Raw Beet Salad with Mint & Grapefruit

If you’ve never tried beets raw, this raw beet salad with mint & grapefruit will be a game-changer. Crisp and slightly sweet, raw shredded beets offer a refreshing contrast to their roasted counterpart. In this vibrant recipe, they’re tossed in a citrusy lime and grapefruit dressing and finished with cooling mint for a bright, zippy dish that’s perfect for warmer weather. It’s easy to make, beautiful on the plate, and loaded with nutrients—ideal for a light lunch, side dish, or picnic favorite.

What You’ll Need

• Beets: Red beets are nutritious and make for a lovely presentation with the color of the grapefruit.
• Ruby Red Grapefruit: Ruby Reds, especially Rio Reds, are sweeter and less bitter than white or pink grapefruit.
• Lime: We’ll use both the zest and juice.
• Agave Syrup: Just a touch to balance out the acidity and bitterness of the citrus
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Use a high quality extra virgin olive oil.
• Herbs and Spices: Fresh mint, salt, cayenne pepper

Method

This raw beet salad is so easy to make. Peeling the grapefruit is the most time-consuming part, but that can be done ahead of time and refrigerated until you’re ready to serve. In fact, I think chilling the grapefruit is preferable as it adds to the refreshing quality of the dish (especially on a warm day!). The key is to carefully remove the bitter outer membrane of the grapefruit segments so that you just have the fleshy part.

If you have a food processor with a shredding blade, shredding the beets is a breeze. Otherwise you could use the shredding blade on a mandolin or even a hand grater. Set the shredded beets aside in a bowl and mix up the citrus vinaigrette. Toss the shredded beets with the dressing and let it sit for 5-10 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. When you’re ready to serve, top with the grapefruit and fresh mint!

Raw Beet Salad with Mint & Grapefruit

Courses: Appetizer, Lunch, Sides

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Difficulty: Beginner

Ingredients

Scale

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For the Salad

• 1 Ruby Red grapefruit, peeled and segmented
• 2-3 medium red beets, scrubbed, peeled and trimmed

• fresh mint leaves

For the Vinaigrette

• 1 lime, zested and juiced
• 1 tablespoon fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• ¹⁄₄ teaspoon agave syrup, more to taste
• 1 tablespoon mint leaves, chopped
• coarse kosher salt, to taste
• cayenne pepper, to taste (optional)

Instructions

1. Prepare the grapefruit:  Peel and separate the grapefruit into segments.  It's easier to peel the grapefruit if you score around it first, so that you have four sections of skin.

   Carefully remove the membrane from each segment.  Store segments in a covered glass container and chill until ready to serve.

2. Shred the beets:  Use a food processor, mandolin, or box grater to shred the peeled beets.

3. Make the vinaigrette:  Whisk together the lime zest, lime juice, grapefruit juice, olive oil, agave, chopped mint, salt and cayenne (if using). Taste and adjust as needed for balance.

4. Assemble the salad:  Toss the shredded beets with the dressing. Let sit 5–10 minutes to absorb flavors.

5. Serve:  Plate the salad and garnish with the grapefruit segments and fresh mint.