Sautéed Beet Greens

Beets are famous for their roots, but beet leaves are tasty, too! This sautéed beet greens recipe shows off their delicate texture and sweet, mild flavor.

golden beets and beet greens

Just look at those beautiful beet greens! So often, vegetable stems, stalks, and tops like beet greens are written off as scraps and tossed in the trash. But why? Radish greens pulse into a beautiful pesto, carrot tops create a zesty chimichurri, and cauliflower cores blend into ultra-creamy soups and sauces. We might not eat these parts of vegetables every day, but they’re certainly not scraps.

So let’s talk beet greens! They have a mild, sweet, and earthy flavor, and they take on a delicate, silky texture when cooked. Honestly, I think they’re just as tasty as beets themselves. Try them once, and you won’t toss them again.

Below, you’ll find my favorite sautéed beet greens recipe. I cook the leafy greens until they’re just wilted and serve them with lemon juice, walnuts, and golden raisins for extra texture and depth of flavor. It’s a stunningly simple side dish, quick enough for a weeknight, but elevated enough for special occasions, too. The next time a bunch of beets with lush tops catches your eye, seize the day, and try it!

what to do with beet greens

Best Beet Greens Recipe Tips

  • Clip them right away. To extend the life of both the beets and greens, clip the greens from their roots as soon as you get home from the farmers market or store. Otherwise, the greens will pull moisture from the beets, causing them to wither quickly. After you clip the greens, wrap them in plastic or a reusable produce bag and store them in the crisper drawer of your fridge until you’re ready to cook them.
  • Wash them well. At the store, you’ll rarely find beet greens that are pre-washed and ready-to-eat. In my experience, they’re usually the opposite: covered in dirt! Always, always wash and dry beet greens before you cook them to remove any dirt or debris.
  • Use the stems as well as the leaves. Like Swiss chard, beet leaves have crisp, edible stems that add color and crunch to any beet greens recipe. Don’t toss them! Finely dice them and cook them right along with the leaves.

beet greens on a cutting board

How to Cook Beet Greens

You’ve clipped the beet leaves off the beets, and you’ve washed and dried them. It looks like you’re ready to cook! My favorite method for how to cook beet greens is to sauté them. Here’s how I do it:

Start by removing the leaves from the stems. Then, finely chop the stems and tear or chop the leaves into bite-sized pieces. While you’re at it, go ahead and mince a clove of garlic too.

Sautéed beet greens in a skillet

Then, cook! Heat a splash of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and chopped stems and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Next, toss in the greens, season with salt and pepper, and sauté, tossing, until wilted.

That’s it! Your beet greens are ready to eat.

Sautéed beet greens recipe

Sautéed Beet Greens Serving Suggestions

On their own, sautéed beet greens are a delicious side dish. I like to dress them up with a big squeeze of lemon, golden raisins, and toasted walnuts. The raisins bring out the greens’ sweetness, and the walnuts add a delicious crunch. If you’ve been reading the blog for any length of time, you know that I like to squeeze lemon on just about everything, but it really adds a nice bright pop of flavor here. Don’t skip it!

This sautéed beets greens recipe would be a great addition to any fall or winter meal. Pair it with your favorite protein, pasta recipe, or soup, or serve it as part of a holiday dinner alongside classic dishes like sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, and, of course, roasted beets.

Alternatively, skip the raisins and walnuts, and use the plain sautéed beet greens as a component in larger dishes. Here are a few of my favorite ways to use them:

How do you like to eat beet greens? Let me know in the comments!

beet greens

Favorite Beet Recipes

If you make this sautéed beet greens recipe, you’ll likely end up with a bunch of beets on hand. Show them off in one of these easy beet recipes:

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Sautéed Beet Greens

rate this recipe:
4.94 from 44 votes
Prep Time: 3 minutes
Cook Time: 2 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Serves 2 to 4
This simple sautéed beet greens recipe is a delicious, nutritious side dish!

Ingredients

  • 1 bunch beet greens
  • 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons golden raisins
  • Lemon wedge, for squeezing
  • 1 tablespoon chopped walnuts or pistachios

Instructions

  • Separate the stems from the beet greens. Finely chop the stems and coarsely chop the leaves.
  • Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and the beet stems and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the beet greens, a few pinches of salt, and several grinds of pepper. Sauté, tossing, until just wilted.
  • Turn off the heat, add the raisins, and squeeze with lemon juice. Toss to combine. Transfer to a platter, top with the walnuts, and season to taste with more salt and pepper.

 

61 comments

4.94 from 44 votes (12 ratings without comment)

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Rate this recipe (after making it)




  1. Nancy K
    09.14.2024

    5 stars
    Picked up fresh orange beets at the fatmers’ market this a.m. For lunch, the greens were fabulous served with leftover baked sweet potato. I added fresh ginger when sautéing the garlic. Raisins and lemon juice bring this to the next level. Thanks fir such a simple yet elegant recipe idea.

  2. Karen
    08.09.2024

    5 stars
    Really good! I use Thompson reasons as that is what I had

  3. Syd Mutschler
    06.26.2024

    5 stars
    I’ve made this many times since we had a great beet harvest this year. I love the original recipe but once I substituted dried blueberries for the raisins there is no going back! We too with the pistachios. Thanks!

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      06.28.2024

      Hi Syd, I’m so glad you love the recipe. Great tip to use dried blueberries. I’ll have to try that!

  4. Patti Ryan
    06.20.2024

    5 stars
    Never cooked wilted greens before, but didn’t want to waste the tops from the golden beets I just cooked for the first time (in covered bowl with water in microwave). Turned out great! Had the walnuts but only plain raisons (that I plumped up with hot water). Even my husband liked it (next I’ll try with spinach as I always have on hand for salads). Thanks for giving me the confidence to try.

  5. 5 stars
    In a rush to finish cooking dinner, I read your ingredients while heating olive oil. I had chopped beat leaves and tasted a bite. Bleh. I chopped two cloves of garlic, then scraped the beet greens in with them. Stirred. Added about 1/2 cup Thompson seedless brown raisins, stirred. I chopped about 2/3 cup walnuts and threw them in, heavily salted and peppered.

    The portion of the meal I feared the most actually tasted THE BEST.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      06.12.2024

      Hi Betsy, I’m so glad you ended up enjoying the beet greens!

  6. Christine Rousselle
    04.28.2024

    5 stars
    This was surprisingly tasty! It actually tastes a bit like sautéed spinach without leaving that weird feeling on your teeth. I am trying to incorporate a wider variety of veggies into my diet and this one will definitely be worth repeating.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      04.29.2024

      I’m so glad you loved it!

  7. Cynthia
    02.21.2024

    2 stars
    No, sorry, not for us. The main problem was the cooking time. Just until wilted means the greens are severely undercooked and crunchy in a bad way. Better to braise the beet greens in liquid until soft, then add desired toppings. The walnuts were nice but the raisins didn’t seem to jibe.

  8. Darlene
    01.21.2024

    5 stars
    I had never thought about cooking beet greens. Now I’m mad that I threw then away so many times! Haha! I added sautéed onions. Delicious!

  9. Virginia Murrell
    12.24.2023

    5 stars
    I just made the salad tonight I doubled it because I had two bunches of fresh beet greens. The only thing I added differently was a finely diced Fresno chili. DELICIOUS!!!!! Will definitely be making again!!

  10. Stephanie
    11.16.2023

    Such a delicious vegan dish! I like to be able to use the entire vegetable and this was perfect after I followed your roasted beet recipe. Thank you!!

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      11.17.2023

      Hi Stephanie, I’m so glad you enjoyed the beet greens!

  11. Darlene
    10.18.2023

    5 stars
    This recipe was easy to make and so delicious. Thanks

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      10.18.2023

      I’m so glad you enjoyed the beet greens!

  12. Stephanie
    08.22.2023

    5 stars
    Excellent! I’ve made them several times and always fantastic! One of the few recipes I don’t modify:) thank you for sharing!

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      08.25.2023

      Hi Stephanie, I’m so glad you love the beet greens!

  13. Nikita
    08.21.2023

    5 stars
    So delicious, thank you! I added blueberries also…

  14. janis
    08.02.2023

    Omg.. Yummmm ? I just made this and we love it! ❤️ Thank you ?

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      08.04.2023

      Hi Janis, I’m so glad you loved the beet greens!

  15. Linda
    07.20.2023

    These were so much better the next day.
    DELICIOUS!!! Thank you.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      07.20.2023

      I’m so glad you loved it!

  16. Beth
    06.23.2023

    5 stars
    Love this recipe definitely with the walnuts & raisins! Thanks!

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      06.26.2023

      I’m so glad you enjoyed it!

  17. Tamme
    06.15.2023

    5 stars
    Yummy and beautiful. Better than saving for soups.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      06.19.2023

      I’m so glad you loved them!

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.