Nitric oxide supplements promise better blood flow, lower blood pressure, and bigger gym pumps, and the honest version of the story is that two ingredients carry almost all of the real evidence: dietary nitrate from beet root, and the amino acid L-citrulline. Everything else is mostly noise. The effects are genuine but modest, and they depend heavily on getting an adequate dose, which is exactly where capsules, chews, and proprietary "NO booster" blends tend to fall short. This guide ranks the best nitric oxide and beet root supplements on what actually raises NO, the source, the dose, the form, and the price, and it is candid about where the marketing outruns the science.
The short story: for an all-round daily beet, HumanN SuperBeets powder is the best pick, and for the strongest amino-acid route, Nutricost L-Citrulline lets you hit research doses cheaply. One rule frames the whole category: skip oral L-arginine, which your gut largely destroys before it works.
The short version
- Best overall: HumanN SuperBeets, a palatable, well-referenced beet root powder with added vitamin C.
- Best amino acid: L-citrulline beats L-arginine, which is poorly absorbed. Nutricost L-Citrulline is clean and cheap.
- Powder beats capsules for dose: a powder serving delivers far more nitrate or citrulline than a few pills.
- Reality check: the benefits are modest, doses matter, and proprietary "NO booster" blends are usually underdosed.
How we ranked them
Nitric oxide products live or die on whether they use the right ingredient at the right dose, and whether they tell you what is inside. We weighed five things:
- Ingredient and evidence. Dietary nitrate from beet root and L-citrulline have the best NO evidence; oral L-arginine is poorly absorbed.
- Dose and transparency. Whether the active dose is disclosed and high enough to match the research, not hidden in a proprietary blend.
- Form. Powder, capsule, or chew, traded off against how much active it realistically delivers.
- Testing. Honest third-party testing versus "GMP facility" language.
- Value. Cost per gram of actual active, not just the sticker price.
Scores are our editorial assessment on a five-point scale, not customer ratings. Per-serving prices are approximate and change often.
The 7 best nitric oxide and beet root supplements
Tap any product to jump straight to its full review.
HumanN SuperBeets
Best for: A palatable daily beet root powder for blood flow
The most polished beet root option. SuperBeets is a fermented and non-fermented beet root powder, the most clinically referenced beet brand for nitric oxide and blood-pressure support, with a palatable apple flavor and 50 mg of added vitamin C. A teaspoon in water delivers far more dietary nitrate than a handful of beet capsules, which is what makes powders the serious form for this goal. The honest caveats: it is premium-priced at over a dollar a serving, and like nearly all beet products it does not disclose the actual nitrate milligrams on the label.
- Most clinically referenced beet brand
- Powder delivers a real nitrate dose
- Palatable apple flavor, added vitamin C
- Third-party tested
- Premium price per serving
- Actual nitrate mg not disclosed
- No banned-substance sport seal
Nutricost Pure L-Citrulline
Best for: Hitting research-backed citrulline doses cheaply
The smartest amino-acid route. Nutricost Pure L-Citrulline is a clean, single-ingredient powder you can dose to the studied amounts, about 3 g for general support up to 6 g for blood pressure, for a fraction of the cost of branded beet canisters. L-citrulline is the amino acid that actually raises blood arginine and nitric oxide reliably (unlike oral arginine), which makes this the value-and-evidence pick for both blood-pressure and gym goals. The honest notes: unflavored citrulline is tart on its own, and you have to measure it yourself to hit the higher dose.
- Citrulline, the best amino-acid route
- Dose it to the research-backed 6 g
- Very cheap per gram
- Single ingredient, third-party tested
- Unflavored, tart taste
- Self-measuring to hit higher doses
- Lab not named on testing claim
NOW Beet Root Capsules
Best for: Convenient beet root from a trusted brand
The convenient beet capsule. NOW Sports Beet Root gives you 550 mg of whole beet root per veg capsule from a manufacturer with one of the most respected quality programs in the industry, in a travel-friendly form with no taste. It is the easy way to add beet root to a routine. The honest reality, which applies to every beet capsule, is dose: a few capsules deliver far less nitrate than a powder serving, so this suits maintenance and convenience more than hitting the gram-level nitrate loads used in blood-pressure research.
- Trusted manufacturer, strong QC
- Convenient, no taste, travel-friendly
- Whole beet root, veg capsule
- Inexpensive
- Capsule beet doses are small
- Nitrate content not quantified
- No banned-substance sport seal
Nutricost L-Citrulline Malate 2:1
Best for: Affordable pre-workout pump dosing
The gym-value pick. Citrulline malate is citrulline bound to malic acid, the form most pre-workouts use, and Nutricost's huge unflavored tub is the cheapest way to hit the studied 6 to 8 g pre-workout dose for pumps and training volume. For lifters who want the pump effect without paying pre-workout prices, it is excellent value. The honest catch: in a 2:1 malate ratio only about two-thirds is actual citrulline, so the headline grams overstate the citrulline you get, and it is unflavored and tart.
- Best cost per gram on this list
- The classic pre-workout pump form
- Easy to dose 6 to 8 g
- Third-party tested
- 2:1 ratio means less pure citrulline
- Unflavored and sour
- Self-measuring required
Nutricost Organic Beet Root
Best for: Organic beet root capsules at the lowest price
The budget beet. Nutricost Organic Beet Root delivers a real 2,400 mg of certified-organic beet root per three-capsule serving at one of the lowest prices in the category, with CCOF organic certification and third-party testing. For an inexpensive, clean beet capsule, it is a strong value. The honest notes are the same capsule caveat as above, the actual nitrate delivered is modest and undisclosed compared with a powder, and "organic" is an agricultural certification, not a purity or potency seal.
- Certified-organic beet root
- Real 2,400 mg per serving
- Cheapest beet option here
- Third-party tested
- Three capsules per serving
- Nitrate content not quantified
- Organic is not a potency seal
NOW L-Citrulline Capsules
Best for: No-taste citrulline for light daily use
The convenient citrulline. NOW L-Citrulline gives you 750 mg of pure citrulline per veg capsule, no taste, from a quality-respected brand, which is handy if you want citrulline but cannot stand the sour powder. It is a fine maintenance option. The honest limitation is the same math that affects all citrulline capsules: reaching the studied 6 g would mean roughly eight capsules a day, which is impractical and expensive, so capsules realistically suit smaller daily doses rather than the full research amount.
- Pure citrulline, no taste
- Quality-respected brand
- Convenient veg capsules
- Many caps needed for a full dose
- Pricey per gram vs powder
- No sport seal
Force Factor Total Beets Chews
Best for: A tasty daily chew, if you accept the trade-off
The convenient one, with an honest asterisk. Total Beets soft chews taste good and are genuinely easy to take every day, blending beet root, beet extract, citrulline, and grapeseed. The problem is the dose: the actives sit inside a 325 mg proprietary blend whose individual amounts are hidden, and 325 mg total is small relative to the gram-level nitrate and citrulline doses the research uses, so it is almost certainly underdosed for a meaningful NO effect. It earns its place only for people who will not touch powder, with eyes open about the trade-off.
- Tastes good, easy daily habit
- Combines beet and citrulline
- No water or measuring
- 325 mg proprietary blend, likely underdosed
- Hidden per-ingredient amounts
- No third-party seal disclosed
The full lineup, side by side
Start with the source and dose: beet powder and citrulline powder hit research doses; capsules and chews trade dose for convenience.
| Product | Source | Key dose | Form | Third-party | ~ Price / serving |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HumanN SuperBeets | Beet root | ~5 g | Powder | Tested | $1.30 |
| Nutricost L-Citrulline | Citrulline | 3 to 6 g | Powder | Tested | $0.25 |
| NOW Beet Root | Beet root | 550 mg/cap | Capsule | GMP (UL) | $0.15 |
| Nutricost Citrulline Malate | Citrulline malate | 6 to 8 g | Powder | Tested | $0.10 |
| Nutricost Organic Beet | Beet (organic) | 2,400 mg | Capsule | CCOF organic | $0.24 |
| NOW L-Citrulline | Citrulline | 750 mg/cap | Capsule | GMP (UL) | $0.20 |
| Force Factor Total Beets | Blend | 325 mg (prop) | Chew | None listed | $0.50 |
Most beet products do not disclose actual nitrate milligrams. In citrulline malate 2:1, only about two-thirds is citrulline. Prices are approximate and change often.
How to choose
Pick nitrate or citrulline, not arginine
The two ingredients with real nitric oxide evidence are dietary nitrate (beet root) and L-citrulline. Skip products built on oral L-arginine, because the gut and liver break most of it down before it reaches your bloodstream, so it raises NO unreliably. L-citrulline is the better amino-acid route precisely because it bypasses that first-pass breakdown.
Match the dose to the research
Doses matter more than brand here. For citrulline, studies use about 3 g for general support, up to 6 g for blood pressure, and 6 to 8 g of citrulline malate pre-workout. For beet root, powders deliver far more nitrate per serving than capsules. Avoid proprietary blends that hide the per-ingredient amounts, since you cannot tell whether the dose is meaningful.
Choose your form for dose vs convenience
Powders let you hit research doses cheaply and are the serious choice for blood-pressure or performance goals. Capsules and chews are convenient and travel-friendly but usually deliver smaller amounts, so they suit lighter maintenance use or people who dislike the taste of beet or citrulline powder.
Read testing claims literally
"Third-party tested by an accredited lab" is better than "made in a GMP facility," which only describes manufacturing. If you are a drug-tested athlete, look for an actual sport certification (NSF Certified for Sport or Informed Sport); none of these everyday products carry one, so a beet or citrulline product with a sport seal would be the move if that applies to you.
Mind blood pressure and medications
Because these support vasodilation, they can stack with blood-pressure and nitrate or erectile-dysfunction medications and lower blood pressure too far. If you take any heart or blood-pressure medication, clear it with your doctor first, and see our guide to supplement and drug interactions. Citrulline also overlaps with the pump ingredients in our pre-workout guide.
Frequently asked questions
Do nitric oxide and beet root supplements actually work?
Yes, modestly. Dietary nitrate from beet root and the amino acid L-citrulline are the two best-supported ways to raise nitric oxide, and they may support healthy blood flow, blood pressure already in the normal range, and exercise tolerance. The effects are real but small, and most consistent at adequate doses taken regularly. They are not a substitute for medication or lifestyle changes.
Is L-citrulline or L-arginine better for nitric oxide?
L-citrulline. Oral L-arginine is largely broken down before it reaches your bloodstream, since the gut and liver extract most of it on the first pass, so it raises arginine and nitric oxide unreliably. L-citrulline slips past that first-pass metabolism and actually raises blood arginine more effectively, which is why it is the smarter amino-acid route and why we did not rank an arginine-only product.
How much beet root or citrulline should I take?
For citrulline, research commonly uses about 3 grams for general support and up to 6 grams for blood pressure, with 6 to 8 grams of citrulline malate used pre-workout. For beet root, a powder serving (around a teaspoon) delivers far more dietary nitrate than a few capsules, so powders are better for hitting research-level doses. Take them consistently rather than occasionally.
I take blood pressure medication. Are these safe?
Talk to your doctor first. Because nitrate and citrulline support vasodilation and blood flow, they can add to the effect of blood pressure medications and nitrate or erectile-dysfunction (PDE5) drugs, potentially lowering blood pressure too much. This is information, not medical advice. Clear any nitric oxide supplement with your healthcare provider if you take heart, blood pressure, or nitrate medication, or are pregnant or nursing.
Why did my urine turn pink after beet root?
That is beeturia, a harmless pink or reddish tint to urine (and sometimes stool) that some people get from the natural pigments in beets. It is not blood and it passes on its own. It is more common in people with low iron. If you are ever genuinely unsure the color is from beets, check with your doctor to be safe.
Powder, capsule, or chew: which should I choose?
Powders let you hit the research-backed doses most cheaply and are best for blood-pressure or performance goals. Capsules and chews are more convenient and travel-friendly but usually deliver smaller amounts, so they suit lighter maintenance use or people who dislike the taste of beet or citrulline powder. Match the form to your goal and how consistently you will take it.
The bottom line
The best nitric oxide supplement is the one that uses a proven ingredient at a real dose. For an all-round daily beet, HumanN SuperBeets powder leads; for the most evidence-backed and cost-effective amino acid, Nutricost L-Citrulline lets you dial in the research dose. Prefer capsules, NOW Beet Root and Nutricost Organic Beet are convenient and cheap, and Nutricost Citrulline Malate is the gym-value pick. Just keep the fundamentals straight: choose nitrate or citrulline over poorly absorbed arginine, favor powders for serious dosing, ignore underdosed proprietary blends, and check with your doctor if you take blood-pressure medication.