What to Do With Beet Greens – 10 Ways to Love Them!

Can you eat beet greens? Yes, you can! Beet leaves are often overlooked as a “vegetable” but they’re perfectly edible. Good for you, even! Here are ten ways to add beet greens to your menu, utilizing this overlooked source of nutrients.

Originally published in June of 2011, this post has been updated.

So often we cut the green tops from root vegetables and send them off to the compost. These leafy greens, though, are often perfectly edible. That’s the case with radish greens, and it’s true of beet leaves as well.

What to Do With Beet Greens

If you’re growing beets, the greens can be harvested when they’re young and used as “baby greens” in a salad. (The crop needs to be thinned anyway, so no waste!) At this stage, they’re quite mild. Mature beet greens have a characteristic earthy beet flavor and can be sautéed much as you prepare any hearty greens. They can be used in other ways, too!

Beet greens can be used in different ways in place of spinach, Swiss chard, or even collard greens – or really any greens.

Cooking Beet Greens

Much like other greens, beet leaves can be cooked and served as a vegetable side dish. Your imagination is the limit. Here are some favorite ways to serve beet greens.

• Boiled: Cook beet greens in a pot of boiling water that’s been salted. Simmer over medium heat for two minutes, then drain.  Serve with squeezed lemon juice if desired.
• Steamed: Place leaves in a metal steamer. Put an inch of water in a pot and set the steamer inside. Bring to a boil and cook for about 3 minutes or until tender
• Sautéed Beet Greens Recipe: Heat a couple of tablespoons of your favorite oil in a large skillet. Add a crushed garlic clove or two if you like, or red pepper flakes to add a bit of spice. Put several handfuls of beet greens into the hot pan and stir; cook until wilted.
• Baconed: 🙂 Cook several slices of bacon in a frying pan until they’re crispy. Remove bacon and crumble it. Add beet leaves to the hot pan and cook until wilted. Stir crumbled bacon in and serve.

Make Beet Green Powder

One way to use beet tops is to preserve them as a dried powder. This powder can be added to smoothies (great during the wintertime dearth of fresh veggies!), stirred into salad dressings, and used in soup. See this powdered greens recipe for how to make powdered beet greens for long-term storage.

Here’s what I found, though. The amount of green powder that results from a full dehydrator is — at least in my opinion — not worth the extensive drying time required and the power used to fully dry the greens.

I’d use an alternative method. Either air dry the green leaves if your climate is hot and dry enough (mine’s not) or dry them in the heat of your vehicle. Yes, that’s right. In your car. This will allow you to dry a lot of beet greens at once, making the effort more worthwhile. 

Ferment Them!

This beet green sauerkraut is a knockoff of traditional kraut made with cabbage. It’s tangy and delicious and full of probiotics!

Make a Smoothie

Make your favorite smoothie, but sneak in four or five beet leaves. Beet greens disappear beautifully; this is a perfect way to incorporate more nutritious greens. I made a banana-blueberry-pineapple smoothie with the greens and my then 15-year-old said, “Ooh, that’s a good one.”

Success! If your people are super sensitive, start with just one or two leaves.

Make Chips

I figured if it can be done with kale, why not beet tops? Clean the leaves and tear them into large pieces, removing the ribs. Dry thoroughly and toss with a tiny bit of olive oil.

I used about a teaspoon of olive oil on greens from four beets. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet and sprinkle with coarsely ground salt. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until the greens are crispy. The beet leaves turn brownish fairly quickly; they are not a pretty snack (they look more like crispy fall leaves than something edible), but they’re tasty. Store in an airtight container for 1-2 days

Related: Early Greens: The Edible Sweet Potato Vine

Toss Them into a Salad

The young leaves of beets are surprisingly mild and tender, making them a great addition to a salad – with homemade salad dressing, of course! 

What to do with Beet Stems 

The stiff stems of the beet leaves are edible as well and can be chopped and incorporated with any of the beetroot greens recipes. They can also be used separately. 

Pickle Them

While I didn’t pickle an entire batch, I cooked some stalks until they were crisp and tender and tucked them into a jar of my dilly green beans. A little shortcut, yes, but I think you could use the dilly green bean recipe replacing the beans with beet stalks and it would work out just fine.

Stir Fry the Stalks

I have to admit, I didn’t like them this way, but neither do I like Swiss chard. My husband, who is a fan of Swiss chard, thought the stir-fried stalks were great and very similar to chard.

Try making this fermented beet kraut with beet roots!

How to Store Beet Root Greens

The best way to store greens of any kind, including beet greens, is in the crisper drawer of your fridge, wrapped in a dry paper towel, and sealed in a reusable bag.

Preparation: Before storing, remove any damaged or wilted leaves and give the greens a gentle rinse in cold water. Pat them dry with paper towels or spin them in a salad spinner to remove extra moisture.

Moisture control: Moisture is the enemy of fresh greens. Store them in a bag wrapped loosely in a paper towel. This helps maintain humidity without causing excess moisture buildup, which can lead to spoilage.

Temperature: Most greens prefer cooler temperatures to stay crisp and fresh. Store them in the crisper drawer of your refrigerator, where the temperature is slightly cooler and more stable.

Air circulation: Proper air circulation is essential to prevent greens from wilting prematurely. Avoid overcrowding them in the refrigerator and leave some space around the bag or container to allow air to circulate freely.

Storage containers: If you prefer using containers, opt for breathable ones, such as produce storage containers with ventilation holes or perforated bags. Avoid storing greens in airtight containers as they can trap moisture and speed up decay, or at least put a paper towel in the container with the greens and open daily to “burp” the container free of gas.

Leafy greens vs. root vegetables: Store leafy greens separately from root vegetables like beets, as the ethylene gas produced by the root can cause the greens to wilt faster.

Check and use promptly: Regularly check the greens for any signs of wilting or spoilage, at least every couple of days. Use them as soon as possible to enjoy them at their freshest. If you notice any wilted leaves, remove them promptly to prevent them from affecting the rest of the batch. Toss less-than-fresh leaves in the compost or worm bin or feed to the chickens.

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