Katie came home from school last week holding her phone like it was evidence. “Dad, Martha Stewart’s cardiologist said beetroot is basically Ozempic.” I laughed. She did not. Twenty minutes later she had a juicer pulled out of the cabinet, a bag of beets on the counter, and a face that said try this or we’re not talking about it again.

So I tried it. And I have to be honest with you. I expected dirt water. What I got was this bright, slightly sweet, sharp little drink that woke me up faster than my third cup of coffee. The spicy beetroot celery juice she made me became my new morning thing, and three weeks later, my pants fit a touch looser.

I’m not going to tell you this is a miracle. I am going to tell you exactly how to make it, why it actually does something, and the five mistakes I made so you don’t have to.

What Is Spicy Beetroot Celery Juice?

Spicy beetroot celery juice is exactly what it sounds like. Fresh beets blended or juiced with celery stalks, then kicked up with ginger, lemon, and a pinch of cayenne. The “spicy” part is what makes it drinkable, honestly. Without it you’re sipping liquid earth.

The drink got popular this year after Martha Stewart said her cardiologist compared beetroot to Ozempic on her podcast. Now, before anyone gets carried away, registered dietitians have already pumped the brakes on that claim. Beets don’t work like a GLP-1 drug. What beets do is feed your body inorganic nitrates, which your gut converts into nitric oxide. Nitric oxide relaxes your blood vessels, lowers blood pressure, and helps your muscles use oxygen better. That last part is why athletes have been drinking beet juice for over a decade.

So no, it’s not Ozempic. But it does something real, and the science backs it up. We’ll get into that in the next section.

Spicy Beetroot Celery Juice Ingredients and What You Need

Here’s the thing about juice recipes online. They list eight ingredients and assume you have a $400 juicer. I don’t. You probably don’t either. This list is what I actually use, and the substitutions section below tells you what to swap when you’re missing something.

• 2 medium raw beets, peeled and chopped into chunks. Roasted beets won’t work the same. You need them raw to get the nitrates intact.
• 3 stalks of celery, leaves and all. The leaves have most of the flavor and minerals, don’t toss them.
• 1 inch fresh ginger, peeled. This is non-negotiable for me. Ground ginger is not the same drink.
• 1 lemon, juiced. Cuts the earthiness in half.
• 1 small apple, cored and chopped. Adds enough sweetness to make this drinkable for normal humans. Use green apple if you want it tart.
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or a tiny slice of fresh jalapeno for the spicy kick. Start small.
• 1/2 cup cold water, only if you’re using a blender instead of a juicer.
• Pinch of sea salt, optional. Brings out the natural sweetness of the beets.

Equipment-wise, you have two options. A juicer is faster and gives you a smoother drink. A blender works fine if you strain it through a nut milk bag or a fine mesh strainer. I’ll cover both methods below.

How to Make Spicy Beetroot Celery Juice Step by Step

Step 1: Wash and Prep Every Vegetable

Rinse the beets, celery, apple, lemon, and ginger under cold water. Peel the beets. They taste a lot smoother without the skin, and the peel is where most of the dirt hides. Chop everything into chunks that will fit through your juicer chute, or into one-inch pieces if you’re using a blender.

Step 2: Juice the Beets and Celery First

If you’re using a juicer, drop the beet chunks in first, then the celery, alternating between solid and leafy. This keeps the juicer from jamming. Beets are dense, celery is fibrous, and they balance each other through the machine.

If you’re using a blender, add the beets, celery, apple, and the half cup of cold water. Blend on high for 60 seconds until the mixture looks fully broken down.

Step 3: Add the Ginger and Apple

Run the ginger and apple through the juicer last. The apple sweetness pulls the flavor together, and ginger smells like a fight broke out in the kitchen, in a good way. If blender method, you already added these in step 2.

Step 4: Strain if Needed and Finish It

Blender users, pour the mixture through a fine mesh strainer or a nut milk bag into a large bowl or pitcher. Press down with a spoon to get every drop. Juicer users, skip the strain.

Squeeze the lemon juice in. Add the pinch of cayenne and the optional pinch of salt. Stir well.

Step 5: Pour Over Ice and Drink Within an Hour

Pour into a tall glass over a few ice cubes. Fresh vegetable juices oxidize fast, meaning they lose nutrients within an hour. Drink it sooner rather than later. If you absolutely have to store it, seal it in a glass jar all the way to the top to keep air out, and keep it in the fridge for no more than 24 hours.

Spicy Beetroot Celery Juice

A bright, fresh spicy beetroot celery juice with ginger, lemon, and a kick of cayenne, ready in just 5 minutes. Supports natural energy and circulation.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 5 minutes mins

Course Drinks

Cuisine American

Servings 1 servings

Calories 105 kcal

Ingredients

  

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Juice Ingredients

• 2 medium raw beets, peeled and chopped Roasted beets won’t work the same; raw preferred for nitrates.
• 3 stalks celery (with leaves) The leaves have most of the flavor and nutrients.
• 1 inch fresh ginger, peeled Ground ginger is not a suitable substitute.
• 1 small apple, cored and chopped Use green apple if you prefer a tart flavor.
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper Adjust for spice level; fresh jalapeño can also be used.
• 1/2 cup cold water Only if using a blender instead of a juicer.
• 1 pinch sea salt Optional, enhances sweetness.

Instructions

 

Preparation

• Wash and prep all ingredients by chopping them into juicer-friendly pieces.

Juicing/Blending

• Juicer Method: Run beets and celery through the juicer first.
• Blender Method: Combine beets, celery, apple, and add cold water. Blend on high for 60 seconds.

Finalizing the Juice

• Add ginger and apple (if using a juicer) through the juicer last.
• If using a blender, strain mixture through a fine mesh strainer.
• Squeeze in lemon juice, stir in cayenne and salt, and mix well.

Serving

• Pour over ice and drink within one hour for maximum benefit.

Notes

Pre-chop ingredients on Sunday for a quick morning routine. Drink on a slightly-eaten stomach to avoid lightheadedness.

Nutrition

Serving: 10gCalories: 105kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 2gFat: 0.5gSodium: 180mgFiber: 5gSugar: 16g

Keyword beetroot and celery juice for weight loss, beetroot celery ginger juice, natural Ozempic drink, spicy beet juice recipe, spicy beetroot celery juice

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

Beetroot and Celery Juice for Weight Loss: Method Comparison Table

The slow masticating juicer is the gold standard if you’re going to drink this every day. The slower the juicing process, the less heat builds up, which means more enzymes survive the trip to your glass. But if you’re starting out, a regular blender and a strainer get you 90% of the same result.

Why Spicy Beetroot Celery Juice Supports Weight Loss

Let me break this down without the influencer fluff. There are three things going on when you drink this.

The nitrate effect. Beets are loaded with dietary inorganic nitrates. Your gut bacteria convert these into nitric oxide. A 2019 NIH-published study from Imperial College London found that beetroot juice with nitrates lowered aortic systolic blood pressure by about 5 mmHg within 30 minutes of drinking. Lower blood pressure means better circulation, which means more oxygen reaching your muscles when you move.

The satiety effect. A glass of this juice runs around 100 calories. It’s mostly water and fiber if you don’t strain it. That’s a lot of volume in your stomach for very few calories, which is the basic mechanic behind any veggie-heavy weight loss approach. You feel full longer.

The energy effect. This is the one that surprised me. The first morning I drank it I noticed I didn’t crash at 11 a.m. That’s likely the combination of nitrates improving oxygen delivery and the natural sugar from beets and apple giving you steady fuel without a coffee spike-and-crash pattern.

None of this means the drink burns fat. There’s no magic juice. But if you swap your morning soda or sweetened latte for this, you’re cutting calories, raising your micronutrient intake, and likely moving more because you have better energy. That math adds up over weeks.

If you want more options in this category, the 5 natural weight loss drinks that actually work hub article walks through the full lineup. And for another fresh morning option, the grapefruit and apple cider vinegar drink is the other one I keep in rotation.

Spicy Beetroot Celery Juice for Meal Prep and Weekly Use

Here’s where most juice plans fall apart. You make one glass on Monday, feel great, and by Thursday the beets are still in the fridge and you’re back to coffee. So let me tell you what actually works for keeping this in your week.

Sunday prep, not daily prep. On Sunday, wash and chop all your beets, celery, ginger, and apples for the week. Store them in five separate zipper bags or glass containers in the fridge. Each bag is one serving. When you wake up, dump one bag into the juicer or blender. Total morning time, 4 minutes.

Don’t pre-juice for the week. I tried it. The juice tastes flat by day 3, and most of the nitrate benefit drops off after 24 hours. Pre-chop, don’t pre-juice.

Freezer beet cubes. Raw chopped beets freeze surprisingly well. I freeze a tray of single servings and pull one out the night before. Same result as fresh, no shopping trips midweek. This is a trick I picked up from the freezer meal prep system we use for dinners.

Pair it with breakfast. Drink the juice while a piece of toast or some eggs cook. The protein and a little fat keep your blood sugar steady, and you get all the benefits of the juice without the empty-stomach edge that some people don’t tolerate well.

5 Mistakes to Avoid With Spicy Beetroot Celery Juice

I made all five of these. Save yourself the trouble.

1. Using cooked or roasted beets. Heat destroys a chunk of the nitrate content. Raw beets only. If you can’t stand the raw flavor, lean harder on the ginger and lemon, don’t cook them.
2. Skipping the apple. I tried this thinking I was being healthier. The juice was undrinkable. The apple isn’t there to sweeten it into dessert, it’s there to make it possible to finish the glass. Use a small one if you’re watching sugar.
3. Going heavy on the cayenne the first time. A pinch is a pinch. I dumped in a quarter teaspoon and spent the next ten minutes drinking water. Build up to your tolerance gradually.
4. Drinking it on a totally empty stomach if you’re sensitive. Beet juice on an empty stomach hits some people hard, especially if you’re prone to low blood pressure or get lightheaded easily. Eat a small something with it.
5. Wearing white. I’m not joking. Beet juice on a white shirt is a permanent commitment. Bib up.

Substitutions and Variations

No fresh ginger? Use a quarter teaspoon of ground ginger. It’s not the same but it works in a pinch. Fresh is significantly better.

No celery? Cucumber is the best swap. You’ll lose some of the savory edge but gain extra hydration.

No lemon? Lime works. Or a splash of apple cider vinegar, but start with half a teaspoon, not more.

Want it sweeter? Add a small carrot to the mix. Don’t add honey or sugar, you’ll undo the whole point of the drink.

Want it more filling? Skip the strainer. Drink it thick. The pulp adds fiber and turns the drink into more of a breakfast on its own.

Storage and Reheating

Don’t reheat this. Just don’t. Heat kills the nitrate content and ruins the flavor.

For storage, this juice is best drunk within one hour of making it. If you absolutely have to save it, fill a glass jar to the top with no air gap, seal tight, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. After that, the color browns and the taste turns. The nitrate benefits drop off significantly after 12 hours.

For longer-term storage of the ingredients, raw beets keep in the fridge for two weeks if wrapped, and the chopped freezer cubes I mentioned earlier last three months easily.

What’s Fresh in Your Kitchen?

Try the spicy beetroot celery juice this week. Make one glass, see how you feel by lunch, and then decide if it earns a permanent spot in your morning. If you change the recipe and find a tweak that works better, tell me in the comments. I read all of them. Katie reads the ones with emojis, so use those if you want her opinion too.

And if you’re building out a weight-loss-friendly drink rotation, check out the 4-ingredient natural GLP-1 drink next. Different flavor, similar idea, equally easy.