After several requests for my borscht recipe, here it is. Ukrainian Borscht… everyone knows what it is and many people around the world have fallen in love with this iconic beet soup.
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy.
I love the deep ruby color of this borsch! It’s so healthy and nutritious; packed with beans (protein), beets (iron), carrots (carotene), potatoes (vit C, potassium, Vit B6), oftentimes cabbage is added (vit K, vit C, fiber, etc…). It feels so good serving this to my family.
Our Family’s Borscht Recipe (Beet Soup)
This is our family’s version of classic borsch and it’s one of the two soups my children absolutely love (Mom’s Meatball Soup being the second). Borscht is definitely on the regular rotation at our house!
This version keeps better because it is a meatless version but doesn’t lack in flavor because it uses good quality chicken broth.
Ingredients for Classic Ukrainian Borsch:
It’s best to have all of the ingredients prepped and ready to go which makes this soup super easy and care free. Start by peeling, grating, chopping, slicing and dicing all of the vegetables for borscht.
Once your potatoes are peeled and sliced, transfer them to a bowl of cold water to keep them from discoloring until ready for use.
Note on Using Cabbage:
We used to add cabbage but our children prefer it without so for years now we’ve been making it just like this without cabbage. If you prefer cabbage, add 1/4 to 1/2 small head of cabbage, thinly shredded, adding it when the potatoes are halfway cooked.
How to Peel and Cut Beets:
- Use gloves when handling beets or your fingertips will stain red for a couple of days.
- To peel beets, use a simple potato peeler like this one.
- You can slice the beets into matchsticks but it is way way easier to grate and children don’t mind the texture of grated beets. We love our food processor for this task as it grates more coarsely than on a hand grater so the beets still have some texture. It also keeps the counter and your hands clean (beat juice can be a pain to get out of clothing and porous surfaces).
How to Remove Beet Stains:
When you eat borscht often, you learn quickly to pace a napkin in your lap and bibs on children. If you do get beet juice on your clothes, address the stain right away.
- Use a paper-towel to blot off any excess juice.
- Run cold water over the opposite/under side of the fabric to push the stain out.
- If the stain persists, apply a stain removing agent (I have found that dish soap works well in a pinch) and launder clothing as usual.
Watch Natasha Make Classic Borscht:
If you enjoy our videos, please and click the bell icon so you’ll be the first to know when we post a new video. THANK YOU for subscribing! We love spending time with you on our
Classic Borscht Recipe (Beet Soup)
Ingredients
For Borscht:
- 3 medium beets, peeled and grated
- 4 Tbsp olive oil, divided
- 8 cups chicken broth , + 2 cups water
- 3 medium yukon potatoes, peeled and sliced into bite-sized pieces
- 2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
For Zazharka (Mirepoix):
- 2 celery ribs, trimmed and finely chopped
- 1 small red bell pepper, finely chopped, optional
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 4 Tbsp ketchup or 3 Tbsp tomato sauce
Additional Flavorings:
- 1 can white cannelini beans with their juice
- 2 bay leaves
- 2-3 Tbsp white vinegar, or to taste
- 1 tsp sea salt, or to taste
- 1/4 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
- 1 large garlic clove, pressed
- 3 Tbsp chopped dill
Instructions
- Peel, grate and/or slice all vegetables (keeping sliced potatoes in cold water to prevent browning until ready to use then drain).
- Heat a large soup pot (5 1/2 Qt or larger) over medium/high heat and add 2 Tbsp olive oil. Add grated beets and sauté 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until beets are softened.
- Add 8 cups broth and 2 cups water. Add sliced potatoes and sliced carrots then cook for 10-15 minutes or until easily pierced with a fork.
- While potatoes are cooking, place a large skillet over medium/high heat and add 2 Tbsp oil. Add chopped onion, celery and bell pepper. Saute stirring occasionally until softened and lightly golden (7-8 minutes). Add 4 Tbsp Ketchup and stir fry 30 seconds then transfer to the soup pot to continue cooking with the potatoes.
- When potatoes and carrots reach desired softness, add 1 can of beans with their juice, 2 bay leaves, 2-3 Tbsp white vinegar, 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, 1 pressed garlic clove, and 3 Tbsp chopped dill. Simmer for an additional 2-3 minutes and add more salt and vinegar to taste.
Nutrition Per Serving
Filed Under
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see pics of your creations on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter! Hashtag them #natashaskitchen
So, which camp are you in? Do you love that dollop of sour cream at the end or the flavor that real mayo adds to borscht?
Ketchup, use tomato paste instead, make your own beef broth, do not use chicken stock, and you will get real borsh.
B
If I can find an easier way and it still tastes amazing; I will do it!! Maybe one day I’ll have time to make my own broth but the organic broth at Costco is pretty good and easy too.
You dont need to make your own broth. Beef broth is infinitely better than chicken in borscht and the more traditional option. Throw some beef better than boullion or a beef cube in the soup instead of the chicken broth. It is cheaper and easier than using canned broth. Costco carries organic better than boullion in jars in the spice aisle at a great price.
I do love the better than bouillon stuff at Costco. I have both the beef and chicken ones. They are wonderful and so economical!
Made this yummy Borscht yesterday and it was sooo sooo yummy. I was hoping it would taste as good as my mom’s but I think it’s even better (sorry Ma). The only error I made was peeling the beets before boiling. I realized this after I already peeled 2 beets so just kept going with that but the taste was still delicious. Is there a reason you wait to peel until after boiling? Also, this recipe took way less the 2 hours; while the beets were boiling I did all the rest of the preparation and I think it took a total of 80 minutes. I love your blog! I was so excited I found it, I was giddy for days.
Thank you Nadya. Giddy for days huh? You’re funny Nadya. I’m not the speediest cook, so I guess it takes me longer :). I don’t really have a good answer for you about peeling the beets; it was the way I learned to do it. Maybe it’s because it’s really easy to peel after it’s cooked, but it makes sense to peel beforehand since you are keeping the juice anyway.
The reason you peel the beets AFTER is because you can save a lot more of their colour. When cooking them, simply clean them, then toss them in the pot…with the root still attached, and say an inch of stem still attached. Doing it this way keeps a lot more of the nutrients and colour from bleeding out into the water. Yes you are saving the water, but your beets will look way more like beets if you boil them this way. The soup itself with still be a deep red, just the vegetables will retain more of their own color and characteristics.
Thanks Michael!!
I’m a pilot and fly to Moscow occasionally and always enjoy my dinning experiences. I used to get to go to Kiev but we quit flying there. All this talk about the two is very interesting to me. It just so happens my favorite restaurant in Moscow is actually Ukrainian. I’m also fond of a Georgian one. Where I live in Texas it isn’t easy to find a Russian, Ukrainian, or Georgian place. Travel and eating are my hobbies, just started blogging about it a couple of months ago. Keep cooking!
Cool!! Welcome to the site; I hope you discover recipes you love and I’m looking forward to checking out your site!
Hello Natasha,
All the Russian borsches I seem to get on the internet are Ukranian–with beets and to which one adds sour cream. Grandmother made the true Russian borsch. She fried the cabbage and tomatoes in butter; in another pot she boiled cut-up potatoes, carrots and celery; added the cabbage and tomatoes, simmered, adding some dill. Now look, I’m trying to remember something from seventy years ago so this recipe may be a little off. But I do remember: there was the Russian borsch–just described, and the Ukranian borsch with beets and served with sour cream.
Roger
Hi Roger, Thanks for sharing. I will have to try that sometime. I don’t add tomatoes or celery. Russian and Ukrainian borscht are similar and every family makes a different version you will never taste the same Russian or Ukrainian borscht twice unless both families are following a recipe 🙂 I think you may be right though; Ukrainian borscht has beets as the main ingredient and so does this one. My mother makes a borscht without cabbage at all!
I tried this by your recipe and wanted to say that its DELICIOUS!! I added some meat to it though.. :))
You should also include a recipe for Ukrainian Borscht.
Спасибо,прекрасные рецепты.И это может быть и “русский борщ”-но он также далёк от украинского-как Маца от Сала.
Ещё раз Большое СПАСИБО за рецепты!!!!!!
Your welcome 🙂
Yummy Yummy!!! Thank you this is the best of the best:)
As far as borscht goes i made a point of reasearching the fact of origin. I end up talking to one of the great food criticks and he pointed out to me the details of how Ukranian cooking is different in style than Russian. Long story, but Borscht is Ukranina and Schi is Russian.
I definitely need to brush up on my cooking history 🙂 Maybe once school is out?
When it comes to food – they for sure are. I love Ukranian food, it’s the best!
Without going into details of the borscht itself, I did not read it. I’m sure it is good. There are hundreds borscht recipes out there. But when you preface the recipe for borscht with word “classic” the fallowing word could not possible ever be Russian. Borscht is 100% Ukrainian invention and as such it could be either simply called: “Russian Borscht or Classic Ukrainian Borscht”. 🙂
I didn’t know that, but I like it!! I am Ukrainian you know. Ukrainians are geniuses I guess 🙂
ya teba lublu!
I love to cook many different ethnic foods, but have never attempted borscht…I don’t know why I waited so long! My daughter is in a Russian club in high school, and I volunteered to make an authentic recipe for the kids to try. I came across your borscht recipe and, although I figured the teenagers might not be crazy about it, the instructor who is mentoring the kids loves it. I had all the ingredients except the beets, so I gave it a shot. It’s wonderful! I’m always looking for ways to use cabbage (it’s so healthy and a great diet food) and this one will go in my soup rotation. To cut down on the salt, I use the B-N-B Low Sodium Chicken paste and put a lot of salt free seasoning in. Excellent flavor, and guilt-free eating 🙂 Thank you!
I’m making your Biskvit Raspberry Roulade Cake for the kids. I’m sure it will be a hit 🙂
So glad you enjoyed it! It is one of the healthiest soups – loaded with the healthiest veggies. Enjoy the roulade!
Natashinka! First off, I just discovered your blog thru a facebook friend and absolutely Love it!! Shchavil is SORREL in english. If you have the recipe for shchavloviy borsht that would be awesome. Thank you in advance! 🙂
I honestly didn’t know that! but I’ve heard of sorrel before. Never put two and two together! thank you Alesya!!
do you have the other classic soup …. with spinach.. i call it green soup.. =)
can’t remember what else people call it..
Shchavloviy Borsche is what we call it. Except I don’t know what the green Shchavel leaves are called or if they are even sold in supermarkets. I’ve never seen them. My mom grows it and makes that soup all the time. I’ve never tried it with spinach. I don’t think it would produce the same sour taste.
Hi there–
I think you are referring to sorrel leaves. I’m sure that would be very tasty! Sorrel is an herb that grows wild down south in the US. It is exceptionally easy to grow. We have some in our garden here in Michigan.
Interested to try your borscht recipe; never used ketchup in borscht before…
Shchavel leaves is called Sorrel. You can find it in Shop Right store ready to use or online. I do it all the time
Hi!
I use pork and smoked bacon for a bouillon part. While it is cooking I do vegetables “sauté here – drop there” (onions, carrots, peppers, potatoes, beets+ what ever I have on hand) , cabbage or (and) spinach I add directly to the pot. I don’t use beans (just not use to, I guess). I also use pasta sauce and some hot pepper (chili or jalapeño). OH!!! and garlic! What a Ukrainian borsch without it :)!!!
You can also try to puree bell pepper in a blender to make borsch more reach (it should help if you don’t have meat in it).
It takes me 1 hour to make. Salad Shooter is great to cut beets. As I remember, in Kiev it always was served with garlic rolls.
Too bad my hubby is not allowed to eat beets often. I love borsch.
where do you buy your “Organic Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base” at?
Costco. I beleive it’s available at Winco too. I haven’t checked Walmart, but the price is best at Costco.
Mmm, borsch. Funny how EVERYONE has a slightly different version, and thinks it’s the best in the world :).
I make mine like Nella–sautee the beets in olive oil with carrot before adding it to the borsch to cook for just a few more minutes. Not having to pre-boil the beets cuts down on the time–about half an hour from start of peeling potatoes to when I turn it off, if I’m in a hurry.
I’ll have to try it with the bell pepper sometime–that sounds good.
I sautee my beets too. That saves a lot of time. 🙂
I love borscht 🙂 My favorite is the not so red one….I cut beets and saute them in oil in skavarotka, also add carrots and onion like you do 🙂 Once they done I add a bit of heavy whip cream to make the whole mixture a creamy color. Add a bit of mushroom spagetti sauce at the end and add the whole mixture to soup. I’ll have to try yours…lemon and ketchup should add nice taste too 🙂
Heavy whipping cream and spaghetti sauce sound good. I will have to try your variation too! Thanks for sharing!
If you want to have borscht so red as this one, you need to saute beets with 1-2 spoons of lemon juice, then beets will be red. ))
Hi Natasha,
I’m looking at your borscht recipe and it is time consuming but it must be so delicious. I might try it when I have some extra time for dinner. I have a Russian food blog I just started a few weeks ago and recently posted my borscht recipe. Even though the ingredients are pretty much the same I can’t believe how different the preparation is. I’ll try yours and you’ll try mine?
HI Kristina. I checked out your site. Looks great. I’m looking forward to seeing more of your posts. I love a good Russian food blog 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
what is your website Kristina
http://wannaberussianfood.wordpress.com/
If I use canned beets, how much water do I use to cook the potatoes?
I would use two cups less (14 cups).