Vegan Roasted Beetroot Dip
46Some time ago, I made this phenomenal vegan roasted beetroot (beet) dip that was one of the most incredible vegan dips I have ever tasted. I have been dreaming about it ever since my first bite of piggy Heaven and thought it was time I perfected the blend and shared the best kept secret in the beet-loving world. Actually, let me re-phrase that and say "the dip loving" world. I shared this scrumptious beetroot dip with Kris and Courtney (AKA my staunch beet-phobe skeptics) who took their first bite with a dreaded wince that quickly turned into a look of orgasmic surprise coupled with a mouse-like falsetto cry of "I didn't know beets could taste this good"! Suffice to say -- they are now beet-loving converts. If anyone says they don't like beets - this is the quick easy dip that will turn them around! Snouts far and wide agree -- this beetroot dip is a stunner, a winner, and not to be missed!
I will admit that the reason I didn't post this vegan dip sooner, was that I was waiting to perfect the blend. I first made this beetroot dip when I was volunteering in my mum's school kitchen. As a writer of a vegetarian recipe blog, this was a dream! To read more about the incredible event where this vegan beetroot dip came from check out my events blog. So back to why I didn't share this beetroot dip recipe sooner! Each station of teachers, volunteers and students had about 3-4 recipes each, and we were all in such a rush to get the lunch ready, that I threw this vegan dip together without measuring anything and did it all by feel and taste. We were also cooking in massive quantities! I was just throwing in a little of this and a little of that, and when it came time to replicate it I was up that well known creek without a culinary paddle!
My life-line came last weekend, when after raving about this dip to Elaine, Lois and Sharon I finally decided to make it with them for our latest lunch. If anyone was going to help me perfect the blend and finally get it right -- it was them! They all have such a wonderful flair for flavours and a genuine love of good vegetarian food. We all stood there and kept adding our cumin, coriander, garlic, chilli and salt until we had it "juuuuust right"! I felt like Goldilocks! Lois, Elaine and I stood over the food processor with our spoons tasting between each turn of our "porridge", and Sharon was our trusty scribe, making sure that THIS time, I wrote down this s'blended recipe!
The results, as you will taste, were spectacular! This is a fantastic quick easy food processor recipe. Unlike a lot of the beetroot dips out there, this one is dairy free, as well as egg free, nut free, soy free and gluten free. If you are looking for quick easy allergy free recipes or gluten and dairy free recipes for your next feast, this is it! Lois actually just emailed me to say that she tasted the last of her stash and said she found the garlic a bit overpowering after it had sat for a few days. She suggested a dash of fresh lemon juice to round out the flavours. Give that a go if you want a zesty punch. I will give that a try next time. But in my house, these beets never make it to the second day! This vegan beetroot dip is going right up there with the creamy cashew dip, muhammara, macadamia pesto and green pea chutney as one of my all-time favourite vegan dips. Trust me, this beetroot dip is one of the best healthy food processor recipes you will find. In the piggy dip-loving world -- nothing "beets" this!
Vegan Roasted Beetroot Dip
- 4 cups raw beetroot cut into chunks / when roasted makes about 3 cups
- 2 Tbsp cold pressed extra virgin olive oil or more for desired consistency
- 4 tsp finely chopped fresh garlic
- 5 tsp finely chopped serrano chilli (add gradually to taste - you might need less depending on the chilli)
- just over 3/4 tsp roasted cumin seeds
- just over 3/4 tsp roasted coriander seeds
- 1/3 cup fresh cilantro chopped finely
- 1 tsp Celtic sea salt or Himalayan salt
- 1 1/2 tsps fresh lemon juice to taste (optional)
- Preheat oven to 200 C / 400 F.
- Toss beets in a little bit of cold pressed olive oil and a pinch of Celtic sea salt and bake for about an hour or until tender. Check them periodically to make sure they don't burn.
- Throw the beets into the food processor with all the cumin, coriander, salt, half the garlic, and half the chilli. Drizzle in half the olive oil and pulse until well combined.
- Add in the rest of the olive oil gradually to reach your desired consistency.
- Now taste and adjust the quantities of chilli, garlic and salt. This will depend on the heat of your chilli.
- Stir through chopped cilantro and serve with pita breads, ciabatta or chips. YUM!
Makes about 1 1/2 cups
Piggy Cooking Tips
here’s a great way to clean beet stains
Beets are delicious! But they can be messy to work with and stain everything they touch including hands, cutting boards and bench tops. I always use gloves to handle beets so I don’t spread the juices to everything else in my kitchen. To remove the beet juice from cutting boards and bench tops just sprinkle the surface with some salt. This helps to lift the residue. Leave it sit for a while and then rinse and scrub with soap and water.
You can’t beet that!
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Piggy Grunts!
Add Your GruntI am a non beet person. I was highly skeptical when Tess put this in front of me, but I have to say, it was love at first bite. Now I’m counting days till Mom’s next beet harvest so I can make some for myself!
This dip is full of great flavors that are sure to please any crowd.
LOL! I am SO glad you braved this and enjoyed it :) Love you xx
Love this….. it is so easy and is perfect to put out when everyone arrives for lunch or dinner. DELICIOUS!
Beets are the best and this one is a winner, it feels very right and good inside your body…
OMG! This dip is just incredible. I can’t get enough of it. Thankyou for sharing!
This dip was my meal the other night. I couldn’t stop eating it with toasted pieces of ciabatta. Wow….
HA! I LOVE it. Yes! This is SOOO good with a great crusty bread :)
This dip is one of the best dips I have ever tasted. I cannot get enough of it.
Oh thanks Lizzie. I think so too! Glad you enjoyed it :)
I made this for a party the other night and everyone loved it. i had three requests for the recipe the next day. Thanks!
Great! I LOVE hearing that! Yes! This dip is a serious winner.
This dip is absolutely to die for. OMG OMG OMG! I need a beet farm now…...
I love your blog! I only found it recently and you have one of the best looking food blogs out there. I love Beet and i can’t wait to try this recipe!
Oh…thankyou Danielle.
That comment just made my day….and I am SO SORRY I have not responded to this comment until now.
This dip is just sensational. I am not really a fan of beetroot, but after reading all of the comments I decided to give it a go….and Yes! I am a “beet-loving” convert!
Tess, my friend Em and I made this for her office party and it was a huge hit! Very tasty with a variety of different crackers, especially with baked pita chips. We may have been heavy handed with the garlic, but it was needed to offset the sweet beets, and we were a bit generous with the chili and cilantro. Yumilicious! Minimum of 3 grunts.
I really enjoyed your article in Chow. This dip is really really good. Thanks for this wonderful site. I will try some more of your recipes.
Thanks Renee,
I LOVE the team at Chow, and look forward to filming more stuff with them in 2012.
Oh my god!!! I think i just found piggy heaven. Could this possibly be the most awesome thing i have ever tasted! Hmmm… Only time will tell, as this is the first tasty meal i have plucked from your amazing and exciting veggie selection. Sooo excited about food right now!
OH…..thankyou!
Your comment just made my day.
I really appreciate your kind words of support and encouragement.
It is lovely to be connected :)
This was a true hit at my barbeque over the weekend. Thanks for sharing. Can’t wait to try more!
WONDERFUL! Yes, this is a crowd pleaser. So glad you all enjoyed it :)
It is really different isn’t it?!
Girl…amazing. Some people who can’t have acidic tomatoes or alkaloid nightshade veggies make a no-mater sauce. This one looked a lot like the ingredients. I can’t have tomatoes and any pepper because in flares my arthritis and other issues I don’t really understand. Also the acids upset my Interstitial Cystitis. Anyway, I decided to try this thinking it would be lovely with (gluten free) pasta and broccoli.
I did cheat and added a smidgen of chilli (I miss spicy foods dearly and cheat once in a blue moon) and realize that it was a bad idea, but the rest of the recipe is intact. The lemon neutralizes it beautifully. I plan to add onion and cumin to it next time and make it more robust. It has given me ideas so I can have a tomato-like sauce/dip that will not cause me pain.
This one to date is my favorite. Thanks Tess!
Elena!
What a FANtastic idea!
THANKYOU for sharing this.
I am going to give your blend a go for dinner this week. YUMMO!
Oh, my, Tess! This was AWESOME! I had a bunch of beets sitting in the fridge and I was wondering what to do with them (yes, I could juice them, roast, grate on top of a salad) - but THIS! This PIGGIE dish is going to be made a lot and those beets are going to be used up quickly. Love the flavors! It’s like a little mexican salsa dance in my mouth - OLE! Tasty and nutritious! My favorite combination! Thanks again! XOXO
Thank you for sharing this recipe with us, I can’t wait to try it! Lisa http://www.glutenfreefind.com/find-a-recipe
Tess, I’ve never used a beet in my life although I do eat them. Reading most recipes it seems you’re supposed to cook then peel the skin. Is skin removal required for this recipe, and if so, how?
You can roast them any way you like for this recipe. Yes, most recipes have you roast them with the skin on and then squeeze out the flesh. For this, I like to peel them with a sharp knife or vegetable peeler, and then toss them with some olive oil, and gently roast them so they don’t get burnt. But you can roast them with the skins on and then squeeze out. Either method works great for this recipe.
This one is a winner! Hard to “beet” purple food full of cilantro, garlic, olive oil and a hit of chili!
LOL! Yes! I agree :) This dip is SOOO good!