He started his career with Celtic before moving on to West Bromwich Albion and Swansea City, where he had loan spells with several Football League clubs.

[6] During a Celtic under-19 pre-season friendly against prominent Irish side Derry City, Beattie scored all six goals in a 6–0 win.

[7] He went on to make his senior debut aged 19 on 6 August 2003, as a substitute in a UEFA Champions League qualifying round 1–0 victory against FBK Kaunas.

[16] On 3 July 2007 Beattie signed a three-year contract with Championship side West Bromwich Albion for an initial fee of £1.25 million with an added £500,000 depending on performance-related add-ons.

[18] Beattie made his competitive Albion debut in a 2–1 defeat away at Burnley on 11 August, the opening day of the 2007–08 season.

[23] West Brom manager Tony Mowbray stated that he would not stand in Beattie's way should he seek a move away from the Hawthorns and after just three appearances he was sent out on loan to Crystal Palace.

[27] He made his Preston debut later that day in a 1–0 win away at Leicester City, but was substituted after 38 minutes due to a muscle injury,[28] later revealed to be a double hamstring tear.

[29] Beattie returned to West Brom early in order to receive treatment for the injury and was expected to miss the rest of the season.

[30] He made a rapid recovery however, and returned to Preston for the final two games of the loan spell,[31] making one further appearance as a substitute.

[38] Beattie joined Sheffield United on a three-month loan in February 2009,[39] making his debut a day later, appearing as a second-half substitute in a 2–2 draw away at Plymouth Argyle.

[42] On 27 August 2009,[43] Beattie joined Swansea City as a replacement for departed striker Jason Scotland signing a three-year contract for a £800,000 fee.

[47] A year and a half after signing, Beattie scored his first goal at the Liberty Stadium in a 2–1 defeat at the hands of Portsmouth on 26 November 2010.

[55] In all he made four appearances for Watford scoring once and struggled to break into the side with Troy Deeney, Chris Iwelumo, Marvin Sordell and Joe Garner restricting his first team opportunities.

[64] He scored his first goal for Hearts in a 2–2 draw with St Mirren in the Scottish Cup 6th round at Tynecaste on 10 March.

However, Beattie first team well down the pecking order at St Johnstone, with strikers like Grégory Tadé, Nigel Hasselbaink, Rowan Vine and Steve MacLean took his spot.

In the January transfer window, Beattie was linked with a move to League One side Notts County[80] going on trial but returned to St Johnstone after Keith Curle said his lack of fitness was the reason he could not offer a loan deal.

[97] After helping the club gain promotion to the Scottish Premiership, Beattie expressed concerns over his future at Dundee.

[99] Beattie signed for Maltese Premier League side Żebbuġ Rangers on 18 August 2014, on a one-year deal, with the option of a further year.

[100] In the beginning of September, after less than two weeks with Żebbuġ Rangers, Beattie signed for Scottish League One club, Ayr United.

[104] In July 2016, Beattie became the highest profile summer signing for newly promoted Scottish League Two club Edinburgh City.