Roasted Beet and Carrot Kale Salad

This kale salad with roasted beets and carrots is not only pretty to look at, it’s also bursting with flavour and nutrients! It can be made in advance, so it’s the perfect salad for meal prep, parties and gatherings or tasty weeknight meals! Best kale salad ever! (Gluten-free, paleo & vegan)

This bright and vibrant roasted beet and carrot kale salad is one of those salads that you’ll want to make on repeat since it always gets rave reviews.  Simple to make, it’s perfect for weekly meal prep for quick and easy lunches and dinners, but fancy enough to serve at a potluck or family gathering.

Roasted carrots and beets are tossed with kale, pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries, then drizzled in a delicious sweet and tangy lemon, mustard and maple dressing. I highly recommend letting it sit for a while since it tastes even better when all of those flavours have had a chance to come together.

If you’re looking for a new way to incorporate kale into your family mealtimes, this salad is it. Even the kiddos go nuts for this salad!

If you love this salad, be sure to also check out this kale cranberry salad and Sweet Potato Kale Bowl with Creamy Roasted Garlic Dressing.

Why Make this Recipe

• Make ahead: Because we use kale as the base of this salad, it doesn’t wilt once you add the dressing like your typical lettuce salad might. You can make a big batch on a Sunday and easily enjoy it throughout the week. In fact, it tastes better the longer you leave it!
• Healthy: This beet and carrot salad is bursting with goodness! Full of vitamins and minerals, fibre and healthy fats, it’s a great addition to those family meals!
• Turn it into a complete meal: This salad is easy to adapt to suit your tastes. You can easily bulk it up for a really hearty and filling main by adding chickpeas, goat cheese, sliced chicken or salmon. You can easily add in other salad ingredients that you have on hand as well.
• Nutritional info: This salad is totally plant-based, as well as being gluten-free and paleo-friendly.

Ingredient Notes

• Beets and carrots: Roasting really brings out the natural sweetness of these nutrient packed veggies. If you wanted to switch up the flavour combo, you could also sub in sweet potato or butternut squash as well. 
• Oil: For roasting, I like to use extra virgin olive oil, but you could also sub in canola oil.
• Shallots: These add a great layer of flavour to your roasted veggies. You can also use a red or sweet onion.
• Pumpkin seeds: In addition to being loaded with healthy fats and fibre, pumpkin seeds also add a great texture and crunch to the salad. You could also sub in sunflower seeds or nuts like pecans or slivered almonds.
• Kale: We use kale for the leafy green base of this salad. Full of nutrients, it adds a gorgeous rich colour and flavour to every bite. You can use pre-chopped kale if you want to save some time chopping.
• Dried cranberries: I love the burst of sweetness that the cranberries add. It’s a great way to add in a pop of sweetness. Look for dried cranberries that are lower in sugar or naturally sweetened if you can find them.
• Maple syrup: Opt for 100% pure maple syrup. You could also try subbing in honey if you don’t have maple syrup.

Step by Step Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine beets, carrots, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and salt and pepper.

• Add carrots and beets to a baking sheet and roast in oven for 15 minutes.

• Remove from oven and toss the shallots and pumpkin seeds with the beets and carrots on the baking sheet. Roast for an additional 10-15 minutes or until the vegetables are just tender.

• Meanwhile, place the chopped kale in the same bowl where the beets and carrots were. Add remaining tablespoon of olive oil and massage into kale leaves with your hands until the leaves are bright green and tender, about 2-5 minutes.

• In a small bowl, mix together the lemon juice, maple syrup and Dijon mustard until combined.

• Remove vegetables from the oven and allow them to cool for 5 minutes. Add vegetable mixture to the bowl with the kale and toss with the dressing until well combined. Add the dried cranberries. Allow salad to sit for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavours to combine.
• Serve the roasted beet and carrot kale salad cold or at room temperature.

Recipe Tips

• Be sure to cut the vegetables (i.e. carrots, beets and shallots) into roughly the same size pieces so that they cook evenly.
• Make sure that you massage the kale for a few minutes before combining with the rest of the ingredients (I like to do this with some olive oil) to reduce the bitterness and toughness of the leaves. This step alone softens the leaves and makes such a difference in the overall taste and texture.
• Keep an eye on the shallots and pumpkin seeds when they’re roasting in the oven as they can burn easily. I found that 10 minutes in the oven was just the right amount of time to roast them and get them lightly browned without burning, but it will depend on your oven.
• Allow the salad to sit in the dressing for at least 30 minutes (or longer). It tends to taste better the longer that it sits.

Recipe FAQs

Can you make this salad ahead of time?

Yes, it’s the perfect make-ahead option as it tends to taste better the longer that it sits! It’s one of those salads that’s great for entertaining, meal prep or potlucks since it can be made in advance and stored in the fridge.

How to store

Store the kale and beet salad in the fridge in an airtight container to keep it fresh. It will keep well covered, for up to five days.

What nutrients are found in this salad?

Talk about nutrient-overload! With all of those vibrant colours, this roasted beet and carrot kale salad is a nutritional powerhouse! Let’s break down each of those colourful vegetables:

• Kale – This green, leafy vegetable is all the rage these days and reasonably so. It’s high in vitamins A, C, and K, and is also a good source of fibre and potassium.
• Beets – This vegetable is seriously underestimated, but can be a tasty and nutritious addition to any meal, AND they’re especially great in salads. Half a cup of cooked beets contain only 40 calories and they are a good source of fibre. They’re also rich in folate, which is necessary for healthy red blood cells and for synthesizing and repairing DNA. Additionally, it can help decrease the risk of some cancers. Furthermore, they’re a source of potassium, which is good for overall heart health and may help reduce blood pressure. Their pretty jewel-coloured red pigment, known as betalains have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. See, who ever said beets were boring?!
• Carrots – When we think of carrots, the first thing that generally comes to mind is their bright orange colour, which is derived from their beta carotene content. When we consume beta carotene, some of it gets converted into retinol which is the active form of vitamin A. Vitamin A has numerous benefits including strengthening the immune system, preventing dry eyes, night blindness and impaired bone growth.

So there’s a little nutrition lesson 101. AND the best part is, you can find all of these benefits packed into this salad recipe.

Serving suggestions

This salad tastes great paired with the following recipes:

• Curried Pumpkin Chicken Soup
• Almond and Coconut Crusted Fish Sticks 
• Dijon Mustard Salmon with Walnuts
• Parmesan Crusted Cod
• Pesto Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

So. darn. good.

If you want to make the salad more of a complete meal, feel free to throw some chicken and goat cheese or feta in there. After all, who doesn’t love a good kale and goat cheese salad?! It compliments all of the other flavours so well!

OR if you’d like a plant-based option, some roasted chickpeas would be amazing.

SO many options for this gorgeous roasted beet and carrot kale salad!

More delicious & colourful salad recipes:

• Blueberry & Avocado Kale Salad
• Healthy Broccoli Apple Salad
• Blueberry Walnut Salad with Lemon Dressing
• Creamy Cranberry & Walnut Coleslaw
• Christmas Wreath Salad
• Nectarine Salad

Did you make this recipe? Scroll down to leave a rating and review!

Roasted Beet and Carrot Kale Salad

This kale salad with roasted beets and carrots is not only pretty to look at, it's also bursting with flavour and nutrients! It can be made in advance, so it's the perfect salad for meal prep, parties and gatherings or tasty weeknight meals! Best kale salad ever! (Gluten-free, paleo & vegan)

4.88 from 8 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 239kcal

Author: Elysia

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 medium beets trimmed, peeled, quartered and sliced a 1/4 inch thick
• ▢ 2 large carrots sliced 1/4 inch thick
• ▢ 3 tbsp olive oil divided
• ▢ 1/2 tsp salt
• ▢ 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• ▢ 4 medium shallots peeled and quartered lengthwise
• ▢ 1/4 cup unsalted pumpkin seeds
• ▢ 8 cups chopped kale stems removed and cut into smaller pieces
• ▢ 2 tbsp lemon juice
• ▢ 1 tbsp maple syrup
• ▢ 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• ▢ 1/3 cup dried cranberries

Optional Add Ins:

• ▢ 4 oz goats cheese

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine beets, carrots, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and salt and pepper. Add carrots and beets to a baking sheet and roast in oven for 15 minutes.
• Remove from oven and toss the shallots and pumpkin seeds with the beets and carrots on the baking sheet. Roast for an additional 10-15 minutes or until the vegetables are just tender.
• Meanwhile, place the chopped kale in the same bowl where the beets and carrots were. Add remaining tablespoon of olive oil and massage into kale leaves with your hands until the leaves are bright green and tender, about 2-5 minutes.
• In a small bowl, mix together the lemon juice, maple syrup and Dijon mustard until combined.
• Remove vegetables from the oven and allow them to cool for 5 minutes. Add vegetable mixture to the bowl with the kale and toss with the dressing until well combined. Add the dried cranberries. Allow salad to sit for at least 30 minutes to allow the flavours to combine. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Notes

• Be sure to cut the vegetables (i.e. carrots, beets and shallots) into roughly the same size pieces so that they cook evenly.
• Make sure that you massage the kale for a few minutes before combining with the rest of the ingredients (I like to do this with some olive oil) to reduce the bitterness and toughness of the leaves. This step alone softens the leaves and makes such a difference in the overall taste and texture.
• Keep an eye on the shallots and pumpkin seeds when they're roasting in the oven as they can burn easily. I found that 10 minutes in the oven was just the right amount of time to roast them and get them lightly browned without burning, but it will depend on your oven.
• Allow the salad to sit in the dressing for at least 30 minutes (or longer). It tends to taste better the longer that it sits.

Nutrition

Calories: 239kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 321mg | Potassium: 601mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 10298IU | Vitamin C: 86mg | Calcium: 153mg | Iron: 2mg

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This recipe was originally posted September 2018 and was updated March 2021 to include more helpful tips and photos.

Adapted from the Better Homes & Gardens Magazine

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