• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

True North Kitchen

  • Recipes
  • Browse by Category
  • About Me
  • Contact/Work with Me
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • Browse by Category
  • About Me
  • Contact/Work with Me
×

Home » Recipes

Swedish Beet Salad (Rödbetssallad)

Published: Aug 30, 2022 by Kristi · This post may contain affiliate links.

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

This Swedish Beet Salad (Rödbetssallad) recipe is delightfully simple and SO delicious...pickled beets (homemade OR store bought) and apples are cubed and tossed in a quick mixture of mayonnaise, sour cream and horseradish. Add a shower of chopped parsley and that's all there is to it!

Not only is Swedish Beet Salad tasty, it's also drop dead gorgeous with its stunning pink hue. A real pop of color on the dinner table! Ready to make a batch? It only takes a few minutes to whip together, I promise. Keep reading for step-by-step instructions!

Swedish Beet Salad in a bowl next to a spoon and towel.

Why This Recipe Works

  • It's got big flavor for little effort. You can certainly start with homemade pickled beets (try my quick pickled beet recipe here), but for maximum ease go ahead and use store bought pickled beets.
  • The creamy dressing has only 3 ingredients.
  • I've got a few tips and tricks for recreating that GORGEOUS pink color you see in the photo above.

Ingredients

Labeled ingredients for Swedish Beet Salad.
  • Pickled beets are the star of this recipe. Feel free to make your own (start with my recipe for Spicy Quick Pickled Beets if you like) or use store bought pickled beets. Both work great in this recipe.
  • Peeled and cubed apples are traditional, but I've left them as an optional ingredient. They add a pleasing crunch and a bit of tart sweetness but you can certainly make the salad with just pickled beets if you prefer.
  • A combination of mayonnaise and sour cream or creme fraiche forms the creamy base of this recipe.
  • A few teaspoons of prepared horseradish lends a bit of tang and spice, but I've also listed it as optional as you can certainly choose not to include it.
  • Chopped fresh parsley adds a bit of welcome herby freshness and a pop of green color which is lovely with the pink salad.

How to Make This Recipe

  • Whisk the mayonnaise, sour cream and horseradish (if using) together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
  • If you want to include the apple, cut it in half and reserve one of the halves for another use. Core and peel the remaining half and dice into ½ inch cubes.
  • Drain the beets and reserve the pickling juices. Cut the beets in ½ inch cubes.
  • Fold the beets, apples and chopped parsley into the mayonnaise mixture. Add 1-3 tablespoons of the reserved pickling juices until you achieve a bright pink color. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve!

Expert Tips

Be sure to reserve the pickling juice and add it to the salad at the end, one tablespoon at a time, until you achieve a bright pink hue. Without adding the pickling juice, your salad will be very pale in color.

FAQs

Can I make Swedish Beet Salad in advance?

Yes! The salad keeps well tightly covered in the refrigerator for a couple of days.

What should I serve with this salad?

It goes well as a side dish for nearly anything (my mind naturally drifts to Swedish meatballs and salmon) and is a cheerful addition to a smörgåsbord table, particularly at the holidays. It also makes a nice topping for an open face sandwich (smörgås or smørrebrød). It's traditional to serve this creamy beet salad on rye bread with leftover Swedish meatballs (it sounds odd, I know, but is is so delicious). For the sandwich pictured below, I used buttered rye bread for the base and toped it with lettuce, Swedish Beet Salad, capers and a hard boiled egg.

Lettuce, Swedish Beet Salad, hard boiled egg and dill on rye bread.

Related Recipes

Looking for more Nordic-inspired recipes for beets? I've got you covered:

  • Nordic Red Cabbage Slaw with Carrots and Beets
  • Roasted Beet Salad with Arugula, Rye and Creamy Herbed Skyr Sauce
  • Roasted Beet Hummus
  • Beet and Celery Root Cake Smørrebrød with Herbed Skyr Sauce
Swedish Beet Salad in a bowl with a spoon.

Swedish Beet Salad (Rödbetssallad)

A classic Swedish salad featuring pickled beets, crisp apples and a zippy creamy dressing.
Print Pin Rate
Course: salads, side dishes
Cuisine: Nordic, Nordic Scandinavian, Swedish
Keyword: beet and apple salad, beet salad recipe, creamy beet salad
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 8 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 193kcal
Author: Kristi

Ingredients

  • 12-15 ounces pickled beets homemade, try my recipe for quick pickled beets here OR storebought, drained and diced into ½ inch cubes (reserve the pickling juices)
  • Half of a Granny Smith apple peeled, cored and diced into ½ inch cubes, optional
  • ⅓ cup prepared mayonnaise
  • ⅓ cup creme fraiche or sour cream
  • 2 teaspoons prepared horseradish optional
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

  • Whisk the mayonnaise, creme fraiche and horseradish (if using) together in a medium bowl. Gently fold in beets, apple and parsley. Add 1-3 tablespoons of the beet pickling juice until the salad has a lovely pink hue. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Notes

Swedish Beet Salad will keep for up to 3 days tightly covered in the refrigerator.

Nutrition

Calories: 193kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.04g | Cholesterol: 19mg | Sodium: 301mg | Potassium: 171mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 320IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 38mg | Iron: 2mg

If you loved this recipe, give it a star review! Also, snap a picture of your Swedish Beet Salad(Rödbetssallad) and share it with me on Instagram using the hashtag #truenorthkitchen and tagging me @true_north_kitchen.

More Nordic/Scandinavian Recipes

  • Vanilla Overnight Oats with Cinnamon
  • White Swedish Glögg with Elderflower Liqueur (Mulled White Wine)
  • Homemade Pickled Mustard Seeds
  • Danish Apple Trifle

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Welcome

Hi, I'm Kristi! Welcome to my cozy Nordic kitchen! More about me

SEARCH RECIPES:

The cover for Scandinavian Baking Favorites e-book

Enter your email below and receive a copy of my free ebook, Scandinavian Baking Favorites!



Scandi Breakfast Ideas

Close up of a bowl of Creamy Barley Breakfast Porridge with a spoon.

Creamy Barley Breakfast Porridge

Close up of Rye and Oat Muesli with Dried Cherries and Hazelnuts.

Rye and Oat Muesli with Dried Cherries and Hazelnuts

A close up of a berry smoothie topped with blueberries and lingonberries

Nordic Wild Berry Almond Smoothie

Baked oat and rye porridge with blueberries and almonds in a pan

Baked Nordic Oat and Rye Porridge

Toast with sliced egg, avocado and pickled beets on a plate

Nordic Avocado Toast with Pickled Beets and Egg

Close up of a glass of overnight oats topped wit bananas, blueberries and strawberries next to raw oats and a spoon.

Vanilla Overnight Oats with Cinnamon

Top Posts

Stack of flatbreads on a plate next to herbs and a spiked rolling pin.

Soft Swedish Flatbreads with Garden Herbs (Tunnbröd med Trädgårds Örter)

Sliced rye bread on a marble surface.

Easy Overnight Danish Rye Bread (Rugbrød)

Quick Swedish Pickled Cucumbers in a jar next to peppercorns and fresh dill sprigs.

Quick Swedish Pickled Cucumbers

Slice of bundt cake on a plate with a fork.

Swedish Cardamom Cake (Kardemummakaka)

Sliced Swedish Almond Cake on a marble plate

Simple Swedish Almond Cake

Swedish pancakes on a plate drizzled with lingonberries.

Swedish Pancakes with Lingonberries

Crispbread and a rolling pin and kitchen towel

Easy Sourdough Rye Crispbread (Knäckebröd)

Rye bread slices on a plate next to a loaf of rye bread and a wooden knife with butter

Sourdough Danish Rye Bread (Rugbrød)

Categories

Footer

^ back to top

About
Work with Me
Contact
Disclosure and Privacy Policy
Accessibility Statement

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2022 True North Kitchen