This Vegan Beet Salad is a super easy and delicious way to eat your colors. Made with farro, fresh apples, and a maple Dijon vinaigrette, it is ready in under an hour, and requires minimal prep. It is a great way to use up leftover cooked grains, cutting down even more on the prep time.
This simple salad makes a great addition to any dinner party as a side dish, but it is also hearty enough to shine as a vegetarian main dish.
For more recipes with apples as the star, try this Apple Cinnamon Bread, Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal, or these Vegan Caramel Apples.
For more vegan grain salads, try this Mediterranean Quinoa Salad.
Why You’ll Love This Vegan Beet Salad Recipe
- Use up leftovers – This salad is a great way to use leftover excess cooked grains from other recipes or meal prep. It works well with any grain. Try quinoa or rice for a gluten-free option.
- Minimal prep – This recipe uses pre-cooked beets as an easy way to cut down on prep time and clean up.
- Simple ingredients – This recipe is full of whole foods and basic pantry staples. You should be able to find everything needed for this recipe at your local grocery stores.
Ingredients
- Cooked Beets – I use Love Beets Cooked Beets. They make it so easy to cut down on prep time and clean up. You can certainly start with raw beets and cook them if you prefer. If you are planning to cook your beets, keep in mind that smaller beets will cook faster.
- Cooked farro – I usually make this salad whenever I have leftover farro from meal prep or another recipe. If you are starting with uncooked farro, make sure to allow time to cool before mixing with the other ingredients.
- Honeycrisp apple – I like the mix of sweet and tart flavors that the Honeycrisp is known for, but you can use your favorite apple.
- Optional: Vegan feta cheese alternatives or vegan parmesan cheese
Maple Dijon Vinaigrette Dressing Ingredients
- Dijon mustard
- Maple syrup – Just a touch of maple syrup brings natural sweetness to this salad dressing.
- Apple cider vinegar – Swap for balsamic vinegar or lemon juice if you can’t find ACV.
- Olive oil – Swap for 2 tbsp more maple syrup or omit entirely for oil-free.
- Garlic powder & black pepper
Helpful Equipment
In addition to measuring cups and spoons, the following equipment is helpful for this recipe:
- Chef’s knife
- Cutting board
- Large bowl
How to Make
If you are starting with uncooked beets and/or farro, make sure to cook those first and allow them to cool completely before combining with the rest of the ingredients.
To cook beets: Wash and scrub the beets and remove the greens. Boil the beets until tender, about 45 minutes. Let cool and remove the outer skin.
To cook farro: Boil 20-30 minutes or until farro is soft. Allow to cool fully in the fridge.
While the beets and/or farro are cooking, make the Maple Dijon Vinaigrette by adding all ingredients in a small bowl or jar and mixing vigorously. A mason jar works great for this – then you can store extra dressing right in the jar in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Once all ingredients are cooked and cooled, chop the beets into bite-sized pieces (or smaller) and add them to a large mixing bowl. Dice the apple and add it to the bowl. You can leave the skin on or remove it – your choice.
Pour the finished Maple Dijon Vinaigrette into the bowl and mix until everything is evenly coated.
Serve right away or let cool a little bit in the refrigerator until you’re ready to eat. Enjoy!
Variations
- Toss this mixture on top of a green salad to stretch it and add some bulk.
- Add diced shallot or red onion for more flavor.
- Add pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds for some crunch and extra protein.
How to Store
- Fridge: Leftovers will store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.
More Tips
- Not Vegan? Add crumbled feta or goat cheese to the salad before serving.
- Gluten-free? Swap the farro for quinoa or brown rice.
- Oil-free? Use your favorite oil-free dressing or replace the oil with tahini in the Maple Dijon Vinaigrette.
FAQ
Absolutely! Golden beets are equally delicious in this recipe.
Beet Apple Farro Salad with Maple Dijon Vinaigrette
Ingredients
- 1 8oz package pre-cooked beets
- 1 cup cooked farro
- 1 large Honeycrisp apple
- ½ cup Maple Dijon Vinaigrette
Instructions
- If you are starting with uncooked beets and/or farro, make sure to cook those first and allow to cool completely.
- To cook beets: Boil until tender, about 45 minutes. Let cool and remove the outer skin.
- To cook farro: Boil 20-30 minutes or until farro is soft. Allow to cool fully in the fridge.
- While the beets and/or farro are cooking, make the Maple Dijon Vinaigrette.
- Once all ingredients are cooked and cooled, chop the beets into bite-sized pieces or smaller and add them to a large mixing bowl.
- Dice the apple and add it to the bowl.
- Pour the finished Maple Dijon Vinaigrette into the bowl and mix until everything is evenly coated.
- Serve right away or cool in the refrigerator until you're ready to eat. Enjoy!
Notes
- Not Vegan? Add crumbled feta or bleu cheese to the salad before serving.
- Gluten-free? Swap the farro for quinoa or brown rice.
- Oil-free? Use your favorite oil-free dressing or replace the oil with tahini in the Maple Dijon Vinaigrette.
Nutrition
Please note, while all ingredients used in this recipe have been verified to be vegan and free of applicable allergens at the time of recipe creation, different brands may differ in their ingredients or processing procedures and may change their ingredients at any time. For some recipes, I do include ingredients that are processed in a facility that processes other allergens. Please make sure to check the ingredients and processing procedures for your specific purchases to ensure they meet your dietary needs.
Last Updated on April 15, 2025
Beet + apple is one of my favorite flavor combinations! It is so tasty when paired with the nutty farro! We love this salad!
Haven’t tried beet with apple. Thanks for sharing this recipe
Your Beet Apple Farro Salad recipe is a fantastic find! The vibrant colors and fresh ingredients make it as beautiful as it is delicious. I love how easy it is to prepare, especially with the tip to use leftover cooked grains—such a practical time-saver. This recipe not only encourages healthy eating but also reduces food waste, which is a win-win. I can’t wait to add this nutritious and flavorful salad to my regular meal rotation. Thank you for sharing such a creative and convenient dish!
I’ve never had farro before, so this recipe has me intrigued. I don’t eat a ton of salads but this one looks delicious, I’ll have to give it a try if I can find farro – not sure my local grocery store carries it.
It also works well with quinoa or even rice!
I LOVE finding new recipes that incorporate beets! This salad looks fantastic as well as the dressing! Pinning this to make very soon!
I have just made this salad. I actually added a few things in it, I roasted sweet potatoes and scattered it on the top of that. Tastes amazing. Thank you for a new idea for my light lunch.
What a great idea! So glad you enjoyed 🙂
I love farro and I don’t have many recipies for using it. This one with the beets and apple looks yummy!
I’m not usually a fan of beets, but I stumbled on this recipe and it looked to delicious I knew I had to try it! Thank you for sharing!