Beetroot and Citrulline Together: The Math.

The short answer: You can take beetroot and citrulline together within both labels' directions, but little research has tested the pair. They head toward nitric oxide by separate routes: beet supplies nitrate, and citrulline is turned into arginine first. Our Organic Beetroot Capsules list 1,300 mg of beetroot powder per 2-capsule serving but print no nitrate amount. The two combination trials we read used 3 g and 6 g of citrulline a day, many times what our citrulline capsule holds.

Key takeaways

• The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements (ODS) describes two routes: the body converts some of beet's nitrate to nitric oxide, and it turns citrulline into arginine, then arginine into nitric oxide.
• Taken as labeled, the stack is four capsules a day: one 2-capsule serving of beetroot powder and one 2-capsule serving of citrulline malate with two arginine forms.
• The beetroot panel prints no nitrate figure, and part of the 400 mg citrulline row is malic acid, so neither bottle lists its amount in the terms researchers used.
• Two small trials we read gave the pair together: 3 g of citrulline with 300 mg of nitrate a day for 9 weeks in triathletes, and 6 g with 500 mg for 1 week in rowers.

This guide lines up each row of two Supplement Facts panels against what researchers gave people, gaps included. Betterly sells both products in the stack, which is why we show the math rather than ask you to take our word.

Can you take beetroot and citrulline together?

Yes, you can take beetroot and citrulline together within both of our labels, and the combined routine adds up to four capsules a day: one serving from each bottle.

Between our Organic Beetroot Capsules and our L-Citrulline & L-Arginine Capsules, a full day of the stack totals 1,300 mg of beetroot powder and 800 mg of citrulline and arginine compounds. Neither panel repeats an ingredient from the other, so no row doubles up when you take both.

ODS's exercise and athletic performance fact sheet warns that "most ingredient combinations have not been studied," leaving their safety and effects unknown. Beetroot plus citrulline is a partial exception, with at least two small controlled trials in trained men, covered below.

Why do people pair citrulline with beetroot?

People pair citrulline with beetroot because each reaches nitric oxide by a separate route: beet supplies nitrate, and citrulline becomes arginine first.

ODS describes two paths to nitric oxide, which your body makes anyway:

• The nitrate route. ODS puts beets and beet juice near the top of nitrate's food sources, and the body turns part of it into nitric oxide.
• The amino acid route. Your body makes citrulline, an amino acid, and some foods supply it. The kidneys convert most of it into arginine, which the body then uses to make nitric oxide.

The triathlete trial's authors started from the hypothesis that the two might act in a complementary way to help strength. That was an idea going in, not a measured result, and ODS doesn't discuss the pair.

Our citrulline capsule adds a wrinkle: its panel lists arginine beside the citrulline, covering two steps of the second route.

Is beetroot or citrulline better on its own?

On the federal evidence, beetroot has the firmer case of the two, but that case rests on beet juice rather than capsules, and ODS calls the citrulline research limited.

According to ODS, beet juice improved performance and endurance in aerobic sports such as running, cycling, swimming and rowing in many studies, though not all, with recreational exercisers gaining more often than highly trained athletes. Whether supplements made from beetroot powder act the same way isn't known.

For citrulline, ODS finds only a few studies, and they disagree: some saw it help, some saw it hold people back, and some saw no change.

What have combination trials actually tested?

Two small trials we read gave citrulline and beetroot extract together: a 9-week study in 32 male triathletes and a 1-week study in 20 elite male rowers.

The triathletes. This 2021 paper in Nutrients split the men into four groups of eight: citrulline, beetroot extract, both, or a placebo. The combined group took 3 g of citrulline and 2.1 g of beetroot extract (supplying 300 mg of nitrate) a day, as six capsules split across breakfast, lunch and dinner.

On the strength tests, the authors report no significant differences between groups. On an aerobic fitness test called the Cooper test, the combined group improved significantly more than the placebo and citrulline-only groups.

The authors' summary goes further: it says the combination did better on the aerobic test than either supplement alone. The group-by-group comparison they report as significant, though, is against placebo and citrulline only, not beet alone. That gap matters, because "better than beet alone" is exactly what a stack needs to show.

The rowers. A 2024 crossover trial in the European Journal of Applied Physiology gave each man a week of placebo, a week of beetroot extract alone and a week of both. The combined week meant 3.5 g of beetroot extract (500 mg of nitrate) plus 6 g of citrulline powder a day.

Peak power on an aerobic test differed only between the combined week and placebo, not beet alone. Five minutes after a 45-second all-out sprint test, blood lactate cleared better on the combination than on beet alone or placebo, the authors report. They saw no other differences between conditions and suggest a week may be too short. There was no citrulline-only week.

Both trials studied trained men, and the triathlete paper flags its small, conveniently chosen sample. They explain why people talk about the pair, not what our capsules will do for you.

How much L-citrulline and beetroot is in our capsules?

Betterly's Organic Beetroot Capsules carry 1,300 mg of organic beetroot powder per 2-capsule serving, and the L-Citrulline & L-Arginine Capsules carry 400 mg of L-citrulline DL-malate per 2-capsule serving.

The citrulline panel also lists L-arginine twice: 350 mg as the hydrochloride and 50 mg as alpha-ketoglutarate. Each bottle holds 30 servings.

Two details shrink those numbers. The beetroot panel has no nitrate line. And part of the 400 mg of citrulline malate is malic acid, leaving about 227 to 289 mg of citrulline itself, as our breakdown of citrulline malate ratios works out.

The citrulline and arginine rows land at small fractions of the study amounts. The beet row has no common unit at all: without a nitrate figure, there's nothing to set beside the trials' 300 or 500 mg.

Don't close the gap with extra capsules. Both labels read "Do not exceed recommended dose," race day included.

From our shop: Organic Beetroot Capsules — the beet half of this stack: 1,300 mg of organic beetroot powder per 2-capsule serving, nothing else active, and a vegan, gluten-free claim on the label.

How do you take beetroot and citrulline on the same day?

Swallow the beetroot pair 20-30 minutes ahead of a meal, as its label directs, and take the citrulline-and-arginine pair once that day with 6-8 oz of water.

Only the beetroot label ties itself to food, so let one meal anchor both servings:

1. Let the beet label choose the meal. Pick one you eat at a steady hour, since the beetroot capsules need food 20-30 minutes later. The citrulline pair can ride along or go at any time, as its label asks only for water. Our beetroot capsule timing guide covers fitting that meal around training.
2. Pour water for each pair. The beetroot label asks for an 8 oz (237 ml) glass, the citrulline label for 6-8 oz (177-237 ml). Neither says one glass covers both.
3. Eat 20-30 minutes later, per the beetroot label.
4. Stop at one serving each. Both labels set a single 2-capsule serving a day.

Neither label mentions exercise, so any training-day logic here is ours.

Can you use beetroot powder and citrulline instead?

Yes, our Beetroot & Hibiscus Powder can replace the capsules as the beet half, with 1,375 mg of beet root powder in each 1-scoop (3.25 g) serving.

That scoop adds 1,000 mg of hibiscus powder and 500 mg of apple juice powder. The label's directions: one scoop a day, stirred into 6-8 oz of cold water or a drink you like, and finished within 10 minutes of mixing.

Use the powder or the capsules, not both, since running them together doubles your beet. Swallow the citrulline capsules with plain water rather than the beet drink, as their label names water.

From our shop: L-Citrulline & L-Arginine Capsules — the citrulline half, with 400 mg of L-citrulline DL-malate and two arginine forms per 2-capsule serving, labeled vegan, gluten free and non-GMO.

Can you take beetroot with L-arginine as well?

Yes, and if your citrulline product is our L-Citrulline & L-Arginine Capsules, you already are: that panel carries two arginine rows totaling 400 mg per 2-capsule serving.

They're the stack's only listed arginine. Each row's weight includes a partner molecule, so the arginine itself is somewhat lower, the same salt math that shrinks the citrulline row.

Citrulline adds some indirectly, since ODS says the kidneys turn most of it into arginine. Even so, the stack stays far below the 2 to 20 g a day that arginine studies used.

A separate arginine bottle would make three. ODS says arginine seems to do little or nothing for strength training or aerobic exercise, and seems safe at up to 9 g a day for several days or weeks. Check with a healthcare provider before stacking more.

When don't you need to stack citrulline with beetroot?

You don't need to stack citrulline with beetroot if you want study-sized amounts, if you mostly lift, or if another product already supplies citrulline or arginine.

We'd skip the stack if:

• You want what the trials used. Our citrulline capsule holds under a tenth of the smaller 3 g dose, and the beet label prints no nitrate figure to set against 300 or 500 mg.
• Your training is mostly weights. ODS says beet's effect on strength work isn't known, and neither trial's strength tests separated the combination from placebo.
• There's already citrulline or arginine in your pre-workout. If those sit in a blend without their own amounts, you can't total what the capsules would add.
• Your supplement list is already long. ODS's consumer guide Dietary Supplements: What You Need to Know names high doses and long lists of supplements as the likeliest routes to side effects.

Where our pair fits: you want a simple daily routine of two small servings, and the gaps in the table don't bother you. For other options, browse our shelf of energy supplements.

Who should check with a healthcare provider first?

Talk to a healthcare provider before starting this beetroot and citrulline stack if you're pregnant, nursing, under 18, taking any medication or have a medical condition.

Each bottle prints the same two-sentence caution: "Do not exceed recommended dose. Consult a physician if pregnant, nursing, under 18, or have a medical condition." ODS raises three more points:

• Medications. The ODS exercise fact sheet says performance supplements might interact with medicines, prescription or over-the-counter, so bring your full list.
• Teens. Under most circumstances, that fact sheet says, performance supplements are for adults.
• Surgery. ODS's What You Need to Know guide warns that some supplements, "if taken before surgery, can change your response to anesthesia." Let whoever is planning your procedure know about both products.

Bring both panels to the appointment, plus the hibiscus row if you use the powder.

FAQ: stacking beetroot with citrulline

Should you take citrulline and beet before a workout?

Citrulline and beetroot can go before a workout, since neither label sets a workout window. The beetroot label wants a meal 20-30 minutes after the capsules, and ODS notes that beet juice studies usually had people drink it about 2.5 to 3 hours before exercise. Taking both servings before a meal a few hours ahead of training fits all of that. ODS gives no timing for citrulline.

Can you take an L-citrulline and beetroot supplement every day?

Yes, both of our labels describe a daily serving, rest days included. On safety, ODS says citrulline hasn't been researched enough to be sure, and the citrulline studies it describes lasted from one day to 16 days. If you plan to take the pair for months, talk it over with a healthcare provider first.

Can citrulline with beetroot upset your stomach?

An upset stomach is possible, because ODS notes user reports of stomach discomfort from citrulline. For arginine, ODS links GI discomfort to more than 9 g a day, far beyond our capsule's two rows. If the stack doesn't sit well, stop both and ask a healthcare provider before restarting either one.

Will beetroot turn your urine pink if you stack it with citrulline?

Beetroot may turn urine pink or red whether or not citrulline is in the mix, and the ODS exercise fact sheet mentions that color change for beet juice. Its citrulline entry has no such note. Our rundown of beetroot capsule side effects explains which color changes deserve a call to a provider.

Can you add creatine to beetroot and L-citrulline?

You can add creatine, but it turns this into a three-product routine, and ODS notes that combinations like this mostly haven't been studied. Our guide to pairing L-citrulline with creatine looks at that two-product stack. Tell your healthcare provider about the whole routine.

Sources

• NIH Office of Dietary Supplements: Dietary Supplements for Exercise and Athletic Performance, Fact Sheet for Consumers
• NIH Office of Dietary Supplements: Dietary Supplements: What You Need to Know
• Burgos J, et al., Nutrients, 2021: Combined Effects of Citrulline Plus Nitrate-Rich Beetroot Extract Co-Supplementation on Maximal and Endurance-Strength and Aerobic Power in Trained Male Triathletes
• Viribay A, et al., European Journal of Applied Physiology, 2024: Impact of a Short-Term Nitrate and Citrulline Co-Supplementation on Sport Performance in Elite Rowers: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Crossover Trial

If this left you looking for somewhere to start, read 1,300 mg beetroot powder capsules — its amounts per serving are listed on the page. For the practical questions this raises, how dosing, sourcing and subscriptions work is answered in one place.