This easy cucumber beetroot salad recipe, with creamy tahini dressing and zesty Middle Eastern za'atar seasoning, takes 20 minutes or less to prepare. It's naturally vegan and made without added oil for a healthy, quick side salad you'll love.
Crunchy cucumbers, sweet beets with a toss of red onions and mint, plus a special take on tahini and lemon dressing with a twist of za'atar is one of our favorite beet salads (we still love you too, orange beetroot salad). This vibrant salad is super simple and a great way to slip more beets into your diet.
Table of Contents
Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Super quick and simple.
- Healthy, vegan, gluten-free, and oil-free.
- Make this salad several hours ahead. Stir and serve.
Key Ingredients and Notes
Beetroot (Beets). I used 3 cooked beets from a vacuum pack I picked up at the grocery store. You can also use canned or jarred beets for this recipe, but avoid the pickled kind. They have a different flavor. Or cook your own beets (ideas below).
Cucumber. Any salad, English cucumber, or a few small cucumbers work here. I always deseed cucumbers because it reduces indigestion and keeps the cucumbers crisper. Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. That's it!
Mint. The flavor of fresh mint is a complement to the beets and tahini dressing.
Tahini. Use a good quality tahini, processed without oil (that's a thing). Or make your own tahini using toasted sesame seeds.
Za'atar. A Middle Eastern spice mix with sesame seeds, sumac, and dried herbs. Try my za'atar spice mix, or grab it at larger grocery stores.
Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients, measurements, and instructions.
Recipe Variations
- Bulk out this salad with other veggies, like radishes and chopped or grated carrots.
- Add protein for a complete meal by adding a can of chickpeas or white beans.
How to Make Cucumber Beet Salad
- Prep the veggies and add them to a medium salad bowl. Chop or chiffonade the mint leaves. If desired, leave a few out of the bowl for a garnish.
- Make the dressing in a small bowl. Add water or more lemon juice to thin it out.
- Stir the dressing into the salad. Garnish with leftover mint and a sprinkle of za'atar.
How to Cook Fresh Beets
The easiest way to cook fresh beets for salad is to steam them. It takes about 30 minutes. Trim off the tops and scrub the skin. Place a steamer basket in a pan of water, being careful that the water doesn't cover the bottom of the basket. Add the beets and steam for 30 minutes or until the beets are tender when pierced with a fork.
You can also steam beets in the Instant Pot. I recommend using the IP steamer basket for this job. Add water, but do not cover the bottom of the basket. Steam beets on high pressure for 20 minutes. Let the steam naturally release for a few minutes.
After the beets are tender. Let them cool, then gently peel away the skins.
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Pro Tips
- Beets are messy! Use a glass cutting board or sturdy dark-colored plastic board to avoid stains.
- Tahini-based dressings thicken and settle after sitting. If you make dressing ahead, stir before adding it to the salad.
How to Chiffonade Mint
Stack and roll mint leaves, then slice the rolls from top to bottom for pretty mint strips. This method also works great for basil leaves.
Serving Suggestions
I originally made this salad as a side for baked chickpea patties—a delicious dinner! It complements vegan burgers, lentil meatloaf, Persian lentil walnut stew, or a simple main like brown rice and French lentils. And so much more.
Storage
Beetroot salad keeps for 3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. If you are concerned about beets staining your container, use a glass bowl tightly covered with plastic wrap. This is not a salad that freezes well.
Frequently Asked Questions
Raw beets are edible, crispy, and delicious. The trick is to scour the skins, scrap them with a sharp knife, or peel them. Then, cut them into thin slices using a mandolin or the thinest blade of your food processor. You can also grate them using a hand grater or food processor.
Peeling cucumbers is unnecessary, and leaving the skins is healthier because they add fiber. I do recommend removing the cucumber seeds and soft middle. Cut the cucumber in half lengthwise and use a small spoon (I use a measuring spoon) to scoop out the middle.
I love the flavor of fresh mint with beetroot; however, another option is chopped fresh parsley or fresh dill.
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👩🏻🍳 Recipe
Easy Cucumber Beetroot Salad
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Ingredients
- 3 medium cook beets - cubed or halved and sliced, see note 1
- 1 medium cucumber - deseeded and diced
- 1 small red onion - chopped, ½ cup, see note 3
- ¼ cup mint - chopped or chiffonade, see note 4
- ¼ cup tahini
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic - minced or pressed
- 2 teaspoons za'atar - see note 5
- water as needed
Instructions
- Add the beets, cucumber, red onion, and mint to a medium salad bowl.
- Combine the tahini, lemon juice, garlic, and za'atar in a small bowl. Mix well. Add water or more lemon juice as needed to thin the dressing.
- Mix the dressing with the vegetables. Garnish with a sprinkle of za'atar or more mint leaves.
Notes
- I used packaged cooked beets for this recipe. You can also use canned or jarred, not pickled. If you cook fresh beets, trim the tops and steam them for 30 minutes in a steamer basket or the Instant Pot for 20 minutes. Cool, then peel and slice or dice the beets.
- Beets are messy and can stain wooden cutting boards. Use a glass cutting board, colored cutting mat, or plate to dice the beets.
- Chop the onion. I cut the onion in half and placed them cut side down. Then, I sliced through the middle of each slice, from stem to middle. I finally sliced across the onion to create thin quarter slices. This is optional, but how I did it.
- To quickly chiffonade mint, stack several leaves, then roll them. Cut from top to bottom into thin strips, starting with a rolled end.
- Za'atar is a Middle Eastern spice blend of sesame seeds, sumac, and dried herbs. It can be found at large grocery stores or specialty stores. Follow the link in the ingredients list to make homemade za'atar with more ideas for using it.
- Beetroot salad keeps for 3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimation only.
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