Vegan Butter Bean Beetroot Salad (Creamy, Bright, and Filling)
Some salads feel like a side dish that forgot to bring the rest of the meal. This vegan butter bean beetroot salad isn't like that. It's colorful, hearty, and still fresh enough to crave on a warm day or a busy lunch break.
The base is simple: butter beans cooked from scratch, boiled beetroot that you grate for a juicy bite, crisp cucumber, sweet carrot, and a handful of coriander leaves. Lemon juice, salt, and black pepper tie it all together, no fancy extras, no long ingredient list.
Below you'll get the practical how-to: soaking and cooking beans until creamy, boiling and grating beetroot without chaos, and mixing everything so it tastes bright and balanced.
What makes this butter bean beetroot salad so satisfying
Butter beans have a soft, almost buttery center that makes this salad feel substantial. When they're cooked from scratch, they don't just taste "fine," they taste rounded and rich, as they've already been lightly dressed.
Beetroot brings sweetness and that earthy flavor that makes each bite feel deeper. Grating it matters here. Instead of big chunks, you get threads of beet that coat the beans and tint the whole bowl a bold pink-red. It looks dramatic, but it also means the beet flavor spreads evenly.
Then come the crunch players: cucumber and carrot. Cucumber gives a cold, watery snap, and carrot adds a firmer crunch with a gentle sweetness. They keep the salad from feeling heavy, even though the beans make it filling.
Lemon does the bright work. It cuts through the creaminess, wakes up the beetroot, and makes the whole thing taste clean. Coriander (cilantro) adds a fresh, green punch, the kind that makes you go back for another forkful without thinking.
From a simple nutrition view, this salad checks a lot of boxes: fiber and plant protein from butter beans, plus folate and potassium, and plenty of veg. It works as a main dish with pita or greens, or as a side next to roasted vegetables. It's also an easy win for meal prep, potlucks, and quick lunches that still feel like real food.
Key flavors and textures, and how to balance them
This salad can taste flat if the seasoning is shy. You want enough lemon to brighten the beans, enough salt to pull flavor forward, and enough black pepper to add a small bite.
Cool and drain the beetroot before grating. Warm beetroot releases more liquid, and that extra water can dull the lemon and soften the crunch. Grating (not dicing) helps too, because the beetroot mixes through the beans instead of sitting in sweet, earthy cubes.
Ingredient swaps if you are missing something
You can keep the spirit of the recipe even if your fridge is half-full.
- Herbs: parsley or dill work well if you don't have coriander.
- Citrus: lime juice is a clean swap for lemon.
- Extra zip (optional): finely chopped red onion or scallions add a sharp edge.
- Beetroot: canned beetroot is fine in a pinch, drain it very well.
- Butter beans: canned butter beans save time, rinse well and drain.
Step by step: cook butter beans from scratch and prep the beetroot
If you've only used canned beans, cooking butter beans from scratch is a pleasant surprise. The texture is creamier, the skins are softer, and they hold their shape better in salads.
Start with a soak. Put dried butter beans in a large bowl and cover with plenty of room-temperature water (they expand a lot). An overnight soak (8 to 12 hours) is easiest. If you didn't plan, you can quick soak: cover the beans with water, bring to a boil for 2 minutes, turn off the heat, cover, and rest for 1 hour. Then drain.
Now cook. Drain the soaking water and add the beans to a pot with fresh water. Bring to a boil, then lower to a gentle simmer. Keep the pot partially covered and skim any foam if you want a cleaner broth. Stir once in a while and add more water if the level drops.
Hold the salt until late. Salting at the start can make some beans cook unevenly, especially if they're older. When the beans are nearly tender, salt the water and simmer a little longer.
Alternatively, if you have a stove-top pressure cooker, cook it for 3-4 whistles with water and salt, or in an Instant Pot for high pressure, for 12-15 minutes.
While the beans cook, boil the beetroot whole. Keep the skin on. It protects the beet and makes peeling easier later. Add the beets to a pot, cover with water, and boil until a knife slides in with little resistance. That can take 30 to 60 minutes, depending on size.
Cool the beets before peeling and grating. This step saves your hands, your cutting board, and your patience. Once cool, rub the skins off under running water, then grate on the large holes. Grate into a bowl so you keep the juices, they're part of the flavor.
A few small mess-saving habits help a lot: wear gloves if you have them, set parchment on the counter, and rinse the grater right away (dried beetroot is stubborn).
How to soak and boil butter beans so they turn out creamy
For the best texture, soak 8 to 12 hours, then simmer until tender, usually 45 to 90 minutes. The exact time depends on how old the beans are and how long they soaked.
Start checking at 45 minutes. You want beans that are fully cooked through, creamy inside, and not hard in the center.
Alternatively, if you have a stove-top pressure cooker, cook it for 3-4 whistles with water and salt, or in an Instant Pot for high pressure, for 12-15 minutes.
Before draining, save a few tablespoons of the cooking liquid. If the salad feels a bit dry after mixing, a small splash loosens it without watering down the flavor. And for safety, don't undercook beans, they should be fully tender.
Boiling and grating beetroot without the mess
Boil beets whole, cool them, then peel. Cooling matters because warm beetroot stains more and slips around under your hands. Rubbing the skin off under running water is fast and safer than chasing a slick beet with a peeler.
Grate on the large holes for a clean bite. Fine grating can turn the salad almost paste-like, and small cubes don't mix as well. Grate straight into a bowl, and don't toss the beet juices, they help season the beans.
Mixing the salad and getting the lemon dressing just right
Once your beans and beetroot are cooked and cooled, the rest comes together quickly. Chop the cucumber into small pieces, then grate the carrot. Roughly chop or tear the coriander leaves (tender stems are fine too).
Combine all the ingredients. If you would like pink colour to your salad, combine butter beans and grated beetroot first. This lets the beet juice coat the beans and season them from the inside out. Then add the carrot and cucumber.
The dressing is as simple as it gets: lemon juice, salt, and black pepper. The trick is to add lemon in stages. Start with some, mix, taste, then add more until it tastes bright but not sharp. Salt does a lot of heavy lifting here, so adjust it slowly and taste again. Finish with black pepper for a gentle heat.
Let the salad sit for 10 minutes before serving. That short rest gives the lemon time to mellow and the beans time to absorb flavor. If it tastes dull after resting, it usually needs a pinch more salt or a squeeze more lemon.
Serving, storing, and meal prep tips
Serve this vegan butter bean beetroot salad chilled or at room temp. It's often better after a short rest, and it still tastes good the next day.
Store leftovers in a sealed container for 3 to 4 days. For meal prep, keep the chopped cucumber separate until serving if you want maximum crunch. Pair it with pita, leafy greens, or roasted veggies. It's naturally dairy-free and gluten-free, so it fits a lot of tables without extra work.
Vegan Butter Bean Beetroot Salad (Creamy, Bright, and Filling)
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Ingredients
- ¼ Cup Dried Butter Beans - one can use from tin
- ¼ Cup Cucumber Chopped
- ¼ Cup Carrot Chopped
- 1 tablespoon Lemon/Lime Juice
- ¼ Cup Coriander Chopped
- Salt to taste
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper powder
- ¼ Cup Beetroot Cooked and Grated
Instructions
Cooking Butter Beans
- In a pot, rinse and soak the butter beans in enough water for 6-8 hours or overnight.
- After 6-8 hours, drain the water and rinse again.
- Add 2 cups of water, salt, and pressure cook or cook in an Instant Pot or cook in an open pot.
- Once cooked, let them cool completely. (This step can be done a day ahead).
Cooking Beetroot
- Rinse and peel the beetroot.
- Cook the beetroot in a pressure cooker or an open pot until soft.
- Let it cool completely.
- Once cooled, grate and keep aside.
Assmebling the Salad
- Chop the cucumber and carrot and keep aside.
- In a large bowl, add butter beans.
- Add chopped cuumber and carrot.
- Add coriander, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
- Mix and leave it for atleast 10 minutes for the flavours to infuse.
- Serve after 10 minutes, or refrigerate and serve.
Notes
- Butter beans can be cooked ahead of time, or one can use canned.
- Beetroot can be cooked ahead of time, or one can buy pre-cooked beetroot.
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