The aim of this study was to determine the effect of blanching and hot-air drying of red beet roots, as well as heating of dried beetroot on betalain contents and antiradical activity. It was found that blanching diminished betalain contents by almost 25%. However, a double increase was found for antiradical activity. Drying improved antiradical activity by about 25%, whereas losses of red pigment reached 18%. The highest losses of red pigment (by almost 80%) were caused by heating of dried beetroot for 3 and 5 h. Even at such a considerable pigment content decrease antiradical activity increased by about 75%.