need to add more water to the pot.
  3. Cook Quinoa. Pour the quinoa and water into a saucepan and stir. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer and cover with lid. Simmer 15-18 minutes.  Don’t remove the lid. As soon as the water is absorbed, remove from heat and set aside for 10-15 minutes then fluff with a fork.
  4. Mince Beets. Finely mince the beets and transfer them to a medium bowl.
  5. Add Dressing.  Drizzle 1/2 cup of the dressing over the beets and let them marinate for 5-10 minutes before adding the quinoa to the bowl.  
  6. Add Quinoa.  Add the cooked quinoa to the bowl and toss with the marinated beets. Add more dressing and toss again if you like. Garnish with parsley if you like.

Cooked Quinoa with Beets in a bowl.

Tips For Making The Best Beet Quinoa

  • Rinsing quinoa before cooking it will help remove the natural coating called saponin which makes it taste bitter and can cause foam. It will also make the texture of the cooked quinoa a bit softer. Some quinoa that you may find in grocery stores are already pre-rinsed, so check the outside of the package first to see if the quinoa has already been rinsed before going to the trouble to rinse it.
  • Let the quinoa rest in the pan with the lid on for 10-15 minutes after cooking before fluffing with a fork.
  • Don’t overcook the beets. You want them just fork tender.

Beets and Quinoa in a bowl with a spoon.

Storing Leftovers

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If properly stored, it should last up to 5 days. Stir and add more dressing if needed.

Beet Quinoa on a plate with grilled chicken.

More Quinoa Recipes

Yield: 6 Servings

Beet Quinoa

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Additional Time 10 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes

This Beet Quinoa is made with steamed beets, fluffy quinoa, and a little red onion all tossed in a delicious dressing. It's one of our favorite quinoa side dish recipes to serve with grilled chicken and fish. If you like beets, you will love this dish!

Ingredients

  • 2 cups quinoa, cooked
  • 2 large red beets, steamed
  • 3 tablespoons red onion, minced
  • 3 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped (optional)

For the Dressing

  • 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
  • 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon celery salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 3/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 3 kalamata olives, finely minced (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons Parmesan, finely grated cheese (optional)

Instructions

  1. Add the ingredients for the dressing into a mason jar, seal the lid and vigorously shake to blend ingredients.  Refrigerate until you're ready to use.
  2. Slice off the ends of the beets. Peel the beets and slice them fairly thin. Beets can be a little messy and can stain (even your skin), so if you have disposable food preparation gloves, you might want to use them. Add a couple of inches of water to a large pot. Drizzle in a tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt to the water. Place a large steaming basket inside making sure the water doesn’t come above the basket. Add the beet slices to the basket and bring the water to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to a low simmer.  Pace a lid on the pot and simmer on low for 10 to 15 minutes or until the beets are just fork tender. Remove the beets right away from the hot steamer basket. The beets will continue to cook after you remove them from the heat so you don't want to over cook them. Steaming time may vary depending on the size that you cut the beets and the size of your pot and steamer basket. Don't over-crowd the basket so all of the pieces can steam evenly.  Also, be sure to watch the water level while cooking in case you need to add more water to the pot.
  3. Pour 1 cup raw quinoa and 2 cups water into a saucepan and stir. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer and cover with lid. Simmer 15-18 minutes.  Don't remove the lid while cooking. As soon as the water is absorbed, remove from heat and set aside for 10-15 minutes then fluff with a fork.
  4. Finely dice the beets and transfer them to a medium bowl. Drizzle 1/2 cup of the dressing over the beets and let them marinate for 5-10 minutes before adding the quinoa to the bowl.  
  5. Add the cooked quinoa to the bowl and toss with the marinated beets. Add more dressing and toss again if you like. Garnish with parsley if you like.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 440Total Fat: 35gSaturated Fat: 6gUnsaturated Fat: 30gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 439mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 5gSugar: 6gProtein: 7g

theharvestkitchen.com attempts to provide accurate information, however, this nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. The nutritional information provided comes from online sources and calculations. See full disclaimer on About page.

© Deborah Duncan
Cuisine: American / Category: Sides