Beets contain meaningful amounts of folate, vitamin C, and several B vitamins, with the root and the leafy greens offering very different nutritional profiles. The root is best known for its folate content, while beet greens are surprisingly rich in vitamins K, A, and C.
Vitamins in the Beet Root
The deep red root most people think of when they hear “beets” is a solid source of a few key vitamins, though it’s not a vitamin powerhouse across the board. Folate (vitamin B9) is the standout. A single cup of raw beets provides roughly 148 micrograms of folate, which covers about 37% of the daily recommended intake for most adults. Folate plays a central role in cell division and DNA synthesis, making it especially important during pregnancy.
Vitamin C is present in more modest amounts. One medium beet (about 82 grams) contains around 4 milligrams of vitamin C, so you’d need to eat several beets to make a real dent in your daily needs of 75 to 90 milligrams. Beets also supply small amounts of vitamins B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), and B6, which collectively support energy metabolism and nervous system function. None of these appear in large enough quantities to be a primary source on their own, but they contribute meaningfully as part of a varied diet.
One vitamin you won’t find in beet root is vitamin A. Despite their vivid color, red beets contain virtually zero vitamin A. That deep crimson comes not from beta-carotene (the pigment that gives carrots and sweet potatoes their orange hue and converts to vitamin A) but from a completely different class of pigments called betalains.
Betalains: The Pigments Behind the Color
Betalains are the compounds responsible for the intense red and purple color of beets. They aren’t technically vitamins, but they function as potent antioxidants and anti-inflammatory agents in the body. Research has found that betalains can help protect cells from oxidative stress, the kind of damage linked to chronic disease and aging. Their structure is built around a molecule called betalamic acid, which serves as the backbone for all the different subtypes of these pigments.
You can tell betalains are present whenever beet juice stains your cutting board, your hands, or (alarmingly but harmlessly) your urine. That deep staining power reflects just how concentrated these compounds are in the root. Unlike many antioxidants that break down with cooking, betalains retain a reasonable amount of their activity in lightly cooked or roasted beets, though boiling for long periods does reduce their levels.
Beet Greens Are the Nutritional Surprise
If you’ve been tossing the leafy tops, you’re discarding the most vitamin-dense part of the plant. One cup of raw beet greens delivers about 2,400 IU of vitamin A, primarily as beta-carotene. That’s nearly half the daily recommended value. The same cup also contains roughly 152 micrograms of vitamin K, which exceeds the full daily recommendation for most adults. Vitamin K is essential for blood clotting and bone metabolism.
Beet greens also provide about 11 milligrams of vitamin C per cup, nearly triple what you’d get from the same weight of the root. Their flavor is earthy and slightly bitter, similar to Swiss chard (which is actually a close relative). You can sauté them with garlic and olive oil, toss them into soups, or mix young leaves into salads. Cooking them lightly with a small amount of fat helps your body absorb the fat-soluble vitamins A and K more efficiently.
Key Minerals That Come Along
While the search is about vitamins, the minerals in beets deserve a quick mention because they work alongside those vitamins. A cup of raw beets provides about 0.45 milligrams of manganese, a mineral involved in bone formation and blood sugar regulation. That’s roughly 20% of the daily adequate intake. Potassium is another notable mineral in beets, supporting heart rhythm and fluid balance. Beets also contain iron, magnesium, and phosphorus in smaller amounts.
Nitrates and What They Do
Beets are one of the richest dietary sources of inorganic nitrates, which aren’t vitamins but have drawn significant attention for their cardiovascular effects. When you eat beets, nitrates are absorbed in the small intestine and eventually converted into nitric oxide, a molecule that relaxes and widens blood vessels. This is why concentrated beetroot juice (a 70 ml shot typically contains around 6.5 to 7.3 mmol of nitrate) has been studied for its ability to lower blood pressure over a 24-hour period.
This nitrate-to-nitric-oxide pathway also improves oxygen delivery to muscles during exercise, which is why beetroot juice has become popular among endurance athletes. The conversion process depends partly on bacteria in your mouth, so using antibacterial mouthwash right before or after eating beets can actually blunt this effect.
Raw vs. Cooked vs. Juiced
How you prepare beets affects which nutrients you retain. Raw beets preserve the most vitamin C, since heat breaks this vitamin down. Roasting or steaming keeps most of the folate and betalains intact, while boiling causes water-soluble vitamins like folate and vitamin C to leach into the cooking water. If you boil beets, using that liquid in soups or sauces recaptures some of those lost nutrients.
Juicing concentrates the nitrates and betalains but strips out the fiber (about 3.8 grams per cup of raw beets). Pickled beets retain some vitamins but often come with added sodium and sugar. Canned beets are a convenient option and still provide manganese (about 1 milligram per cup, more than double the raw amount per cup, partly because of concentration during processing), though their vitamin C content drops significantly.
For the broadest nutritional benefit, eating both the root and the greens in a mix of raw and lightly cooked preparations covers the widest range of vitamins: folate and C from the root, A and K from the greens, and betalains from both.