Sous Vide Beets are the best way to enjoy this sweet, earthy, and healthy root vegetable without losing texture and nutrients from boiling them. Made with a few simple ingredients, this recipe requires no peeling and takes minutes to prepare, then the sous vide machine will do the rest of the work!
These sous vide beets are Paleo, gluten-free and vegan-friendly, a great sweet and savory vegetable perfect for a side dish or salad topper.
Sous vide cook beets
Beets are beautiful, delicious, and extremely good for you, but it’s messy to cook as they stain like crazy and make everything around turn pink. Instead of struggling with peeling and making a big mess before cooking, try this sous vide beets recipe. It’s so quick to prepare, and no peeling is required.
In addition, sous vide method will perfectly cook the beets as you can control the temperature precisely. It also helps to retain the nutrition as the beets are cooked inside of a bag.
How to prepare beets without a mess
This is a no-fail recipe and very easy to work with. Preparation takes less than 5 minutes:
- Wash beets and remove any dirt.
- Trim off the tops and bottoms.
- Cut them in half.
Pro Tip: Wrap your cutting board with a piece of plastic wrap to avoid staining light surfaces. Note that the beets can easily stain your hands and fingernails, so wash your hands immediately after cutting. Wear an apron if possible.
How to sous vide beets
Sous vide beets recipe is super easy and foolproof:
- First place the prepared beets in a large bag, drizzle with olive and season with salt and pepper.
- Arrange them in a single layer. Then vacuum seal the bag.
- Sous vide cook at 185°F (85°C) for 3 hours.
The best part is that once cooked, the skin can be easily wiped off! You can wait until they are cool enough to handle and rub the skin off using a paper towel. So easy!
Sous vide beets time and temperature
For the perfectly tender and sweet beets, I recommend cooking them at 185 °F / 85 °C for about 3 hours.
Then slice or dice them and add to a salad or enjoy on their own as a side dish.
Can I vacuum seal the bag without a vacuum sealer?
I recommend using a vacuum sealer when cooking vegetables as they tend to float easily when the air is not pulled out completely. But if you don’t have a vacuum sealer, you can still make this recipe using a regular zip-top bag. Make sure to arrange them in a single layer, and then vacuum-seal using “water displacement” method: Just seal all but one corner of the bag and slowly place it in the water bath. Make sure everything below the zip-line is covered by water and then seal the rest of the bag.
How to prevent the bag from floating in the water bath?
The vacuum-sealed beets tend to float in the water. You can add sous vide weights or heavy spoons into the bag to prevent it from floating. Alternatively, use heavy kitchen items such as metal tongs to secure the bag in place and keep it fully submerged. Make sure the seams are still above the water so they won’t pop open.
Ways to use sous vide beets:
- Serve on their own as a side dish for meals like Sirloin Steak or Chicken Thighs.
- Slice or dice them and then add to a salad. I like to add oranges or carrots to make it pop with color.
How to store cooked beets?
Place them in an air-tight container and they’ll last for up to 5 days in the refrigerator. You can also dice them and place in freezer bags. They’ll last for up to 3 months.
More sous vide vegetables you’ll love:
Please let me know how your sous vide beets turn out in the comments below! I’m also looking forward to hearing how you serve them.
Recipe Tools:
Perfect Sous Vide Beets
Ingredients
- 4 fresh beets
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Optional for salad
- 1 orange
- feta cheese
- chopped parsley
Instructions
- Fill a large container or pot with water. Attach the sous vide precision cooker and set the temperature to 185ºF/85ºC.
- Wash the beets and slice off the ends. Then slice each in half lengthwise. (Remember to protect your cutting board, clothes, and hands.)
- Add halved beets into vacuum seal bags or zip-lock bags (I used two bags so that they are not crowded). Drizzle in olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.
- Arrange them in a single layer, and vacuum seal the bag. If you use a zip-lock bag, seal it using the “water displacement” technique: seal all but one corner of the bag and slowly place it in the water bath. Make sure everything below the zip-line is covered by water. Then seal the rest of the bag.
- Clip a heavy spoon to the edge of the bag to weigh the bag down. Or use a heavy kitchen item to keep the beets completely submerged in the water.
- Cook for 3 hours.
- When the timer goes off, take the bag out and remove beets from the bag.
- Serve on their own as a side dish or dice them and toss in a salad. (I mixed them with orange, chopped parsley and feta cheese. Then season with more salt and pepper).
Nutrition
Ross Rasmussen says
Hurrah! So many cooks are turning up their noses at Sous vide vegetables, but Sous vide cooking is wonderful, particularly for root vegetables. I have done carrots and the flavor is so “carroty” and I can’t wait to try to do the magic with beets. Thanks!
izzycooking says
Thanks Ross. Glad you like this recipe!
Loretta says
Do you peel your beets before or after?
Izzy says
Hi Loretta, I recommend peeling after sous vide to avoid the mess. And it’s so much easier!