This simple Citrus Beet Salad brings together tender red lentils, fresh orange, and earthy roasted beets with a bright orange-balsamic dressing. It's a protein-packed beet lentil salad that's easy enough for lunch yet delicious enough to serve to guests.
Looking for other healthy salad recipes? Try my beet and walnut salad, curried couscous salad with cashews, and arugula quinoa salad with corn, too!
❤️ Why You'll Love This Beet Citrus Salad
- Naturally vegan and gluten-free with no substitutions needed.
- Protein and fiber from red lentils make this a healthy salad that's filling too.
- Ready in under 30 minutes with just a few ingredients and simple steps.
- The balsamic-orange dressing makes the beetroot lentil salad incredibly delicious.
- You can serve it warm or cold, which makes it ideal for meal prep and entertaining.
- It looks fancy with no effort and is cheap to make.
- Works as a side dish or entree, depending on your needs.
Ingredient Notes
- Red Lentils: You want them "barely cooked" and tender. If you overcook them, the salad will become mushy. Once you toss them with the dressing, they will soften a bit more.
- Beets: You can use roasted or steamed beets. I use the vacuum-sealed pre-cooked red beets from the grocery store. Golden beets work too. Just make sure not to use pickled beets.
- Fresh Navel Orange: You'll need some oranges for their juice, zest, and segments. In my book, fresh orange is really what makes this the best citrus beet salad.
- Balsamic Glaze: Thicker and more concentrated than standard balsamic vinegar it provides a syrupy texture that helps the dressing cling to the lentils.
- Shallots: These have a milder, more subtle "bite" than red onions, which goes perfectly with the orange.
- Oil: I like to use a neutral oil, like avocado oil or light olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil is fine, too, if you want a bit more flavor.
🌟 Pro Tip: Check out my guide on how to roast whole beets if you want to skip the store-bought variety.
How To Make This Beet Lentil Salad
Here is a simple step-by-step look at how simple it is to make my lentil beet salad in just a matter of minutes.
Scroll down to the recipe card to find the amounts and detailed instructions.
Cook the lentils. First, give your lentils a good rinse under cold water until the water runs clear. Then add them to a large pot with plenty of water, but don't add any salt. Adding salt while cooking can have them break down faster and we aren't going for mushy lentils.
Bring the red lentils up to a gentle simmer over medium heat and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring every now and then. You want to stop cooking them just before they're fully done.
When done, drain them right away and spread them out on a baking sheet so they cool down quickly. This also helps them stop cooking.
Make the orange vinaigrette. While your lentils are cooling, whisk together the balsamic glaze, orange zest, orange juice, oil, and salt in a small bowl. Then give it a taste and add more fine kosher salt if you like.
Coat the lentils. Once the lentils are fully cooled, add them to a mixing bowl and spoon some of the dressing over them. Then toss them gently. You just want them lightly coated, not sitting in a pool of dressing.
Assemble the salad. Next, spoon the dressed red lentils into a medium shallow serving bowl and spread them out to make a base. Then layer the quartered beets and orange sections across the top. Finally, add the thinly sliced shallot rounds.
Add more dressing. Now, drizzle a little more dressing over the vegetables. You don't have to use all of it. Then finish with a sprinkle of sea salt and a crack of black pepper.
Garnish and serve. If you like, add another drizzle of balsamic glaze and sprinkle with a handful of fresh chopped parsley right before serving.
You can also put any leftover citrus beet salad dressing into a small dish and set it out for people to add more if they like.
Storage & Make-Ahead
- Fridge: This easy citrus beet salad keeps well for up to 3 days in an airtight container. Just know that the color will deepen as the beet juice settles, and the lentils may become more tender.
- Make-Ahead: You can cook the lentils and make the dressing up to 2 days in advance.
- Freezing: I do not recommend freezing this dish.
How To Serve Beet and Lentil Salad
- As a main dish: Serve in shallow bowls with crusty bread or a piece of flatbread.
- As a side dish: Roasted beet salad pairs really well with grilled tofu or a simple grain dish.
- For entertaining: Serve it in a large bowl at room temperature. To make it fancy, try topping it with some vegan crumbled goat cheese.
- As part of a grain bowl: Add a scoop to a bowl with quinoa or farro.
- Meal prep lunch: Pack individual portions in containers with the dressing on the side.
🌟 Expert Tips
- Don't overcook the lentils. Red lentils get mushy fast. Start checking at 4 minutes and pull them the moment they're just tender.
- Pre-cooked vacuum-sealed beets are good here and save 40 or more minutes. Just make sure they're plain, not marinated.
- Let the dressing sit for a few minutes before adding it to help the zest release its oils into the liquid.
- Serve at room temperature for the best flavor. If you're pulling this dish from the fridge, let it sit out for 15 minutes before serving.
- You can customize the beet and citrus salad any way you like. Top with a handful of arugula, pumpkin seeds, pistachios, or use another type of citrus. The choice is yours.
- Don't like balsamic glaze? You can use apple cider vinegar in its place.
Frequently Asked Questions
You have 2 options here. You can use them, and the salad will still taste good, but the texture will be off, or you can cook a new batch of lentils. Mushy red lentils freeze incredibly well and are great in soup recipes like my red lentil dal.
First, cut off both ends of the orange. Then stand it upright and use a sharp knife to slice off the peel and pith in strips, following the curve of the fruit. Then hold the naked orange over a bowl and use a paring knife to cut between the membranes to release clean segments. It sounds fussy, but takes about 2 minutes once you've done it once.
Yes, you can omit the oil from the dressing, though it'll be thinner and not coat the lentils as well. But it's still delicious.
You can make your own by simmering balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan over low heat until it reduces by half and becomes syrupy.
Yes! French Green (Puy) or Beluga (Black) lentils are excellent substitutes.
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⭐️ One Last Thing! If you make my citrus beet salad with lentils and balsamic vinaigrette, please leave a review and rating to let me know how you liked it! Doing so helps other readers and me too! Your feedback makes a difference.
Citrus Beet Salad with Red Lentils and Orange Balsamic Vinaigrette
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 ½ cups red lentils, cooked to al dente (about ¾ cup raw)
- 2 medium red beets (cooked, sliced then quartered)
- 1 small shallot (sliced into thin rounds )
- 1 large orange (sliced into segments)
- Fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)
Dressing
- 1½ tablespoon balsamic glaze (plus extra for drizzling)
- ¼ cup orange juice (fresh squeezed)
- 2 tablespoon neutral oil (like avocado or light olive oil)
- ½ orange zested
- ⅓ to ½ teaspoon sea salt (season to taste)
- 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Rinse the raw red lentils thoroughly. Then put the lentils in a large pot with plenty of water and bay leaf. Do not add salt. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat and cook about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the lentils are just tender with a bite. Do not overcook. Drain and let cool completely on a sheet pan.
- In a small bowl, combine balsamic glaze, orange zest, orange juice, oil, and salt to taste. Whisk vigorously until the dressing is emulsified and glossy.
- In a mixing bowl, toss the cooled lentils with some of the prepared dressing. You just want to coat the lentils not drench them.
- Arrange the dressed lentils in a medium, shallow serving bowl. Layer the quartered beets on top, followed by the orange sections and thin shallot rounds.
- Drizzle some of the remaining dressing over the top of the vegetables. I typically have extra dressing leftover. Add a final sprinkle of sea salt and a crack of freshly ground black pepper.
- To serve, finish with an extra drizzle of balsamic glaze if desired and a handful of fresh chopped parsley for a pop of color. If you have extra dressing each person can add more if they wish.
Notes
- Storage: The salad will keep in an airtight container for about 3 days. This salad does not freeze well.
- Lentil texture: The secret to this salad is the "al dente" lentil. Red lentils turn to mush quickly, so stay by the stove. Start tasting them at the 5-minute mark; you want them tender but with a distinct bite so they don't disappear into the dressing.
- Beet bleed: Red beets will stain the entire bowl if you over-mix. To keep the colors sharp and vibrant, layer the beets and orange sections on top of the lentils rather than tossing them all together in a large bowl.
- Vacuum-sealed pre-cooked beets: To cut your prep time down these are great. Just make sure to pat them dry before slicing.
- Citrus swaps: If you want a more complex flavor, try using blood oranges or cara cara oranges. If you prefer a more tart profile, grapefruit works exceptionally well against the earthy beets.
- Make-Ahead: You can prep the lentils and dressing up to 2 days in advance. Store them separately in the fridge and assemble right before serving to keep the textures crisp and the colors clean.
- Nutritional info: The provided nutritional info is an estimate for serving this salad as an entree for 2. The amounts can vary depending on how much dressing you use and brands.
Kim Grimmett says
This salad is super easy and perfect for any time of year.