Ingredients
- 1 medium fresh beetroot, about 150–200 g
- 500 ml cold water
- ½ lemon, freshly squeezed
- 1 small piece fresh ginger, about 1–2 cm
- ½ small apple, optional
- 4–5 fresh mint leaves, optional
- Ice cubes, optional
Optional ingredients
- A small squeeze of lime
- A pinch of cinnamon
- A few cucumber slices
- A little sparkling water for a refreshing version
I recommend avoiding large quantities of honey, sugar, or syrup if your goal is to keep the drink relatively low in calories.
1. Prepare the beetroot
Wash the beetroot thoroughly under running water.
Cut off the leaves and the root end.
Peel the beetroot using a vegetable peeler.
Beetroot can stain your hands and cutting board, so you may want to use gloves or wash your hands immediately afterward.
Cut the beetroot into small cubes.
Smaller pieces cook more quickly and are easier to blend.
2. Cook the beetroot
You have two options.
Option 1: Boil it
Place the beetroot cubes in a saucepan.
Cover them with water.
Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat.
Cook for approximately 10–15 minutes, or until the beetroot becomes tender enough to blend.
Drain and allow it to cool.
Option 2: Use raw beetroot
If you have a powerful blender or juicer, you can use raw beetroot.
Raw beetroot gives the drink a stronger, more earthy flavor.
If you’re not accustomed to beetroot juice, cooked beetroot is usually easier to enjoy because its flavor is slightly sweeter and softer.
3. Prepare the ginger
Peel a small piece of fresh ginger.
Approximately 1–2 cm is enough.
Grate it finely or chop it into tiny pieces.
Ginger gives the drink a warm, slightly spicy flavor that works particularly well with beetroot and lemon.
Don’t use a huge amount at first.
Too much ginger can overpower the drink.
4. Add the lemon
Squeeze half a fresh lemon.
Fresh lemon juice is preferable to bottled lemon juice because it gives the drink a brighter flavor.
You can adjust the amount according to taste.
If you enjoy a strongly acidic drink, use a whole lemon.
If you prefer something sweeter and milder, start with half.
5. Blend everything
Place the cooked and cooled beetroot into a blender.
Add:
- 500 ml cold water
- Lemon juice
- Fresh ginger
- ½ apple, if using
Blend for approximately 30–60 seconds.
The mixture should become a vivid ruby-red color.
If it is too thick, add another 100–150 ml water.
If it tastes too earthy, add a little more lemon or some apple.
If you like mint, add several fresh mint leaves and blend briefly.
6. Decide whether to strain it
You can drink the mixture as it is, which gives you a thicker drink containing the beetroot’s fiber.
Alternatively, pour it through a fine-mesh strainer.
Keeping the pulp
This gives you more fiber and makes the drink more filling.
Straining
This produces a smoother juice that looks more like the drink in the photograph.
If your primary goal is a lower-calorie drink that keeps you fuller, retaining the pulp can be useful because fiber generally contributes more to satiety than a strained juice.
7. Chill the drink
Pour the drink into a glass.
Add several ice cubes.
You can garnish it with:
- A lemon slice
- A lime wedge
- Fresh mint
- A thin slice of ginger
The result should be a vibrant red drink with a sweet-earthy beetroot flavor and a fresh citrus finish.
🍎 Optional apple version
If you find pure beetroot too earthy, add ½–1 small apple.
Green apple gives the drink a pleasantly tart flavor.
Red apple gives it a sweeter taste.
Don’t add large amounts of fruit if you’re specifically trying to keep the drink lower in calories.
The apple is primarily there for flavor.
🥒 Beetroot & Cucumber Version
For a particularly refreshing variation, blend:
- 1 medium beetroot
- ½ cucumber
- ½ lemon
- 1 cm ginger
- 500 ml cold water
- A few mint leaves
This produces a lighter-tasting drink.
The cucumber adds water and freshness without dramatically increasing the calorie content.
🍋 Beetroot-Lemon-Ginger-Mint Version
This is probably the simplest version I’d recommend if you want something similar to the drink shown.
Ingredients
- 1 cooked beetroot
- 500 ml cold water
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 1 cm ginger
- 5 mint leaves
- Ice
Method
Blend everything until smooth.
Strain if desired.
Serve immediately over ice.
It’s refreshing, colorful, and doesn’t require added sugar.
🌙 What about drinking it before bed?
The image specifically says to drink the beverage before bed.
There isn’t anything special about bedtime that makes beetroot suddenly burn body fat.
Weight loss is primarily determined by your overall energy intake and expenditure over time, along with factors such as body composition, activity, sleep, medications, and individual physiology.
If you enjoy this drink in the evening, you can certainly have it then.
But you don’t need to drink it at night for it to be useful as a food.
In fact, some people may prefer not to drink a large amount of liquid immediately before sleeping because it can cause nighttime trips to the bathroom or disturb sleep.
Good sleep is itself important for overall health and for maintaining healthy eating habits.
⚠️ About the “40 pounds in 4 weeks” claim
This is the part of the image that deserves the most caution.
40 pounds is approximately 18 kilograms.
Losing that much body weight in four weeks would mean an average loss of around 10 pounds (4.5 kg) per week.
A beetroot drink cannot produce that amount of fat loss.
If someone loses a very large amount of weight very rapidly, some of the change may be water, glycogen, intestinal contents, and muscle—not simply body fat.
Very aggressive weight-loss approaches can also create nutritional problems.
So don’t try to reproduce the claim by drinking huge quantities of this beverage, skipping meals, or severely restricting food.
🥗 How to use the drink if your goal is weight management
A more sensible approach is to use the drink as one small part of an overall eating pattern.
For example, instead of drinking a sugary soda or sweetened juice, you could have a glass of this beetroot drink.
Pair it with a meal containing:
- A good source of protein
- Vegetables
- A moderate portion of whole grains or another carbohydrate
- A small amount of healthy fat
For example:
Dinner idea
Grilled chicken + roasted vegetables + a small portion of rice + beetroot-lemon drink
or:
Lentil salad + cucumber + tomatoes + boiled eggs + beetroot drink
The overall meal matters much more than whether you drink one particular beverage.
🥤 Don’t turn it into a sugary juice
A common mistake with “healthy” drinks is adding lots of sweeteners.
If you add:
- Honey
- Sugar
- Syrups
- Large quantities of fruit juice
the drink becomes more calorie-dense.
Beetroot already has a naturally sweet flavor.
Try the recipe without added sugar first.
If you need more sweetness, add a small amount of apple or another fruit rather than several tablespoons of sugar.
🧊 Can you prepare it in advance?
Yes, but fresh is preferable.
If you make more than you need, place the drink in a clean, sealed container and refrigerate it promptly.
Because it contains fresh produce, don’t keep it at room temperature for long periods.
For the best flavor and quality, make a small batch and consume it relatively soon.
Shake or stir before drinking because natural particles can settle at the bottom.
🩸 An important note about beetroot
Beetroot is naturally rich in dietary nitrates.
These compounds are one reason beetroot has attracted interest in nutrition and exercise research.
Beetroot also contains folate, potassium, and other nutrients.
However, having nutritional benefits is not the same as being a weight-loss medicine.
Also, beetroot can temporarily turn urine or stool pink or reddish. This can be harmless and is sometimes called beeturia, but if you see unexplained blood or have other concerning symptoms, don’t automatically assume it’s from beetroot.
🧂 Should you add salt?
No salt is necessary for this drink.
If you’re making a savory beetroot drink, a tiny pinch can work, but for the lemon-ginger version shown here, salt isn’t needed.
The combination of beetroot, lemon, and ginger provides plenty of flavor without it.
🍹 A restaurant-style version
For a more elegant drink, blend:
- 150 g cooked beetroot
- ½ green apple
- ½ lemon
- 1 cm ginger
- 300 ml cold water
Strain it very finely.
Pour into a chilled glass.
Add ice.
Top with a small amount of sparkling water.
Garnish with a thin lemon wheel and mint.
This gives you a beautiful ruby-red mocktail that looks much more sophisticated than a typical homemade vegetable juice.
❤️ Final recipe card
Beetroot, Lemon & Ginger Drink
Ingredients
- 1 medium beetroot
- 500 ml cold water
- ½ lemon
- 1–2 cm fresh ginger
- ½ apple, optional
- 4–5 mint leaves, optional
- Ice
Instructions
- Wash and peel the beetroot.
- Cut it into small cubes.
- Boil for 10–15 minutes if you don’t want to use it raw.
- Cool the beetroot.
- Add beetroot to a blender.
- Add cold water.
- Add lemon juice.
- Add fresh ginger.
- Add apple and mint if desired.
- Blend until smooth.
- Add more water if necessary.
- Strain if you prefer a clear, smooth juice.
- Pour over ice.
- Garnish with lemon and mint.
- Drink fresh or refrigerate promptly.
🍷 Flavor
The finished drink is earthy and naturally sweet from the beetroot, bright from the lemon, slightly spicy from the ginger, and refreshing from the mint.