In cooking, beets are an indispensable vegetable for preparing salads, first courses, drinks and desserts. Each method of cooking beets depends on which dish and how you cook. Beets are boiled in water (in a slow cooker or pan), steamed in a double boiler or baked in a microwave or oven. The finished beets are peeled, cut into strips, or rubbed on a grater, and then added to the dish. There are quick ways to cook beets when raw peeled fruits are cut into cubes or straws and cooked in a crushed form. Also, for cooking borsch or beetroot, you can grate the peeled raw beets on a grater and stew with the addition of vinegar or lemon, and then add to the soup.

Beetroot Cooking Time

  In a pan: 30-40 minutes.
  In a slow cooker: 35-40 minutes.
  In a double boiler: 1 hour.
  In the oven: 30-40 minutes.
  In the microwave: 10-12 minutes.
  In a slow cooker slices: 15 minutes.

Cooking methods

How to peel beets before cooking

  Soak the beets in cold water first, and then thoroughly wash them under running water with a brush.


  Separate the tubers from the tops, as tubers and beet tops are always prepared separately.

How to cook beets in a pan

  1. Beets must be washed well under running water, without cleaning or removing the tails - only the leaves of the leaves are removed.


  2. Put in a pan, pour cold water so that the tubers are completely covered, put to boil.
  3. Beets are cooked on average 30-40 minutes. You can check the readiness by piercing the vegetable with a fork - the finished beets are soft in the center.
  4. Drain the water, clean the finished beets with hot - under a stream of cold water, or before cleaning, place in a saucepan with cold water for 10 minutes. Then we clean, removing the skin.

How to cook beets in a slow cooker

  We select medium-sized fruits, as well as for cooking in a pan.
  My beets, separate the tops, place in the bowl of the crock-pot, pour water.
  Cook the vegetable in the "Baking" mode. Cooking time for beets in a slow cooker is 35-40 minutes. For large beets, the time is increased to one hour.
  You can bake beets in a slow cooker, as in this recipe: "Caviar from beets in a slow cooker"

How to bake beets in the oven

  In the oven, beets can be baked by wrapping in foil or placing in a bag for baking. Cook for about 30 minutes at a temperature of 190-200 degrees. The time depends on the size of the beets and the individual characteristics of your oven.

1. Wash the beets, separate the tops.
  2. Wrap the tubers in foil or place in a baking bag.
  3. Put on a baking sheet.
  4. Bake beets in an oven preheated to 200 degrees Celsius.
  5. Baking time: 30-40 minutes.
  6. Open the foil or bag, let the vegetable cool.
  7. Peel.

Quick cooking methods

Microwave beetroot

  Prick washed fruits in several places, put in a special dish for a microwave or food bag. Cook in microwave for 10-12 minutes with a power of 800 watts.

Fast beetroot in a slow cooker

  You can quickly cook beets in a slow cooker - pre-cut into slices or strips. To do this, beets must be peeled and chopped.


  Pour vegetable oil into the multicooker bowl, add beets, mix well and cook in the “Baking” mode for 15 minutes.
  Such beets can be added to the salad, in borsch, or cook beetroot caviar from it.

Beetroot Dishes - Recipes

  Beetroot has firmly entered our diet and without it it is simply impossible to imagine our daily and holiday menu.
  In cooking, beets are used to prepare cold snacks and salads, and not only from rhizomes, but also from tops. It is difficult to imagine beetroot or beetroot, beetroot soup or beetroot okroshka without beets, not to mention the vinaigrette or the famous and healthy Salad Brush. Beets make healthy and tasty drinks, and even desserts and sweets.

  * A simple raw beetroot salad.
  It is very useful to prepare salads from raw beets, because it is in raw beets that all vitamins and nutrients are stored. So, we bought, washed and dried beets. Peel a few tubers and grate them on a coarse grater or grater for Korean carrots. Prepare exactly as much as you can eat in one sitting because, even if stored in the refrigerator, a beetroot dish loses all its magical properties.
  200 g of beets grate and mix with 1 tbsp. l lemon juice.
  Add a pinch of red hot pepper. A few coriander grains ground in a mortar, salt to taste and season with olive oil, add 1 tbsp. l finely chopped green onions.

  * Boiled beets with olive oil and lemon.
A very popular appetizer in Greece, served with baked on coals or grilled oily fish Dorada or Salmon.
  200 g of raw peeled beet tubers and beet tops in a slow cooker in the “Steamed” mode. The leaves are ready to cook much faster than the tubers, so we will get it in 15 minutes. We check the readiness of the tubers by piercing them with a fork, which enters the finished tuber easily and gently. We clean the hot tubers, cut into circles and beautifully lay on a dish. Nearby you need to spread the tops, pour 2 tbsp. l vegetable oil and 2 tbsp. l lemon juice, sprinkle oregano to taste.

  * Beetroot caviar with walnuts and prunes.
  Beet tubers (200 g) wrap in foil and place in the oven. Bake, ready beets peeled and grated on a fine (carrot) grater, you can pierce with a blender.
  Finely chop the small onion and lightly fry in two tablespoons of vegetable oil. Dried and very soft prunes 5-6 pcs. cut in small pieces. Chopped dried nuts with a knife. Mix everything together and season with lemon juice 2 tbsp. l., adding a little ground coriander in a mortar, salt and black pepper to taste.

  * See also other beetroot recipes:
  Beetroot salad with banana sauce
  Snack cake "Beetroot"
  Vinaigrette in the microwave
  A very simple salad of cheese, eggs and beets
  Cold beetroot on yogurt
  Lettuce bite off salad
  The matrimonial beetroot
  Vinaigrette “One, Two and Done”

Salads and appetizers decoration
  Beetroot Chips Rose
  Beetroot juice is an excellent natural dye and is used in the preparation of desserts and pastries: cookies "Colored strawberries"

Useful properties of beets

  Beetroot is a valuable food product that contains vitamins, proteins and carbohydrates, magnesium, potassium, iron, etc., as well as organic acids and coloring substances. It is a true food source of copper, iron, phosphorus and vitamin C. Its leaves contain a lot of vitamin “A”, and the presence of folic acid in beets contributes to the formation of new cells and rejuvenation of the body. Vitamin B 9 prevents heart disease because it is responsible for the production of hemoglobin by the body. The presence of pectin in beets helps to remove heavy metal salts and radiation from the body, and lowers cholesterol.
Despite the sugar content in beets, it is recommended for people with obesity and fluid retention. It cleanses the liver and kidneys well, stimulates the brain, lowers blood pressure, but at the same time, beets are not recommended for people with a weak stomach and high acidity.
   Red beets saturated with useful substances are important and we all need. It helps women on critical days, and to cope with menopause, in men ¬– it stimulates sexual and muscle activity, and for children it is a source of vitamins, iron and iodine.

The energy value of beets

  Energy value per 100 gr. fresh beets 43 kcal 180 kJ.
  Proteins - 1.6 g., Fats - 0.2 g., Carbohydrates - 9.6 g. - including sugar 6.8 g

Beet Varieties

   All types of beets originated from the wild, which grows in India and the Far East. The most common and known types of beets: sugar, fodder and ordinary, are quite unpretentious, grow and are found everywhere except Antarctica. We are talking about ordinary beets, which we use to prepare our dishes, we buy in stores and at the bazaar, and we also grow them in their summer cottages. So, ordinary beets, has many varieties: Ataman, Bordeaux, Detroit Cadet, Captain, Aelita, Cylinder, Commander, Cadet and Red Ball. Most popular and loved, for its rich burgundy color and sugar content beet variety Bordeaux.

Selection, purchase, processing, storage

  When buying beets, try to choose tubers of medium and uniform size, with thin skin and rich burgundy color.
  If beets with tops, do not rush to throw tops - it can be used to make salad, borsch and beetroot.
  Separate the tubers from the tops, dry thoroughly if you will not use beets immediately. Tubers are best stored on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator in special containers for vegetables or in a dry and dark cool place. The tops can be frozen and frozen in a food bag.

Interesting Facts
   So that the beets cut for mixed salads do not stain the rest of the ingredients, you need to add a couple of tablespoons of vegetable oil to it, and let stand for several minutes.
   In ancient times, only beet leaves were eaten in the Mediterranean, and the roots were used only for medicinal purposes.

We all love beets for its unique, unlike anything taste and a lot of useful properties. Most of all, it is valued for the prevention of heart and vascular diseases, as well as anemia: beets are rich in substances such as iron, potassium and magnesium, which favorably affect blood formation processes in the body.

Unfortunately, we are used to thinking that boiling beets is a long and tedious task: indeed, if you just put it in a pot with cold water, it will cook for 2 to 3 hours, which cannot repel anyone who values \u200b\u200btheir time from this product .

We decided to collect the most effective tips on how to cook whole beets as quickly as possible and at the same time preserve all its unique useful properties.

Temperature differences

This method is ideal for those who decide to quickly cook beets whole in a pan.

If you urgently needed boiled beets to cook a dish, we advise you to do it as a professional chef: leave it in boiling water for half an hour, drain the water and immediately put under a stream of ice water.

Leave the beets to cool under water for 10-15 minutes: such a sharp temperature drop will bring it to readiness.

Boiling water

Bring the water to a boil and, putting the beets in the pan, cook for about 40 minutes, maintaining a large fire. Pour water with a reserve, because from high temperature it will boil away very quickly.

Big fire

To quickly cook beets on the stove, you need a big fire and 20 minutes of free time.

It is very important to pour more water: root crops should be covered with about a ten-centimeter layer of already boiling water. Otherwise, the water will boil away long before the beets have time to cook. Do not cover the pan with a lid and cook for 15–20 minutes, then place the root vegetables under an ice-cold stream of water for 5 minutes. Beetroot is ready.

The only drawback of this express method is that there is nothing left of the useful vitamin C in the product.

Baking in the oven

Try to quickly cook the beets in the oven using a baking bag. This method is as fast as cooking, and, most importantly, the same (if not more) delicious: baked beets are sweeter than boiled, which can be successfully used in the preparation of, for example, vinaigrette.

Put the washed unpeeled beets in a bag (you can also use foil) and place in the oven, preheated to 180-200 degrees. Small young root crops will be ready in half an hour, and large and ripe ones in 40-50 minutes.

In the microwave

If you want to quickly and tasty cook the beets in the microwave, you will need about 20 minutes.

Put the uncleaned washed beets in a special container for microwave ovens or a plastic bag, not tying it, but folding it. Set the microwave to medium power and set aside to cook for 7–10 minutes. Check the readiness and put the beets for another 5-10 minutes, if it is still half-baked.

In a slow cooker

In a slow cooker, you can also cook beets quickly and easily. The simplest and “fastest” option is to cook whole vegetables of approximately the same size in their skins.

On the program "Steam" (which can be completely replaced by the programs "Soup" or "Cooking"), the beets must be completely filled with water and set to boil for 40 minutes. After the end of the program, check the readiness and, if necessary, add another 10 minutes.

Never cut the tail and do not peel the beets (unless, of course, you plan to put it out for your dish). It will be enough to wash it thoroughly with a sponge and in this form send it to cook: this way it will retain its beautiful saturated color.

Speaking of color: add to the water after boiling half a teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice - so it will become even brighter.

If you cook beets for vinaigrette or for another salad and do not want it to color the rest of the vegetables, properly fill it with vegetable oil after you chop it, and only then mix with other ingredients.

Before cooking, beets must be thoroughly washed, but not cleaned. Cutting the tail is also not recommended. Otherwise, the beets will lose color and part of the nutritional components. If there are significant contaminants on the surface, then they must be removed with a brush.

Beets are cooked in several stages:

• first, water is poured into the container (enameled pan);
• the amount of liquid must be calculated so that the beets are completely immersed in water;
• water is brought to a boil;
• beets are put in boiling water (the fire must be reduced);
• it is better to close the pan with a lid;
• you can check the degree of readiness of beets with a sharp object (knife, fork).

Beets can be cooked not only in a conventional pan, but also in a slow cooker or double boiler. With any cooking method, you do not need to peel the vegetable. In a slow cooker, beets are cooked in the "Cooking" mode also with the addition of the required amount of water. The liquid should not only cover the vegetable, but also exceed the level by 2 cm. During the cooking process, the water will boil away. If necessary, the liquid can be added during cooking. Otherwise, the beets will be partially cooked.

The nuances of cooking beets:

• it is recommended to add a small amount of lemon juice in boiling water before putting the beets (it is better to squeeze fresh lemon on your own, and not use ready-made additives);
• after the end of the cooking process, the beets must be poured with cold water (so it cools faster);
• for cooking, it is better to take beets of the same size (it is not recommended to cut it for cooking);
• vegetable oil will help to cook the beets faster (you need to add a small amount of it before putting the beets in the pan).

It is not necessary to salt the beets during the cooking process. In the process of boiling, the salt will evaporate, so there is no sense in adding it. It is recommended to salt the dish itself, in which the vegetable will be added, or add a little more salt to other ingredients with which the beets will be mixed.

Lemon juice is added to beets so that the vegetable does not lose its saturated color. You can also get rid of the smell of this vegetable. To do this, in the process of cooking in water, put a small crust of dry black bread. This ingredient will not affect the taste of beets, and the aroma will change dramatically.

How much is beets cooked

On average, beets are cooked for 30-40 minutes. In some cases, cooking time may take several hours. The key point is the size of the vegetable and its age. Young small beets will be cooked much faster than a large vegetable with a thick skin.

In a pressure cooker, beets are cooked faster - for 40 minutes, in a slow cooker - 30-40 minutes, in a double boiler also 30-40 minutes. Using any of these methods, you still need to check the preparedness of the vegetable with a fork or knife.

At the time of cooking beets affects what water it is laid before cooking. If you put the vegetable in a cold liquid and wait for it to boil, then the vegetable will be ready in one and a half or even three hours. In boiling water, beets are cooked for 50 minutes.

After bringing to readiness, it is recommended to pour the beets with cold water. This should be done not only to cool the vegetable. The fact is that with a sharp temperature drop, the beets reach final readiness. The colder the water, the better.

To speed up the process of cooking beets, you can use the trick (however, the risk of a vegetable losing a significant part of the vitamins in this case is very high). The vegetable must be cooked over high heat, without covering the pan with a lid. After 25-30 minutes of cooking, the beets are poured with cold water and left for another 15 minutes. After such procedures, the vegetable is ready to eat.

Beetroot is a unique vegetable in taste and healthy properties. To preserve the vitamins included in its composition and prevent color loss, it is important to approach the cooking process correctly: know how much to cook the beets, in what form to cook them and how to achieve an excellent taste.

Traditional ways

You can cook beets in several ways, the cooking time depends on its size and age.

1. 1. The root crop is boiled for 2-3 hours in a pan. To do this, pour it with cold water and let it boil at maximum temperature. After boiling, cook over moderate heat.

• To prepare it did not take so much time, you can immediately pour the vegetable with boiling water and add 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil. Beets will be ready in an hour.

• You can boil the product with the addition of oil for about 30 minutes at maximum heat, and then remove from the stove and pour the beets with ice water for 10 minutes. Such a sharp temperature drop can bring the vegetable to readiness. However, vitamin C in this case is completely destroyed.

Tip: if you add a teaspoon of vinegar or lemon juice to the water, you can cook beets for vinaigrette: it will not lose its saturated color.

To prepare the product faster, you can pre-cut it into strips. After 20 minutes of cooking, everything will be ready, but the color will fade significantly, and vitamins will practically disappear.

Alternative methods

How much and how to cook beets in order to preserve maximum vitamins in a vegetable? In the oven, the vegetable is prepared as follows:

1. 1. Preheat the oven to 190 degrees.

• Wash the vegetable thoroughly. It is important not to cut the leaf outlet and tail to prevent juice from flowing through the slices.
• It is enough to tightly wrap the root crop in foil.
• Bake a large vegetable for 35 minutes, medium - about 20.

• Unroll the finished beets and leave to cool. To cool faster, you can lower it into ice water. Ready root vegetable will retain an appetizing color and preserve juiciness.

Products cooked in a slow cooker practically do not lose useful elements, especially if they were steamed. To determine how much to cook beets in a slow cooker, you need to consider the cooking method. So, in the “Soup” mode, the medium-sized root crop will be cooked until ready in 60 minutes. For this, the washed vegetable is placed in a container with water and the corresponding regimen is established.

In a pressure cooker, products are cooked under pressure, which significantly reduces cooking time. To calculate how much to cook beets in a pressure cooker, you can safely reduce the cooking time in the multicooker by half, that is, in 30 minutes the vegetable will be completely ready.

Tip: you do not need to salt the vegetables at the beginning of cooking, otherwise it will take more time, and the root crops will become hard.

If the product is steamed, then it is first washed, the tail is cut off, then laid out in a special bowl with the cut up and cooked in the multicooker in the “Steam” mode for 40 minutes.

How much do you need to cook medium-sized beets in the microwave? In a microwave oven, vegetables are cooked quite quickly like this:

1. 1. Take the root vegetable and wash well without damaging the peel.

• Given the internal pressure in the vegetable, you still have to violate its integrity and make deep holes with toothpicks.

• Wrap the product in a bag, put it in a microwave-friendly dish and cook for 10 minutes at a power of 800 watts.
• In the process, you should turn the package over to the other side once.

The instructions for the furnace will help you choose the required power and decide how much time to cook beets in this particular model of the device. As a rule, about 20 minutes. Key point: the larger the product, the more time it will take to prepare.

• • It is not recommended to clean the vegetable culture before cooking - it is important to keep the juice inside.

• Readiness must be checked with a toothpick or the tip of a knife. Do not do this often - your juiciness will be lost.

• To make it easier to peel, it is necessary to leave it after cooking for some time in cold water.

• So that the ingredients in the salad do not stain, cut pieces of beets can be sprinkled with vegetable oil.

• Cooked vegetables should be stored in the refrigerator, but not more than 4 days, otherwise it will dry out and become not so tasty.

• Beetroot decoction has diuretic and laxative properties. If you add lemon juice or cinnamon to it, you get a tonic drink.

Grated beets along with onions and carrots can be used as dressing for borsch. Then the vegetables are overcooked for 5 minutes, and then simmer with tomatoes for another 7 minutes. Chopped beets are immediately placed in the broth and cooked for 15 minutes with the addition of lemon juice.

Beetroot is a product of universal application, but non-compliance with the rules of heat treatment can spoil not only the appearance of the product, but also make it simply tasteless.

In the preparation of salads with many ingredients, speed comes first. Learn how to quickly cook beets without the hassle.

How to quickly cook beets in the microwave

Not so long to cook a salad, how much to cook beets for him. If you are tired of stretching the cooking for long hours, find out how to cook a vegetable in the microwave. Use one of the methods:

1. Rinse the unpeeled beets, put them in a bag, tie and microwave. The vegetable will cook quickly - a small root crop will need 15 minutes, a large one - 20. Do not pay attention to the fact that the bag will swell: during cooking, it will remain whole, like beets inside.
2. Wash and peel the beets, cut into several pieces, put them in a bag and tie. Punch holes in polyethylene with a fork. Put in the microwave for 10-15 minutes.

Instead of the package, you can use the dishes for the microwave oven with a lid.

Beets in the microwave do not lose useful properties. And although beets boiled in water are tastier, but if you use root vegetables in a salad, the difference is not noticeable.

How to quickly cook beets in a pan

You can also quickly cook beets in a pan. Follow the instructions:

• rinse the root crop;
• pour cold water and send to a strong fire;
• after boiling, make it smaller and cook for half an hour;
• place the beet pot under cold water for 15 minutes.

If a toothpick or fork does not fit into the beets, cook for another 10 minutes.

Do not try to save time by removing the vegetable from the heat ahead of time, because you will either have to put up with undercooked beets in the salad, or start the process again.

How to quickly cook beets in a slow cooker

In a slow cooker, beets are cooked simply. You will be required to:

• wash the vegetable and cut in half;
• completely fill with water and turn on the "Legumes" mode.
• take out the finished beets in an hour.

This method is convenient in that you do not need to monitor the process. You can send the root crop to the slow cooker and do other things, or even run out to the store. In the pre-holiday bustle, such an opportunity is a great luxury.

How to cook beets quickly: the secrets of cooking

To always make a salad or any other beetroot dish, take note of the following rules:

• choose small vegetables: they cook faster;
• salt the beets during the cooking process so that the dish does not come out tasteless;
• add half a teaspoon of vinegar to maintain the rich color of the root;
• do not leave beets in water for a long time;
• do not cut the tail of the vegetable if you do not want it to become watery after cooking;
• so that the rest of the ingredients of the dish are not painted in beetroot color, immediately sprinkle the chopped vegetable oil.

If all burners on the stove are in operation, but the oven is not busy, cook the beets in it. You will be surprised how quickly the root crop will be ready. The cooking steps are as follows:

• wash the vegetable;
• wrap with foil without cleaning;
• place for half an hour in an oven, heated to 150-200 ° C.

If the beets are large, more time will be needed. The finished vegetable turns out to be juicy and very tasty. Use this method when you want to enjoy beetroot puree.

Do not throw away the beets, even if they are slightly dried. Pour boiling water over them and leave them in cool water. Then boil the vegetable in the same water - it will again be tasty, juicy, ready to eat.

For convenience, try all the beetroot quick cooking methods and choose the one that suits you the most. And for cooking large volumes of vinaigrette, use several methods at the same time.