Beet Greens: Nutrition, How to Cook Them and Oxalate Notes

Beet greens are the leafy tops of the beet plant, and they are worth keeping instead of tossing in the compost. In USDA SR Legacy data, one cup of boiled beet greens has about 39 calories and more than five times the Daily Value for vitamin K, along with a good share of vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium and magnesium. And yes, you can eat beet greens raw or cooked. Two cautions come with those numbers: beet greens are an oxalate-rich food, and their vitamin K matters if you take warfarin. Below are the numbers, comparisons and cooking tips.

Peptide Labs does not sell beet greens or beet green products. This article is general nutrition information, not medical advice.

What are beet greens?

Beet greens are the leaves and stems that grow from the top of a beet. Table beets, sugar beets and chard are all forms of one species, Beta vulgaris; chard, called silver beet in some countries, is Beta vulgaris var. cicla, a type grown for its leaves rather than its root. The family resemblance shows in the kitchen. Beet greens look like a slimmer version of Swiss chard, often with red or pink stems and veins, and they taste mildly earthy with a slight bitterness.

The root is a very different food. Our beetroot guide covers the root, beet juice and beet powders; this article is only about the leaves.

Beet greens nutrition (USDA SR Legacy)

USDA SR Legacy lists raw and boiled beet greens as separate entries. Cooking shrinks the leaves, so a cup of cooked greens holds far more leaf than a cup of raw ones, which is why the per-cup numbers differ so much. Percentages are of the FDA Daily Values used on food labels.

FDA label guidance counts 20% of the Daily Value or more in a serving as high. By that yardstick, a cooked cup of beet greens is high in vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, potassium, magnesium, riboflavin and copper, and a raw cup is already high in vitamin K. The boiled values above are for greens cooked without salt; USDA lists boiled beet greens cooked with salt at roughly double the sodium.

Two other numbers stand out in USDA data. Per 100 grams, raw beet greens carry more potassium than raw spinach and close to three times as much natural sodium, before any salt is added. If you watch sodium, our low-sodium foods guide puts that in context; for potassium, see our guide to potassium in foods. Beet greens are also low in folate compared with spinach.

Beet greens vs beets and spinach

The leaves and the root of the same plant barely overlap nutritionally. Here they are side by side with spinach, per 100 grams raw in USDA SR Legacy data.

The root brings folate and natural sugar; the leaves bring vitamin K and vitamin A with almost no sugar. Cooking the greens and the root together is a simple way to use the whole plant. For a broader look at greens, including kale, see our leafy greens guide, and for a bitter cousin, our dandelion greens guide.

Are beet greens healthy?

As a food, beet greens are a low-calorie vegetable with a wide spread of vitamins and minerals, and they are not among the nine major food allergens under US law. Research on beet leaves themselves is mostly lab work on extracts, and this guide does not turn those findings into health promises. Three groups should talk to a clinician first: people prone to kidney stones, people taking warfarin, and people told to limit potassium.

Oxalate in beet greens

Oxalate is a natural plant compound that binds calcium. A 1999 review of food oxalate names rhubarb, spinach and beet as common high-oxalate foods, and a 2019 kidney-stone review puts chard, the leaf form of the same species, in its avoid group for people who form calcium oxalate stones. USDA FoodData Central has no oxalate field and published tables disagree on exact values, so this guide gives no oxalate numbers.

Two points matter more than the numbers. First, the 1999 review found that soaking and cooking high-oxalate foods lowers their oxalate content by leaching it into the water, so boiling beet greens and pouring the water off is a reasonable kitchen step if you have been told to limit oxalate. Second, the National Kidney Foundation says a strict low-oxalate diet is not helpful for most people, and that eating enough calcium lowers how much oxalate the body absorbs. If you have had kidney stones, get advice from your clinician or a registered dietitian; our oxalates guide explains the details.

Oxalate also affects the calcium figure in the table. NIH’s calcium fact sheet explains that oxalic acid forms salts the body cannot absorb, so only about 5% of the calcium in spinach is absorbed, compared with 27% from milk. Beet greens were not part of that comparison, but because they are also oxalate-rich, read their USDA calcium number as an upper limit rather than what your body takes in.

Beet greens and blood thinners

Vitamin K helps blood clot, and a single cooked cup of beet greens supplies several times the Daily Value. NIH’s Office of Dietary Supplements says vitamin K can have a serious and potentially dangerous interaction with warfarin (Coumadin), and that people taking it need to keep their vitamin K intake consistent, because sudden changes can increase or decrease the drug’s effect. MedlinePlus advises eating consistent amounts of vitamin K foods from week to week and talking to your doctor before changing your diet. So beet greens do not have to come off the menu; the goal is steadiness, worked out with the clinician who manages your warfarin. Our guide to vitamin K in foods lists other greens to keep in mind.

Potassium and sodium in beet greens

A cooked cup of beet greens provides about 28% of the Daily Value for potassium in USDA data. For most people that is simply part of a varied diet, but NIH notes that people with chronic kidney disease can develop high blood potassium, so anyone on a potassium-restricted diet should follow their clinician’s guidance on greens. See our potassium guide. The natural sodium in beet greens is about 15% of the Daily Value per cooked cup before any salt, which is worth knowing if you season them heavily.

How to cook beet greens

• Prep: cut the greens from the roots when you get home, since leaves left on the root wilt sooner. Swish them in a bowl of cold water to loosen grit, then rinse under running water before cutting, as CDC advises for all produce.
• Stems: chop the stems and start cooking them a few minutes before the leaves; they are tender but firmer.
• Saute: warm garlic in olive oil, add the stems, then the leaves, and stir until wilted. NIH notes that eating vegetables with some fat improves vitamin K absorption.
• Boil or blanch: simmer until tender and drain. Pouring off the water also removes some oxalate, as noted above.
• Raw: small, young leaves are tender enough for salads; larger leaves are better cooked.
• Storing: wrap unwashed greens loosely in a towel inside a bag in the refrigerator and cook them within a few days.

Frequently Asked Questions

Questions about a label? Contact us or read our Buyer’s Guide. Food comes first; follow the label and ask a healthcare provider before starting a supplement, especially if you take medicines, are pregnant or have a food allergy. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Last reviewed October 2026.

Related guides: Dandelion Greens: Nutrition, Taste and Foraging Cautions, Beetroot Powder Benefits: Nitric Oxide, Blood Pressure and Exercise Evidence, Swiss Chard: Nutrition, Benefits, Rainbow Chard and Cautions.