Best Beet Powder for Runners

Beets. Most people love them or hate them. I remember seeing beet powder in the grocery store for the first time and wondering who on earth would voluntarily eat it. If you haven’t guessed, I was not exactly pro-beet in the beginning. But that slowly began to change as I made a resolution to dial in my nutrition to become a better endurance runner.

Beet powders are a great low- or no-stimulant option for energy and improved performance for endurance runners. Beets won’t give you that major energy boost that a pre-workout will, but they also don’t leave you with the jitters or crash that caffeine and other pre-workouts are known for. Some runners make beet powder a part of their daily supplement by putting it in a morning smoothie, or mixing it with electrolytes for a post-work run. Others use it only on days they run, in place of a pre-workout. 

Why beets? Well, they’re high in nitrates, which your body converts into nitric oxide to help open blood vessels and improve blood flow to muscles. This can slow fatigue, reduce perceived exertion, and lower blood pressure during and after exercise. While it won’t turn you into Usain Bolt, beet powder can provide mild to moderate gains that might help you hit your next personal best.

We’ve looked at ingredients, performance benefits, and pricing to find you the  Best Beet Powder for Runners: 

1. Feel the Beet: Beetroot powder with adaptogens by Live It Up: Best for an all-natural product that offers beet powder + adaptogens and superfoods for a clean energy boost and stress management.
2. Super Beets Heart Powder by Humann: Best for a straight beetroot supplement without any added bells and whistles.
3. Force Factor Total Beets: Best affordable drugstore option for an affordable entry to beet powders.

What Matters When Choosing a Beet Powder

Before I jump into specific product recommendations, let’s talk about what matters when you’re choosing a beet powder to add to your running program:

Taste and palatability

Let’s be honest, we pretend this one doesn’t matter, but it totally does. How many containers of supplements are stashed in the back of your pantry because they taste terrible, but you can’t bring yourself to throw them out? Beet powder is especially susceptible to this because it’s, well, beets, and most people aren’t lining up for that flavor. I’ll be talking about the flavor of each, because the better the flavor, the more consistently you’ll actually use it.

Mixability

There is (almost) nothing worse than trying to drink a supplement that’s clumpy instead of well-mixed. I’ll be looking at how well each beet powder dissolves into water, smoothies, or another beverage. If you’re someone who takes multiple supplements at a time or just can’t get into that earthy beet flavor, this one is for you. 

Convenience

Part of the convenience factor will depend on when you plan to take the supplement. If you’re mixing it into a smoothie every morning, a simple powder in a canister is great. If you’re gearing up for a run away from home, capsule options may be easier than lugging around a bag or container. 

Clean, low-or-no caffeine energy

I’m not here to bash caffeine, you know where to find it (looking at you, pre-workouts and GUs). But high-caffeine options aren’t always the best solution. Beet powders offer a non-caffeinated way to support endurance and performance without the jitters or crash. All of my top picks have little to no caffeine, making them easy to combine with your other fueling strategies without going overboard.

Now that you know what to look for, let’s jump right into my top picks for beet powder for endurance runners!

My Three Top Beet Powder Picks for Runners

1. Feel the Beet: Beetroot powder with adaptogens by Live It Up

One of the most popular beet root powders on the market, Feel the Beet, is the top pick here for many reasons. It has all the benefits of all-natural beet root powder coupled with adaptogens and superfoods. This combination was unlike any of the other beet powders I could find. 

Adaptogens – natural mushrooms, herbs, or plants – help the body cope with fatigue and environmental stressors (like the cold) to help runners perform more efficiently in whatever setting they’re in. Feel the Beet has several popular adaptogens alongside beets, including cordyceps, reishi, and lion’s mane mushrooms, bacopa, and maca. It has a slight (5.25mg) amount of caffeine in it from coffee fruit extract, which most people don’t really notice. 

The product itself is a 7 gram scoop, with 5 grams being their proprietary blend of beet root, adaptogens, and superfoods. The remaining two grams are the natural ingredients they use to flavor it. There is a light berry flavor to it, and it mixes well into a protein shake or water bottle using a blender or motorized whisk. 

Feel the Beet scored the highest across all categories. Its taste was mild and decently good. It’s flavored with monk fruit and has no synthetics or fillers, which we love to see in a world of fake food. Mixability was good. It does best with a motorized whisk or when mixed in with another supplement and wasn’t super noticeable when mixed with other flavors. If you’re going out for a run, it’s an easy product to mix into a bottle, making it a great beet powder to use before or during a run.

Feel the Beet is available at letsliveitup.com or on Amazon.

2. Super Beets Heart Powder by Humann

Humann is another top brand for endurance-based supplements and is known for having quality ingredients in their products. If you want a product that focuses solely on beets, this is a solid option. It combines non-GMO beet root powder with fermented beet root powder to support nitric oxide production in the body, which can enhance performance. While the effect didn’t feel dramatically different from other beet powders, it still delivers reliable results.

Its recommended amount is 1 teaspoon or 5 grams. The instructions mention mixing it into 4 to 6 ounces of water, which did make it seem a bit strong. Actual users tend to prefer it mixed with a little more water or with another product to avoid a shot of beets. It’s also black cherry flavored, which might be too strong for some people. If you don’t like a strong flavor, you would be better off with Feel the Beet, which has a much milder flavor.

Super Beets is a great choice for a runner wanting to add beet powder as a solo supplement. It’s natural beet flavor comes off a bit strong, but isn’t terrible. If the flavor isn’t your thing, try mixing it into a pre-run smoothie. Otherwise, it does mix well enough into water that it could be used during a run as well. It’s an ideal choice for straight beet root powder with no caffeine or other stimulants.

Super Beets is available at humann.com or on Amazon.

3. Force Factor Total Beets

In giving everything a fair shake, I also wanted to include an option that many of us have seen on store shelves. Force Factor is a brand commonly found at Walmart, Walgreens, and CVS. It was the cheapest by far in price, which could be a good or bad thing, depending on how you interpret it. The quality may not be as high as Feel the Beet or Super Beets, but your investment is lower, giving many people an easier point of entry into beet supplements.

It has 3 grams of beet root powder along with 2 grams of betaine nitrate, which are added nitrates for better performance, similar to the Super Beets powder by Humann. The biggest difference here to note is how much beet root powder you’re getting in comparison to the other options here. Feel the Beet and Super Beets both have closer to 5 grams of beet powder, where this one relies more on the added nitrates to reach the same level of potency. 

This beet powder does have flavor options. Neither are particularly good, but it was nice to have choices. Total Beets is offered in Pomegranate Berry or Black Cherry. The Pomegranate Berry flavor was a nice departure from most brands’ attempts to cover it with black cherry.  Unfortunately, that doesn’t seem to translate well with consumers. The most noted remarks from users were its undesirable taste and lack of easy mixability. Some users also noted stomach upset after use, so this product might not be ideal for those with sensitive stomachs.

Is this the best beet powder out there? I wouldn’t say that, but it’s probably not the worst either. Total Beets has the most accessible price point for someone on a budget who wants to try beet powder without the commitment of higher-priced products. If affordability is your top priority, this may be a great fit.

Total Beets is available at forcefactor.com or on Amazon.

Best of the Beets

Whether you’re looking for high end combinations or simplicity and affordability, beet powders deserve a spot in a runner’s cupboard. They offer a great alternative to highly caffeinated supplements and offer natural improvements to performance without the crash and burn. For the highest quality and added superfoods, try Feel the Beet by Live it Up, and if you’re not quite sold on beets yet, look for an affordable option like Force Factor Total Beets. As one product itself says, try it out and “feel the beets” on your next run.