Roasted Beet Dip with Fennel and Garlic

This roasted beet dip with goat cheese gets plenty of flavor from garlic and roasted fennel. Originally published in 2017 Sunday Supper buffet recipe theme; updated in 2019 including a new wine pairing. Read on for details and pairing suggestions, or click here to jump down to the recipe. Disclosure: The Merlot suggested as a potential wine pairing was provided as a complimentary sample.

Whether your family and friends love beets or not, you’ve got to give this roasted beet dip recipe a try! And if you like this, you might also like our beet pesto recipe. 

I don’t think there is a serious beet fan amongst the family members that gather for holidays. Nonetheless, they get excited if they see me reveal this vibrant bright red beet dip!

Research suggested that fennel goes well with beets. So I made roasted beets and fennel the heart of this recipe.

Savory goat cheese and plenty of garlic bring some additional flavors and balance to the mix. Sour cream and soy sauce round things out, the latter bringing some umami to the dish.

The result is a dip that people will love to dig into. The color will stand out among other things that might be out for snacking! This is one of those recipes that people will be talking about — and asking for the recipe! Just send them here to Cooking Chat; or you can print out the recipe to bring along to the party.

Making Beet Dip

How to make beet dip? This is a pretty easy recipe, so let me share a few notes for making this roasted beet dip to get you started.

• Quantity: Two medium beets should give you the 2 cups of chopped beets called for here. Some beets come larger in which case you might only need one.
• Peeling beets: Do you peel beets before using? Yes, I recommend peeling the beets before chopping. Save those healthy beet greens for another use. Here are 5 recipes for beet greens that sound good to me, from Mother Nature Network.
• Prepping the fennel:  The beets in this recipe get roasted along with a fennel bulb. Cut the green stems off from the white bulb, and then chop the bulb. Slice off the wispy green fronds at the end of the stems, and chop that up. It adds a nice little licorice flavor to the dip and other foods you may be making.
• Roasting veggies: When you roast the beets and fennel, you want the veggies to get good and tender so that the dip won’t be too chunky. Check the veggies with a fork. You should be able to pierce them easily when they are ready for the dip. You may want to remove some that are done and let some bigger chunks roast a bit more.
• Mix it up: Once the veggies are roasted, you puree them with the other ingredients. You could play with the amount of sour cream to adjust the consistency.
• Serving: I like to serve this beet tip with pita chips. You could also use crackers or raw veggies.

If you want to try another interesting dip with roasted vegetables, try our Roasted Asparagus Dip.

Can you freeze beet dip?

Thus far, we have managed to eat most of the dip within a few days of making it. It helps that we typically make this to share at a gathering. But one of our readers in the comments below notes that he has made a double batch of this and frozen the extra, and that it work out well.

Wine pairings 

I initially tested the roasted beet dip with two wine pairing options. I thought with the spice it might go nicely with the sparkling Spumante wine we had open to start on Thanksgiving, but for some reason I didn’t care for the match. I then poured a small taste of the red Burgundy I had brought for the turkey, and that pairing worked much better. Pinot Noir is known to go well with the earthy quality of beets, so that makes sense.

Doing research for #MerlotMe Month 2019, I noted beets were suggested as a vegetable that goes well with Merlot. So I decided to try pairing our Roasted Beet Dip with the 2017 Decoy Sonoma County Merlot ($25, 14.1% ABV). With rose petals on the nose, and cherry fruit on the palate along with some other nuanced flavors, the Merlot works well as a pairing option for this recipe.

If you’re not in the mood for wine, I have also tested this recipe with an IPA style beer, with good results. Cheers!

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Roasted Beet Dip with Fennel and Garlic #SundaySupper

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★★★★★

5 from 4 reviews

This brilliant red roasted beet dip made with garlic and roasted fennel is a flavorful and healthy change of pace from your usual dips.

• Author: Cooking Chat
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 40 mins
• Total Time: 50 mins
• Yield: 8 servings 1x
• Category: Appetizer
• Method: food processor
• Cuisine: American
• Diet: Vegetarian

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 cups chopped beets
• 1 medium fennel bulb, chopped
• 2 tbsp extra virgin oil, divided
• 1 tsp fennel fronds (see “making beet dip” notes above)
• 3 cloves garlic (or 2 cloves for slightly milder dip)
• ¼ cup basil
• 4 ozs goat cheese – leave at room temperature while the veggies roast.
• ¼ cup sour cream
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• Generous grind of black pepper

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Instructions

1. Roast the veggies: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss the chopped beets and fennel with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Spread out in a single layer in a roast pan. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and easily pierced with a fork.
2. Roasted veggies in food processor: Remove vegetables when done. Give them a few minutes to cool, then move to a food processor along with remaining olive oil and the garlic. Pulse to chop the vegetables thoroughly.
3. Add remaining ingredients: Add the basil and goat cheese to the food processor, pulse to combine thoroughly. Add the sour cream, soy sauce, fennel fronds and black pepper. Pulse to combine.
4. Serve: The beet dip is ready! Scoop into a serving dish and serve along with pita chips or crudite. You can refrigerate to serve late or the next day.

Notes

• To prepare the fennel, cut the stem off the bulb. The bulb gets chopped and roasted. The feathery top part of the stem is the frond, which gets chopped and added to the dish.
• As Rob notes in the comments, this dip freezes well. Consider doubling the recipe and keeping some for another time.
• Also from Rob’s comment, you can reduce the garlic a bit and add Worcestershire sauce for alternative flavor.
• Having the goat cheese out of the fridge while you roast the veggies will help make it softer and mix with the other ingredients easier.

Keywords: beets, healthy appetizers, dips

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If you try this beet dip recipe and like it, you might also want to try roasted beet hummus–here’s one recipe for beet hummus from Minimalist Baker.

More of our favorite dip recipes

Creating tasty new dips is something we enjoy! Here are a few favorites:

• Super Easy Spicy Green Onion Dip
• Easy Mexican Dip with Fresh Salsa
• Muhmmara: Spicy Red Pepper Dip
• Grilled Eggplant Dip
• Sesame Free Hummus

Buffet Menu Ideas #SundaySupper

Abundance of Appetizers

• Buffalo Wing Cauliflower by April Golightly
• Charcuterie Buffet by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Pesto Goats Cheese Filo Parcels by Caroline’s Cooking
• Roasted Beet Dip with Fennel and Garlic by Cooking Chat (you are here)

Sundry of Savory Dishes

• Honey-Glazed Bacon-Wrapped Ham by Palatable Pastime
• Old Fashioned Potato Gratin by The Wimpy Vegetarian
• Squash and Mushroom Gratin with Granola Topping by Take A Bite Out of Boca

Desserts by the Dozen

• Cherry Pie Blondies by Pies and Plots
• Gingerbread Cookie Cups w/ Tapioca Pudding by The Freshman Cook
• Puff Pastry Ravioli Mince Pies by Food Lust People Love
• Raspberry Topped Mini Cheesecakes by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• White Chocolate Christmas Crack Recipe by Sunday Supper Movement

The Sunday Supper Movement is committed to bringing our readers delicious recipes that encourage them to gather and eat together around the family table. Search for your favorite ingredients on our Sunday Supper website. Also check out the Sunday Supper Pinterest boards for plenty more ideas and inspiration.

roasted beet dip with fennel and garlic.