Grilled Beets

By
Molly Watson
Molly Watson
An award-winning food writer and cookbook author, Molly Watson has created more than 1,000 recipes focused on local, seasonal ingredients.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 01/10/23
Tested by Tara Omidvar
Grilled beets in a bowl

The Spruce Eats

Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Total: 30 mins
Servings: 6 servings

Beets are great boiled, pickled, grated raw into salads, and, of course, roasted. But you can grill beets, too. Perhaps it's a cooking method you haven't yet considered, but the hot fire of the grill brings out the earthy sweetness of beets with an added hint of smoky flavor and an almost candied, caramelized coating. It's a brand new way to enjoy this veggie.

Grilled beets make a delicious and beautiful addition to any grilled vegetable platter. Other recipes will have you wrap the beets in foil, but that just steams or roasts them and doesn't truly grill them. The smoky-sweet power of true grilling is the key to their appeal here.

If you are grilling the beets along with other foods and you need a hotter grill to cook those other things, cook the beets on the cooler edges of the grill.

"These grilled beets make an amazing side for summer barbecues. The recipe is pretty basic and can easily be adoptable. Grilling beets on low heat brings out their sweetness. You can add spices such as paprika, cumin or black pepper. Just make sure that the grill isn’t too hot for perfectly caramelized beets." —Tara Omidvar

Grilled Beets with flaky salt on a white plate
A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 4 medium beets

  • 2 tablespoon olive oil, or vegetable oil

  • Kosher salt, to taste

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Ingredients for grilled beets gathered

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  2. Heat a charcoal or gas grill to medium-low (300 F to 325 F). If the grill is too hot the beets will burn before they cook through.

    Charcoal grill hot and ready

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  3. While the grill heats, peel and cut the beets into 1/4-inch crosswise slices.

    Sliced beets on a white platter, with olive oil and salt alongside

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  4. Brush the beets with oil, or put the slices in a large bowl, drizzle with the oil and toss to coat evenly. 

    Beets brushed with olive oil

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  5. Place the beets on the grill and sprinkle lightly with salt. If using a gas grill, close the cover and cook 8 to 10 minutes.

    Sliced beets sprinkled with salt on a grill

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  6. Turn the beets over and continue cooking until the beets are tender and grill-marked, another 8 to 10 minutes.

    Beets on a grill, turned over after being cooked on one side

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  7. Serve the beets hot, warm, or at room temperature. Drizzle them with additional olive oil and salt for serving, if desired.

    Grilled beets in a bowl with a dish towel underneath it

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How to Use Grilled Beets

  • Add them in place of sliced tomatoes in sandwiches and burgers—bacon beet burger, anyone? Or how about a BLB—bacon, lettuce, and beet? Different, yet delicious.
  • Try them in a salad with strong, peppery greens like arugula or watercress and some crumbly bold blue cheese or fresh cheeses such as feta, cotija, or ricotta.
  • Chop them and toss them with a grain salad with quinoa, farro, or bulgur, and other veggies.
  • Bring out the sweetness with a drizzle of honey or maple syrup and eat it alongside plain Greek yogurt. Watch out, people may start experiencing beets as dessert if you go this route!

Recipe Variations

Grilled beets are good as they are, and you can use them much as you would use roasted beets.

  • A sprinkle of chopped fresh herbs adds color and freshness—mint is particularly lovely.
  • A bit of lemon or orange zest is always good with beets.
  • Feel free to use a combination of beets—red, Chioggia, and golden, for variety of colors and subtle differences in flavor.

How to Store Grilled Beets

  • Beets will keep in the fridge for 4 to 5 days. You can eat them at room temperature, reheat them on the stovetop or in the oven.
  • You can also freeze grilled beets for up to 3 months if you wrap them well in foil and then store them in zip-close freezer bags.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
35 Calories
2g Fat
3g Carbs
1g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories 35
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 2g 3%
Saturated Fat 0g 2%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 131mg 6%
Total Carbohydrate 3g 1%
Dietary Fiber 1g 2%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 1mg 6%
Calcium 5mg 0%
Iron 0mg 2%
Potassium 102mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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