A cup of raw sliced beets has roughly 60 calories, making them one of the lowest-calorie root vegetables you can eat. Per 100 grams, raw beets come in at about 50 calories, while boiled beets drop to around 43 calories as some sugars leach into the cooking water. That small number packs a surprising amount of nutrition.
Raw vs. Cooked Beets
Cooking changes the calorie picture slightly. Raw beets contain about 50 calories per 100 grams, with 9.1 grams of carbohydrates and 1.7 grams of protein. Boiled beets are a bit lighter at roughly 43 calories per 100 grams, with 7.1 grams of carbs and 1.4 grams of protein. The difference comes down to water absorption during cooking and some natural sugars dissolving into the liquid.
For practical serving sizes: a medium whole beet (about 82 grams) has around 35 to 40 calories raw. A full cup of sliced raw beets weighs roughly 136 grams, landing you near 60 to 70 calories. Roasting concentrates flavor and can make beets taste sweeter, but the calorie count per raw weight stays the same since you’re not adding water.
Where Those Calories Come From
Almost all the calories in beets come from carbohydrates, primarily natural sugars. Sucrose is the dominant sugar, typically ranging from about 4.7 to 5.8 grams per 100 grams depending on the variety. That’s what gives beets their distinctly sweet, earthy flavor. Beets are not a meaningful source of fat (less than 0.2 grams per 100 grams) and have only modest protein.
Despite the sweetness, beets have a glycemic load of just 5, which is very low. The glycemic index of boiled beets sits at 64, putting them in the medium range, but because the actual amount of sugar in a serving is small, they don’t cause much of a blood sugar spike in practice. Glycemic load accounts for portion size, and it’s the more useful number for day-to-day eating.
Pickled and Canned Beets
Pickled beets are a different story. A half-cup of commercially pickled beets contains about 55 calories, 14 grams of carbohydrates, and 9 grams of sugar. That’s noticeably higher than the same amount of plain cooked beets, because the pickling liquid typically includes added sugar. If you’re watching your sugar intake, check the label or make your own quick pickle with vinegar and spices instead of a sugary brine.
Canned beets without added sugar are closer to plain boiled beets in calorie content. They’re a convenient option that retains most of the nutrition, though the texture is softer and some water-soluble nutrients end up in the canning liquid.
Red, Golden, and Chioggia Varieties
Red beets are the most common, but golden and chioggia (the candy-striped variety) show up more often at farmers’ markets and grocery stores. Nutritionally, the differences are small. Research comparing all three cultivars found that chioggia beets had the highest carbohydrate content at about 10 grams per 100 grams, along with the most dietary fiber at roughly 3 grams. Golden beets tend to be slightly milder in flavor and comparable in calories to red beets.
The real nutritional difference between varieties is in their pigments. Red beets get their color from compounds called betalains, which act as antioxidants. Golden beets contain a different set of pigments and lack betalains, so they don’t stain your cutting board (or your hands). From a calorie perspective, you can treat all varieties as roughly interchangeable.
What Else You Get for Those Calories
Beets deliver a lot of micronutrition for their calorie cost. They’re a good source of folate, which plays a key role in cell growth and is especially important during pregnancy. They also provide manganese, potassium, and vitamin C. The fiber content, around 2 to 3 grams per 100 grams depending on variety, supports digestion and helps you feel full.
Beets are also one of the richest dietary sources of nitrates, naturally occurring compounds that your body converts into nitric oxide. Bacteria in your mouth start this conversion, and the process continues after the compounds reach your bloodstream. Nitric oxide relaxes blood vessels and improves blood flow, which is why beetroot juice has become popular among athletes. Research has shown that beet-derived nitrates can lower the oxygen cost of exercise, meaning your muscles work more efficiently at the same effort level. This benefit appears strongest during high-intensity activity.
Calories in Common Beet Preparations
- 1 medium raw beet (82g): ~35 to 40 calories
- 1 cup sliced raw beets (136g): ~60 to 70 calories
- 1 cup boiled, drained beets (170g): ~70 to 75 calories
- 1/2 cup pickled beets: ~55 calories (with added sugar)
- 1 cup beetroot juice (240ml): ~100 to 110 calories
Roasted beets tossed with a teaspoon of olive oil add about 40 calories from the oil alone, so keep that in mind when estimating. Beet salads with goat cheese, nuts, or vinaigrette can climb quickly in total calories even though the beets themselves contribute very little.