This beetroot feta walnut salad has everything you need in a salad; salty feta, earthy beetroot and sweet spicy walnuts. It makes a delicious side to your favourite barbecued meat or fish, or enjoy this feta beetroot salad as a main dish.

Feta and beetroot are such a classic ingredient pairing. Add some baby spinach leaves, and you have a simple and delicious salad which is perfect enjoyed as both a summer salad (with this refreshing summer elderflower cocktail), or with pesto lasagna and winter salad with crispy parmentier potatoes.
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Why we love this recipe
- Feta cheese makes a salad! It’s salty and creamy and goes with so many in-season vegetables, from Greek salad to carrot salad, green bean salad and this herb platter.
- This beetroot salad is such a versatile recipe – take it along to BBQs and picnics, or serve at dinner parties alongside baked chicken thighs.
- Mixing walnuts with honey and baking them makes them similar to a candied walnut (but with much less sugar!)
Ingredients notes and substitutions
- Feta – I have used Danish feta, Greek feta and basic smooth feta from the supermarket and all work well!
- Beetroot – I like to use plain cooked beetroot, but you can also use roast beetroot in this salad.
- Baby spinach – feel free to sub in pepper rocket / arugula or your favourite lettuce leaves.
- Walnuts – honey roast walnuts are an extra optional step, but one I think works so well in the salad, you can just toast the walnuts if you prefer.
- Orange – fresh orange juice is sharp, sweet and delicious both in the orange vinaigrette and the walnuts.
- Oil – use extra virgin olive oil if you can as the vinaigrette is simple so you want maximum flavour from the oil.
- Red wine vinegar – you can use balsamic vinegar or sherry vinegar instead of red wine vinegar.
How to make this recipe
- Cook the beetroot: Place the beetroot in to a medium – large saucepan and cover with cold water.
- Bring to the boil and boil for 30-50 minutes depending on the size of the beetroot. When tender drain and leave to cool before you peel and chop them.
- Make the honey walnuts:
- Preheat the oven to 170˚C fan / 190˚C /340˚F / 374˚F.
- Line a baking dish with baking paper / baking parchment.
- In a small bowl whisk the honey with the orange juice and smoked paprika, then stir in the walnuts and mix until the walnuts are coated.
- Pour the walnut honey mixture onto the lined baking dish, spread out so that the walnuts are not all clumped together and bake for 10-15 minutes until golden, stirring halfway through.
- Leave to cool in the dish.
- Make the Orange Vinaigrette:
- In a small bowl mix the olive oil, red wine vinegar and orange juice together and season with salt and black pepper – remembering the feta is salty.
- Assemble the beetroot salad:
- Peel the cooled beetroot either with a blunt knife, some kitchen paper towel or your fingers under running water, and slice the beetroot into sliced ½ cm (¼”) thick then arrange on a plate with the baby spinach, cooled walnuts and feta.
- Tip: Once you mix the feta will become purple from the beetroot so it’s best to not stir if you want a striking salad.
- Drizzle over the orange dressing and serve straight away or cover and leave in the fridge for up to 2 days.
FAQ
The beetroot and walnuts can both be cooked ahead of time: The beetroot can be cooked and kept in the fridge for up to 3 days, and the walnuts can be made the day before and kept in an airtight container. Depending on humidity the walnuts can become soft if kept any longer.
You could use almonds, or cashews and cook them like the walnuts in the honey and orange juice. Pistachios go well, but I recommend leaving them plain.
Goats cheese also pairs well with beetroot, and makes a great alternative to the feta, as does blue cheese – change the dressing?
You can peel cooked beetroot a number of ways: either by rubbing the beetroot skin with a blunt knife or some kitchen paper towel, or peel the beetroot under a running tap with your fingers.
My recipe tips
- Leave the beetroot to cool before trying to remove the skin and chopping. Peeling hot beetroot is not a fun or easy thing to do!
- When peeling the beetroot, wear gloves if you don’t want to stain your hands purple and place the beetroot on non absorbent surfaces – the juice can be pretty hard to remove from a wooden chopping board.
- Use good quality olive oil for the best flavour in your vinaigrette.
Serving Suggestions
- If you want to make the beetroot walnut feta salad in to a filling meal, serve with crusty bread, Duchess potatoes (which can be made ahead – a great potato dish for entertaining) or some slices of air fryer garlic bread.
- This feta beetroot walnut salad is a beautiful pairing to lamb; either BBQ lamb chops or cutlets or grilled lamb chops.
Make ahead / storage
- This beetroot salad will keep in the fridge for up to 2 days in an airtight container. If you are planning to serve it for a party or when entertaining I would personally assemble it the day of serving it possible. You can make the dressing, cook the beetroot and the walnuts a few days beforehand so all you need to do on the day is assemble the salad.
Variations
- Salad dressing: If you want another flavour of salad dressing, replace the orange with lemon in the vinaigrette, or use a balsamic vinegar dressing. Flavour it with dijon or wholegrain mustard or add some fresh herbs such as chives or parsley.
- Orange: add the segments of a fresh orange to make a delicious beetroot orange and feta salad.
- Honey – use maple syrup to make the sweet walnuts instead of honey. They will taste different but will still be sweet and sticky.
- Vegan – swap in vegan feta cheese and use maple syrup in place of the honey.
- Pear – add a thinly sliced pear to the salad just before serving,
- Roasted beetroot salad – to roast beetroot, preheat the oven to 200˚C / 400˚F. Place the washed beetroot on a baking tray, drizzle with oil and season with salad. Roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour until the beetroot are tender. Peel the same way as boiled beetroot.
- This salad is easily adapted to make a beet and goats cheese salad, just swap the feta cheese for your favourite goat cheese.
More easy salad recipes for you
Beetroot Feta Walnut Salad
Author: Robyn
Ingredients
- 250g (9 oz) beetroot
- 150g (5¼ oz) baby spinach
- 75g (2½ oz) feta
Honey walnuts:
- 50g (1¾ oz) walnuts
- ½ tablespoon runny honey
- ¼ tablespoon fresh orange juice from ¼ of a medium sized orange
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
Orange Vinaigrette:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
- ½-1 tablespoon fresh orange juice from the rest of the orange
- Black pepper
Instructions
Cook the beetroot:
- Place the beetroot in to a medium – large saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil and boil for 30-50 minutes depending on the size of the beetroot.
- The beetroot are ready when they are tender (insert a fork in to the beetroot and it should be tender).
- Drain the beetroot and cool.
- Whilst the beetroot is cooking, prepare the walnuts.
Make the honey walnuts
- Preheat the oven to 170˚C fan / 190˚C /340˚F / 374˚F.
- Line a small – medium baking dish with baking paper / baking parchment.
- In a small bowl whisk the honey with the orange juice and smoked paprika, then stir in the walnuts and mix until the walnuts are coated.
- Pour the walnut honey mixture onto the lined baking dish, spread out so that the walnuts are not all clumped together and bake for 10-15 minutes until golden, stirring halfway through.
- Leave to cool in the dish.
Orange Vinaigrette
- In a small bowl mix the olive oil, red wine vinegar and orange juice together and season with salt and black pepper – remembering the feta is salty.
Assemble the salad
- Peel the cooled beetroot either with a blunt knife, some kitchen paper towel or your fingers under running water, and slice the beetroot into sliced ½ cm (¼") thick then arrange on a plate with the baby spinach, cooled walnuts and feta.
- Tip: Once you mix the feta will become beetroot coloured so it’s best to not stir.
- Drizzle over the orange dressing and serve straight away or cover and leave in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Notes
Nutrition
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Sylvie says
I love love love the combination of feta and beetroot – this is my dream salad!! Perfect for Fall 🙂
Robyn says
Thanks Sylvie, me too!