Polish horseradish beets are made with cooked pureed beets and freshly grated horseradish. This spicy condiment is delicious, simple to make, extremely versatile and traditionally served in Poland for Easter.
Horseradish beets are a traditional Polish condiment, a type of relish or sauce, served at Easter. In Polish it is called ‘ćwikła z chrzanem’ (pronounced ‘CHVEEK-wa s KHSHA-nem’) where ‘ćwikła’ is an old Polish word for ‘beets/beetroot’ and ‘chrzan’ means ‘horseradish’ in Polish. This condiment is also often simply called ‘ćwikła’.
5-ingredient Polish beets with horseradish are made by cooking then finely grating the beets and combining with fresh horseradish. This root vegetable adds a little radish flavour as well as heat. Horseradish has a different kind of spiciness to hot chillies, for example, and you will notice it even as you grate it – it will release a strong smell that might make you sneeze or even cry.
Polish ćwikła sauce tastes earthy, sweet, slightly acidic and spicy (you can make it as spicy as you like). It's as delicious as it is healthy, made without any fat and full of vegetable goodness.
Horseradish beets ingredients and substitutions
- Beets: prepare from raw. I do NOT recommend using ready-cooked beets from the shop as they are watery and lack flavour (another beet condiment made from scratch you might like is beet chutney).
- Horseradish: if you can’t get raw horseradish use horseradish from a jar (see details below). You might also like my fresh horseradish mayonnaise.
- Lemon juice: use according to preference. If you prefer vinegar (either cider or white wine will work) add a little less than lemon juice. Alternatively use a combination of lemon juice and (a drop of) vinegar) for more acidity.
- Sugar.
- Fine sea salt.
How to prepare the horseradish
Fresh horseradish root is very easy to prepare. Peel it and rinse, if necessary, to remove any grit. Dry thoroughly and finely grate. Use immediately.
TIP: I do not recommend preparing the horseradish ahead as, once grated, it quickly loses its pungency.
Can I use horseradish from a jar
Yes, you can, although the result is not quite as good as with fresh horseradish. Prepared horseradish contains vinegar, sugar and other flavour-enhancing ingredients. I recommend adding it gradually until you get the pungency you want in your horseradish beets (you’ll likely need to add less salt, sugar and lemon juice).
How to prepare the beets
To make this horseradish beet sauce you can either roast or boil the beets whole and unpeeled. I personally prefer the former as roasted beets have an intense flavour and colour, more so than boiled. But the choice is yours.
TIP: Using small beets, rather than very large ones, reduces roasting time. To save time you can also prepare the beets ahead and use the following day.
Step-by-step recipe instructions
1. Preheat the oven to 375 F/190 C/fan 170/gas mark 5. Wrap each beet (unpeeled) loosely in foil, place on a baking sheet and roast in the centre of the oven for 40-60 minutes until fork tender (the exact roasting time will depend on the size of your beets).
2. Cool beets: Remove from the oven, unwrap and set aside to cool completely (you can cool them overnight and use the following day).
3. Grate beets: Peel the beets, once cooled (the peel should come off very easily but be sure to wear rubber gloves) then finely grate them.
4. Prepare horseradish: Clean, peel then finely grate the horseradish root.
5. Assemble ćwikła: Combine with the beetroot, add the lemon juice, sugar and salt. Stir thoroughly, taste your horseradish root beets and adjust the ingredients if needed.
6. Store: Place in a jar/airtight container and refrigerate overnight before serving.
Serving suggestions
Polish beets with horseradish are an ideal pairing for ham, Polish kielbasa and boiled or deviled eggs, which are some of the most popular Polish Easter foods. This condiment also works well with lunchmeats, chicken or turkey sandwiches, tuna or salmon.
It's also fantastic with French baguette and brie or camembert!
Top tips
- Roast then cool the beets completely before making the recipe (you can do this step the night before).
- Prepare the horseradish when you are ready to put the recipe together (grated horseradish quickly loses its pungency).
- 4 tablespoons of grated horseradish produce a moderately spicy ćwikła beets.
- Adjust the recommended amounts to your taste.
- Serve chilled.
- Refrigerate your spicy horseradish beets in a jar/airtight container overnight before serving. However, as the flavour will continue to develop, this condiment will taste even better after 2-3 days (the horseradish flavour will intensify).
- Keep refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.
- Leftovers can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
- If you have leftover horseradish root you can add it to mayo, dill and mustard sauce, coleslaw or white sauce for a spicy twist. Alternatively freeze it (peeled and cleaned) to use later.
Where to buy beets with horseradish
If you are looking for ready-made Polish ćwikła z chrzanem it is sold in jars in Polish delis, but you can also sometimes find it in the international aisles of large supermarkets (in the UK). The shop-bought varieties are usually quite mild and sweet and offer a finely pureed form of the condiment.
Related recipes to try next
See also these other Polish recipes including a list of most popular traditional foods!
Allergy advice
This recipe is vegan and gluten free but if you use store bought horseradish sauce, instead of fresh horseradish, check the label to make sure it doesn't contain gluten or dairy (if applicable).
Recipe
Polish Horseradish Beets (Ćwikła z Chrzanem)
Equipment
- Box grater
- Rubber gloves
Ingredients
- 1 pound (450 g) beets whole, unpeeled
- 4-5 tablespoons horseradish peeled, finely grated, see Instructions
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ⅓ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Start by roasting the beets. Preheat the oven to 375 F/ 190 C/ gas mark 5.Wrap each beet (unpeeled) loosely in foil, place on a baking sheet and roast in the centre of the oven for 40-60 minutes until fork tender (the exact roasting time will depend on the size of your beets).Remove from the oven, unwrap and set aside to cool completely (you can cool the beetroot overnight and use the following day).
- Peel the beets, once cooled (the peel should come off very easily but be sure to wear rubber gloves) then finely grate them.
- Peel and rinse the horseradish, if necessary, to remove dirt. Dry thoroughly and finely grate.
- Combine with the beetroot, add the lemon juice, sugar and salt. Stir thoroughly, taste your horseradish beets and adjust the ingredients if needed.
- Place in a jar/airtight container and refrigerate overnight before serving.
Notes
- Roast then cool the beets completely before making the recipe (you can do this step the night before).
- Prepare the horseradish when you are ready to put the recipe together (grated horseradish quickly loses its pungency).
- 4 tablespoons of grated horseradish produce a moderately spicy ćwikła.
- Adjust the recommended amounts to your taste.
- Refrigerate your roasted beets and horseradish in a jar/airtight container overnight before serving. However, as the flavour will continue to develop, this condiment will taste even better after 2-3 days (the horseradish flavour will intensify).
- Serve chilled with ham, chicken, turkey (hot or cold), sandwiches, hard boiled or deviled eggs, Polish kielbasa, salmon and tuna.
- Keep refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.
- Leftovers can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is automatically generated and should be considered as an estimate.
**A note about baking: If using a fan-assisted oven refer to your appliance's instructions and adjust the temperature accordingly.
Keep in touch!
If you make this horseradish beets recipe I’d love to know how it turned out for you. Let me know in the comments below, thanks😊
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Monika says
Hi Susan, a recipe that's 50 years-old must be very good! So 'hrenn' in Slovack must mean 'horseradish' as it's so similar to Polish 'chrzan'. Some Polish recipes also call for vinegar but I personally prefer lemon juice as it's less acidic and adds a hint of citrus flavour. I'd be curious to know how this recipe turns out for you if you do make it. Thanks for the feedback:)
Susan Onderisin says
I just came across this recipe. What a delight to see. I have been making our family's version of this for over 50 years. We don't add sugar and use only vinegar. But I will definitely try this version. We call it hrenn (Slovack), but it's the same thing. I remember years, ago, before food processors, I would grate the horseradish outside because of the strong odor. We would cry and cry but it never stopped us from making it.