Pan Fried Beets with Creamy Mint Sauce (Dairy-Free, 30 Minute Recipe) (2024)

Home Uncategorized Pan Fried Beets with Creamy Mint Sauce (Dairy-Free, Keto, Grain-Free, Gluten-Free, 30 Minute Recipe)

By: Cristina Curp, FNTP

2 CommentsThis post may contain affiliate links.

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These Pan Fried Beets with Creamy Mint Sauce are elegant and quite delectable. This recipe is easy, flexible, oh-so-satisfying, and totally lacking in dirt taste.

Pan Fried Beets with Creamy Mint Sauce (Dairy-Free, 30 Minute Recipe) (1)

Table of Contents

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1 This is not your average beet recipe

2 How to create a dairy-free cream sauce

3 Why you should eat these Pan Fried Beets with Creamy Mint Sauce

5 Tips for pan frying in cast iron

6 Pan Fried Beets with Creamy Mint Sauce (Dairy-Free, Keto, Grain-Free, Gluten-Free, 30 Minute Recipe)

This is not your average beet recipe

If you’ve tried beets in the past and you were turned off by the dirt undertones, this recipe is going to blow your mind. The pan-fried beets in this recipe develop a beautiful caramelization, creating a delicious semi-sweet chip that contrasts the savory and tangy creamy sauce (that gets a pop of brightness from mint). The flavors in this recipe are crave-worthy — it’s a stunning veggie dish that is perfect to serve alongside a roast or steaks, or you can serve it as a plant-based appetizer.

Pan Fried Beets with Creamy Mint Sauce (Dairy-Free, 30 Minute Recipe) (2)

How to create a dairy-free cream sauce

For this recipe, I used Miyoko’s Dairy Free Cream Cheese for the sauce; I like the plain version. If you can’t find Miyoko’s where you live, then you can use my Dairy Free Cream recipe. I have a cashew base and a cauli base so you can make it nut free too.

If you do well with dairy, you can use regular cream cheese or sour cream if you please. The star of the sauce is really the mint, so whatever base you use, don’t skip the mint!

Pan Fried Beets with Creamy Mint Sauce (Dairy-Free, 30 Minute Recipe) (3)

Why you should eat these Pan Fried Beets with Creamy Mint Sauce

Beets are loaded with vitamins and nutrients, and this easy beet recipe is the best way to enjoy them. Flavor and nutrient density, it’s a beautiful marriage.

Let’s look at the nutritional benefits of beets:

  • Fiber — may improve digestion and gut health
  • Folate — important for tissue growth and cell function
  • Vitamin C — an antioxidant, important for immune health and skin health
  • Manganese — an essential trace element, important for hormone health
  • Potassium — helps reduce blood pressure, an electrolyte that helps keep you hydrated
  • Iron — an essential mineral, important for the transport of oxygen in red blood cells

Beets are also a good source of inorganic nitrates, which have been found to significantly reduce resting blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure, improve endothelial function, and reduce arterial stiffness (source).

Pan Fried Beets with Creamy Mint Sauce (Dairy-Free, 30 Minute Recipe) (4)

Tips for pan frying in cast iron

I’m a diehard cast iron fan, and I do everything with my cast iron. The key to getting perfectly caramelized beet slices for this recipe is to follow my cast iron pan frying tips:

  1. The oil is ready when you dip a wooden spoon in and it sizzles
  2. Make sure each slice has full contact with the surface of the pan (lay flat, not crowded, cook in batches)
  3. Add more fat if you don’t see a sizzle — it’s okay, fat is our friend
  4. Rotate the pan every few minutes, especially if you notice one side cooks faster
  5. Don’t flip until you see a nice brown/sear
  6. Always cook on medium, and give it a while to heat up

These tips are a great guideline for any time you fry in cast iron. Don’t be afraid, the end result is worth the learning curve!

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Pan Fried Beets with Creamy Mint Sauce (Dairy-Free, 30 Minute Recipe) (5)

Pan Fried Beets with Creamy Mint Sauce (Dairy-Free, Keto, Grain-Free, Gluten-Free, 30 Minute Recipe)

★★★★★5 from 1 review
  • Author: Cristina
  • Prep Time: 10 minutes
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings 1x
  • Category: Vegetables
  • Method: Fry
  • Cuisine: Appetizer, Side

Scale

Ingredients

For the Beets

For the Sauce:

  • 6 ounces dairy free cream cheese, softened
  • ¼ cup minced fresh mint
  • 3 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Instructions

  1. Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium heat (I use a 15-inch).
  2. Use a potato peeler to peel the beets and slice them in to ¼ inch thick slices. Melt half of the ghee in the skillet. When hot, place one layer of sliced beets in the skillet so they all lay flat (you will have to do this in batches).
  3. Pan fry for 5 minutes then flip and cook another 5 minutes, drizzling 1 teaspoon of the aminos over them in the last 2 minutes. Transfer to plate and repeat with the remaining beet slices.
  4. While the beets cook, whisk together all of the sauce ingredients in a bowl until smooth. Set aside.
  5. When you’re done cooking the beets and you have transferred them all to a plate, add the garlic slices to the skillet. Tilt the skillet up so all of the fat pools together and the garlic slices are fully submerged in the fat, hold it here, letting the garlic fry until golden brown.
  6. Spoon the garlic chips over the beets. Serve the mint cream on the side and sprinkle more garlic chips over that too! Enjoy!

Recipe Notes:

net carbs per serving: 9.9g

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 serving
  • Calories: 351.6
  • Fat: 30.5g
  • Carbohydrates: 15.3g
  • Fiber: 5.4g
  • Protein: 6g

Keywords: beet recipe, fried beets, dairy free cream sauce, low carb side dish, plant based meal, 30 minute meal

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Next PostPaleo Chicken Piccata (Dairy-Free, Keto, Gluten-Free, Nut-Free, One Pot Meal)

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About Cristina Curp, FNTP

Hey There! I'm Cristina and I believe that you can heal your body through food! After living with a painful autoimmune disease and obesity most of my life, I said enough! I jumped head first into the world of ancestral health, and learned how to optimize my diet to get the most out of life! Read More...

Find me on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and Pinterest

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2 Comments

  1. Bree says

    After making this recipe, I can’t imagine having beets prepared any other way!

    Reply

  2. Vanessa says

    This was divine!

    Reply

Pan Fried Beets with Creamy Mint Sauce (Dairy-Free, 30 Minute Recipe) (2024)

FAQs

How do you add flavor to cooked beets? ›

Roasted beets with orange juice (squeeze it over the roasted beets just before serving) will taste delicious. Or try Parmesan, feta, or blue cheese. A drizzle of walnut oil makes for a nutty addition.

What flavors complement beets? ›

Oranges, berries, melons, apples, pineapple, grapes, and kiwi all combine exceptionally with beet juice. The sweet and tart notes from these fruits complement the earthy vegetable flavor. Blending fruit into beetroot juice helps mellow out the intense earthy taste.

What makes canned beets taste better? ›

One way to liven up canned beets is to give them a splash of citrus juice. According to research from the journal Chemical Senses, citric acid on the tongue can evoke the olfactory sensation of fresh citrus flavor. Basically, you're borrowing some freshness from a lemon and transferring it to your canned beets.

Should beets be peeled before cooking? ›

TIPS FOR cooking beets

Keep checking whichever method you're using. Don't remove the beet skin before cooking. It's really not necessary and it's much easier to do so after cooking. Some also find that removing the skin prior to cooking takes away some of the beet's earthy test.

How to make beets taste delicious? ›

Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir shredded beets in hot butter until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. Pour water over the beets, cover skillet with a lid, and simmer beets until completely softened, about 10 minutes. Stir balsamic vinegar with the beets; season with salt and pepper.

How do you enhance beets? ›

Try marinating them with citrus zest, garlic, scallion, vinegar, and again, plenty of salt. "Beets need a sharp, strong note," he explains, to both counteract and complement their muted, dirt-like undertones.

What is the best companion for beets? ›

Broccoli and beets are excellent companions because of the benefits to the broccoli. Beets require less calcium from the soil than many other vegetables, and broccoli requires more calcium than other vegetables. These two veggies happily meet in the middle, both drawing what they need from the soil.

What is the tastiest beet? ›

Golden Beets

Golden beetroot is a great way to introduce this vegetable to your finicky family members as it has a mild and sweeter flavor that is intensified when roasting.

What are the best tasting beets? ›

Avalanche beets are amongst the sweetest of the beet varieties I've seen at the farmers market. They are not as earthy as your standard red beet either, so these might be the perfect beets for picky eaters. If you don't like how red beets stain your hands and your cutting boards, avalanche beets are for you.

Can you eat too many canned beets? ›

The oxalates found in beets can increase your uric acid level, meaning that too many beets can lead to gout. To avoid this, stick to no more than a single half-cup serving of beets per day.

Is it OK to drink the liquid from canned beets? ›

While not as popular as other canned vegetables like corn or green beans (via USA Today), canned beets are an honorable underdog, and so is their liquid. Plain or salted, you should never get rid of the liquid from canned beets because it is completely edible!

How often should you eat beets? ›

Moreover, beets are low in calories with zero cholesterol and a small amount of fat. However, the root is high in sugar and carbohydrates, so while you can consume the greens on top of the root in unlimited quantities, you should only have the root a few times a week. Beets are best from early spring to late fall.

What is the healthiest way to cook beets? ›

Steaming beets is a healthful cooking method because they retain most of their vitamins and minerals—they're not boiled out in water—and stay incredibly vibrant. Plus, steaming small beets or beet quarters is quick and easy for weeknights.

Can dogs eat beets? ›

Yes! Beets are safe for your dog to eat in moderation and are a healthy source of vitamin C, fiber, folate, manganese, and potassium. These vitamins and minerals are good for your dog's digestion and immune system as well as a healthy skin and coat. While it's rare, some dogs can be allergic.

Can you eat beets raw? ›

You can even enjoy them raw, either sliced thinly or grated. Choose beets that feel heavy for their size with fresh, unwilted green leafy tops still attached, if possible. Because dietary nitrates are water-soluble, it's best to avoid boiling beets if you'd like to maximize their nitrate content.

How do you make beets more palatable? ›

My favorite way to cook beets is to roast them, which gives a sweeter, richer, and deeper flavor than boiling does. Another advantage is that they don't bleed as much, especially if they're roasted whole.

How do you make beets taste like meat? ›

Cure your vegetables as you would a piece of meat for a couple of days. This can be achieved by rubbing the vegetable or mushroom with salt at a concentration of 1.75% of the vegetable's weight, wrapping it tightly in plastic or vacuum sealing it, and letting it sit in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Do you juice cooked beets? ›

Nope! No need to follow the extra step of boiling the beets before juicing. Raw beets taste better when made into a fresh juice. Just wash, peel, and trim your beets before adding to your blender or juicer.

What is the healthiest way to eat beets? ›

Eating beets raw or juicing and roasting them may be more beneficial than boiling them. Beetroots, commonly known as beets, are a vibrant and versatile type of vegetable. They're known for their earthy flavor and aroma. Many people call them a superfood because of their rich nutritional profile.

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