The Benefits of Beet Juice, Raw Beets, and Cooked Beets

Beet Nutrition: Raw vs. Cooked vs. Juiced

Beet Nutrition: Raw vs. Cooked vs. Juiced
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Updated on August 7, 2025
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You can enjoy beets in many ways. To get the most out of this popular root vegetable, though, it’s helpful to know which method of preparation best suits your health needs.

Here, we take a look at the many benefits beets have to offer as well as the nutritional differences between beets that are raw, cooked, and juiced.

The Health Benefits of Beets (and Beet Juice)

Thanks to their impressive nutrient profile, beets continue to be a focus of study, especially in the realm of sports medicine. These health benefits apply to juiced, raw, and cooked beets, with slight variations we explore a bit later.

Here are some of the most established health benefits of the root vegetable:

1. Beets May Improve Muscle Function

Beets contain natural nitrates, which are the precursors of nitric oxide (NO). NO is involved in the regulation of muscle contractions in your body.

NO is believed to enhance muscle contraction by increasing the maximal shortening velocity and peak power output of your muscle fibers. This means muscles can contract faster and with more force.

2. Beets May Boost Exercise Performance

NO does more than just improve muscle function. It can help you breathe and persist during physical activity, too.

NO can reduce the amount of oxygen your body consumes during a workout and improve blood flow to the muscles, both of which play a role in improving endurance and performance.

3. Beets May Help Lower Blood Pressure

NO causes vasodilation, meaning it relaxes and widens blood vessels. This leads to increased blood flow to working muscles and other tissues, providing more oxygen and nutrients.

4. Beets Have Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Potential

Another major benefit of beets is their betalains. These antioxidants are responsible for the rich red pigment of the root. They are currently studied for their anti-inflammatory properties as well as their ability to reduce cognitive impairment, aid in cancer prevention, function as an antimicrobial, reduce glycemia, and more.

NO also plays a role in managing free radicals. It can stimulate the production of your body’s own antioxidants, helping protect cells from damage during exercise.

Researchers are currently exploring the nutritional benefits of beets for treatment of cardiovascular disease and cancer.

5. Beets Are High in Many Vitamins and Minerals

Beets, no matter their form, are a great source of many vitamins and minerals, especially folate and manganese.

​Folate​

Beets are rich in folate, a B vitamin important for healthy cell growth and the production of red and white blood cells in bone marrow.

Folate is especially important for pregnant people and those trying to get pregnant. It can help prevent low birth weight and promote development of the baby.

​Manganese​

Eating a cup of cooked beets contains around 0.6 milligrams (mg) of manganese, which is 24 percent of your daily value (DV). DV is the amount experts recommend to consume each day.

Manganese is an essential mineral your body needs for the synthesis and activation of many enzymes that regulate metabolism and aid in the function of your immune system.

The Nutritional Value Varies Slightly

Beetroots are packed with vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. They’re also naturally fat-free.

Here’s a look at the nutritional profiles of raw beets, cooked beets, and beet juice, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

The Nutrition of Beet Juice, Raw Beets, and Cooked Beets

Type of Beet (​per cup)​
Calories
Fiber
Sugar
Protein
Beet Juice
98
1.5 g
20.6 g
2.9 g
Raw Beets
58
3.8 g
9.2 g
2.2 g
Boiled and Drained Beets
75
3.4 g
14 g
2.8 g

Note a few key differences here:

Beets contain a high amount of natural sugars. Juicing them will provide a concentrated dose, as you can see in the chart above.

Additionally, you lose fiber content whether you’re drinking the juice of raw beets or cooked beets. After you juice the beets, you can reserve some of the pulp to mix back into your beet drink to replace the lost fiber. Or you can add the pulp to other dishes, such as salads, soups, or stir-fries.

There are also some distinct differences between cooked beets and raw beets, especially when it comes to vitamin and mineral content.

Nutrients in Cooked Beets vs. Raw Beets

Type of Beet (per cup)
Calcium
Manganese
Iron
Potassium
Vitamin C
Folate
Cooked Beets
20 mg (2% DV)
0.5 mg (24% DV)
0.9 mg (5% DV)
328 mg (7% DV)
6.1 mg (7% DV)
136 µg DFE (34% DV)
Raw Beets
26.1 mg (2% DV)
0.5 mg (24% DV)
1.3 mg (7% DV)
422 mg (9% DV)
6.8 (8% DV)
136 µg DFE (34% DV)

Oftentimes, cooking a food can decrease its nutritional content. This may apply to beets. Cooking can destroy or dissolve many vitamins and minerals.

For example, water-soluble vitamins, like folate, can degrade and dissolve into cooking water during boiling.

Additionally, heat can partially degrade the betalains in beets, reducing their antioxidant capacity.

The Takeaway

  • Regardless of preparation, beets contain nitrates, which boost nitric oxide for improved muscle function, exercise performance, and blood pressure. They also contain powerful betalain antioxidants and essential vitamins and minerals, like folate and manganese.
  • Juicing beets concentrates sugars and reduces fiber. Cooking can decrease heat-sensitive nutrients, like folate and betalains, due to degradation or dissolving into water.
  • While raw beets often retain more vitamins and antioxidants, all forms offer benefits. Consider your health goals when choosing between raw, cooked, or juiced beets to maximize desired nutrients.
EDITORIAL SOURCES
Everyday Health follows strict sourcing guidelines to ensure the accuracy of its content, outlined in our editorial policy. We use only trustworthy sources, including peer-reviewed studies, board-certified medical experts, patients with lived experience, and information from top institutions.
Resources
  1. Mueller BJ et al. Nitric oxide in exercise physiology: past and present perspectives. Frontiers in Physiology. January 9, 2025.
  2. Hadipour E et al. Biological effects of red beetroot and betalains: A review. Phytotherapy Research. March 14, 2020.
  3. Madadi E et al. Therapeutic Application of Betalains: A Review. Plants (Basel). September 17, 2020.
  4. Williamson L. Give me a beet: Why this root vegetable should be on your plate. American Heart Association. February 22, 2023.
  5. Folic acid benefits. MedlinePlus. February 3, 2025.
  6. Folate. National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. November 30, 2022.
  7. Manganese. National Institutes of Health Office of Dietary Supplements. March 29, 2021.
  8. Lee S et al. Effect of different cooking methods on the content of vitamins and true retention in selected vegetables. Food Science Biotechnology. December 12, 2017.
  9. Sadowska-Bartosz I et al. Biological Properties and Applications of Betalains. Molecules. April 26, 2021.
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Kayli Anderson, RDN

Medical Reviewer
Member of American College of Lifestyle Medicine

Kayli Anderson has over a decade of experience in nutrition, culinary education, and lifestyle medicine. She believes that eating well should be simple, pleasurable, and sustainable. Anderson has worked with clients from all walks of life, but she currently specializes in nutrition therapy and lifestyle medicine for women. She’s the founder of PlantBasedMavens.com, a hub for women to get evidence-based, practical, and woman-centered guidance on nutrition and cooking, hormone health, fertility, pregnancy, movement, mental well-being, nontoxic living, and more.

Anderson is board-certified in lifestyle medicine and serves as lead faculty of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine’s (ACLM) "Food as Medicine" course. She is past chair of the ACLM's registered dietitian member interest group, secretary of the women's health member interest group, and nutrition faculty for many of ACLM's other course offerings. She is the coauthor of the Plant-Based Nutrition Quick Start Guide and works with many of the leading organizations in nutrition and lifestyle medicine to develop nutrition content, recipes, and educational programs.

Anderson frequently speaks on the topics of women’s health and plant-based nutrition and has coauthored two lifestyle medicine textbooks, including the first one on women’s health, Improving Women's Health Across the Lifespan.

She received a master's degree in nutrition and physical performance and is certified as an exercise physiologist and intuitive eating counselor. She's a student of herbal medicine and women's integrative and functional medicine. She lives with her husband in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, where you’ll find her out on a trail or in her garden.

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Gord Kerr

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Gordon Kerr has worked in the health care industry for the past 15 years. He holds a diploma in Food and Nutritional Science from CSNN, Canadian School of Natural Nutrition, Vancouver. With his passion for a healthy lifestyle and the desire to help others benefit from proper nutrition and natural remedies, Gordon accepted the international position with CARICOM Regional Food and Nutrition in the Caribbean and moved to Barbados. As well as educating the under-nourished people in the region, Gordon formulated dietary plans to help manage medical conditions including chronic nutrition-related diseases, such as diabetes and hypertension. Now retired, Gord enjoys a quiet life on a small island in the Gulf Islands of B.C.

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