Vegetables

Beets nutrition, by serving and by method.

1 beet lands at 35 calories and brings 1.3 g of protein with it. That is USDA’s figure for “Beets, raw”. Cook it differently and that moves: the spread across the forms below is 31 to 44 calories per 100 g. Choose how much you are eating and the panel does the arithmetic from there.

By Alen Yaco · Updated 20 September 2026

Source data is USDA FoodData Central (169145, 169966, 169146). The sums run on your device and nothing leaves it.

Beets calories by portion

35 calories is the figure for 1 beet; 43 is the figure per 100 g. Below are the remaining portions USDA measured.

How much protein is in beets?

The protein count for 1 beet is 1.3 g, equal to 3 percent of the Daily Value. Protein is close to absent in beets. Its calories come from carbohydrate instead.

Looked at as a share of calories: carbohydrate 83 percent, fat 3 percent, protein 14 percent.

What cooking does to beets

There is a 42 percent spread between canned beets (31 calories per 100 g) and boiled (44). The cause is evaporation, which packs more of the food into each gram.

Same beets, same 82 g, different treatment:

Beets in the kitchen

Look for firm, heavy beetroots with smooth skins and fresh, bright greens still attached. Avoid those with soft patches or dry, shrivelled tails. You will find globe shapes in deep purple, golden yellow, or candy-striped varieties. Cylindrical types are also sold, which yield uniform slices. Avoid any roots with wet rot at the crown.

Cooking intensifies the natural sugars of beetroots. Leave the skins, stalks, and taproots intact during boiling or roasting to prevent the pigment from bleeding out. The most common mistake is peeling them raw, which causes loss of colour and juices. After cooking, the skins slip off easily under cold running water.

Beetroot pairs well with salty cheeses like feta or goat cheese in Western salads. In Eastern European cuisines, it forms the base of sour, slow-simmered borscht. Raw, grated beetroot adds crispness to Scandinavian relishes. Acidic ingredients like vinegar or citrus juice brighten its earthy flavour profile.

Beets: the full nutrient profile

Measured against FDA Daily Values, the strongest lines for 1 beet are folate (22 percent of the Daily Value). Adjust the panel at the top and these rows recalculate.

There are 2.8 g of fibre in 100 g, roughly 10 percent of the daily figure.

Beets and your daily targets

Against the standard 2,000 calorie reference, 1 beet takes up 2 percent of the energy and supplies 3 percent of the protein. For a figure that fits you, start with the TDEE calculator, then set grams with the macro calculator.

Cooking with beets: three recipes

These are the Calorie Counter Team’s recipes for beets. Their nutrition panels are arithmetic: ingredient weights multiplied through USDA records, divided by servings.

Side · British

Roasted Beetroot with Thyme

Oven-roasted beetroot wedges seasoned with olive oil and fresh thyme.

45 min · serves 4

88kcal

2.1gprotein

4gfat

12gcarbs

Ingredients

• beetroot 500 g
• olive oil 15 g
• salt 3 g
• black pepper 1 g
• fresh thyme 2 g

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200C.
2. Peel the beetroot and cut them into 2cm wedges.
3. Toss the beetroot wedges with the olive oil, salt, black pepper, and thyme leaves in a bowl.
4. Spread the beetroot in a single layer on a baking tray.
5. Roast for 35 minutes until the beetroot is tender when pierced with a fork.

5 USDA records went into this total. It describes the ingredients as weighed, not the dish after cooking losses.

Lunch · Mediterranean

Beetroot and Feta Salad

A cold salad of boiled beetroot and feta cheese with a simple vinaigrette.

55 min · serves 2

309kcal

10gprotein

21gfat

21gcarbs

Ingredients

• beetroot 400 g
• feta cheese 100 g
• olive oil 20 g
• red wine vinegar 10 g
• salt 2 g
• fresh parsley 5 g

Method

1. Place the unpeeled beetroot in a saucepan of cold water, bring to a boil, and simmer for 40 minutes.
2. Drain the beetroot, let them cool completely, then peel off the skins.
3. Cut the beetroot into 1.5cm cubes and place them in a salad bowl.
4. Whisk the olive oil, red wine vinegar, and salt together in a small container.
5. Pour the dressing over the beetroot, then gently stir in the crumbled feta cheese and chopped parsley.

Per serving, from 6 USDA FoodData Central records. Cooking changes weight and some nutrients; treat these as close rather than exact.

Side · British

Roasted Beetroot and Feta Salad

Roasted beetroot wedges tossed with crumbled feta cheese and a simple red wine vinaigrette.

55 min · serves 4

155kcal

5.6gprotein

9.4gfat

13gcarbs

Ingredients

• Raw beetroot 500 g
• Olive oil 15 g
• Feta cheese 100 g
• Table salt 3 g
• Ground black pepper 2 g
• Red wine vinegar 15 g

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200C.
2. Peel the beetroot and cut into two-centimetre wedges.
3. Toss the beetroot wedges with ten grams of the olive oil, the salt, and the black pepper on a baking tray.
4. Roast in the oven for forty minutes until tender.
5. Transfer the beetroot to a serving bowl, crumble the feta cheese over the top, and drizzle with the remaining olive oil and red wine vinegar.

Figures are per serving and come from 6 USDA FoodData Central entries; cooking will shift them slightly.

Calorie Counter Team, food critic

What a meal with beets adds up to

To see how beets adds up in a meal, here it is beside two ordinary companions, all three from USDA figures.

Vegetables: where beets sits

Here is how beets sits among its neighbours per 100 g; the form column keeps raw and cooked apart.

Beets, asked and answered

What is the calorie count for 1 beet?

35 calories, according to USDA FoodData Central: the record is “Beets, raw”, FDC 169145. That works out at 43 per 100 g.

How much protein does beets have?

1.6 g per 100 g, so 1 beet supplies 1.3 g. Against the Daily Value that is 3 percent.

Is beets higher in calories once it is prepared?

It does. The same 82 g is 25 calories canned and 36 boiled, with the other preparations listed here falling in between.

Can you eat beets when trying to lose weight?

Weight change comes from the whole week’s intake. 1 beet contributes 35 calories and 1.3 g of protein (15 percent of its energy), useful alongside a protein source rather than as one.

How do you stop beetroot from staining your hands?

Rub your hands with vegetable oil before handling raw beetroots. Alternatively, wear kitchen gloves, or rub stained skin with lemon juice and salt immediately after preparing them to lift the pigment.

Can you eat the green leaves attached to the beetroot?

Yes, the greens are completely edible and taste similar to chard. Wash them thoroughly to remove grit, then sauté them in olive oil with garlic, or wilt them into soups just before serving.

Sources

• Beets, raw — USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 169145
• Beets, cooked, boiled, drained — USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 169146
• Beets, canned, drained solids — USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 169966
• Daily Values for nutrition labelling, 21 CFR 101.9