Beet

Beet Butter

by:
March 20, 2017
4
5 Ratings
Beet Butter
Photo by Andrea Bemis | Dishing Up the Dirt
  • Makes about 1 1/2 cups
Author Notes

My old farm crew back at Hutchins Farm declared that beets were my spirit vegetable. I didn’t know you could have a spirit vegetable until I got into farming, but as it turns out, it's a thing. I hated harvesting beets when we were beginner farmers. They’re heavy, they stain your hands, and when hundreds of pounds need harvesting before lunchtime, it’ll almost bring you to tears. But as much as I want to despise this root vegetable, it has won over my heart again and again. I’m a true beet lover, and this beet butter is just about the best thing I’ve ever whipped up in the kitchen. It’s a sweet spread that goes well with crackers but can also stand in for cranberry sauce on a turkey sandwich. It’s versatile, delicious, and beautiful, too!

DISHING UP THE DIRT Copyright 2017 by Andrea Bemis. All right reserved.
—Andrea

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 3 beets, scrubbed and cut into 1/2-inch chunks (about 1 1/4 pounds)
  • 1 cup macadamia nuts
  • 2 tablespoons walnut oil (or a natural-tasting vegetable oil)
  • 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 pinch fine sea salt
Directions
  1. Bring a medium-sized pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the chopped beets, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until they are fork-tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain the beets and set them aside to cool for a few minutes.
  2. In the bowl of a food processor combine the macadamia nuts, oil, maple syrup, and vanilla. Process until smooth. Add the cooked beets and salt. Continue to process until the beet butter is completely smooth, scraping down the sides of the food processor as needed. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
  3. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature before serving. Enjoy it with crackers, toast, as a sandwich spread, or as a dip for vegetables.
  4. Beet butter can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week.
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  • Ryan Karpisz
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Andrea
A farmer turned foodie, Andrea Bemis is truly manifesting the farm-to-table lifestyle. On her website—and in her new book, Dishing Up The Dirt—Andrea shares her delicious recipe creations and adventures on her farm in Parkdale, Oregon.

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15 Reviews

Martha
Martha July 15, 2023
Delicious. The sweetness of the maple syrup and the vanilla works well with the earthiness of the beets. I substituted cashews soaked in water for 2 hours for the macadamia nuts. I never have a cup of macadamia nuts sitting around the house. Who does? Cashews are creamy with a sweet flavor. Worked very well.
 
LadyR
LadyR June 13, 2022
https://www.realestatemagazine.ca/recipes-realtors-beet-tops-roasted-red-garden-beets/
Wonderful beet greens as someone noted.
Also I make many compound butter logs. Cut into coins, you can freeze the coin logs indefinitely. Just knock of a few coins as needed.
Crushed oven-roasted beets, mashed, and a dab of my oven-roasted garlic purée from a sterilized glass refrigerated jar (it keeps safely for MONTHS), and crushed homemade candied nuts from your pantry jar, topped with my warm blue cheese dressing is an amazing combination.

LadyR

===
Compliments of my manuscript, copyrighted:
© Lady Ralston's Compound Butter "Coin Reserve" ~ because Butter makes it Better. A different kind of currency.
===
Respond with your thoughts about freezing to have available all year round.
 
Ryan K.
Ryan K. November 4, 2020
"Natural-tasting" oil, or "neutral"?
 
Aura
Aura October 24, 2017
If I only have a crummy stick blender and a small food processor, could I use store bought macadamia butter instead of whole macadamias? I imagine doing so would ensure a creamy texture.
 
Whitney
Whitney May 7, 2017
I enjoyed this ok. I do love beets. but I was most excited by the taste of the macadamia nut butter before the beets went in.
 
marsiamarsia
marsiamarsia April 20, 2017
I wonder if this gorgeous beet butter can be frozen so as to serve later. I'm thinking it would be so good served in a season that's not especially beet season. Or is that just plain impossible? I'm trying to fill my freezer before
it gets so hot here in the summer. = 0 )
 
mainesoul
mainesoul April 3, 2017
Very good. I used 1/2 of the maple syrup figuring I could add more but didn't need it. I will make this again.
 
Louise T.
Louise T. March 31, 2017
Thanks, jforbees....I ended up using half macadamias and half raw, soaked cashews, and I roasted the beets instead of boiling them. But, just as you said, I wished I had used less sweet stuff like the maple and vanilla; everyone said they liked it, but it was a bit too sweet for me. I would have used some black pepper, even cayenne might have been interesting, and some sea salt. But, my guests said they wouldnt change a thing :-). Penzeys has a southwest spice blend called Arizona Dreaming that might have been good...next time.
 
jforbess
jforbess March 31, 2017
I made this with pecans and walnut oil, and loved it, but I didn't add either the maple syrup or the vanilla, because I wanted to keep it on the savory side. I'm not a beet fan at all, so it is always great to find new recipes to use up the beets in my CSA. (I do love beet greens, though.)
 
Louise T.
Louise T. March 29, 2017
Do you think I can use macadamias with raw cashews? Or just raw cashews? Macadamias are sometimes hard to find, and always pretty expensive...just asking :-)
 
Vicky G.
Vicky G. March 27, 2017
Love this! Any nut substitutions you'd recommend?
 
LadyR
LadyR July 16, 2023
How about homemade candied hazelnuts or pecans, crushed (from your pantry jar).

The candied hazelnuts work so well in my watercress pesto. And my warm blue cheese dressing is great with my oven roasted cooled beets with iceberg lettuce.

LadyR
 
Jr0717
Jr0717 March 27, 2017
Do you think this would work with any root vegetable? I love the idea and the article, and immediately thought of a spinoff for 'how to make any root vegetable butter without a recipe '!
 
Susan P.
Susan P. March 27, 2017
Beets are not peeled?
 
dishing U.
dishing U. March 27, 2017
Hi there Susan,
Beets don't need to be peeled for this recipe. I hope you enjoy the beet butter!