Beetroot Poriyal is a nutritious sabzi prepared from beetroot, spices, coconut et al. It tastes too good when served with Steamed Rice, Sambar or Rasam. This South Indian Poriyal Recipe is a delicious variation of umpteen Poriyals that are made in South India. Here is how to make it in a traditional way.
South Indian food is beyond Idli and Dosa.
And I have been lucky to experience that vast cuisine after trying unique dishes like Pineapple Pachadi, Beetroot Pachadi, Ulli Theeyal and many other dishes during my stay in Bangalore.
One thing that lures to make South Indian often is the fact that they are simple, easy to make and they taste very homely.
Also, it’s perfect, if you are looking for a comforting and satisfying meal.
Not to mention that most of the South Indian recipes are not harsh on the stomach at all.
Somehow, this cuisine lets you enjoy a balanced, wholesome meal without ever compromising on the taste.
Take, for instance, Beetroot Poriyal recipe, our today’s point of discussion.
An extremely fuss-free South Indian Beetroot recipe, this poriyal rather side dish is prepared by the most basic ingredients available at home.
Nothing fancy at all yet it creates a magical dish that is simply too hard to resist.
Here are some other Beetroot recipes that you can try – Beetroot Pachadi, Roasted Beetroot Raita, Homemade Beetroot Halwa and Chukandar Chaas.
I like to serve it as a side dish along with Sambar and Rice, and believe me, it’s such as bomb combination.
What is Poriyal?
Poriyal is a dry veg preparation of vegetables sautéed in spices and then garnished with freshly grated coconut.
This can be made using any kind of veggies, including french beans, carrot and cabbage. Read more details here.
How to make Beetroot Poriyal?
Take chopped beetroot in a pressure cooker and cook it with salt and water.
On the other hand, heat some oil in a pan and once it is hot, add mustard seed, curry leaves, green chillies, cumin seeds, urad dal and let them cook up to crackle.
After that, add cooked beetroot to this tadka and stir fry the mix with coconut. That’s it, and this salubrious side is ready for you to devour.
Subtly sweet because of the natural sweetness of beetroot, this poriyal recipe also has the refreshing flavours of urad dal, coconut et al.
If you want then you may also add a small onion to this dish or else even this recipe for sure yields great final dish.
Then steam up some rice, brew some Sambar and enjoy this homely feast along with Beetroot Poriyal!
My recipe shall help you to make it easy, note it down:
Variations
Without Coconut – You can keep the steps same but do not add coconut at the end of the recipe to make this poriyal without coconut.
With grated beetroot – To make this poriyal with grated beetroot, keep the steps exactly same but instead of chopping the beetroot, grate it using a medium-size grater.
With egg – Add 2 eggs and scramble them along with the beets.
With onions – Just saute the onions until soft and add the chopped beetroot.
With carrot – Add chopped carrots along with the beets.
With potato – Add cubed potatoes with the beets.
With chana – Add boiled chana along with beets.
Serving Suggestions
This coconut flavoured simple beetroot stir fry can be served as a side dish along with a Sambar and Steamed Rice.
It tastes great with almost all the Sambar and Rasam recipes. That’s my favourite way to serve this Poriyal.
You can also serve it along with Curd Rice, Paratha, Phulka, Dosa etc or have it as a healthy snack.
Step by Step Recipe
Add the chopped beetroots in a pressure cooker along with salt and 2 tablespoon of water. Pressure cook until beetroots is softened. ( I usually cook for one whistle on high heat and then simmer the heat to low and cook for another whistle. Remove the cooker from heat and immediately run it under cold water. )
Heat oil in a pan. Once the oil is hot, add urad dal, mustard seeds and heeng and let them crackle for a few seconds.
Add green chilli, ginger and curry leaves and cook for another few seconds.
Add the steamed beetroots and fry for a minute. Adjust the salt.
Add coconut and mix well. Serve hot with steamed rice and dal or rasam.
Recipe Card

Beetroot Poriyal Recipe
Ingredients
- 500 g Beetroot (Chopped into small pieces.)
- 2 teaspoon Vegetable oil
- ½ teaspoon Urad Dal
- 1 teaspoon Mustard seeds
- ¼ teaspoon Heeng
- 2 Green chilli (Slit into half)
- 1 teaspoon Ginger (Grated)
- 10-12 Curry leaves
- ¼ cup Fresh grated coconut
Instructions
- Add the chopped beetroots in a pressure cooker along with salt and 2 tablespoon of water.
- Pressure cook until beetroots are softened. ( I usually cook for one whistle on high heat and then simmer the heat to low and cook for another whistle. Remove the cooker from heat and immediately run it under cold water. )
- Heat oil in a pan.
- Once the oil is hot, add urad dal, mustard seeds and heeng and let them crackle for a few seconds.
- Add green chilli, ginger and curry leaves and cook for another few seconds.
- Add the steamed beetroots and fry for a minute.
- Adjust the salt.
- Add coconut and mix well.
- Serve hot with steamed rice and dal or rasam.
John Storeys
Looks quite awesome!
Diego Lopes
Beets aren’t that frequently used in recipes (at least I never find many interesting options), and I love how it has such a standout on this one!
Neha Mathur
Thnx for liking it Diego. It’s a lovely recipe.
Renee desrosiers
How does one cook this without a pressure cooker? And are beetroots the same as just beets?
Neha Mathur
You can steam the chopped beets. The idea is to get them cooked and softened. Yes, that are the same.
Kastury
Thanks for sharing this recipe. Its look delicious. Will try it.
Neha Mathur
Thnx. Do try.
TM
I tried this recepi, amazing… Tq for the receipi
Neha Mathur
Thanks for trying 🙂