Beets aren’t a “go-to” when you think of popular dips and spreads. Notorious for their gnarled, dirt-laden appears and earthy-sweet taste, beets are more popular as a chopped or shaved salad topping. But beets might just be the missing element at your holiday get-togethers and sports-centric gatherings.

Roasted beets add structure and balance to this creamy beet dip punctuated with tangy Greek yogurt, salty goat cheese, and warm honey. The startling hot pink color of the dip will attract all eyes at a party. If you buy already-roasted beets, you can dispense with making your cutting board and hands look like a crime scene and save time. Simply toss the ingredients into a food processor and whizz.

Ingredients

• 6 beets, peeled and roasted*

• 1 tbsp. Zero Acre oil

• 2 tbsp. Greek yogurt, plain, whole-milk

• ½ lemon, zest and juice

• 6 oz. soft goat cheese

• 1 tbsp. honey

• ½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

• 1 tsp. salt

*We used Love Beets pre-roasted beets. If you’d like to roast the beets yourself, preheat the oven to 350ºF, peel the beets and slice them into quarters (tip: wear rubber gloves to avoid staining your hands). Place the beets in an oven-safe dish and toss with 1 tbsp. Zero Acre oil and ½ tsp. salt. Roast for 50 minutes or until soft. Allow the beets to cool before making the dip.

Instructions

Prep time: 5–10 minutes

Cook time: 55 minutes (if roasting your own beets)

1. Add all ingredients to a food processor or high-speed blender. 

2. Pulse for 40–60 seconds until the goat cheese is well combined.

How to Serve Roasted Beet Dip

This dip shines brightest in a bowl with sugar snap peas, baby carrots, jicama sticks, bell pepper strips, or celery sticks. Use a sturdy pretzel stick, corn chip, cracker, or toasted pita wedge for scooping.

To make a more elegant bite, spread the dip on top of crostini and top with pan-seared mushrooms cooked in brandy and a healthy splash of cream. Spoon onto endive leaves and top with crisped cubes of pancetta and snipped chives. Spread onto cucumber rounds and top with caramelized onions and a bite of seared steak for fancy occasions.

More Variations for Your Roasted Beet Dip

There are plenty of ways to dress up your roasted beet dip for even more texture and varying flavors. 

• Throw a head of garlic in with your roasting beets and add the umami-sweet garlic to your blender. 

• Top with (more) crumbled goat cheese and chopped hazelnuts or roasted and shelled pumpkin seeds.

• Add a swirl of fresh yogurt, sour cream or crème fraîche on top. 

• Experiment with different fresh and fragrant chopped herbs like dill, thyme, or sage.

• Sub Greek yogurt with crème fraîche for an even more decadent texture and taste. 

Ingredient Swaps That Work

Don’t do dairy? Switch the Greek yogurt and goat cheese for a vegan cheese made from nuts and a few splashes of full-fat coconut milk to get things whizzing in the food processor. 

Instead of beets, you could use roasted sweet potatoes (envision the sunset-like orange hue!), roasted pumpkin or kabocha squash, or any sort of cooked bean or lentil. The vegetable provides the substantial base upon which to build the flavors that will make the dip linger on your tongue for a bit. 

How to Store Leftovers

Place any leftover dip in a storage container and store the dip in the refrigerator for up to three days. If you’d like to freeze the dip, place in an airtight container or freezer-safe resealable bag and store in the freezer for up to three months. 

Nutritional Information

Servings: 10

Calories: 88

Fat: 5 grams

Carbs: 7 grams

Protein: 4 grams

Nutrition info collected from Cronometer. 

This delicious recipe was developed and photographed by Courtney Paige.