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This marinated beet salad is as vibrant as it is delicious. The sweet and sour flavors stay fresh for weeks, making it the perfect candidate for meal prepping.

Marinated beets salad in jars

Not all of my recipes are created by me – including this marinated beet salad recipe. I got this recipe from Tim’s aunt after she served it at one of our family dinners. She is truly an incredible cook and an inspiration to me. The first time she made it, it was the highlight of the entire spread— which says a lot, because everything she makes is so good. The beets taste simultaneously sweet and tangy, which is always such a party to my taste buds!

So, I’ve been making this marinated beet salad for over 10 years now. This recipe created a large portion, but I usually prepare an even bigger batch so we can enjoy it for weeks to come. If you know me, I love to feed others, so I often share it with friends whenever I can. Everyone absolutely loves it!

Fun fact: Beets are a super popular food in Eastern European and Slavic cultures. It’s a vegetable that is highly resilient to the cold climate, is affordable, nutritious, and stores well through long winters. Historically, the process of pickling and marinating helped ensure that folks still ate veggies in the cold winters.

Ingredients for the marinated beet salad

Marinated Beet Salad Video

How to Make Marinated Beet Salad

There’s nothing complicated on how to marinate beets. It takes a little bit of prep (really, not much!), and most of the time is spent letting the ingredients cook in the marinade. It’s so worth it!

  • Prep the vegetables: Grate the cooked beets on the large holes of a cheese grater. Chop the onions and bell peppers.
  • Make the marinade: Create the marinade for the beets by combining the water, oil, vinegar, sugar and salt in a pot. Cook on the stove top until the mixture simmers.
  • Cook together: Add the onions and bell peppers to the marinade and cook for 10 minutes. Place beets in and cook for an additional 15 minutes.
  • Cool and store: Allow the salad to cool down. Store the marinated red beets in jars or any other airtight container. Keep in the fridge until ready to serve.

Serving tip: I love serving these marinated beets alongside BBQ ribs or with shish kabobs. The vinegary flavor of the salad is the perfect contrast to savory and fatty meat.

6 peeled and cooked beet on a cutting board
Marinate for the beet salad
Ingredients for the marinated beet salad
Marinated beets with veggies in a pot

Tips for Making the Salad

I’ve got a couple quick tips to share just in case you need a little extra help with this recipe.

  • Add more prep time if needing to cook beets: If you need to cook your beets, make sure to add more time to your prep time! Otherwise, prep should take only about 20 minutes.
  • Peel the beets if desired: It’s up to you if you want to peel your beets. When roasting them, the skin is much like that of a roasted potato. If you like that texture, keep the skin on (just make sure to clean each beet thoroughly first). Remember to let your beets cool before you remove the skin, cause it’s going to be hot!
  • Chop the veggies into same size pieces: Always try to chop your beets (and any veggie for that matter) into even-sized pieces. This promotes even cooking and an overall better aesthetic of your dish.
  • Use pre-cooked beets for a faster salad: If you want even less work, buy pre-cooked or canned beets.

Reader suggestion: One of my readers substituted the white vinegar with apple cider vinegar and said “it’s more healthy, safer for the stomach, and actually I like the taste, it goes well with beets.” I haven’t tried it (and personally don’t love apple cider vinegar), but if you try it, let me know if you like it!

Storing Marinated Beet Salad

Store the beet salad in a mason jar or another airtight container. This salad keeps for 1-2 weeks in the refrigerator!

More Beet Recipes

Recipe

Marinated beets salad in jars

Marinated Beet Salad

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Servings
16 servings
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Recipe contributed by: Natalya Drozhzhin
This marinated beet salad is as vibrant as it is delicious. The sweet and sour flavors stay fresh for weeks, making it the perfect candidate for meal prepping.

Ingredients

  • 8 large beets (roasted or boiled)
  • 4 large onions
  • 3 large red bell peppers
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup olive oil
  • 1 cup distilled white vinegar
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 tbsp salt
US Units – Metric

Instructions

  • Grate the beets on the larger size of the grater. Cut onions and bell peppers into small, even sized pieces.
    Ingredients for the marinated beet salad
  • Make the marinade in a large pot by mixing together the water, oil, vinegar, sugar, and salt. Place on the stove top and bring to a simmer.
    Marinate for the beet salad
  • Add the sliced onions and red bell peppers into the marinade and cook for 10 minutes. Then, add the beets and cook for another 15 minutes.
    Marinated beets with veggies in a pot
  • Allow everything to cool. Place the salad in jars (or any other airtight container). Keep refrigerated until serving.
    Marinated beets salad in jars
Nutrition Facts
Marinated Beet Salad
Amount Per Serving
Calories 182 Calories from Fat 126
% Daily Value*
Fat 14g22%
Saturated Fat 2g10%
Sodium 907mg38%
Potassium 220mg6%
Carbohydrates 14g5%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 11g12%
Protein 1g2%
Vitamin A 712IU14%
Vitamin C 33mg40%
Calcium 15mg2%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Updated April 8, 2026

About Author

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Natalya founded Momsdish to demonstrate that placing a homemade meal on the table is not hard at all. Natalya makes cooking easier and approachable, by simplifying the ingredients, while still producing the same great taste.