Beet and Avocado Salad (With Bacon and Feta Too!)

I’m obsessed with this Beet and Avocado Salad recipe! It’s packed with flavor and all the right textures. And although it’s easy to make, it feels fancy!

As with many great recipes, this delicious salad happened spontaneously one night because we just had these ingredients around. And ever since, it’s been one of my family’s absolute favorite salads! It’s seriously so good. The earthy beets pair with the crunchy candied pecans, creamy avocado and salty feta. And it’s all bathed in a simple (but delicious!) red wine vinaigrette. It could work great as a side salad but is plenty filling as a main dish too. Let’s make it!

Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links, which means if you decide to purchase any of the items linked in this post, I should earn a small commission. This creates no additional cost to you and helps support the work that goes into running The Fig Jar. Thank you! -Becky 

Salad ingredients

• Bacon
• Raw pecans
• Brown Sugar
• Cooked beets: I used red beets from love beets (affiliate link) here – they’re already cooked and so easy to use! You may also be able to find them at your local grocery store.
• Ripe avocado
• Feta cheese
• Mixed greens

Dressing ingredients

• Avocado oil
• Red wine vinegar
• Honey
• Garlic powder
• Salt
• Pepper

How to make it

Cook the bacon

I usually like to cook bacon in the oven, but at the time of shooting this recipe, my oven was broken so I cut it into pieces with kitchen shears and cooked it in my cast iron pan. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat and use kitchen shears to cut bacon into small pieces directly into the pan. Cook until bacon is crisp. Remove bacon and place on a paper towel-lined plate.

Make candied pecans

You can buy pre-made candied pecans, but I usually just make my own. I do it a lazy way but it works and it’s easy!

Just place raw pecans in a non-stick skillet over medium heat, add butter and brown sugar. Stir almost constantly until sugar is dissolved and nuts begin to smell toasty. About 5 minutes. 

Then immediately transfer to a piece of parchment paper and sprinkle with a little salt. The pecans won’t be perfectly coated with the sugar but you still get that sweet flavor.

Next, Make the Vinaigrette

Just place all the dressing ingredients in a jar and shake vigorously.

Now all that’s left to do is slice the beets and avocado and assemble your salads!

Arrange mixed greens on a large plate. Place beets, avocado, bacon, candied pecans, feta, and a generous drizzle of that dressing on top. A little cracked black pepper and chopped parsley is nice to top the salad with but it’s not required.

Additions and Substitutions

This beautiful salad is perfect as-is, but it would also be great with the following additions/substitutions:

-Try it with creamy goat cheese instead of feta. 

-Sprinkle some thinly sliced red onion into your salad

-Roasted pumpkin seeds would fit in nicely here, too!

-If you’d like to skip the step of making your own salad dressing, feel free to use a store-bought balsamic vinegar or a light vinaigrette

Storage Instructions

If you’re planning to make this salad ahead, be sure to keep the salad dressing separate until ready to serve. If you’ve got some leftovers, place them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.Tried this recipe?

If you try this recipe, please leave a star rating below and let me know how it went. I’d love to hear from you!

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Beet and Avocado Salad

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This salad is seriously one of my favorite meals. It’s easy to put together, feels fancy and is absolutely delicious!

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 20 minutes
• Total Time: 40 minutes
• Yield: 4 1x
• Category: Main Course, Salad
• Cuisine: American

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 8 strips bacon (cut into small pieces)
• 1 cup raw pecans (whole or pieces)
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsp salted butter
• 1 large ripe avocado (or two small)
• 4 small beets (cooked and sliced)
• 2/3 cup crumbled feta
• 6 cups mixed greens
• parsley (optional for topping)
• freshly cracked black pepper (optional for topping)

Dressing

• 2/3 cup avocado oil
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp black pepper

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Instructions

1. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat and use kitchen shears to cut bacon into small pieces directly into the pan. Cook until bacon is crisp. Remove bacon and place on a paper towel lined plate.
   
2. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat for about 3 minutes. Add the butter, brown sugar and raw pecans. Stir almost constantly until sugar is dissolved and nuts begin to smell toasty. About 5 minutes or less.
   
3. Empty the pecans onto a piece of parchment paper and sprinkle with salt.
   
4. Divide mixed greens evenly amongst four plates. Divide all toppings evenly between the four salads and drizzle each with dressing. I usually use about 2 1/2 tbsp of dressing per salad. Enjoy!