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?
Natasha, I also love Cold Borscht. I make it in the Summer. I am Lithuanian.
Hi Judy! Cold Borscht sounds amazing! The best way to enjoy this in the summer!
Hi Natasha,
I loved your borscht! It makes you feel warm, cosy like sitting in front of a fireplace in winter, it’s nutritious and it tastes delicious.
Vera
Isn’t it the best! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe Vera!
Completely bland. Not worth the time.
Hi Gina, did you possibly forget to season?
Regarding the onion, if you put your onion in the fridge and let it cool down its easier on your eyes.
Yes that works!
So good and so easy!!! Tip for cutting onions without crying, place cutting board on top of stove and turn on overhead fan and chop onions over stove!!
Thank you so much for sharing that tip with us Sarah! I’m so glad you enjoyed this recipe!
I can say without exaggeration or hesitation that this is the BEST soup I have ever tasted in my life!
Wow!! I’m so glad you found a new favorite on our blog! That’s so great!
we add tomato paste to borsch in winter time. During summer we use real tomatoes (but of a special kind – sweet and sourly). Also there is good version of a non-meat borsch (postniy) used during fasting. Borsch is extremely good for the health and whenever you eat it you will feel the energy that comes with it.
Yes! We love how delicious and healthy this is! Thank you for sharing that with us!
Hi Natasha, For the Classic Borscht, when you say 3 tablespoons tomato sauce, do you mean pasta sauce or tomato paste?
Hi Monika, you can use tomato ketchup or the plain tomato sauce not paste and not pasta sauce.
I’ve made this recipe close to 10 times now so I thought it’s about time I said thank you 😀 Natasha’s borsch recipe has become my staple recipe. It’s foolproof, easy to make and really flavourful.
I love mine with a spoonful of sour cream! Thank you so much Natasha!
Wow sounds like you found your favorite recipe! Super love it.
Lovely recipe you have here. we do enjoy red beet borscht once in a while but us living in Canada and being huge fans of Doukhobor borsch which is a vegetarian creamy borsch consisting of potatoes that are boiled in a large pot of salted water along with carrots, celery and one small beet which is used only to add a bit of colour. When potatoes are tender they are removed via slotted spoon and mashed with a good amount of whipping cream and butter then put aside.
The small beet is also removed and discarded. Some cooks do grate the cooked beet back into the pot but not many as it would not be following the very old so very delicious Doukhobor borsch recipe that is so loved. It’s a bit of a time consuming recipe as more than one cooking vessel is used.
For the cabbage and onions, a separate pan is needed, preferably a good sized fry pan to saute a medium size green cabbage cut into strips and 1 or 2 onions depending on size of onions on hand, in a good amount of even more butter until softened. Once softened down a large can of tomatoes or jar or two of home canned tomatoes are added depending on how big your canned jar of tomatoes might be. Once everything is cooked to the liking, the whipped potatoes, cabbage and onion mixture go back into the large pot then brought to a boil for only an instant. Depending on taste, finally chopped green pepper and fresh dill is added to top of your pot of Doukhobor Borsch. Oh and always check as you go to be sure salt ( I use diamond crystal kosher salt only ) and freshly ground white or black pepper amounts are to your liking.
Russian Doukhobors ( Sons of Freedom) one of the areas in Canada I used to live and introduced to them via family members who worked at the same place I did, I were different indeed. They rejected the rituals and beliefs of the Orthodox Church as they did laws which was displayed many times in front of the city hall where I lived at that time (1970s) but at the same time were lovely people to speak with and for me personally, incredible cooks. I learned so much in the 5 years I lived in that are from a friend’s mother and elderly Grandmother who were so generous to hand write their recipes for me including their delicious recipe for Doukhobor borsch.
I’m sure you must know of the Russian Doukhobors or perhaps older members in your family as they were either liked or very disliked because they shunned the orthodox church for thier own beliefs which included no killing of animals for food. I know is they started immigrating to Canada in the early 1800’s. For myself, I couldn’t have been happier to meet with and enjoy learning from many of them about a cooking style I knew very little about as that is what caused me to want to learn about cooking and recipes from around the world.
Oh, and PS. Doukhobor creamy borsch is not a recipe one would want to make too often if you value your arteries!
Thank you for sharing!
I love the recipe Natacha. I will definitely try. My son is Russian and he just loves it. Thank you.
Thank you, Marisa. I am so glad you and your son loved it!
Hi! Is it possible to leave out the beans without messing up the flavor?
The beans enhance the recipe’s flavor so we highly recommend it but you can change up the beans based on your preference and/or what you have on hand.
Hi, I did the recipe today without the beans and I used bone broth instead of chicked broth since I didn’t have those. The soup was great, bay leaves and dill defitinitely had a great impact on the flavor. Thanks for the recipe !
Hi Ezgi, I’m so glad you loved the borscht recipe! Thaks for the great review!
Can this be served cold?
Hi Kevin, it sure can but we prefer it warm.
My new favorite guilty pleasure!!!!
Thanks to Natasha!!!!
SOOOOO AMAZING!!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed that Matthew! Sounds like a new favorite!
I would like to add the cabbage. When and how do you do that?
Hi Patricia, 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.
no borscht without cabbage in Ukraine
Actually my mother and father were both from Ukraine and never used cabbage in borscht. Same with my Baba. I think it’s different regions. Bukovina is where they were from.
Thank you for sharing that with us Zenovia!
My parents as well, also from Bukovina and for us we had nothing but stock, beets, beet leaves, cream and vinegar on our borscht. Sometimes some carrot or peas but that was about it. Don’t recall cabbage ever but a bit wouldn’t be a problem. But beet leaves were essential and delicious!!!
AGREED!!!
Thanks for this great recipe! I’m a basic cook and was able to complete this without issues… It juuuust fit in my 4 qt. pot when I cut the liquid to 3/4 of what was listed.
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us!
How long will this last in the fridge?
That’s so awesome! Thank you for the great review, Jillian!
Can this soup be frozen?
Hi Judy, this will keep well in a jar/bowl refrigerated up to 5 days. It should only be stored in the refrigerator though and not at room temperature.
So delicious! Made exactly as specified, but added 1/2 head of cabbage. It tastes even better the next day! I made 2 pots in 2 days. Thank you for sharing the amazing recipe!
Very nice, glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for your great feedback.
Onion Knife Tip
Keep your knife sharp.
Yes! Great tip! Have you seen our knife sharpening post?
If you get really watery eyes be sure to light a candle and keep it close during onion cutting it will actually help with the onion juices from free floating into your eyes!!
Great idea! Thank you for sharing that Matt!
I just made your borscht recipe for the third time tonight, and it is such a gem. Borscht is my comfort food and I love having this for lunches and dinners and just feeling warm, full and happy. 🙂
Thank you so much!
Sounds like this is one of your favorites! Thanks for sharing your comments with us, Cait and for giving this recipe an excellent review.