How long to steam beets in a saucepan. How to cook large beets quickly? Accelerated cooking using the traditional method

Nutritional properties, useful microelements, availability and delicious color have made beets the object of close attention of culinary experts from all over the world. Boiled beets are the main ingredient in many dishes. traditional cuisine: beetroot soup, borscht, vinaigrette, appetizers with garlic and prunes, vegetable cutlets. Let's discuss how to quickly cook whole beets in a saucepan.

The ability to cook beets correctly determines the quality of the entire dish. Time is important heat treatment, save useful and taste properties, do not lose texture and color. Dozens of secrets of competent cooking are known, and this article is intended to reveal some of them.

Calorie content of boiled beets

The vegetable is low in calories and energy value. Should be used with caution by persons with diabetes mellitus those with intestinal diseases, prone to stomach disorders.

The ratio of proteins, fats and carbohydrates in 100 grams of boiled beets is shown in the table:

The correct recipe for boiling beets whole in a saucepan

Typically, beets weighing 150 grams are cooked for at least 2 hours. However, there is a way to reduce time costs:

  1. To speed up the process more, you need to choose small tubers with thin burgundy skin.
  2. Wash the vegetable, leaving the lower part of the tops and root. Juiciness is preserved without mechanical damage.
  3. Place in boiling water for 30 minutes. To determine readiness, you need to pierce with a fork - this should be easy.
  4. Place in ice water for 15 min. The temperature difference promotes rapid softening of the fibers. In addition, after exposure to cold water, the peel is easier to remove.

According to the given instructions, the cooking time is 45 minutes, there is no destruction of vitamins and no significant loss of color.

IT IS IMPORTANT TO KNOW! If quick cooking is the most important priority over preserving juiciness, nutrition and color, beets should be peeled and cut into large cubes before cooking.

Video recipe

How to cook beets so they don't lose color

Both in the process of preparing borscht and during simple cooking, to preserve the color of the beets, add 0.5 tsp to the pan after boiling water. table or apple cider vinegar. Instead of vinegar, you can add 1 tsp. sugar, 1 tbsp. l. fresh lemon juice.

Cooking beets in a bag in a saucepan

Cooking in a bag serves 3 purposes:

  • Prevent the appearance of plaque on the pan, which is difficult to clean;
  • Eliminate odor during cooking;
  • Preserve the color of the root vegetable.

Cooking steps in the package:

  1. Place the beets in a plastic bag, squeeze out the air, and seal tightly as close to the edge as possible.
  2. Place in a saucepan, add water to cover the bag by 5 cm. Place over high heat.
  3. After boiling, reduce heat, cover and cook for about 50 minutes.

NOTE! The usefulness of beets boiled in a bag is questioned: according to housewives, when heated, polyethylene releases substances that in large quantities can cause damage to health.

Video tip

The benefits and harms of boiled beets

During cooking, microelements are practically not destroyed, so boiled beets are not inferior to raw beets in terms of usefulness. It contains vitamins PP, P, B, fiber, iodine, manganese, iron, cesium, rubidium, folic and oxalic acids, zinc, amino acids (valine, arginine, betaine).

Useful properties include:

  • Fullness of iron, necessary for the process of hematopoiesis during the onset of menstruation in women and anemia.
  • Rich in fiber, which cleanses the gastrointestinal tract of putrefactive bacteria, enhances intestinal motility, and promotes a laxative effect.
  • Regulation of fat breakdown, reduction blood pressure thanks to betaine in the composition.
  • Prevention of hypertension with magnesium.
  • Iodine helps with thyroid diseases.
  • High content antioxidants that ensure the functioning of the immune system.

Harm of boiled beets:

  1. Increased acidity.
  2. High sugar content, dangerous for diabetics.
  3. Oxalic acid can aggravate urolithiasis.
  4. Participation in calcium leaching, which is extremely dangerous for patients with osteoporosis.
  5. Intestinal disorders.

Boiled beets are a vegetable on the basis of which they create culinary masterpieces European cuisine. It is included in the most effective diets for weight loss thanks to its antioxidant and laxative properties. However, only a competent choice of cooking method will fully reveal the listed qualities.

Beets are an inexhaustible source of vitamins, minerals and amino acids. That is why in national cuisine Many nations place an important place on dishes containing beets. But to cook it right sweet root, while maintaining it beneficial features, you need to adhere to certain rules.

How long to cook the beets until tender in a saucepan? If you place it in cold water and put on the stove, it will cook for at least 2 hours, depending on the size, this time may increase by another hour. If you put it in already boiling water, it will be able to finish cooking in one hour.

How long to cook beets until done in different gadgets

IN microwave oven You can cook the vegetable very quickly. To do this, 20 to 30 through punctures are made in it. You can use a knitting needle or a wooden fruit stick.

How long to cook beets until ready in the microwave: place chard (that’s also what beets are called) in a bag or special oven-safe container, and hold for 10 minutes at maximum power.

Now let's look at how long to cook beets until they are ready for salad in a double boiler and pressure cooker. When using a pressure cooker, it is advisable to cut the vegetable into strips and then the cooking time will take no more than 20 minutes. If you place the whole root vegetable, you will have to wait about 40 minutes. The same is true in a double boiler: 25 minutes in chopped form and about an hour whole.

So, how long do you need to cook the beets until they are ready in a slow cooker? Cooking a vegetable in a slow cooker takes 60 minutes, in the “Baking” mode – 45 minutes, the diced root will be ready in a quarter of an hour.

Note to housewives who are concerned about the beneficial properties of food:


The beets are cooked for half an hour, after which they need to be quickly transferred to cold water (preferably from the refrigerator). Thanks to the temperature difference, the root crop reaches the desired state in a third of an hour. In total, the total cooking time will be approximately 40-45 minutes.

The following tip will allow you to cook the sweet root in the shortest possible time, namely 20 minutes. To do this, the beets are immersed in boiling water for 15 minutes.

It should be cooked on high fire, without cover. It is important that the vegetable is completely submerged in water. Next, pour ice water over the beets and leave for 5 minutes. That's it, the job is done in a quarter of an hour. The only drawback fast cooking without a lid, this is a complete destruction of vitamin C.

If you need to cook beetroot quickly, then it is advisable to choose small root vegetables, they are tastier and faster to prepare.

Unusual cooking method

Surely many people are aware of the problem of washing a pan after cooking beets in it. So, to save yourself from such labor, you can cook the root vegetable in a plastic bag. You need to wrap the vegetable well in a bag, after washing it from dirt, and put it in a container with water, room temperature.

The edge of the bag may be poking out of the water, but the chard itself should be under water. After an hour of such execution, place the bag with beetroot in cold water and leave for a few minutes. This preserves the color of the root crop without any unpleasant odor.


Beets are delicious and healthy vegetable. And properly prepared beets will complement the dish with the necessary vitamins taste characteristics, as well as a rich ruby ​​color.

And in addition - a recipe for a wonderful boiled beet salad.

How long does it take to cook beets until they are done? Young housewives mostly think about this. Experienced housewives give the answer to this question and suggest how to speed up the cooking process.

How long does it take to cook beets in a saucepan?

Beet, collected in the fall, cooks from 2 to 3 hours - it all depends on the variety and size of root vegetables. If this is too much for you, then read the tips on reducing the cooking time. Young beets, pulled out of the ground at the beginning of summer, will cook in a saucepan in 30-40 minutes - this is already quite fast.

How to quickly cook beets in a saucepan - little tricks

  • Beets will cook much faster small size, so choose the smallest root vegetables. Small beets will cook twice as fast as large ones.
  • When buying beets at the store or market, look for ones that have a slightly flattened shape. The small thickness of the root vegetable will also reduce its cooking time by 50%.
  • If you bought round or large beets, you can quickly cook them this way. Pour the beets cold water and bring it to a boil. Cook the beets over low heat for exactly 1 hour. Then quickly drain hot water and pour ice water over the beets - you can even add ice from freezer. After an hour, drain the cold water.
  • If you have a pressure cooker at home, then cook the beets in it - it will take you only 30 minutes to cook.



And one more useful tip not related to the cooking time of the beets. Quite often, after the root vegetable for vinaigrette has already been cooked and peeled, it turns out to be completely unsweetened. To avoid this, for any cooking method and for any type of beet, add a couple of tablespoons of sugar to the water (per 1 liter of liquid). Sugar will reveal the taste of beets, and if they are not initially sweet, it will help them become so.

Beetroot is a fairly popular, healthy and inexpensive vegetable, which is used to prepare many of our favorite dishes since childhood (vinaigrette, borscht, herring under a fur coat), but not everyone knows how to cook it, so let’s take a closer look at how to cook it correctly and for how long You need to cook the beets until tender in a saucepan, slow cooker and microwave.

How long to cook beets?

The time it takes to cook beets until tender primarily depends on the size of the vegetable itself, as well as on the chosen method of cooking it (in a saucepan or kitchen gadgets), so let’s consider separately how much to cook beets different ways:

  • How long to cook beets in a saucepan? The cooking time for beets in a saucepan is 50-60 minutes.
  • How long to cook beets in a bag in the microwave? Beets can be cooked in 8-20 minutes in the microwave in a bag (cooking time depends on the power of the microwave, more details later in the article)
  • How long does it take to cook beets in a slow cooker? The beets must be cooked in a slow cooker for 60 minutes until ready in the “Cooking” mode.
  • How long to cook beets in a pressure cooker? In a pressure cooker, beets can be cooked in 30 minutes.

Having found out how many minutes to cook beets, we will next consider how to properly cook them in various ways at home.

How to cook beets in a saucepan?

The most common way to cook beets is to cook them in a saucepan, so let’s look at step by step how to cook beets in a saucepan on a stove (gas, electric):

  • Wash the beets thoroughly under running cold water (for a better effect, you can use a brush or the hard side of a clean dish sponge).
  • Place the washed beets in a saucepan and fill with water so that the water level is a few centimeters above the beets.
  • Place the pan on the stove and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat (so that the water does not simmer) and cook the beets for at least 50-60 minutes (the readiness of the beets can be checked with a fork or toothpick at the end of cooking if they are easily pierced and soft, which means it’s cooked).
  • At the end of cooking, drain the hot water from the pan and fill the beets with cold water so that they cool faster and are easier to clean later.

Note: beets can be cooked faster in a saucepan if you put them in already boiling water and do not turn down the heat too much, while adding 2-3 tablespoons to the saucepan vegetable oil. After the beets have been boiled for 30 minutes, drain the boiling water from the pan and pour cold water over the beets (the colder the better) and leave for 20 minutes until they are ready.

How to cook beets in a slow cooker?

A slow cooker can make the process of cooking beets easier, while the cooking process itself is similar to cooking in a saucepan. Let's take a step-by-step look at how to cook beets in a slow cooker:

  • We wash the beets thoroughly in cold water, but there is no need to cut off the tail and peel them.
  • Place the washed beets in the slow cooker, pour water a few centimeters above the level of the beets.
  • Set the “Cooking” or “Stewing” mode, set the timer for 60 minutes and press “Start”.
  • After the sound signal, check the beets for readiness with a fork; if they are undercooked and hard, set them to cook in the same mode for another 10-20 minutes.
  • When the beets are cooked, place them in cold water for 10 minutes.

Note: beets can also be cooked in a multicooker using the “Steam Cooking” mode (based on the principle of a double boiler). To do this, place the washed beets in a special container in the multicooker for this mode, add 1 glass of water and set the cooking time to 40 minutes.

One of the little-known but effective and quick ways to cook beets is to boil (stew) them in a microwave oven. The sequence of cooking beets in the microwave is as follows:

  • As in the previous methods, we wash the beets well in cold water, but do not peel them.
  • Place the washed beets in a tight baking bag and tie it well, then put it in a plate and put it in the microwave.
  • We set the cooking time to 8-10 minutes if the microwave is powerful (more than 1000 W) or 15-20 minutes if its power is up to 800 W and turn on the microwave.
  • After the beep, take out the cooked beets and leave to cool at room temperature.

Note: cooking beets in the microwave is the easiest and most quick way its preparation, and it tastes no worse than when cooked in a regular pan on the stove.

You will also be interested in knowing how long and how to cook it correctly.

Answers to popular questions on the topic of how to properly cook beets until tender

  • Is it possible to cook beets in a slow cooker? Yes, beets can be cooked in a slow cooker (described in more detail in the article above).
  • Is it possible to cook beets in the microwave? Yes, you can quickly and deliciously cook (bake) beets in the microwave.
  • Do I need to peel beets before cooking? Beets do not need to be peeled before cooking, and you should not cut off the tail at the base of the root vegetable.
  • Is it possible to cook beets along with potatoes and carrots? Yes, beets can be cooked with other vegetables (for example, when preparing a vinaigrette), the main thing is to take into account the cooking time of each of them (some may cook faster and need to be removed from the pan earlier).
  • What kind of water should you cook beets in – hot or cold? Beets can be cooked in a saucepan in several ways, by adding them to cold water at the beginning of cooking and by adding them to water that has already boiled in a saucepan.
  • How to cook beets so they don't lose color? To prevent beets from losing color during cooking, they should not be peeled before cooking, and during cooking, you can add the juice of half a lemon or a teaspoon of sugar to the water.
  • How to determine the readiness of beets when cooking? To determine whether the beets are cooked or not, you need to pierce them with a fork or toothpick; if the beets are cooked, they will be soft and can be easily pierced.
  • How long should beets be cooked until they are done? The time to cook beets until tender depends on the size of the vegetable, as well as on the chosen cooking method (more details at the beginning of the article).
  • When to salt beets when cooking? You don’t need to salt the beets when cooking, but add salt to the ready dish(for example, in a beet salad).
  • How long to cook beets for herring under a fur coat? As with other salads, the cooking time for beets is the same and is indicated at the beginning of the article in the section on how long to cook beets.
  • Why pour cold water over beets after cooking? If you pour cold water over the beets after cooking, they will be easier to peel.
  • Why do beets taste bitter after cooking? Bitterness in cooked beets can be due to the type of beets purchased, and beets can also be bitter if they were grown in unfavorable conditions for them.

In conclusion to the article, it can be noted that knowing how long and how to properly cook beets (buryak in Ukrainian) in a saucepan, slow cooker and microwave, you can quickly and tasty boil this vegetable for your favorite salads (herring under a fur coat, vinaigrette, etc.). Your feedback and useful tips on the topic of how to quickly and tasty cook whole beets, leave them in the comments to the article and share it in in social networks, if it was useful to you.

Beginning housewives sometimes have questions that perplex them. And among them, how and how long to cook the beets until they are ready, so that the process goes through correctly, as quickly as possible, and all the vitamins are preserved. A unique root vegetable, without which we Slavic cuisine hard to imagine. The vegetable is included in the ingredients of many dishes included in gold collection national cuisine. The vinaigrette, cold beetroot and borscht, the famous herring under a fur coat, healthy diet salads- here is a small list of dishes with beets.

How long to cook beets until tender?

Options for preparing beets various dishes a lot. Many people simply cook a whole vegetable in a saucepan on gas stove, or baked in the oven.

Modern kitchen assistants make the cooking process faster and easier. Recently, we have learned to cook vegetables in the microwave, multicooker, and the pressure cooker has been popular among housewives since Soviet times.

As seasoned chefs say, it takes from 30 minutes to 2 hours to cook a whole beet. Cooking time depends on the youth and size of the root vegetable. And also the chosen cooking method.

About all the secrets proper cooking Read about red beets below, there are also tips on choosing a root vegetable, and in the meantime, the answer to a couple of the most exciting questions.

Do I need to peel beets before cooking?

I do not advise. The vegetable will lose saturated color and will lose its juiciness, even if you just cut off the tail. Rinse it thoroughly before cooking, and peel it during the cooking process.

How to tell when beets are ready

A knife or toothpick will come in handy. Prick the beets. If the device fits in easily, the root crop is ready. Advice: you should not check it often, otherwise the beets, pierced in several places, will lose their juiciness.

How long to cook beets in a salad pan

Professional chefs know several ways to cook vegetables on a gas stove in a saucepan. In terms of time, they are divided into fast and not too fast.

  1. Method No. 1. A long way to finished beets, but allowing you to preserve the beneficial properties. Place the washed but unpeeled root vegetables in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Put it on gas and wait until it boils. Don't add salt. Cook over low heat for 2 hours, depending on size.
  2. Method No. 2. Initially, pour boiling water over the root vegetables, not cold water. Pour a couple of spoons into the pan sunflower oil. The oil forms a film on the surface that holds high temperature. Cooking time is approximately an hour.
  3. Method No. 3. Secret from the professionals: pour boiling water over the beets, add oil, cook for 30 minutes. then drain the boiling water, pour in cold water and leave for 10 minutes. The temperature difference will do a good job - the vegetable will “arrive” when ready without prolonged cooking. Disadvantage: vitamins are completely destroyed.

Cook potatoes, carrots and beets together for vinaigrette

The listed methods of cooking beets are suitable if you prepare them for salad. But what to do if you have gathered or a herring under a fur coat?

Cook separately? It’s clear that you don’t want to use several saucepans at once, although it would be more correct to do this. Most housewives prepare vegetables - potatoes, carrots and beets together.

  • Boil with the skin on without peeling. Place together in cold water. Then take into account the approximate cooking time.
  • Potatoes - 25 minutes, carrots - 45, the root vegetable is the last one to reach readiness.
  • I do not recommend keeping potatoes and carrots longer than necessary - remove them when they are ready.

How many minutes to cook beets in the oven

Fast and easy option preparing root vegetables, vinaigrette, fur coat. Convenient to cook when needed a large number of beets. The baked root vegetable is much sweeter. Cooking time 20-25 minutes.

  • Preheat the oven to 190-200 o C.
  • Wrap each root vegetable in foil, greased from the inside vegetable oil, and place on a baking sheet. After 25-30 minutes, take it out.

How to cook beets in a slow cooker until tender

A multicooker will significantly simplify the process of cooking beet. Moreover, you can cook whole beets, and first cut them into pieces.

Place the root vegetables at the bottom of the bowl, fill with water and select the “Steam” mode. Is this mode not available? Set it to “Cook” or “Soup”. How long:

  • In “Steam” mode – 40 minutes.
  • “Soup” and “Cooking” - 60 minutes.

How long does it take to cook beets in a pressure cooker?

A pressure cooker is another miracle of technology that makes it possible to quickly cook root vegetables under high pressure. The cooking time for food in a pressure cooker varies and depends on the model of the appliance. For a modern multi-pressure cooker model, be sure to purchase a metal steaming stand if it is not included in the package.

  1. Place the vegetable, pour boiling water (this will shorten the cooking time). Another secret: the pressure cooker will quickly gain pressure if you add a little water, about a glass. Close the lid and pressure valve all the way.
  2. Set the “Soup-Cooking” or “Steam” mode for 30 minutes.
  3. When finished, do not rush to let off the steam immediately, let it sit.

Cooking in an old Soviet-style pressure cooker on gas is also not difficult. Fill the vegetables with water, close the pressure valve and cook for half an hour.

Microwave cooking time

A wonderful option for cooking beets, an alternative to a saucepan. If you want to cook quickly, use a modern assistant, firmly established in our kitchens. There are several advantages of such preparation: clean dishes and speed of preparation.

  • Wash but peel. Place in a microwave-safe bowl. You need to put the most in the center small vegetables, large on the sides.
  • Pour a few tablespoons of water into the container and cover with a special microwave-safe lid.

The time spent cooking depends on the size of the root vegetable and the power of the microwave. In a gadget with a power of less than 1000 watts, you will get the finished result in 15-20 minutes. In a microwave of 1000 watts or more, the vegetable will cook twice as fast, in 8-10 minutes.

How to cook beets in a bag in the microwave

  1. Wash the root vegetable without peeling the skin or cutting off the tail.
  2. Place in a regular bag and tie tightly.
  3. Put it in the microwave. Not large beets cook for 15 minutes, larger root vegetables for 20 minutes.

If you are in a real hurry, cut the vegetable into pieces before putting it in the bag. Pierce it in several places to release steam. Cooking time will be reduced to 10-15 minutes.

Secrets of cooking delicious red beets

I'm sure even for experienced housewives It is not enough to know how long to cook. Many people are not familiar with all the secrets of properly cooking vegetables.

  1. Don't salt the water. Salt will add toughness to the beets and increase cooking time. In addition, root vegetables become less juicy.
  2. After the beets are ready, drain the boiling water and immediately pour in cold water - the vegetable will be easier to peel.
  3. To preserve color, add a little to boiling water citric acid or a small spoon of vinegar. Some housewives add a little sugar for the same purpose. If you decide to peel the root vegetable before cooking, this is a prerequisite for proper cooking.
  4. If you don't like the smell of cooking beets, throw a crust of bread into the water.
  5. If the beets are soft, do not throw them away, scald them with boiling water, then place them in water at room temperature. Hold it, the root vegetable will soon swell. Without changing the water, put it on gas to cook.

Choosing root vegetables for cooking

Is it possible to cook soft beets. Yes, this is acceptable, but you should keep in mind that there are few vitamins preserved in root vegetables. At the end of the season, it is often difficult to find dense beets on sale that meet all requirements. How to revive a soft root vegetable and use it for its intended purpose, read in the secrets of cooking. However, to get the output healthy dish, try to be strict when choosing a vegetable.

  • Choose young beets, not necessarily large ones. It has long been noted that small or medium ones are much tastier and cook quickly. In addition, by selecting large specimens, you run the risk of acquiring a fodder variety.
  • The peel should be thin, dark red in color, without rot or signs of damage.
  • Have you seen a root vegetable with tops? Fabulous! Beets are young, strong, and contain a powerful dose of vitamins, if cooked correctly, of course. The tops are used to prepare beetroot borscht and other delicious dishes.

As always, I turned to my beloved Ilya Lazerson for advice on how and how much to cook beets for salads, fur coats and vinaigrette. Watch the video to see what he thinks about this. True, he doesn’t speak very kindly about us women, but I forgive him everything and see some tricks.