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How Long to Boil Beets: Whole, for Salads, in a Pressure Cooker
Instructions
Choose firm, undamaged beets, preferably no larger than 300 g. Large roots take 1-2 hours and are more often tough and woody. Pick beets of the same size so they are done at the same time.
Scrub the beets. Do not peel them or cut off the root tail; trim the tops, leaving 1-2 cm of stem: this keeps the juice and colour inside.
Put the beets in a pot and cover with water by 2-3 cm. Cold or boiling water both work: the time is counted from the boil. Salting the water is optional: there is no evidence that salt toughens beets, and it barely changes the flavour.
Bring to the boil, turn the heat down to low and cover. Boil small beets for 25-30 minutes, medium ones for 45-50 minutes and large ones for 1-2 hours. Keep the beets covered with water, topping up with boiling water if needed.
Test with a knife or a wooden skewer: it should slide to the centre easily. If it meets resistance, boil for another 10-15 minutes and test again.
Drain and cover the beets with cold water for 5-10 minutes: they cool faster and the skin slips off easily.
Rub or peel off the skin and trim the root and stems. Dice the beets for vinaigrette, grate them for layered herring salad or refrigerate them whole.
Tips
- 1
Do not peel or cut beets before boiling: the juice bleeds out through the cuts and the beets turn pale. Peeled, chopped beets are boiled only when the cooking liquid goes into the dish, as in borscht.
- 2
For a brighter colour, add a little acid to the water: 1/2 tsp of lemon juice or vinegar per litre. It is a popular trick, but the main condition is the same: intact skin and root.
- 3
Boil beets of different sizes separately, or take the small ones out earlier: the difference in time is almost twofold.
- 4
Peel beets in gloves and wash the board straight away: the juice stains hands and wood quickly.
How Long to Boil Beets: Times by Size
Time is counted from the boil; the beets are cooked whole and unpeeled. The times for small and medium beets come from US university extension guides, the time for large ones from kitchen practice: the larger and older the root, the longer it takes.
| Method | Time |
|---|---|
| Small up to 150 g, whole | 25-30 min |
| Medium 200-300 g, whole | 45-50 min |
| Large 400 g and over, whole | 1-2 h |
| Pressure cooker high pressure | small 11-13 min, large 20-25 min |
| Multicooker, steamed quartered, 500 g | 60 min |
| Multicooker, in water boil or stew setting | 60-80 min |
| Microwave whole, with 3 tbsp water | 8-20 min |
| Oven, in foil at 200 °C (400 °F) | about 1 hour |
How to Choose Beets for Boiling
- Pick small, firm roots with smooth skin and no blemishes or cracks. Very large beets are more often tough and woody, as university vegetable guides also note.
- If the beets are sold with tops, the leaves should be fresh, not wilted.
- For salads choose roots of the same size: they will be done at the same time.
- Beets come in red, golden, white and striped varieties. Vinaigrette and layered herring salad call for dark red ones.
How to Boil Beets Faster
- Choose small beets. Two 150 g beets cook almost twice as fast as one 300 g beet.
- Pressure cooker. At high pressure small beets take 11-13 minutes and large ones 20-25 minutes, according to the Instant Pot table.
- Microwave. Put the beets in a lidded dish, add 3 tbsp of water and cook for 8-10 minutes at 1000 W. At lower power allow up to 20 minutes.
- Temperature shock. The beets are boiled for 30-35 minutes and then held under iced water for 15-20 minutes. There is no tested evidence that cold water finishes the cooking: the beets are simply boiled for less time and stay firmer. Still test them with a knife.
Beets for Vinaigrette and Layered Herring Salad
For salads, beets are boiled whole, cooled completely and only then peeled. For vinaigrette they are diced and first tossed with vegetable oil separately from the other vegetables, so they stain the potatoes and carrots less. Recipes: vinaigrette with sauerkraut and pickles, vinaigrette with beans, vinaigrette in a multicooker. Times for the other vegetables: how long to boil carrots and how long to boil potatoes.
For layered herring salad ("shuba") boiled beets are coarsely grated and spread as the top layer: herring under a fur coat with apple, shuba salad. Boiled beets also go into beet salad with garlic and walnuts and beet salad with prunes. In the warm beet and carrot salad the vegetables are stewed rather than boiled.
A dressed vinaigrette keeps in the fridge for no more than 12 hours, an undressed one for up to 18 hours, and salads with boiled eggs for no more than 6 hours: these are Russian food-safety guidelines (Rospotrebnadzor) for 2-6 °C.
Common Mistakes When Boiling Beets
- Peeling or cutting before boiling. The juice and colour leak into the water and the beets turn pale and watery.
- Boiling small and large beets together. The small ones overcook while the large ones finish. Sort them by size.
- Boiling over high heat. The water evaporates quickly and has to be topped up, while the time does not get shorter.
- Leaving them in the hot water. The beets keep softening. Drain straight away and cover with cold water.
- Peeling them hot. The skin comes off more easily and safely after 5-10 minutes in cold water.
Beets in the Oven, Multicooker and Microwave
- In the oven. Wrap washed beets in foil and bake at 200 °C (400 °F) for about an hour. Baked beets are sweeter and firmer than boiled ones. More detail: how to bake beets in the oven.
- Steamed in a multicooker. Quartered beets (500 g) go over 1 litre of water for 60 minutes, according to the Redmond multicooker table.
- In a multicooker, in water. Whole beets are covered with water and cooked on the boil or stew setting for 60-80 minutes.
- Diced, in the microwave. Peel and cube the beets, add 2 tbsp of water per 2.5 cups of cubes, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Stir and repeat in 3-minute bursts until tender.
How to Store Cooked Beets
Refrigerate cooled beets within 2 hours of cooking. In a closed container they keep for 3-4 days: that is the US Department of Agriculture figure for cooked leftovers, while Food Standards Scotland advises eating leftovers within 2 days. Unpeeled beets dry out less, so peel them just before use.
Cooked beets can be frozen: peel them, cut into cubes or slices and pack into bags. Raw beets without tops keep in the fridge in a bag with a damp paper towel for 7-8 days.
Calories in Boiled Beets
100 g of boiled beets has 44 kcal, about 10 g of carbohydrates (8 g of which are sugars), 2 g of fibre, 1.7 g of protein, 80 µg of folate and 305 mg of potassium, according to the USDA. Beets are among the vegetables that accumulate nitrate, but the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) considers that the benefits of eating vegetables outweigh this risk.
FAQ
How long do you boil whole beets? +
Small ones (up to 150 g) for 25-30 minutes after the boil, medium ones (200-300 g) for 45-50 minutes, large ones for 1-2 hours. A knife slides into a cooked beet easily.
How long do you boil beets for vinaigrette? +
The same: medium beets for 45-50 minutes, whole and unpeeled. Then cool them completely, peel and dice.
How long do beets take in a pressure cooker? +
Small beets 11-13 minutes at high pressure, large ones 20-25 minutes, according to the Instant Pot table.
How long do beets take in a multicooker? +
Steamed in quarters about 60 minutes; whole in water on the boil or stew setting 60-80 minutes.
How do you cook beets quickly in the microwave? +
Put a whole beet in a lidded dish with 3 tbsp of water and cook for 8-10 minutes at 1000 W, or up to 20 minutes at lower power.
Should beets be peeled before boiling? +
No. Boil them in their skins with the root tail on, and trim the tops to 1-2 cm of stem: this keeps the juice and colour from leaking into the water.
Should the water be salted? +
It is optional. There is no evidence that salt toughens beets, and through the skin it barely changes the flavour.
How do you keep the colour of beets when boiling? +
Boil them whole, unpeeled and with the root on. You can also add 1/2 tsp of lemon juice or vinegar per litre of water.
How can you tell when beets are done? +
A knife or wooden skewer slides easily to the centre. If it meets resistance, boil for another 10-15 minutes.
How long do cooked beets keep? +
3-4 days in a closed container in the fridge. A dressed vinaigrette keeps for no more than 12 hours.
Can beets be baked instead of boiled? +
Yes: in foil at 200 °C for about an hour. Baked beets are sweeter and firmer. See how to bake beets in the oven.
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