Serve your family extra fiber, antioxidants and loads of vitamins in this Olive Oil Beet Bread with Walnuts – and they won’t notice the beets!

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A few weeks ago was my sister-in-law’s birthday. The family got together and I was asked to make the cake – of course! My sister-in-law requested a non-chocolate cake, so I started to look for ideas.
I immediately started to think about what fruits were in season for my cake inspiration. There were berries, oranges and loads of other ideas running through my brain. What to choose? Then I realized that when I create a dessert, I tend to look to fruits for my creative spark.
Vegetables also give me much inspiration. There’s nothing more fun in the kitchen then to play with your vegetables and prepare them in a new and imaginative meal.
After the big birthday party, my kids requested something “cake-like” for breakfast. I have a freezer full of bananas waiting to be used in banana bread, but I found in my fridge some steamed baby beets sent to me from Melissa’s Produce.
I quickly began baking.
My family looked over my shoulder skeptically. I have prepared this sweet bread with whole wheat flour and all-purpose, and both turned out delicious. I, personally, could detect the beet flavor, but not everyone else could.
It’s a great way to sneak in some the nutritional goodness of beets for your family: fiber, antioxidants, anti-inflammatory and detoxification support. You can also use beets to make a beetroot red velvet cake!
Quick breads are really a great snack cake, lower in sugar than typical cakes. Go beyond banana bread with some of my more unique quick bread recipes:
- Whole Wheat Pomegranate Banana Bread with Pistachios
- Whole Wheat Banana Bread with Olive Oil and Blueberries
- Skinny Whole Wheat Chocolate Banana Bread
- Gluten Free Pumpkin Bread
- Mango Bread with Whole Wheat Flour and Protein Powder
Olive Oil Beet Bread with Walnuts
Ingredients
- 6 oz baby beets peeled, steamed & cooled
- 3 tablespoon water
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ยฝ teaspoon baking soda
- ยผ teaspoon salt
- ยฝ cup milk low-fat
- โ cup granulated sugar
- ยผ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 ยฝ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg large
- 1 cup walnuts chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350ยบF.
- Coarsely chop baby beets and place in a blender.
- Add water and lemon juice to the beets. Pulse the beets in the blender until smooth.
- In a medium bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Using a stand mixer or a hand mixer, combine milk, sugar, olive oil and vanilla. Mix until combined.
- Add the egg. Stir until fully incorporated.
- Add the beet mixture into the milk mixture until just combined.
- In batches, add dry ingredients into wet, making sure everything is evenly distributed.
- Stir in the walnuts by hand.
- Apply non-stick spray to a 9" x 5" loaf pan, and line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper. Pour batter inside.
- Bake bread in oven for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean.
- Let the bread rest in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely, about 1 hour.
Notes
Cooking Tips: This recipe uses already steamed beets. Allow additional steaming time if using fresh uncooked beets. This recipe works great with whole wheat flour, too.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided to you as a courtesy. You should calculate the actual nutritional information with the products and brands you are using with your preferred nutritional calculator.
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Written by Laura Basharย
Hi, I’m Laura, a certified professional cook and cookbook author living in San Diego. I have been sharing my familyโs favorite recipes inspired from all over the world since 2008. Letโs cook up something fun!
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I am inspired by trying new spices and flavor profiles from different world cuisines, and also by what is fresh or on sale at the market.
I am also inspired by what is fresh or on sale at the grocery store or farmers market. Another inspiration is playing with new spices or flavor profiles from different world cuisines.
I get my culinary inspiration from many sources. A little cooking TV, some cookbooks, friends and relatives, blogs, you name it! This set is ridiculously cute. Cheers to the winner!
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Am I the only one who can’t find the link to the recipe? There’s no linky bits for me. Maybe everyone else is eager for the competition. I love that bread/cake.
Oops! Sorry Maureen. I forgot to add the link in the text. A little brain dead last night when I was finishing the post. Fixed it. It’s here: http://familyspice.com/recipes/recipe/?recipe_id=593
My cooking inspiration comes mainly from what is n season; and what’s on sale!
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I’ve never baked with beets. Sounds like a great idea — I need to try it. I get inspired by veggies a lot. Usually when we’re preparing a big dinner, I shop for veggies first — getting what looks particularly good — then planning the rest of the meal around them!
My culinary inspiration comes mostly from Pinterest!
I get inspiration from people like YOU! I was lucky enough to taste this amazing Olive Oil Beet Breadโฆsooo yummy!
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I tend to be inspired by whatever is fresh and on sale when I go to the store. It drives my hubby crazy that I don’t go with a list, but I like to meal plan when I see the food.