Does beetroot have vitamin C?

Raw beetroot has some vitamin C, but not a lot. USDA FoodData Central lists it at roughly 4.9 mg per 100 g — a modest amount next to foods known for vitamin C, and one that drops further once the beet is cooked.

The actual numbers

Per USDA data, 100 g of raw beetroot (about two-thirds of a medium beet) provides approximately 4.9 mg of vitamin C. The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements sets the adult Recommended Dietary Allowance at 90 mg a day for men and 75 mg a day for women. At 4.9 mg per 100 g, beetroot contributes roughly 5-7% of a day's target per typical serving — a real but small amount. Foods with a much bigger vitamin C footprint per serving include citrus fruit, bell peppers, strawberries, kiwi and broccoli, several of which provide 10 to 20 times more vitamin C per 100 g than beetroot does.

Cooking reduces it further

Vitamin C is sensitive to heat and breaks down during cooking, particularly boiling, where it can also leach into the cooking water. Beets are commonly boiled, roasted or pickled, and each of those methods reduces the vitamin C content further from the raw figure above — roasting and steaming generally preserve more than a long boil. If vitamin C specifically is a reason you're eating beets, raw or lightly cooked beets retain more of it than beets simmered for an extended time.

If you're taking Electric Tiger Beetroot

Electric Tiger Beetroot is 1,300 mg — 1.3 g — of dried whole beetroot powder per two-capsule serving. That's a small mass next to the 100 g USDA measures, so whatever vitamin C beetroot does contain scales down proportionally further in a capsule-sized serving; our label lists only beetroot powder and doesn't state a separate vitamin C amount. If vitamin C intake specifically is your goal, a beetroot capsule isn't the way to meaningfully move that number.

Questions people ask

Does beetroot have vitamin C?

Some — about 4.9 mg per 100 g raw, per USDA data. That's a modest amount, well behind citrus fruit, peppers or berries.

Does beetroot juice have more vitamin C than the whole root?

Juicing doesn't add vitamin C that wasn't already present, and the vitamin is heat- and processing-sensitive, so fresh-pressed juice retains vitamin C closer to the raw figure than a pasteurized or heated juice would.

Is beetroot a good source of vitamin C?

Not a standout one. It provides some, but foods like citrus fruit, peppers, strawberries and broccoli offer meaningfully more vitamin C per serving.

What is beetroot actually a good source of?

Folate, manganese and potassium are the nutrients beetroot contributes more meaningfully, alongside dietary nitrate, which is the compound most of beetroot's research is actually about. Vitamin C isn't the nutrient beetroot is best known for nutritionally.

Related reading: foods that contain beetroot, beetroot and potassium, and what is beetroot.