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.
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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:
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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
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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?
There is no question about the choice of topping when serving, of course.
Sour cream is the winner by a country mile, no matter what country you may be coming from.
Sour cream is definitely the popular choice.
Cook time says 1h40m but instructions say 10m to sautee beets, 10-15m for potates to cook and 2-3min after adding mire poix. That’s <30m. What am I missing?
Hi Bill, you are absolutely right! We updated this recipe about a year ago and I forgot to update the cooking time. The now updated timings are accurate. Thank you so much for bringing that to my attention.
first time I made this borscht. I loved it but for some reason, it took me soooooo long. I guess chopping up the veggies is the most time-consuming part, but overall I loved the taste.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe Natalie! Thank you for sharing that with us.
Am I the only one who thought this lacked flavour? I followed the recipe except used low-sodium Veg broth (2c) and 2c water & veg stock powder. My beets were small, I used 5. In the end, I added 3 more small beets, more stock and salt (1/2 tsp total) and more dill (2 tbsp). The result before eating was not something I would serve. I do love all the ingredients, ease of preparation and LOVED my end product. Just wondering what I’m missing from all the rave reviews?!
Hi, it could be due to the low sodium vegetable broth which can have less depth of flavor than a chicken stock and probably would have needed more seasonings. Definitely season to taste at the end and make sure not to skip all of the final touch seasonings at the end which can make or break a soup
Sticking out your tongue when you cut onions prevents tearing. Sounds weird and looks funny but it works!
That’s a new one! Thank you for sharing that, Claire! I’ll have to try that… (off-camera though) LOL! Thank you for stopping by!
First time trying it, and it was fantastic. Will definitely make again!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Stephanie! Thank you for the wonderful review!
This looks great and is the recipe I choose after reading many other recipes. I’m making it tomorrow. Will definitely add the cabbage.
Thanks
The one I had as a kid…made by my Ukrainian neighbour…had cabbage. Would you substitute or add?
Hi Loralee, you are definitely welcome to add cabbage.
You asked if anyone wanted a special recipe.My Mom used to make apple pie with cloves,no cinnamon.I haven’t been able to find an apple pie using only cloves.She passed away 20 years ago and I haven’t enjoyed apple pie, so I stopped eating it.My husbands Mom made hers like the rest with cinnamon, so for him I made it her way. I’ve tried it with both,but don’t like it. I miss my Mom and her delicious apple pie.There must be other people who made apple pie like my Mom did.Thanks
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Carol! I hope you find the recipe you are looking for soon. & thank you for that suggestion about the cloves
I find the taste of beets just a bit too strong for my liking but I make Borscht for my Russian partner who loves it. This is the first time I’ve made it with grated beets. What a difference!
I gobbled down a big bowl when I discovered that grated beets served this way—as opposed to those cut into bite-sized pieces—gave them a much more subtle taste. Delicious.
I used dried dill—that was a mistake as much of it floated to the top no matter how long it simmered. Lesson learned.
Thanks for this recipe. It’s a good one. With fresh dill.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Ron! I’m so glad you found this recipe.
This was Princess Dianna’s favourite dish, will try to make.
Wow! I did not know that. Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
I made this tonight. Absolutely delicious! I added the cabbage as suggested and used vegetable stock instead of chicken. I also used a can of mixed beans instead of just cannelini, simply because that’s all I had in the house. Thank you so much for sharing this great recipe. Will definitely make it again.
Anthony, UK
Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Cut off the ends of both sides of your onion cut them in half and peel them and then, Soak your onions in ice cold water before cutting them and your eyes won’t burn as bad.
Thank you for sharing that tip with us, Donnie!
Do you have a recipe for cabbage strudel as a savory main or side dish? If main, suggestions for sides.
Hi Sheila, we have a few cabbage recipes here. Does this Cabbage Pirog HERE resemble what you are looking for?
Light Sour Cream for sure
Is it a new way to cook borsh with out cabbage ?😱
This is the way we make it because our children don’t eat it with cabbage but we do have another borscht with cabbage if you prefer that and you can definitely add it here as well.
Thank you so much for your delicious borscht recipe and for making a fun and helpful video. I made a double batch (in an enormous soup pot) to have enough for a dinner party and to give to family members. Borscht, sour cream, crusty bread. It’s so good!
Borscht needs cabbage!
Natasha,
Do you have a video for making ushka? I make them but it takes me forever to make a few dozen.
Hi Maria, can you describe the recipe to make sure I’m understanding the recipe you are referring to?
It’s a mushroom dumpling in the shape of a pig’s ear that we eat with borsch. Every person gets three or four in their bowl. They are delicious but I don’t make them often because it takes all afternoon to make for just a few bites.
Love the Borsch, but I remember my grandmother making a cold Borsch with cucumber. Would you have a cold version. I miss this soup, esp. in the summer months. Thank you for all of your dishes. Love everyone of them.
Hi Linda, I have two versions of the cold summer soup. One is a white Okroshka and the other is pink with beets called holodnik.
Hello thank you for this Borscht soup, I plan to make it soon . I just want to let you know regarding the stop the burning eyes affect of cutting onions. If you cut the onion without cutting the onion root you can avoid setting off that enzyme that causes the burning I hope this has helped & thanks again for your great food blog. It’s been an inspiration to me, who loves cooking great tasting recipes and hope one day that O can use this fancy Apple computer to get started on making my own food blog.
Thank you so much for sharing that onion tip with us! I hope you love this recipe