Beets With Horseradish and Pumpkin Seeds

By Vallery Lomas

Updated Feb. 16, 2024

Beets With Horseradish and Pumpkin Seeds — Julia Gartland for The New York Times (Photography and Styling)

Total Time: 1½ hours
Rating: 4(561)
Notes: Read community notes

Sweet beets meet zingy horseradish and crunchy pumpkin seeds in this dish that will enchant beet lovers and skeptics alike. Roasting the beets concentrates their flavor and makes them easier to peel, while pairing red beets with their yellow counterparts makes for a striking visual contrast. Feel free to use all red beets, or all golden beets, if that’s what’s available to you, and to substitute plain yogurt for the sour cream. If you can’t find fresh, refrigerated prepared horseradish, horseradish cream also works beautifully. Make the most of the beet greens: Sauté them in olive oil and finish with a splash of balsamic vinegar for an excellent accompaniment to this dish.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

1small bunch red beets (about 1 pound), washed and leaves removed
1small bunch golden beets (about 1 pound), washed and leaves removed
2tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and black pepper
½cup sour cream
2tablespoons prepared horseradish
2tablespoons lemon juice
¼cup roasted pumpkin seeds

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place all the beets on a sheet of aluminum foil. Drizzle with the olive oil. Wrap together tightly and bake until tender, 65 to 70 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. Peel off the skin. (You may need the help of a paring knife.)
Step 2
Slice the peeled beets ¼-inch thick and arrange the slices on a serving tray. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Step 3
In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, horseradish, lemon juice, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Taste to adjust seasoning.
Step 4
In a small skillet, toast the pumpkin seeds over medium heat, shaking back and forth, until they emit a popcorn-like smell, 2 to 3 minutes.
Step 5
Spoon the sour cream dressing on top of the beets and sprinkle with toasted pumpkin seeds. Serve beets warm or chilled (see Tip).

Tip

The components of this dish may be prepared two days in advance: The beets can be roasted and peeled ahead of time, but wait until serving to slice them. The horseradish cream may be prepared in advance and stored in the refrigerator, and the pumpkin seeds may be toasted and stored at room temperature.

Ratings

4 out of 5

561 user ratings

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Cooking Notes

cjs4153 years ago

Hmmm. Never seen canned yellow beets. Guess I haven't looked hard enough. Also, I always roast beets with their jackets on and mine come out with the rings. I usually leave them in their skin and let them cool down before putting them in the fridge and I don't peel until ready to use. I leave on a bit of the tail and of the stem for roasting which I remove with the peel. I would roast the colors separately and only combine when plating to preserve the color.

Laura K3 years ago

A delicious, quick and natural combination! I topped the platter with arugula and it looked (and tasted) great.

Chef Diane3 years ago

David, the wrapping in foil creates some steam that will help the skins to slip of SO much more easily than if you simply roasted them!

Bob3 years ago

Made this tonight with red and golden beets from our garden. It’s a wonderful recipe as-is and tastes amazing!

anne3 years ago

Used pistachio nuts!

Dee3 years ago

This sour cream-horseradish-lemon juice-toasted pumpkin seeds sauce is amazing other root vegetables. I used on beets but also tried with carrots and think turnips or potatoes would be awesome too.

krisby3 years ago

I'm curious. Why would you want to make this with canned beets?

McKlem3 years ago

Made this with Greek yogurt, and it was delicious.

Liz3 years ago

I like to sub thick plain yogurt in place of sour cream. Same delicious horseradish combo which I use on potatoes or any other root vegetable as well as beets.

Ben J3 years ago

Yum. Perfect for Yom Kippur.

Camille2 years ago

With pre-steamed beets (you can get them everywhere in France...don't know for US) it takes 5 minutes. It's such a weird recipe and I am pleasantly surprised by how good it is. It's also cheap, filling and healthy. I'm making it for the 5th or 6th time tonight!

ed2 months ago

If you like beets and horseradish you will like this. Great side dish.

Jennie4 months ago

I used the shelf-stable cooked beets for this, and was generous with the sauce. I thought I would love this more than I did--it was adequate, not special, just not very tasty (surprising considering all that horseradish). A disappointment.

Lisa4 months ago

Old time beet roaster here! If you're going to roast your own, be thoughtful about what you're wearing (something you don't mind inadvertently turning red or pink) and think about donning gloves for the peel.

Carol6 months ago

As a big fan of roasted beets I had high hopes for this. It was good, not great. The only change I made was using nonfat greek yogurt rather than sour cream. Perhaps this was the difference between good and great. I never use oil for roasting beets. The skin slips right off so I can't see the reason here.

anne6 months ago

Lebne! Pomegranate!

Matt8 months ago

I used the Geffen beets from Costco, worked well. And a bit more horseradish, but that's a taste thing. I like horseradish. A pretty and flavorful take on beets.

Jessica1 year ago

This was okay. I don’t know if it worth making again.

amanda1 year ago

Used store bought tube of wasabi instead of horseradish and it was excellent!

shannonj1 year ago

Made this for thanksgiving and our friends loved it—it was one guest’s favorite dish! Definitely taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning as needed, and liberally salt and pepper the cooked beets before saucing. I also toasted the pepitas with a little olive oil and salt to make sure they were toasty and delish.

Julia1 year ago

Delicious! Made with vegan sour cream and turned out fantastic.

Carol Macoomb1 year ago

This is just the most delicious salad recipe! My family loves it…. highly recommend.

word to wise2 years ago

If you’re using regular pumpkin seeds ( even “low sodium” brand from local grocery store), no way do you need to add any salt in the cooking process, unless you love overly salty food. Otherwise, you’re good!

Mike D2 years ago

Really enjoyed this. Did half the horseradish and it turned out great. Might try more next time but the toasted pumpkin seeds are a nice touch.

Kit K2 years ago

We took a shortcut and used the already cooked beets in the cold produce section. The combination of the horseradish and the beet was fantastic. Served this on a bed of arugula and it was fantastic.

Joanne Weaver2 years ago

I have had trouble with cooked yellow beets getting black spots. Nasty surprise when planning to use them for a special dinner. Anyone else with this problem and what can be done?

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