Beetroot salad with feta and hemp oil
Salad with roasted beetroot, feta, and hemp oil dressing. Step-by-step recipe, numbers from the USDA database, and a measurement of what heating does to the oil.
Beetroot with feta is a classic combination, but only the cold-pressed hemp oil dressing brings out its full flavor. The nutty note of the oil resonates with the earthy sweetness of the beet, and the saltiness of the cheese completes the dish. Hemp oil has a fatty acid profile that no other oil from your pantry can match, and it is the ingredient in this recipe best described in the literature. You can assemble the salad in ten minutes if you roast the beets the day before and store them in the fridge. Below you will find a step-by-step recipe, values from the USDA food composition database along with record numbers, and the reason why this oil should not be heated.
KEY INFORMATION
• Hemp seed oil contains over 80% polyunsaturated fatty acids, and the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio is usually 2:1 to 3:1 (Callaway, Euphytica, 2004).
• The term "optimal for health" comes from Callaway, not from WHO or FAO.
• At 85 degrees, the half-life of omega-6 fatty acids in this oil drops to seven hours (Pratap Singh et al., 2020).
• 100 g surowego buraka to 129 mg betainy (USDA, rekord 169145).
What does hemp dressing add to the beetroot salad?
Primarily the fat profile. Callaway states that hemp seed oil contains over 80 percent polyunsaturated fatty acids, and the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio usually ranges from 2:1 to 3:1. In comparison, olive oil has this ratio at about 13:1, calculated from USDA record 171413.
It's worth removing the layer that has stuck to this sentence in the regulations right away. Callaway It states that such a ratio is considered optimal for human health, without citing any institution. The formula circulating online, "WHO recommends below 4:1," does not originate from this work, and we were unable to find any WHO or FAO document with such a recommendation.
Measurements on specific strains confirm the order of magnitude. Occhiuto and colleagues examined cold-pressed oil from two industrial strains and obtained a ratio of 3:1 with tocopherol content of 81.7-101.5 mg per 100 g of oil (Occhiuto i in., Molecules, 2022). Tocopherols protect the fatty acids themselves from oxidation, which is significant when storing the bottle.
Another matter is the absorption of nutrients from the plate. Fat aids in the absorption of fat-soluble compounds, such as carotenoids from leaves, but not betaine from beets, which is water-soluble. White and colleagues provided twelve women with five salads dressed with oil ranging from 0 to 32 g of soybean oil and observed a linear increase in carotenoid absorption with the fat dose (White i in., American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 2017). In this salad, the carotenoids come from arugula, not beet.
Why is hemp oil not placed on the burner?
Because what makes it valuable is also the most susceptible to oxidation. Polyunsaturated fatty acids have many double bonds, and each of them is a point where the reaction starts faster than in saturated acid. Heating accelerates this process many times over.
The scale of this acceleration was measured directly on hemp seed oil. Pratap Singh and colleagues heated it at temperatures from 25 to 85 degrees for a day and calculated the half-lives of the fatty acids. At 25 degrees, they were about three days for omega-6 and five days for omega-3, while at 85 degrees they dropped to about seven and five hours (Pratap Singh i in., Scientific Reports, 2020).
Eighty-five degrees is the temperature for braising, not frying, so the practical conclusion is clear: hemp oil should only be added to the plate at the end. For dressing, to drizzle over the finished dish, or for cold pasta. This same work also shows that the addition of antioxidants reduced the degradation rate of polyunsaturated fatty acids by as much as 79 percent. However, in the kitchen, there is only one lever left, and that is temperature.
What does one serving of this salad provide?
A serving is about 200 g of roasted beet, 30 g of feta, 40 g of arugula, 15 g of walnuts, and one and a half tablespoons of dressing. According to USDA records, this amounts to about 450 kcal and about 37 g of fat, most of which comes from the oil along with the nuts.
| Ingredient (100 g) | kcal | Co wnosi | Rekord USDA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burak surowy | 43 | 129 mg betainy | 169145 |
| Rukola | 25 | 1.42 mg of beta-carotene, 3.56 mg of lutein with zeaxanthin | 169387 |
| Feta | 265 | 14.2 g of protein, 1140 mg of sodium | 173420 |
| Walnuts | 654 | 47.2 g of polyunsaturated fatty acids | 170187 |
Two numbers from this table are worth remembering. Sodium in feta means that 30 g of cheese contributes about 340 mg of sodium, so the salad does not need additional salt. Betaine from beets provides about 258 mg in a 200 g serving, and beets are among the most common sources of this compound in the diet, along with spinach and whole grain products (Dobrijević et al., Molecules, 2023). Nuts contribute about 100 kcal per serving, and they, along with the oil, account for most of the calories in this salad.
What do you need for the salad?
There are nine ingredients, and the only one that requires advance preparation is the beets. Roasting takes 45 to 55 minutes, so do it in the evening or while preparing another dish in the oven. The rest takes ten minutes to assemble just before serving.
- 3 medium beets (400-450 g)
- 60 g of feta cheese
- 2 large handfuls of arugula or mixed greens (about 80 g)
- a handful of walnuts (about 30 g)
- 3 tablespoons of cold-pressed hemp oil
- 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar or lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon of honey or maple syrup
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- optional: 2 tablespoons of shelled hemp seeds for sprinkling
Buy oil in a dark bottle and keep it in the fridge after opening, as the measurement from the previous section applies not only to the frying pan. Even at room temperature, degradation continues, just more slowly. Balsamic vinegar and lemon juice are not interchangeable in terms of flavor: the former enhances the sweetness of the beet, while the latter cuts it. Choose beets of similar size, as otherwise, the smaller ones will fall apart before the larger ones soften.
How to prepare the beet salad step by step?
The order matters only in one place: the dressing goes on the salad only at the table. Everything else can be prepared in advance and kept separately in the fridge for several days. The six steps below yield two servings.
- Roast the beets. Wash them, do not peel, wrap each one separately in foil, and bake at 200 degrees for 45-55 minutes, until a fork goes in easily. After cooling, peel while wearing gloves and slice into one-centimeter thick pieces.
- Toast the nuts. Place them in a dry pan and toast over medium heat for three to four minutes, stirring until they start to smell. Remove from heat immediately, as they continue to cook from residual heat.
- Make the dressing. In a jar, combine 3 tablespoons of hemp oil, 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, 1 teaspoon of honey, salt, and pepper, then shake vigorously for 20 seconds. Hemp oil emulsifies less effectively than olive oil, so shake again before drizzling.
- Prepare the rest. Rinse the arugula and dry it thoroughly, as wet leaves dilute the dressing. Crumble the feta in your hands into larger pieces, which resonate better than small crumbs.
- Assemble the salad. Place the arugula on a plate, layer the beet slices on top, sprinkle with feta and nuts.
- Drizzle and serve. Pour the dressing evenly over the salad and serve immediately, optionally sprinkling with hulled hemp seeds.
What variations of this salad make sense?
The salad tolerates substitutions well, as long as there is a contrast between the sweetness of the beet and something salty or sour. In the plant-based version, replace feta with smoked tofu or cashews soaked for a few hours in salted water, and honey with maple syrup. Goat cheese works the other way around: it is milder and creamier than feta, so it’s worth adding more vinegar.
You can also change the leafy base. Baby spinach is milder and works better at the table with children, while endive breaks the sweetness of the beet with a distinct bitterness. In winter, half a teaspoon of grated ginger with a pinch of cinnamon fits well into the dressing, as warm spices pair nicely with roasted beet.
We noticed while repeating this recipe that the most common mistake is not about proportions, but timing. A salad dressed in advance wilts within half an hour, and the beet starts to dye the leaves pink. If you’re taking it to work, transport the dressing in a separate jar.
We used a similar dressing base in the recipe for salad with pear and blue cheese oraz w Buddha bowl with hemp dressing. You will find beet in a completely different role in hummusie burakowym z nasionami konopi.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does hemp oil go well with beet?
It has a nutty flavor that complements the earthy sweetness of the beet, and a fatty acid profile unmatched by other cooking oils: over 80 percent polyunsaturated with an omega-6 to omega-3 ratio from 2:1 to 3:1 (Callaway, Euphytica, 2004).
Can you fry with hemp oil?
No. Measurements on this oil show that the half-life of omega-6 fatty acids decreases from about three days at 25 degrees to seven hours at 85 degrees (Pratap Singh i in., 2020). Eighty-five degrees is still not frying, so the distribution on the pan is much faster.
Does the fat from the dressing improve the absorption of ingredients from the salad?
It improves the absorption of carotenoids from the leaves, as they are fat-soluble. In a study involving twelve women, absorption increased linearly with the dose of oil in the dressing (White i in., 2017). Betaine from beet dissolves in water, so it does not apply here.
Is this salad vegan?
In the version with feta, no, but the substitution is simple. Replace the cheese with smoked tofu or cashews soaked in salted water, and honey in the dressing with maple syrup. Beetroot, arugula, nuts, and hemp oil are entirely plant-based, so the rest of the recipe remains unchanged.
How long can you store the salad ingredients?
Keep roasted beets and dressing separately in closed containers in the fridge, and eat the assembled salad immediately. Arugula dressed with the dressing wilts in half an hour. Food composition databases describe the ingredients of products but do not answer questions about durability, so refer to the dates on the packaging.
The article is informational and educational in nature and does not replace consultation with a doctor. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking medications, or have chronic conditions, consult the use of supplements or herbs with a specialist.
Author: Michał Waluk · Opublikowano: 2026-05-20 · Aktualizacja: 2026-08-16
