Beets pack a nutritional punch with high concentration of beta carotene, folic acid and more but cooking them from fresh can take forever and make a bloody mess… but they don’t have to!
This recipe will bring your red beets from fresh to cooked in less than 30 minutes and includes tips and ideas to keep your kitchen from turning pink.
Beet juice is quite strong and can stain just about anything it comes in contact with – great for use as a natural food coloring terrible to use on your white kitchen counter-tops. So I put my cutting board in the sink and sliced the beets there. Your hands will also be stained -beet juice does not discriminate – so if you have a fancy event to attend, video to record, or important guests coming to call be sure to wear rubber gloves when handling the cut beets to keep your hands and nails from turning pink, too!
| Pressure Cooker | Accessories | Pr. Cook Time | Pr. Level | Open |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 L or larger | steamer basket | 20 min. | High(2) | Normal |
(per serving)
- Serves: 4 to 6
- Serving size: ⅙th
- Calories: 43.1
- TOTAL Fat: 2.4g
- TOTAL Carbs: 5.4g
- Sugar Carbs: 4g
- Sodium: 374.5mg
- Fiber Carbs: 0.8g
- Protein: 0.7g
- Cholesterol: 0.0mg
- 4 medium beets
- 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar (or rice wine vinegar)
- a small bunch of parsley, stems removed (about 1 heaping tablespoon, chopped)
- 1 large garlic clove
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons capers
- Prepare the pressure cooker by adding one cup of water and the steamer basket and set aside.
- Snip the tops of the beets and clean well - taking care not to pierce the skin.
- Put the beets in the steamer basket.
- Close and lock the lid of the pressure cooker. For stove top pressure cookers, turn the heat up to high and when the cooker reaches pressure, lower to the heat to the minimum required by the cooker to maintain pressure. Cook for 20-25 minutes at high pressure.
- In the meantime, prepare the dressing by chopping garlic and parsley together and then putting in a small jar with the salt, pepper, olive oil, and capers. Close tightly and shake vigorously.
- When time is up, open the cooker by releasing the pressure.
- Check beets for doneness: a fork should easily pierce through to the center. If it does not, pop the lid back onto the pressure cooker and cook for 5 more minutes at high pressure with Normal pressure release.
- Move the steamer basket to the sink and run cold water over the beets to cool. Then, using your fingers (optionally wearing gloves) or a dull knife, brush the skin off.
- If your sink/cutting board configuration allows, place a plastic cutting board in the sink (to prevent beet juice juice splatters and spills) and slice beets.
- Arrange on serving platter and sprinkle with vinegar - store this way tightly covered to serve up to four days later - give the dressing a final shake and pour onto the beets just before serving.
LOVE beet salad, and this looks delicious! One unrelated question: where did you find the dressing ladle pictured in the 2nd-to-last photo? Did you simply use a gravy spoon? Brilliant. :)
Yes, that’s a gravy spoon! : )
Ciao,
L
Hi there! I’m about to give these beets a shot! In step 6, will I need to use a Quick or Natural pressure release?
Some manufacturers call the Normal release Quick release. It’s the one that involves moving the valve and opening it. Since you’re steaming, and not boiling, the beets there is no worry about them foaming-up!
Ciao,
L
I am making this one now! Cannot wait to try it! I’m pairing it with a celery root-apple-ginger soup….
It was amazing! Not only was the recipe delicious exactly as is, but I had extra sauce, which we put on salad… and into the soup… and I will be making that sauce again because I think it will taste good on anything that is not dessert! Plus, the pressure-cooked, steamed beets were so flavorful; much better than boiled. Thank you!
Fantastic, thanks for coming back to let us know how it went!
Ciao,
L
I have beets and I have capers. Soon I will have these beets.
Easy way to peel beets is to grasp cooked beet in paper towel and twist the skin/stem off. No red fingers and you can peel them when still hot.
we are only 2 and I want to cook one large beet or enough for 2 servings.
How long do I cook it? ASAP
Thanks
For a large beet I do 18 minutes. Small 12-14 minutes. Generally you know it is cooked if the skin comes away easily.
Laura recommends 20-24 minutes and I would start there because I am notorious for disliking overcooked vegetables although beets are hard to overcook.
A nice thing about beets is that they keep very well cooked in the fridge and easy to reheat and still taste fresh. I am often cooking for one but will cook several beets and reheat when I want to.
Your directions are for stove top pressure cooker. What about electric digital pressure cookers ? (Instant Pot)?
My pressure cooker did not come with a steaming basket. Can I just use the collapsible one that I use in a regular pot?
Absolutely, if it’s heat-proof you can use it. : )
Ciao,
L
You beautiful woman! This recipe totally made my day. And I’m already using what I’ve learned here six out of seven days of the week. My life would be terrible with out you.
This recipe is outstanding. I can even get folks who claim they don’t eat beets to eat these. Delicious!
Love this recipe! Takes beets to the next level.
I am a grower/distributor of organically produced and naturally fresh farm produce on the Eastern Shore of MD. Wanting to sample my wares I purchased a pressure cooker and picked 4 bushel of beets this morning and hauled them into the kitchen only to realize I had no idea how to prepare them. Thanks for the recipes. I look forward to following your newsletter and discovering the benefit of eating healthy.
Kimmie, so glad you’re getting a chance to enjoy your veggies! Just in case you also do direct distribution, feel free to share my recipe with your customers (if you include the URL, I’m good).
How did your beets turn out?
Ciao,
L
Roasting the beets takes about an hour. Are the pressured cooked beets equaled in taste compared to roasted beets? If they don’t taste the same, how about pressure cooking them partially and then finishing up by roasting them?
so glad I found your recipe
I gobbled up 2 medium beets by myself
lucky I saved all those capers from whatever recipe it was 2-3 years ago!
fresh Olive oil from Bruce Cohn’s vineyard [B R Cohn]
beets from Pacifica farmers market [grown in Pescadero]
added some avocado which topped it off nicely
need to have this one on a regular basis!
I use an egg slicer to slice the cooked beets. Quick, easy, especially for those slippery little suckers!
Delicious! First time making beets so I was a little nervous but I followed the directions exactly and the result was delicious! I will be using this recipe often! Thank you once again for another winner!
You can also put a sheet of parchment paper down on your cutting board to protect from beet stains as it can be hard to cut in the sink if it is at a lower level.