Creamy Vegan Beetroot Salad with Kohlrabi and Tahini

This creamy vegan beetroot salad combines steamed beetroot, steamed kohlrabi, parsley and a delicious lemon-y tahini dressing. This recipe is super simple to make, all you need is a steamer pot or steamer basket and a bowl to mix everything. Even if you're not a fan of beetroot or kohlrabi (like I used to be), you'll love this recipe!

This creamy vegan beetroot salad is perfect for meal prep

This beetroot salad recipe is great for meal prepping. The lemon and tahini flavors develop even more when you leave the salad for one or two days in the fridge.

Meal prep tip: While you're at it, go ahead and double the beetroot amount. Then follow the recipe, but set aside half of the beetroots and store them in the fridge separately. They make a great, nutritious addition to smoothies (also gives them a nice color!) or hummus.

Other vegan meal prep recipes you may like:

• Healthy Vegan Taco Salad Great For Meal Prep
• Simple Vegan Cashew Cheese (oil-free and only 6 ingredients)
• Simple Vegan Udon Noodle Bowl Perfect for Meal Prep
• Vegan Lemon Asparagus Pasta Salad
• Tofu & Black Bean Chili for Meal Prepping

How do you prepare beetroot?

One thing I love about beetroot is that there are so many different ways to prepare it! When you buy raw, whole beetroots at the supermarket or farmers' market, you have many different options:

• prepare them raw
• boil them
• steam them
• bake them in the oven (either as beetroot chips or in cubes)
• pickle them in salt and vinegar
• make beetroot juice/smoothies (a great combo is banana, cherries and beetroot)

Can you eat beetroot raw?

Yes, you can. With regards to nutrients, it's actually the best way to eat beetroots. The more we process beetroots and apply heat (like during cooking and baking), the more nutrients and antioxidants get lost.

When you're not used to eating beetroot raw, I'd recommend starting with a little amount, preferably grated or thinly sliced. This way, you can get used to the stronger taste of raw beetroot and see if you like it. Thinly sliced/grated they add crunch and color to salads, bowls and coleslaws.

And - did you know you can even eat the beetroot leaves? They make a great addition to smoothies although they can taste quite bitter.

Why you should steam beetroots instead of cooking them

When we apply heat to beetroots (and vegetables in general), the non- heat resistant vitamins can be destroyed. To avoid this, of course we could eat them raw. But for this recipe - to go with the creaminess of the tahini dressing - I wanted to use cooked beetroots. So we wanna apply the heat as gently as possible. A way to do that is to steam the beetroot cubes instead of cooking them.

Also, when we would cook the beetroots, the water-soluble minerals would get lost in the cooking water. Because we are not using much water during steaming, more of the minerals are retained in the beet. Beetroots are great sources of the mineral potassium.

What you need to make this vegan beetroot salad

To make this vegan beetroot salad, you'll only need 5 ingredients (+ salt and pepper):

• beetroot: Make sure to buy whole, raw beets with the skin on (not the ones pre-cooked and wrapped).
• kohlrabi: We're adding this to add a little more flavor variety to this salad. If you're not a huge kohlrabi fan, you can omit this and use only beetroots instead.
• parsley
• tahini: adds creaminess and a nutty flavor, and also a great source of B vitamins (especially B2 and B3) as well as iron and zinc.
• lemon juice

How to make this vegan beetroot salad

Step 1

First, peel the beetroot and kohlrabi using a potato peeler. Cut into small cubes and place into a steaming basket or steaming pot.

Step 2

Steam the beetroot and kohlrabi cubes for 30 minutes. Don't lift the lid during that time to not disturb the steaming process. After 30 min, give it a taste. If the beetroot and kohlrabi are still too crunchy (depends on your preferences), steam them a little more.

Step 3

While the veggies are steaming, prepare the dressing. Simply add tahini and lemon juice to a bowl, add salt and pepper to taste and combine. If the dressing is too thick, add a little water until a smooth consistency is reached.

Step 4

Combine the steamed beetroots and kohlrabi cubes with the lemon tahini dressing. Roughly chop the parsley and add to the salad. Serve immediately (or slightly cooled down) or store in the fridge.

How to store this vegan beetroot salad

This vegan beetroot salad can be stored in the fridge for roughly 5 days. When you want to eat it, you can place it in the microwave for 10-20 seconds to warm it up a little bit. It can be quite cold straight out of the fridge.

Did you make this vegan beetroot salad?

Please leave a comment below, share or rate this recipe. You can also tag me on instagram – I would love to see your creations!