These vegan beetroot skewers are a vibrant appetiser and a fun twist on the usual beetroot salad. Sweet, oven-roasted beets are marinated in gochujang for a tangy, spicy kick, then pan-grilled to perfection and served over a bed of fresh, creamy borlotti bean dip.
By roasting the beetroot, then pan-searing for slightly charred edges, this recipe puts bold flavour development front and centre. The cool, velvety borlotti bean dip balances the heat of the gochujang beautifully.
Whether you need a standout starter, a stunning sharing plate or a unique barbecue bring-and-share dish, these skewers fit the bill perfectly.
Why You'll Love these Gochujang beetroot skewers with borlotti bean dip
- Marinated with gochujang for a unique flavour combination - earthy, sweet beetroot with the umami, savoury and heat of the gochujang.
- A fresh borlotti bean dip to dunk the beetroot skewers in.
- Vegan-friendly.
- Works as a starter or a sharing plate.
- The components can be prepared ahead, with only the pan-searing or grilling on the barbecue on the day of serving.
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Key Ingredients and Notes
- Red beetroot & Gochujang - A great pair - each covers what the other lacks. Bold, earthy, sweet flavours from the beetroot, and tangy heat from the gochujang. Gochujang is a fermented Korean chilli paste made from chilli, fermented soybeans, glutinous rice, and salt. It has a moderate heat.
- Borlotti beans, tahini & lemon juice - Make up the bright borlotti bean dip to balance the gochujang beetroot.
- Parsley - herby finish as the garnish.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to Make Gochujang beetroot skewers with borlotti bean dip
This recipe has two main parts: cooking the beetroot, which takes around 50 minutes, and making the borlotti bean dip, which takes around 45 minutes. While the beetroot is roasting, you can make the dip.
If you opt for pre-cooked, vacuum-packed beetroot and tinned borlotti beans, then you will have two less things to do. See the substitutions and variations section.
Roasting the Beetroot
- Wrap the beetroot in foil. Roast in the oven for about 50 minutes until cooked (a knife will easily pass through). Cooking time will depend on beetroot size.
- Make the marinade: in a bowl, mix the gochujang paste, olive oil, salt, and lemon juice.
- Remove the beetroot from the oven when cooked and let it cool down for 5 minutes.
- Remove the skins from the beetroot by gently rubbing them with your fingers.
- Cut the top off the beetroot, then slice it to a thickness of 1 to 2mm.
- Marinate in the gochujang marinade for about 15 minutes.
- Stack two thin beetroot slices, fold them over, and slide them onto the skewer. Repeat this process with two more slices on the same skewer (see the video in the recipe card).
- Heat a cast iron, or similar heavy-bottomed pan. Once it is hot, brush with a little oil.
- Add a few skewers at a time and sear both sides until lightly charred.
Make the borlotti bean dip
- Remove the beans from their pods.
- Place in a pan with water and cook on a rolling boil for 30 minutes, until the beans can be easily squashed between your fingers.
- Drain the beans using a sieve over a bowl so as to catch the bean water.
- Place the beans in a blender jug along with the garlic, tahini, salt, olive oil, lemon juice and 50 ml of the bean water.
- Blend to a smooth puree.
- Transfer the dip to a plate and spread it with a spoon.
- Top with the beetroot skewers and finish with a sprinkle of parsley.
Substitutions & variations
bEETROOT
- You can use pre-cooked, vacuum-packed beetroot. Follow the same method, but skip roasting the beetroot.
- For a milder beetroot flavour, you can use golden beetroot.
Marinade
- No gochujang? Use harissa or chipotle paste. This will change the flavour profile of the skewers.
Borlotti Dip
- If you don't have access to fresh borlotti beans from the pod, use tinned borlotti beans. Use one 400g tin as a direct replacement. The bean water in the tin will be saltier than the home-cooked bean water, so reduce the sea-salt amount from the recipe if you wish.
- Other white beans can be used - cannellini or butter beans.
Tahini
- For those with a sesame allergy, you can leave out the tahini and replace it with either sunflower seed or cashew butter. You can also use cream cheese instead, but it will change the flavour of the dip and the texture. You may need to add more bean water for a smooth, flowy dip.
COOKING METHOD
- If you don't have a pan that can handle high heat, you can cook the skewers in the oven at 200ºC for 20-30 minutes, turning the skewers halfway through to get even charring. I recommend 10 minutes, then check, as it depends on the oven and the size of the beetroot.
- If grilling beetroot in an oven or over the barbecue, soak the wooden skewers in water to prevent them from burning.
Garnish
- Good alternatives to parsley are coriander, chives, or toasted sesame seeds.
Equipment
- To roast the beetroot in the oven, you will need a baking tray/sheet pan.
- To sear the beetroot skewers, you will need a cast iron or similar pan that can handle high heat.
- To puree the borlotti bean dip, you will need a jug/stick blender or food processor.
- Wooden skewers to assemble the beetroot skewers.
- A sieve to drain the cooked borlotti beans.
Storage
Store the borlotti bean dip in the fridge, in an airtight container, for up to three days. You can put a piece of parchment paper on top of the dip to protect it from becoming dry and changing colour.
You can keep the roasted and sliced beetroot in the fridge for up to three days in an airtight container. Leaving it in the marinade may make the flavour much more intense than desired, and the beetroot may become too soft to handle, depending on how long you keep it.
You can freeze the dip in an airtight container, but it may release water upon defrosting - just mix it well with a whisk or spatula to combine.
The roasted beetroot can be frozen as well; just be aware that it will release a bit of water when defrosting, and it will become quite soft as well, making it a bit difficult to handle when skewering.
Recipe Tips
- Roast beetroots of a similar size so they all cook at about the same time.
- Red beetroot stains easily. Your wooden chopping board will stain, and wear gloves if you don't want stained hands. The colour does come out easily after a good wash though.
- A good way to cut the beetroot slices is to use a mandolin slicer for slices of identical thickness.
- Shake off excess marinade before searing - gochujang contains sugar and burns quickly in a hot pan, which may give bitter, blackened patches if there is excess marinade.
- When searing, get the pan properly hot before adding the skewers, and brush the oil onto the bottom of the pan rather than pouring it in. Don't overload the pan.
- Taste the borlotti bean dip right after blending, and add lemon juice or salt as needed.
- Place the beetroot skewers on the dip immediately before serving only; otherwise, if left to stand, the red beetroot will bleed into the dip.
FAQ
No, traditional Gochujang paste has gluten. However; gluten-free versions of gochujang are available.
Yes. You will have to soak them overnight though and cook the next day for about 30 minutes as per the recipe.
You can make it milder by using less gochujang paste. To make it spicier, you can add chilli powder or chilli flakes.
Yes. Usually, the pre cooked beetroots are quite small, so you may not be able to fold them while skewering.
Yes - make the components and do the searing of the beetroots, just before serving, do not assemble until just before serving.
📖 Recipe
Gochujang Beetroot Skewers with Borlotti Bean Dip
Equipment
- Blender or Food processor for making the dip
- Skewers or toothpicks for assembling the beetroot skewers
- Heavy-bottomed frying pan for searing the beetroot skewers
- Seive to drain the bean water
- Baking tray for roasting the beetroot
Ingredients
Beetroot Skewers
- 500 g Red beetroot
- 2 teaspoon Gochujang paste
- 2 tablespoon Olive oil
- ½ Lemon for the juice
- 1 teaspoon Sea salt
Borlotti bean dip
- 300 g Fresh Borlotti beans in the pod yields 250g of beans approximately
- 6 g Garlic one glove
- 1 teaspoon Tahini
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- 1 teaspoon Sea salt
- ½ Lemon for the juice
- 50 ml Bean water
- Parsley for garnish
Instructions
Beetroot Skewers
- Preheat the oven to 200ºC (fan-assisted)
- Wash and pat the beetroot dry. Wrap the beetroots in foil and roast in the oven for about 50 minutes to an hour. This will depend on the beetroot size.
- While the beetroot cooks, make the marinade in a bowl by adding olive oil, gochujang paste, salt, and lemon juice. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
- After 50 minutes, remove the foil and pierce the beetroot with a skewer to check if it's cooked. If the skewer glides in easily, the beetroot should be cooked. Remove from the oven and set aside for five minutes to cool.
- Remove the foil from the beetroot and gently peel the skin by pressing and rubbing it. Cut off the top of the beetroot, then slice it into 1-2 mm-thick slices, ideally with a mandolin slicer.
- Marinate the beetroot slices in the marinade and set aside for 10-15 minutes.
- Stack two slices of beetroot, fold gently and skewer them. Stack two more slices, fold, and skewer them close to the first set. Repeat with the other wooden skewers.
- Heat a cast-iron or similar pan; once hot, brush with a little oil.
- Add the beetroot skewers a few at a time and sear on both sides until lightly charred/browned.
Borlotti bean dip
- Remove the borlotti beans from the pods, and add them to a pan with enough water to submerge them. Bring the beans to a boil, then cook for 30 minutes at a rolling boil, until cooked and easy to press between your fingers.
- Once the beans are cooked, drain the water by pouring them through a sieve into a bowl to catch the bean water. Transfer the beans to the food processor/blender jug, and set the bean water aside.
- In the blender jar, add the beans, peeled garlic, tahini, salt, olive oil, lemon juice, and 50 ml of the bean water. Blend to a smooth puree.
Assembly
- Transfer the bean dip onto a plate and spread using a spoon.
- Place the beetroot skewers onto the dip, and finish with chopped parsley. Serve immediately.
More appetiser/starter ideas
Planning a shared spread? Here are more starter and small-plate ideas to impress with.
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