Last Updated on October 16, 2026 by Laura
Winter is a great time for hearty root vegetables, and one of my favorites is beets. They have always been a favorite of mine, but I mostly save them for when we are eating out. It is even kind of a joke for us. When we look through menus to either see where we want to eat, or more recently, what restaurant we want to order out from, Mark will see an arugula salad with roasted beets and say,”
Well, I know you’ll like this one…they have a salad with beets!”
But honestly, as much as I love roasted beets, I’ve only started cooking them at home in the last few years. Why? Well, they can be kind of intimidating. Everything from buying them to prepping them to cooking. The first time I cooked them, I was a bit overwhelmed.
Once I prepared them, I wondered why I had never tried them before! They’re really easy to prep and cook, and they are so much better at home than canned or pickled.
Beets are pretty versatile and pair well with many other foods.
I usually roast my beets on a sheet pan with a few slices of orange for a little flavor. This time, I tried roasting, or really poaching, them in 100% Cranberry Juice since I had it in the fridge. I have to say, the juice added a brightness to the beets. Beets are naturally pretty sweet, so the tart cranberry juice really brought them to life.
Beets are naturally sweet and full of beta-carotene and vitamin C, so why add juice? Well, cranberry juice has additional benefits. It’s also high in Vitamin C and vitamin E, plus something called proanthocyanidins, a type of antioxidant. These antioxidants give cranberry its tannic flavor, but they may also reduce the risk of heart disease, cancer, and possibly recurring urinary tract infections. More research is needed, but one thing is certain: including juice in your diet in various ways can support healthy aging.
One cup of 100% fruit juice (like this Cranberry Juice) is equivalent to one cup of fruit and contains similar nutrients to the fruit it is squeezed from. Juice complements fruit and, in appropriate amounts, offers an easy, affordable way for both children and adults to meet their daily fruit goals.
Adding cranberry juice to this recipe not only boosts fruit intake but also makes these beets even more versatile! 100% Cranberry juice adds a crisp tartness to the beets, making them delicious on their own, pureed in a smoothie, or mixed into a farro or arugula salad. And if you decide to puree them, make sure you add the juice to the puree to get that tart cranberry flavor!
So, back to beets. Here are a few tips for buying, storing and cooking beets.
How to Buy Beets
Always, always, always, buy them with the greens attached. First, you know they are fresh (unless the leaves are wilted, in which case look for others). Second, you get two vegetables out of it. The greens are delicious cooked on their own or added to a salad. They have a bit of a bitter flavor, but sautéed with garlic in olive oil, they are delicious!
When you are looking at them, make sure the root or bulb is firm. If it is even slightly soft, put it back or know you will need to cook it right away. Make sure the greens are fresh and bright. If they are wilted, put them back.
Storing Fresh Beets
Once you get them home from the store or farmers market, wash them well, greens and bulb.
Cut off the greens, leaving about 2 inches of stem. Dry both the greens and the bulb well. Wrap the greens in a damp paper towel and place them in a Ziploc bag, squeezing out as much air as possible.
The greens will keep this way for a day or two, so plan to use them! For the beet “bulb,” let it air-dry and make sure it’s completely dry before storing it in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator. They should keep for 2-3 weeks this way, but check them often and use them as soon as you can. If they start to feel a little soft, use them right away.
Prepping Beets for Cooking
This is when I started to get intimidated…I know how bright purple they are and was always worried about staining anything they touched! I read that you should wear gloves to peel them so you don’t stain your hands, and I was always worried about the cutting board and counters. Honestly, as long as you work quickly and wash everything right away, it isn’t an issue!
This is how I prepare them:
- Cut off the stem and bottom of the beet.
- Peel the beet quickly.
- Cut into quarters or eighths.
- Place in a baking dish.
How to Roast Beets
This is the really easy part! Once they are in the dish, I add a 1/2 orange, sliced and quartered. Then pour 1 cup of 100% Cranberry juice over top. Add 1 tsp fennel seeds, 1/4 tsp salt, and about 1/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper. Then cover the dish with aluminum foil and place in a preheated 350 °F oven and “roast” for 30 – 45 minutes. You’ll know they are done when a knife pierces the beet without resistance.
Simple roasted beets in cranberry juice. Or really, oven-poached beets in cranberry juice, but you get the idea. This recipe makes 4 servings and has 90 calories per serving, plus 20 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of fiber, and 2 grams of protein. It is an easy holiday side dish. If you have leftovers, add chopped beets to an arugula salad, or puree them with the juice and mix the puree into risotto.
Roasted Beets in Cranberry Juice
Equipment
- 1 Roasting Pan
Ingredients
- 1 lb fresh beets washed, tops removed, peeled, and diced
- 1 cup 100% cranberry juice
- 1/2 orange sliced and quartered
- 1 tsp fennel seeds optional
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F.
- Place beets, orange slices in a 13 x 9 baking pan.
- Pour cranberry juice over top the beets and oranges and sprinkle with fennel seeds, salt and pepper.
- Cover the baking pan tightly with aluminum foil and place in the center of the preheated oven.
- Bake for 30 – 45 minutes, until the beets are tender. A knife pierced in the center of a beet will not meet any resistance.
- Drizzle the reduced cranberry juice over the beets and serve the roasted orange sections on the side.
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