What Do Beets Taste Like & Types Of Beets

Beets taste earthy. They are rich in supplements and have lots of nutritional advantages. For most people, beets taste like grime, but for a lover of all things healthy and beets, they taste sweet and earthy.

Additionally, beets make a healthy addition to your daily meals, juices, smoothies, and salads.

There is more to beetroots than what meets the eye. This article gives a breakdown of the taste, types of beets, and their nutritional benefits.

What are beets?

Beetroot is a vegetable that comes in several varieties, including leafy and root types. The leafy variety is also called chard and can be used much like spinach in cooking.

It is classified as a part of the cultivar group and known scientifically as Beta vulgaris subsp or Vulgaris Conditiva Group.

What do white beets taste like?

Beetroot taste is both sweet and earthy. It has a very rough and raspy feel to the tongue when you drink it because of its earthiness.

White beets are mild and sweet. They have a firm texture, and their taste cannot be altered by cooking, unlike red beets.

What do beets taste like in smoothies?

Beets have a natural sweetness that makes them taste great in smoothies. It is sweet, smooth, and healthy; a great drink to start the day.

Beetroot pairs well with almost every fruit in a smoothie. I’ll recommend you pair beets with bananas, chia seeds, pineapples, strawberries, blueberries, and frozen yogurt. The dominating purple or red color also makes the smoothie look appealing.

What do beets taste like in juice?

Beets juice or in a combination with other fruits in juice taste awesome, sweet, and very earthy. If you’re having beet juice for the first time, you may find it too sharp and earthy. However, if you love beets, you will appreciate this taste.

Lemon, ginger, carrot, and cucumber are just a few of the fruits you could put in your juice. After you’ve finished making your juice, you’ll be so happy with the variety of flavors it has.

Beet benefits, healthy facts, and side effects

Benefits

Beetroot is rich in fiber, folate (B9), manganese, potassium, and iron. It is also a good source of vitamin C. A large portion of the benefits of beetroots is in its rich source of mineral nitrates.

Beetroot aid in the lowering of blood pressure and increasing nitric oxide formation due to the presence of inorganic nitrates.

It enhances physical performance and improves exercise power. Eating beetroot improves running and cycling ability, boosts stamina and encourages the use of oxygen.

Healthy facts

Beets are highly nutritious. They are rich in nutrients that aid the body’s metabolism. Some of them include:

  • They provide about 8-10% carbs. They are low in sugar and have a glycemic index of 61.
  • Beetroots give 2–3 grams of fiber per serving. Dietetic fiber is essential as part of a wholesome diet and is connected to a diminished risk of several diseases.
  • Beetroot contains folate (vitamin B9) which is beneficial for tissue growth, pregnant women, and cell function.
  • It also has manganese, potassium, and iron which are also necessary for oxygen transport in the red blood cells.
  • In addition, you will find it is an excellent source of vitamin C, betanin, and most importantly inorganic nitrate.

Effects

Although beetroot has got many great things it does to the body, you must also be aware that too much of everything could be harmful. Therefore, you should consume beets in moderation.

In the long term, beetroot consumption can change urine color to pink or red, but it happens so often that it’s harmless.

Individuals susceptible to kidney stones may not find the root vegetable as tolerating as others due to the high level of oxalates.

Beets are high in certain carbohydrates called fructans. Fructan carbs can feed the bacteria in your gut, which can cause digestive upset and unpleasant symptoms like bloating and gas in some individuals.

6 Most common varieties of beets

There are numerous types of beetroot, many of which are distinguished by their color — yellow, white, pink, or dark purple.

Red beets

beets - millenora

This is the most common type. They’re called beetroot in British English and are also called table beets, garden beets, red beets, dinner beets, and golden beets.

Striped beets

stripped beets - millenora

Heirloom varieties of Chioggia beets, also known as candy-stripe beets, candy cane beets, and bull’s eye beets, are edible roots belonging to the Amaranthaceous family.

Mangel-wurzel beets

mangel  - millenora

Mangelwurzel, a German name meaning “root of scarcity”, is a cultivated root vegetable. Its other names include mangel beet, field beet, and fodder beet.

Golden beets

This is a yellow-golden beet in a similar shape to the red beet. It is mostly used in salads, dishes, and recipes.

Cylindra beets

cylindra beets - millenora

Cylindra beets have cylindrical roots that grow six to eight inches long. These heirloom beets have rough maroon skin and red flesh. Cylindra beets are sweet with a fine grain. The beet greens are also sweeter than round beet leaves.

Sugar beets

sugar beets - millenora

Sugar beet is a plant cultivated commercially for sugar production. Its root has a high concentration of sucrose, which is obtained for sweetening production.

It belongs to the Altissima group of the common beet (Beta vulgaris). Its closest wild relative is sea beet (Beta vulgaris subsp. maritime).

FAQs

Can you eat beets with skin?

Yes, you can. However, you must wash the body thoroughly and cook it until delicate as it is very good to eat.

Why do beets taste dirty?

Beetroot does not taste dirty. Many people who do not find it appealing have likened the raspiness to dirt.

However, if you feel beetroot tastes like dirt, it doesn’t mean it isn’t clean. It could be because it contains goemin. Goemin comes from a compound found in soil, and other vegetables such as some lettuces and fish.

Are beets sweet or bitter?

Beets have a distinctive, earthy flavor that can be off-putting, but they’re delicious when paired with bright, sweet, and fresh flavors.

To enjoy more, you should add plenty of salt (as if you were boiling pasta) and about a quarter-cup of red wine vinegar to the water if you’re boiling them.

Can you eat raw beets?

Yes, you can. It increases vitamins, minerals the dietary fiber in your body. They’re delicious when roasted, shredded in a salad, or steamed. For convenience, they’re available precooked and canned.

Conclusion

Beet remains a favorite vegetable because of their health gains and they’re often described as the best choice of food.

And, yes, if you’ve ever tasted them, it can be hard to forget the earthy flavor. But what many people don’t know is that you can use beet juice for even more than vegetables.

Thank you for reading. You should also see what turnips taste like and what you can use them for.