How to Roast Beets and Easily Freeze Them For Later (Picture Tutorial)
Yes, you CAN freeze beets! With this easy step-by-step tutorial learn how to roast beets and then freeze them to preserve for the year. After thawing they taste just like you cooked them fresh! Roasted, frozen beets are perfect for salads, sides, and other recipes – and may just win over non beet lovers, too.
✩ What readers are saying…
“This recipe worked perfectly! When I took them out of the freezer for use, it was like I had just cooked them. Thank you! ” -Suzy
Have you noticed that beets can be a pretty divisive vegetable? It seems you either like them or you think they “taste like dirt.”
Personally, I don’t get it. I mean, cooked correctly beets can be as sweet as carrots – which are also grown in the dirt and most people seem to like.
But I’m the lone beet fan in my family. The kids won’t touch them and Brian merely puts up with them. Which means I don’t serve them very often and I don’t grow a ton of them in our garden, just a couple of rows for me.
But you know what happens with even a few rows, right?
Most of the beets are all ready to be harvested at once. I had the problem of too many beets for just me – but then none for the future. Which made me wonder if beets could be frozen.
Can beets be frozen successfully?
Pickling seems to be the most popular way to preserve beets, but my few small rows never made enough to pickle (update: not since I discovered this easy way to pickle jar-by-jar!), so I decided to try freezing some that I had oven roasted–even though I had never heard or read of it being done.
Seems like I’m a rebel like that – see my non-blanched frozen green beans, corn freezing experiments, and best ways to freeze basil tests.
I roasted them in the oven, in their skins to preserve moisture, then chopped and added them to freezer baggies in small portions.
The Results – Tested on Guests
Surprisingly, the beets tasted just as good after a couple months in the freezer as they did the day I roasted them!
So I made my favorite salad with them, Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese, and served it to company.
Um, didn’t I just say beets are divisive…and I served a salad with beets to company?
In my defense, I thought I was safe because our company was a gardener, and don’t most gardeners grow beets? Well, not the one sitting at my table.
He promptly said, “Beets are the one vegetable I don’t eat” and proceeded to give me the dirt comparison. Great – of all the vegetables on the planet I pick the one he didn’t eat.
Of course I said he didn’t have to eat them, but he decided to try them anyway. The verdict?
“These are the best beets I’ve ever eaten. They don’t taste like beets!”
Now I make sure to grow enough rows to be able to freeze beets in small packages to last me through the winter (as well as now pickling a few jars of these easy, honey sweetened beets).
Though I only serve them to people I know will enjoy them – I don’t want to waste them!
How to Prepare, Oven Roast and Freeze Beets
Here is a step-by-step tutorial to prepare, cook, and freeze beets because I didn’t know how to prepare them when I first started growing beets and I’m pretty sure there are some people out there who may be as clueless as I was.
Of course, this is just one method for cooking beets (like cooking beets in a slow cooker or Instant Pot!), but most of these steps are the same no matter how you decide cook them.
Step 1: Wash and trim. Wash beets thoroughly with a vegetable brush in order to get all the dirt off. Trim the greens off, leaving about an inch of the tops. Trim the roots as well, if needed.
Step 2: Prepare for baking. Place the beets in a shallow baking dish and pour in about 1/4 cup of water.
Note: I suppose this isn’t true “roasting” like when we toss vegetables with olive oil (which you can do with beets, by the way… they get nice crispy edges which is great for that application, but not what I want on a salad…), but it’s like roasting meat, I guess. We don’t want the beets to dry out too much or they won’t freeze as well.
Step 3: Bake. Cover well with foil and bake at 400 degrees for up to an hour, depending on the size of the beets.
Step 4: Test and let cool. Check doneness by inserting a small knife into the thickest parts of the beets. Let cool until you can comfortably handle them.
Jami’s Tip
The beets pictured were fairly large so I cut them in half to speed the cooking time (small to medium beets can be left whole). They were done in about 45 minutes.
Step 5: Peel. Cut the rest of the tops and bottoms off and skin the beets by pulling with a small knife.
TIP: Some directions say to put gloves on and “rub the skins off” but that hasn’t worked well for me, but you do what works for you. And I don’t wear gloves- I just wash my hands afterwards and don’t have a problem with staining.
You can use the beets any way you’d like now – serve right away with butter or on a salad.
Or read on to see how to easily freeze cooked beets:
Cut beets. Cut the cooked beets into any shape you’d like – I typically cube the beets into bite-size pieces. You can also, slice, julienne or cut into wedges.
Freeze. Place the cut beets in a freezer bagging or container, label, and freeze.
Big TIP: I remove the air from my freezer baggies with a straw and it keeps most of the frost out of the packages. (And no, I don’t need a food saver – this has always worked great and is less expensive, lol!)
Storage
Try to use the frozen beets within 6-9 months for best flavor and texture.
One time, though, a few baggies got shoved in the back of my freezer and I found them a year later. I served them anyway and was shocked that they were still pretty tasty, even after a year.
However, a baggie I found after 1-1/2 years didn’t fare as well and the beets were shriveled and soggy.
(Of course this was before I had the chalkboard freezer organizer which helps me keep better track of what we have for planning menus and using up food.)
Freezing Beets FAQs
I simply defrost in the fridge or in warm water – it doesn’t take much. And then use cold in salads or gently warm as you’d like (similar to refrigerated cooked beets you can buy in the stores).
Yes, but they will not be as convenient as already cooked. Cut the raw peeled beets into small dices, transfer them into a freezer bag, label and freeze. Any beet variety can be frozen like this.
If you’d like grated beets, you can freeze them raw – grate and lay out on a cookie sheet to flash freeze before transferring to freezer containers.
Yes, if the beets are peeled and cut into smaller pieces first (or grated like above).
It depends on how you want to use them – grated raw or diced beets are good for using raw in salads or adding to soups. Roasted beets can be used to top salads or heated as a side dish with butter that only has to be thawed and warmed.
Beets store in the freezer about 6-12 months.
More Vegetables You Can Easily Freeze
- How to Freeze Green Beans without Blanching
- How to Freeze Snap Peas Without Blanching
- Three Ways to Freeze Corn
- How to Freeze Broccoli – Blanched & Unblanched
I hope you love how these beets turn out – if you do this, be sure to leave a recipe rating so I (and others) know how you liked it!
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How to Roast Beets and Easily Freeze Them For Later
Ingredients
- 8 medium to large beets*
- ¼ cup water
Instructions
- To Roast: Wash the beets thoroughly and trim the roots and greens off, leaving about an inch of the tops. For even cooking, cut any large beets in half.
- Place the beets in a shallow 13×9-inch baking dish and pour in about 1/4 cup of water.
- Cover well with foil and bake in a 400 degree oven for 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of the beets. To check if they’re done, insert a small knife into the thickest parts of the beets. (If there are smaller beets cooking with larger ones, remove the beets as they finish cooking.)
- Cut the rest of the tops and bottoms off and skin the beets by pulling it off with a small knife.
- Cut the beets into chunks or slices and serve right away or freeze for later.
- To freeze for later: Place the beets in a baggie or other freezer container, removing as much air as possible, label and put in the freezer. Use within 6-9 months for best quality, or up to a year.
Notes
Nutrition
This article has been updated – it was originally published in June of 2010 and updated in 2022.
Have you ever tried microwaving beets? I peel em first with a vegetable peeler , then microwave em with a sprinkle of water in a large container (to prevent boil overs use a slightly oversized one) with a lid. I cut them up afterwards if I want. Works great I’m going to try to freeze mine now. Thanks
No I haven’t heard of that! How long do you microwave them for? Do you cut them into similar sizes first or just remove the beets that are done first? I’ve been using a slow cooker lately as it’s so hands-off, but I like the idea of the microwave if it’s quick. 🙂
Can frozen beets be used in beet borscht soup?
I don’t see why not, although most recipes use uncooked shredded beets, so if you want to use them for that, I’d go even easier:
shred the beets raw and freeze in portions you need for the soup. No need to thaw before adding to the soup!
Hi Jami, I LOVE beets! But I have too many pickled already and want to freeze them. I’ve never had good luck freezing cooked peeled beets……they thaw out really mushy and gross. I don’t want to waste another beet trying again. What is your secret? Roasting rather than boiling perhaps?
Yes, it must be the roasting – no water is introduced that way – because they are seriously perfect, just like I say!
You can always roast a freeze a test for about a week and see what they’re like after thawing.
Hi Jami
I have had success in roasting beets in my crockpot, so as not to heat up the kitchen using the oven during harvest time. I trim the greens to 1″, wash well & leave the root on, so they won’t bleed. I place them in the crockpot drizzle with a small amount of olive oil, roast on high for 2 to 3 hours or until a knife slips in easily. When done, I cool to room temp, cut the root off & peel.
Roasted beet & feta salad/side dish is on the menu …..Yum
That is so great, Joy – thank you, I will try it!
Hi Jami – Am so happy I found your site and this post with tips for freezing beets. Just coming around to cooking fresh beets and their greens…so sorry I missed eating these wonderful gems for too many decades of life, will never eat the canned variety again!!! Now that I know the taste will keep, freezing cubes of cooked beets will be method for meal prepping salads and my daily grab & blend smoothie packets. Thanks again for sharing your insights and helpful tips!
I’m so glad you found this in time, Nell, and that it was helpful – it really is such a great way to preserve beets to use just like you suggest!
your freezing tips are saving me lots of money and giving me pleasure as well. thank you!
I’m so glad – thank you for letting me know, Norma!
You should invest in a food saver. Will definitely try this.
Ha! You’re not the first to mention that, but I’ve never felt the need. 🙂
Beet jelly is GREAT
Wow, I’ve never even heard of it – I’ll have to look it up!!
Just to be clear…beet sugar comes from sugar beets (white much larger beets) and not red beets. (From a sugar beet farmer).
Thanks for clarifying!
So easy and my garden beets will last months instead of weeks. This website was a happy find, thank you. I will be testing other recipes, great idea with the straw btw.
Thank you – I’m so glad you found this helpful, Maxine!
Thank you so much because i didn’t know what to do with all of these Beets
i am going to make this recipe soon .
Happy to help – I think you are going to love this and having the beets ready to go when you want!
I normally freeze my beets. I put a bunch in a large crock pot till done. The peel slips right off under water, then I slice ordice and freeze, yum!
This year I’m hoping to (successfully!) spiralize several veggie types. Any ideas on blanching times for the spiralized beets? Thanks!
I think you’d need to cook the beets to be able to spiralize them? If not, they only need 3-5 minutes blanching time. You can also try freezing them raw and seeing if you like that – definitely test and see which works best!
I leave the skin on my beets and just scrub them very well. Don’t even realize I’m eating skins!
Good for you, Kristina. Most people who don’t like beets say they taste ‘dirt’ on them and removing the skins always helps from that perspective, I think. 🙂
I read and re-read, but I am not seeing the oven temp for roasting the beets?
Sorry, Lori, there was a technical error that was preventing the recipe card from showing! I’ve fixed it and also added the temp into the picture tutorial for clarity. 🙂
This recipe worked perfectly! when I took them out of the freezer for use, it was like i had just cooked them. Thank you!
I know! It’s kind of amazing, isn’t it? Glad you liked them. 🙂
I roast my beets fresh beets with the peels on and I don’t put any water in it and they come out great
Do the peels come off easily then or do you just eat the peels? I find it really hard to get them clean because of all the surface indentations, so I don’t care for the peels. 🙂
Do you think this would work the same for boiled beets?
Yes!
Hi Jami. I toss my cooked beets with olive oil & spices. They store nicely in the refrigerator for up to a week this way. When cooking them to freeze, should I add the olive oil & spices before freezing or after? Thanks.
I’d probably wait until after, but you can do a test of two, one with and one without to see which you like best.
I wish she would say how to check for doneness. I can stick a knife in a raw beet. That doesn’t mean it’s done. Just sticking a knife in a beet doesn’t tell me a thing. When I stick a knife in a steak I look for the color I want, I’m not just sticking a knife in it. When I stick a toothpick in a cake I look to see if it comes out clean, not just stick a toothpick in a cake. Get my drift?
Testing doneness of root vegetables is often done with a knife – I do this with potatoes, carrots, etc. While a knife can be put in these when they are raw, it doesn’t go in smoothly or far and takes quite a bit of pressure. When they are tender and cooked through, the knife slides in with almost no pressure. I know of no other way to test root vegetables other than to cut a piece and eat it. The knife test seems easier to me.
How do you reheat the frozen beets? Stick them back in the oven, on the pan, microwave? Giving this a try sincd I got soooo many beets from the farmers market and don’t want them to go to waste!
You can let them thaw and eat them cold on a salad or heat them any way you want! It’s just like having the pre-cooked beets they sell in the stores now.
Gotcha, thank you!
Sorry if I missed it. Do you have a recommendation for thawing these out. Are there any method that result in an undesirable texture? Thanks!
I haven’t had any issues, Holly, I just defrost in the fridge or in warm water – it doesn’t take much. Hope that helps some!