Abstract Background Folates, including folic acid, may play a dual role in colorectal cancer development. Folate is suggested to be protective in early carcinogenesis but could accelerate growth of premalignant lesions or micrometastases. Whether circulating concentrations of folate and folic acid, measured around time of diagnosis, are associated with recurrence and survival in colorectal cancer patients is largely unknown. Methods Circulating concentrations of folate, folic acid, and folate catabolites p-aminobenzoylglutamate (pABG) and p-acetamidobenzoylglutamate (apABG) were measured by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry at diagnosis in 2024 stage I-III colorectal cancer patients from European and U.S. patient cohort studies. Multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazard models were used to assess associations between folate, folic acid, and folate catabolites concentrations with recurrence, overall and disease-free survival. Results No statistically significant associations were observed between folate, pABG, and apABG concentrations and recurrence, overall and disease-free survival, with hazard ratios (HRs) ranging from 0.92 to 1.16. The detection of folic acid in the circulation (yes/no) was not associated with any outcome. However, among patients with detectable folic acid concentrations (n = 296), a higher risk of recurrence was observed for each two-fold increase in folic acid (HR (95% confidence interval (95%CI): 1.31 (1.02 to 1.58)). No statistically significant associations were found between folic acid concentrations and overall and disease-free survival. Conclusions Circulating folate and folate catabolites concentrations at colorectal cancer diagnosis were not associated with recurrence and survival. However, caution is warranted for high blood concentrations of folic acid as they may increase the risk of colorectal cancer recurrence.