This beautiful beet walnut salad with maple balsamic vinaigrette is full of flavour and texture and perfect for a healthy meal on a warm Summer evening. The salad features nutritious red cabbage, walnuts, beets, carrot and raisins on a bed of spinach and arugula. This recipe is vegan and gluten-free.

Salad with beet, carrot, walnuts, raisins, cabbage and blueberries.

Eating for Nutrient Density

Grated beets and carrots are some of my favourite salad ingredients and I always include a big batch in my weekly food prep. They’re perfect for adding to salads and both are full of of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.

One thing I like to keep in mind when creating meals is nutrient-density. I like knowing the food I’m eating is providing me with the energy, vitamins, minerals and macronutrients I need to stay healthy and active.

Consistently choosing nutrient-dense, whole foods over nutrient-poor, highly processed foods is a great way to ensure you’re covering all your nutritional needs, especially if you’re vegan or vegetarian.

This beet walnut salad features both carrot and beet, along with heart-healthy walnuts, purple cabbage and greens, all highly nutritious foods that make this salad rich in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.

Beet walnut salad on a bed of spinach and arugula.
Cabbage, blueberry and carrot salad with beet, walnuts and raisins.

Homemade Salad Dressings

Salad dressing is something I always make at home. It’s so easy to make and is a healthy alternative to commercial, store-bought dressings.

I typically don’t use recipes for salad dressings because they’re so easy to quickly mix up and adjust as you go. I’ve listed below some of the key ingredients you keep on hand for making homemade salad dressings. Stock these in your pantry and you’ll always be ready for quick and easy dressings.

With different combinations of these ingredients you can make everything from caesar salad dressing, to tahini ranch and spicy lime almond.

Ingredients for Homemade Salad Dressing

  • oils like avocado and olive
  • nut butters like peanut and almond
  • various mustards like whole grain and dijon
  • liquid stevia
  • vinegars like apple cider vinegar, balsamic and red wine
  • hot sauce
  • soy sauce
  • avocado
  • plenty of dried herbs and spices
  • fresh herbs
  • lemons and limes
  • tahini
  • soft tofu
  • cashews
  • nutritional yeast
Mixed up beet walnut salad with carrot, arugula, cabbage and balsamic dressing.

Alrighty, beet walnut salad time! Beets and walnuts should be together forever and ever. They’re just made for each other, don’t you think?

Add something sweet like raisins or chopped dates to the mix too? Oh ya. What else? Grated carrot and purple cabbage because they’re both so pretty and nutritious and add plenty of flavour and texture.

Recipe Notes

Here are some swaps and subs that work for this recipe:

  • use chopped dates or cranberries instead of raisins
  • use chopped pecans, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds or slivered almonds instead of walnuts
  • try it with these candied pecans
  • any kind of green can be used for the base of the salad
  • try roasted beets instead of raw beet
  • for alternative dressings, try dijon dressing or maple tahini sauce

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Salad with beet, carrot, walnuts, raisins, cabbage and blueberries.

Beet Walnut Salad

  • Author: Deryn Macey
  • Prep Time: 10 mins
  • Total Time: 10 minutes
  • Yield: 1 1x
  • Category: Salad
  • Cuisine: Vegan, Gluten-Free

This bright and beautiful Summer salad features nutrient-packed veggies like beet, carrot and purple cabbage. The crunchy walnuts and sweet raisins add texture and the perfect amount of sweetness.

★★★★★

5 from 2 reviews
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Ingredients

For the Salad (per salad)

  • 2 handfuls of mixed salad greens, arugula or spinach
  • 1/2 cup peeled and grated carrot
  • 1/2 cup peeled and grated beet (1 small beet)
  • 1/2 cup red cabbage, very finely chopped (use a mandolin if you have one)
  • 1/4 cup walnut pieces
  • 1/4 cup raisins, finely chopped dates or cranberries

For the Dressing 

  • 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar (sub apple cider, red wine or white wine vinegar)
  • 2 tbsp maple syrup
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (omit if desired)
  • 2 tsp dijon mustard
  • 2 cloves minced garlic
  • 1/4 tsp each sea salt and black pepper

Instructions

  1. Add all the dressing ingredients to a container and whisk or shake vigorously.
  2. Place all the salad ingredients in a bowl.
  3. Drizzle with desired amount of dressing and enjoy.

Notes

Dressing makes enough for 3 salads. Adjust the salad ingredients accordingly for how many you’re serving, they don’t have to be exact.

For a lower-calorie salad, use less walnuts and raisins. 

Keywords: raw beet walnut salad, beet salad, healthy, easy, summer, spring, plant-based, vegetarian

Originally Published: August 1, 2014