Boost the Beet: 5 Hacks for Tasty Beetroot Juice
Beetroot juice is an earthy, nutrient-dense beverage with a distinctive flavor. While some enjoy the earthy taste, others find it overpowering. But don’t let that stop you from trying beet juice! There are simple ways to mask the bitter taste and enhance the natural flavor of beetroot juice.
So how can you make beetroot juice taste better?
The keys are using optimal beet varieties, balancing the vegetable-to-fruit ratio, blending with complementary ingredients, incorporating herbs and spices, and properly preparing the juice. With the right combinations, you can temper the strong taste and bring out the beet’s sweetness.
This article will cover choosing the right beetroots for juicing, carefully balancing fruits and vegetables, pairing beets with flavor complements, adding herbs and spices, and preparation methods. Follow these tips to transform earthy beetroot juice into a delicious, crave-worthy drink.
How to Make Beetroot Juice Taste Better
1. Choose the Right Beetroot for Juicing
Not all beets are equal when it comes to flavor profiles. Selecting the optimal varieties and beet parts can make a significant difference in mellowing your finished juice.
Prioritize Baby Beets
Baby or golden beets have thinner skins and lower levels of the compound geosmin that impart the earthy flavor. Their milder taste blends more smoothly and pleasantly than large, mature beets. Seek out small beets approximately 1-2 inches in diameter for best results.
Peel Away Earthiness
Washing and removing the beet's tough outer skin helps reduce some of the earthy geosmin compounds by up to half. For easiest peeling, trim off the stem and root end, then boil whole beets for 15-20 minutes until just tender enough for a paring knife to slide under the skin. Rinse under cool water and the skin should peel off easily by hand.
Roast for Sweetness
Roasting beets deepens their natural sugars while tempering bitterness. Bake whole, wrapped beets at 400°F for 60-75 minutes until easily pierced by a fork. Allow to cool before peeling and juicing. Incorporating roasted beets creates a smoother, mellower, almost nutty-flavored blended juice.
2. Carefully Balance the Vegetable-to-Fruit Ratio
With their naturally high sugar content, beets need minimal added fruit to taste sweet. Keep fruit quantities low, around 25-40% of your juice, to let the beet flavors take center stage.
Limit Fruit to 25-40%
Too much-added fruit, like apples, berries, citrus, and pineapple, will overwhelm the distinctive beetroot flavor. The ideal fruit ratio is 25-40% of your total juice blend.
Boost Veggies
Up the vegetable ratio to make a nutrition-packed, earthy juice true to the savory beet flavor. Non-starchy vegetables like spinach, kale, cucumber, celery, and carrots work particularly well. Aim for 60-75% vegetables.
Adjust Ratios
Start with a 3:1 veggie-to-fruit ratio. Tweak the proportions based on your own taste preferences until you find the ideal beet-to-fruit balance. For example, if too earthy, increase fruit or sweet veggies like carrots. If too sweet, add more beetroot or leafy greens.
3. Complementary Fruit and Vegetable Pairings
Thoughtfully combining beets with certain fruits and vegetables results in balanced, better-tasting juices. These ingredients harmonize with beets through their flavors, textures, and nutritional profiles.
Apples
Sweet, mellow apples beautifully balance out beets’ earthy essence. Choose sweeter apple varieties like Fuji, Gala, or Honeycrisp and pair with beets in a 1:2 ratio for optimal flavor. For added complexity, add a squeeze of lime, lemon, or a 1⁄4” knob of minced ginger. The acidity and spiciness contrast nicely with the apples’ sweetness and beets’ earthy tones.
Citrus Fruits
Bright citrus fruits like oranges, grapefruits, lemons, and limes help lighten up the dense, earthy nature of beet juice. Use just a teaspoon or two of zest to impart vibrant citrusy notes without overpowering the beets. A squeeze of juice is also refreshing. Start with a 2:1 beet-to-citrus ratio. Grapefruit, with its slight bitterness, is an especially complementary pairing.
Pineapple
Pineapple’s tropical essence, signature tang, and juicy mouthfeel serves as an excellent foil for beets’ mineral qualities. Combining approximately 1⁄4 cup pineapple with 3⁄4 cup beetroot creates a beautifully balanced, bright juice. Adjust ratios to taste. For variation, add a pinch of cinnamon or ginger.
Carrots
Carrots share beet’s sweet, earthy qualities but also provide counterbalancing notes. Their higher water content lightens the texture. Enjoy the interplay of their sweetness with beets’ earthy undertones by using a 1:2 carrot to beet ratio. The two roots were made for each other!
Pears
Sweet, soft pears offer a delicate flavor that contrasts nicely with strong beet earthiness. Their high water content also helps dilute the dense beet texture. Select ripe yet still firm Bartlett or Anjou pears. Combine 3 parts pear to 1 part beet for balanced flavor. A squeeze of lemon brightens the pairing. The mild pear taste allows the beets to retain the starring role.
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4. Flavor Enhancing Ingredients
Specific herbs, spices, and vegetables infuse beet juice with elements that contrast with earthiness. Use them sparingly as accents.
Ginger
Warming ginger's subtle heat nicely offsets the dirt-like taste of beets for a more balanced flavor. Start with 1⁄4 inch knob, peeled and minced, per serving.
Basil
Licorice-scented basil introduces complexity while also boosting beet’s inherent sweetness. Add 3-5 fresh basil leaves per serving.
Lemon Juice
A good squeeze of tart, bright lemon juice helps cut through the heavy, earthy density of beets. Start with the juice from 1⁄2 lemon per serving.
Chili Powder
A touch of chili powder, about 1⁄4 teaspoon, adds a lively kick that counterbalances the strong beet flavors.
Cilantro
Fresh, aromatic cilantro leaves lend a subtle soapiness that creatively contrasts with beet flavors. Add a sprinkling of 3-5 leaves.
Cardamom
Slightly piney cardamom offers an interesting counterpoint to sweet, earthy beets. Add just a pinch or 1-2 whole pods per serving.
Mint
Refreshing mint imparts gentle sweetness and balances the earthy undertones of beets. Add 5-10 fresh mint leaves per serving of juice.
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5. Preparation Methods for Improved Taste
Proper preparation techniques and sweetening agents can also upgrade your beet juice’s flavor.
Chill Thoroughly
Ice-cold beet juice is much more pleasant and refreshing than room temperature. For best results, chill beet juice for at least 2-3 hours in the refrigerator before drinking. Serving over ice cubes also helps. You can even freeze beet juice in ice cube trays to add to juices for an extra cooling sensation.
Add a Pinch of Salt
Adding a tiny pinch of sea salt or Himalayan pink salt can work wonders to balance and enhance the flavor of beet juice while reducing any metallic or bitter aftertastes. The salt helps neutralize the nitrates that contribute to bitterness. Start with just 1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon per 16 oz serving and adjust to taste.
Sweeten Sparingly
While a bit of honey, maple syrup, or stevia can help mask earthy undertones, add these sweeteners conservatively to avoid overwhelming the natural flavors of the beets. Start with 1-2 teaspoons of your preferred sweetener per 16 oz serving and add more if needed.
Dilute with Water
If you find straight beet juice too intense, diluting it with small amounts of filtered water or ice cubes can mellow out the flavor. This creates a lighter, more drinkable juice. Start by adding 25% water to your blended juice. You can gradually increase water up to 50% as desired.
Drink Fresh
For the sweetest, most vibrant flavor, enjoy your beet juice immediately after making it. Like most juices, beetroot juice tends to degrade and lose sweetness quite quickly. For best results, try to drink your beet juice within 8 hours of preparation.
As you can see, with the right recipes and techniques, you can transform earthy beetroot juice into a delicious, even crave-able drink.
The keys to juicing beetroot and recovering the sometimes over-bitter taste are choosing optimal beets, carefully balancing supporting fruits and vegetables, blending with herbs and spices that contrast the earthy flavors, and properly preparing the juice.
My go-to beet juice includes apples, carrots, ginger, and lemon. But feel free to get creative with your own combos until you find a blend that has you eagerly sipping this vibrant superfood beverage.
Thanks to its stellar nutritional profile and adaptability to work with various flavors, beet juice is a fantastic habit to blend into your routine. Once you learn how to temper its distinctive taste, you’ll look forward to all the benefits – and yumminess! – of beetroot
About the Author:
Gavin is the owner of Tru Foo Juice bar. He has over 6 years experience of running a juice bar and creating juice and smoothie recipes for the consumer market.
