Avocado Beet Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette

Simple and healthy, this beet and avocado salad is sprinkled with pistachios and drizzled with a citrusy vinaigrette!

By
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.
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Updated November 28, 2022
Elise Bauer
Avocado Beet Salad
Elise Bauer

Quick, grab a pen and paper and write down your top 5 favorite foods. What are they?

No matter what year, what season, or where I am, the numero uno top food item on my list is always avocado. I once read that some ultra-thin celebrities avoid eating avocados because they are fattening (never mind that avocados contain good fats, the ones your body need).

That is reason enough for me to never ever want to be an ultra-thin celebrity. Yikes! Give up avocados? Never!

There are almost always a few in my fridge, at various stages of ripeness. So it's easy enough to whip up a salad that makes use of avocados, like this lovely beet salad with pistachios and a citrus vinaigrette.

Any color beet will do, though the red ones will tend to stain everything around them, so for presentation purposes I love yellow or orange beets. The tanginess of the citrus vinaigrette balances the sweetness of the beets and the richness of the avocados.

So tell me, are avocados on your list?

Avocado Beet Salad with Citrus Vinaigrette

Prep Time 20 mins
Cook Time 40 mins
Total Time 60 mins
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

For the salad:

  • 4 medium beets (any color), green tops removed, beets scrubbed clean

  • 1 just-ripe avocado

  • 4 ounces mixed green lettuces

  • 2 tablespoons pistachios, chopped

Citrus Vinaigrette:

  • 1 tablespoon minced shallot

  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar (unseasoned)

  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

  • 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice

  • 2 teaspoons lemon zest

  • 1 teaspoon orange zest

  • Pinch salt

  • 1/3 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil

Method

  1. Cook the beets:

    Place beets in a medium saucepan and cover with an inch of water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to maintain a low simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, depending on the size of the beets, until easily pierced with the tines of a fork.

  2. Make the vinaigrette:

    Whisk together the citrus vinaigrette ingredients in a small bowl.

  3. Toss the beets in vinaigrette:

    When the beets are done, drain them, and peel off the outer skin. Cut the beets in half, and the halves into wedges. (Tip: Use a plastic cutting board when cutting red beets. Red beets will stain wooden cutting boards.)

    Place the beet wedges in a bowl and toss with a tablespoon of the vinaigrette.

  4. Cut and peel the avocado:

    Cut the avocado into wedges.

  5. Arrange the salad:

    Toss the salad greens with half of the citrus vinaigrette. Arrange the dressed greens on serving plates.

    Arrange the beet wedges and avocado wedges on top of the salad greens. Sprinkle with chopped pistachios. Drizzle remaining vinaigrette over the salads.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
379 Calories
35g Fat
18g Carbs
4g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 379
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 35g 44%
Saturated Fat 5g 24%
Cholesterol 0mg 0%
Sodium 108mg 5%
Total Carbohydrate 18g 7%
Dietary Fiber 9g 33%
Total Sugars 7g
Protein 4g
Vitamin C 19mg 96%
Calcium 40mg 3%
Iron 2mg 9%
Potassium 810mg 17%
*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. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.