Beetroot curry (Beetroot sabzi)
By Swasthi on August 8, 2022, Comments, Jump to Recipe
Beetroot curry recipe – Beetroot is one of those super foods that can do wonders to our body by boosting immunity, lowering blood pressure, improving digestion and providing us lot of essential minerals and Vitamins. Beetroot is used to make a variety of dishes like salads, curry, stir fry, kurma, kootu, juice, chutney and is also be added to parathas.

The recipe shared here is one of the most easiest beetroot recipes that can be made in minutes. You can either grate the beetroot or cube it.
Beetroot is a vegetable which doesn’t need to be cooked for long time. Cooking for short time also helps to preserve the nutrients and the sweet flavor.
This beetroot curry goes well as a side in an Indian meal or just with rice and chapati. Since it is quick to make you can also make this for the kids’ or office lunch box.
If you live in a place where you are accessible to fresh beets with greens or leaves, you can include them as well in these recipes. You will need to pluck the leaves and wash them in ample amount of water.
Drain well and chop finely just before cooking. Alternately you can also use your food processor to chop the greens.
For more easy veg curry recipes,
Mushroom curry
Beans stir fry
Broccoli curry
Cauliflower curry
Preparation for beetroot sabzi
1. This step is optional. You can skip this step and also use idli podi or spiced peanut powder. This is what makes the beetroot sabzi flavorful. To make this, first dry roast 1 tablespoon chana dal and 1 tablespoon urad dal on a medium flame. Keep stirring and roast until golden. Then turn off the heat and add sesame seeds. Stir and fry them until they splutter. Transfer to a plate and cool. Then powder them finely.
2. Wash beetroot well and peel them. Cut them to quarters. Grate or chop finely which ever is comfortable. You can also use a food processor.
How to make beetroot curry
3. Heat 1½ tablespoons oil or ghee in a pan. Add ¼ tsp mustard seeds and ½ tsp cumin seeds. They will crackle soon. Then add ginger, green chilies and curry leaves. Fry till ginger smells good. Add chana dal, urad dal, red chili and garlic clove. Fry until the dal turns golden & aromatic. Add hing.

4. Add grated beets, turmeric and fry till they are lightly cooked. If your beets are not juicy and are dry, you can cover and cook on a low flame. Usually chopped beetroot takes longer to cook. Cover and cook them on a low heat until tender. If they dry out, then simply sprinkle water as needed and continue to cook.

5. Sprinkle salt and roasted dal powder (optional) from step 1. Saute for 2 minutes. Then add grated coconut and mix well.

Serve beetroot sabzi with rice or chapathi. It goes well with rice and dal.

You may also like these Beetroot recipes
Beetroot stir fry with moong dal
Kerala beetroot thoran
Beetroot pulao
Andhra style beetrot chutney
Beetroot halwa
Quick beetroot salad

Related Recipes
Recipe card

Beetroot curry (Beetroot sabzi)
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (US cup = 240ml )
- 2 cups beetroot cubed small or grated (2 medium size)
- ¼ cup coconut (grated or pulsed in a grinder)
- ⅛ tsp turmeric (haldi)
- salt as needed
Seasoning
- 1½ tbsp ghee or oil
- ¼ tsp mustard seeds
- ½ tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
- 1 sprig curry leaves
- 1 pinch asafoetida hing (optional)
- 2 green chili chopped or slit
- 1 red chili broken – optional
- 2 garlic cloves or ¾ inch ginger (crushed or fine chopped)
- 1 tbsp skinned black gram (urad dal, optional)
- 1 tbsp bengal gram (chana dal, optional)
To roast and powder (optional, adds flavor)
- 1 tbsp bengal gram (chana dal)
- 1 tbsp skinned black gram (urad dal)
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds
Instructions
Preparation
- Optional but adds a lot of aroma to the sabzi – In a small pan, dry roast 1 tablespoon chana dal and 1 tablespoon urad dal on a medium flame until deep golden. Then add sesame seeds. Turn off the flame and keep stirring until the seeds splutter. Remove & cool this. Powder them finely in a grinder. Set aside.
- Wash and peel beetroots, cube to half inch pieces. Or You can also grate them with a large hole grater. Avoid using a fine grater as it will make the beetroot sabzi mushy.
Making beetroot curry
- Pour 1½ tablespoon oil to the pan and heat it.
- Add cumin seeds, mustard seeds and dal (optional). Soon the seeds will splutter, keep stirring and fry until the dal turns golden.
- Next add crushed garlic, green chili, red chilli, curry leaves and hing. Saute till the garlic turns aromatic.
- Add the grated beetroots and saute for 2 minutes.
- Cook covered on a low flame until soft and tender. It just takes few minutes. If you use chopped beetroot, you may need to splash some water if they don't cook.
- When the beetroot is cooked to your liking, add turmeric, powdered dal from step 1 and salt.
- Mix and fry for a minute or two until the mixture turns aromatic. Then add coconut and mix.
- Beetroot curry is ready to serve with rice or roti.
Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.
For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes

About Swasthi
I’m Swasthi Shreekanth, the recipe developer, food photographer & food writer behind Swasthi’s Recipes. My aim is to help you cook great Indian food with my time-tested recipes. After 2 decades of experience in practical Indian cooking I started this blog to help people cook better & more often at home. Whether you are a novice or an experienced cook I am sure Swasthi’s Recipes will assist you to enhance your cooking skills. More about me
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Comments
It’s very easy to follow and consumes less time. I tried many of your recipes. Whenever I want do different dish I always search your recipes. Every one loved to eat when I tried your recipes. Thank you.
Easy to follow…I love your recipes…
I have tried your recipes, they are very easy to follow. I am one of your many fans.
Thank you so much Sheeba
Swasthi, your each and every recipe is incredibly delicious. Today I have prepared beetroot curry with sambar for lunch. It was so healthy and tasty. My family kept on appreciating you throughout the lunchtime.
Thanks a lot. Stay safe.
Welcome Tanu
Glad your family enjoys the food you cook. Thank you so much for leaving a comment. Stay safe!!
I make it with coconut and sometimes without coconut. Regardless, it is a simple and delicious recipe. My kids are very picky and this is the only way they will enjoy beets. This recipe is part of my family. I make sure to cook at least ones a month.
Glad to know Archana!
Thank you
Excellent beet root swathi my family fully enjoyed the taste thank yu
Welcome Rama Lakshmi
Love it, it turned out delicious
Thank you!
Hello swasthi . Have not tried cooking beet root. Your recipe is easy and simple . Thanks
Welcome Santhi
Do try it!
Hi Swathi,
I have tried quite a few recipes from your blog and all turned out very good. Today I tried this recipe and it came out really good. Well explained recipes . Really a great help in cooking. Thank you.
Hi Annette,
You are welcome. Glad the recipes turned out good. Thank you!
Easy to make. The instructions are clear.
Thanks Jyothi
Never in a million years would I have thought to put these ingredients together. I’m glad I made this recipe though, because it is absolutely delicious! Waiting for the rest of my bets in the garden to get a little bigger and I will make this again. Thanks for this wonderful recipe.
Hi David Fougeron
Great! You are welcome. So happy your beetroot dish turned out delicious. Thanks much for the comment!
Hello,
The dals I have are dried. Shhoukd I soak them first before cooking/grinding?
Thank you.
Hi Sam,
You can just use the dried dals directly. They get roasted in the tempering and will soften when they are cooked with the beets. They will turn slightly soft yet remain crunchy in the dish. However if you prefer soft lentils then you can soak for 30 mins in hot water, drain and use. Thanks for rating the recipe
It’s superb all recipes
Thanks Nandini
I love all ur recepies which I have tried till now, n it’s awesome.
Actually I don’t know cooking but I’m cooking well by seeing ur receipies n no one is believing even if I say that I don’t know cooking by tasting my food.So thanks a lot bcz all that credit goes to u.
So can u share how to prepare beetroot rasam.
Hi sravya,
So glad to know the food turned out good. Thanks a lot for the comment.
Not sure if beetroot rasam will taste good. I will try if it comes out good then I will surely share it.
🙂
Yum! this is the best tasting beetroot dish I’ve ever cooked. I love the crunch and flavour of dal with sweet beets.
Hi Zanna
Thank you so much for trying.
🙂
Excellent recepie…Thank you 🙂
You are welcome Afshan
Hi,
Salt is not indicated in the second recipe for beetroot curry.(method two). Has salt been omitted by oversight or should salt not be used for this rec.ipe. Please clarify. Thanks.
Welcome Sreeram
Sorry I forgot to mention. It has to be added along with the beetroot and coconut to the pan. I will update it. Thanks for the mention
Hi
I have made your beetroot curry and love it. Do you know if you can freeze it?
Hi Anna
thanks for trying. I think the texture of beetroot would be too soft when you reheat. If you don’t mind then go ahead and freeze.
Love all your recipes, healthy and delicious. Can you share some simple thoran recipes
Thanks maria
Yes will surely share them
Hi swasthi! Both the curries look very yumm and nutritous. The first one came out well yet to try the second method. Need a help. Can you please tell how do i feed my son with beetroot. He is 15 months old. I cut the beetroot and pressure cook for 4 to 5 whistles. Even then am unable to mash them they still feel hard. I tried grating it and tempering it and feed. But was doubtful if i can. Kindly advise.
madhavi,
Sorry for the delay, i somehow missed this comment. you can serve the same curry for your baby, just skip chilies at step 1 and set aside the baby’s portion when the beetroot is cooked. Add chilies along with coconut after you set the baby’s portion aside. you can add this to rasam rice.I do this for most vegetables. Try choosing small beets they cook faster. I also used to add beets to khichdi sometimes. I also used to make a sweet pongal with beetroot, dal, rice (or oats) and jaggery.
Hi swasthi! Pls dont be sorry. Np at all. Am sorry for late reply. Because i get time only when my baby is asleep. 🙂 it is a good idea to feed veggies with rasam. Though he is 15 months old he is still not comfrtble with lumpier food. Thanks a lot. Will do so. Also i bought palm sugar from mustafa which is like hard as jaggery. Do i have to powder it? Kindly advise.
At 15 months, babies still cannot eat lumpier foods. But when your baby grows to 18 months, do try the trick of using soft cooked veggies with rasam or sambar for dinner, that really reduces the work. There are a few varieties of palm sugar available. Some are not suitable to kids. Check these post to get an idea on how to choose the correct one.
varieties of palm sugar
palm sugar
There are also few organic brands available, which are very clean and don’t need to be filtered before using. But need to keep searching. To use the palm sugar, just keep a cube in the open air for about 30 minutes. It turns soft and is easy to scrape off and use. If it is of low quality, it doesn’t melt. When you use it, do follow the 3 day test rule. Some babies may develop cold or cough since it is cooling to the body. Hope these help.
Thanks a ton
Beautiful curry,looks so good