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?
AMAZING recipe! I had never tried this soup but stumbled upon this recipe and had to try. (My dad is Ukrainian, born and raised in America). And boy, am I glad I did. The flavors blend so well together! Also my 2 year old even ate it and I felt good serving her such a healthy dish. The only changes I made were I used half chicken bone broth and half regular chicken broth, Added navy beans (rather than white kidney beans), and added almost double vinegar. Also I think the fresh dill is a must! Will be saving this recipe and making again. Thank you for sharing!
It’s a class and I’m happy you enjoeyd that Sherry! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
An old short cut on peeling beets. Blanch them for about 2-3 minutes in boiling water. Cool in cold water and the skins will just about peel off with your latex gloved hands…. unless you want to dye your hands.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Barry!
To prevent your eyes from tearing from the onions, place them in the refrigerator.
What can be added to the recipe to sweeten it? The first time I ate this was over 20 years and it had a sweetness to it.
Good idea! Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Valerie!
When tomatoes aren’t sweet enough (think Italian spaghetti), you can add 1/2 to 2 tsp of sugar. Also, carrots can also be sweeter just like tomatoes, or if you use ketchup instead of tomato paste might be why one recipe is different or sweeter than another.
I can’t wait to try your soup but I think I will add a small amount of Italian Sausage. Have you ever made the soup with meat?
Hi Joseph, we have a Borscht recipe with meat HERE. I haven’t tried this with Italian Sausage to comment on the outcome, but we make it with beef/ stew meat if we wanted meat. I hope that helps!
So yummy and surprisingly easy! Thank you Natasha!
You are very welcome, Carolyn. Thanks for sharing your good feedback with us!
This is a healthy recipe that tastes really good! Some slight changes I made due to ingredients on hand were: I used gold beets and I added the cabbage. I used seasoned tomato sauce, so that makes the soup less sweet. I didn’t have fresh dill, so used 2 tsp. of dried. That was plenty! It’s even good without the sour cream.
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Sharon!
This was really great the second time I made it. I am going to add cabbage next time.
Sounds great, I’m glad you loved it!
Your borscht recipe is great. It’s alot of work, but it well worth the effort. My Latvian grandma used to make borscht too, so this soup brings back fond memories. What I can’t get over is how much my son loves it! It’s his favorite dish.
Thanks for your fantastic feedback! I’m glad you loved the result of this recipe, thanks for sharing that with us.
Such an excellent recipe. This is the third time I made it. I decided to try a twist on it this time. I used a Leek (whites and small part of the green thinly sliced), and a half jar of Hungarian Lesco (purchase through your local Hungarian market). It has a tomato type ketchup sauce in it. Before I added the cannoli beans I removed the bay leafs and hand benched it until it was smooth and well blended. I used white wine vinegar but added balsamic at the end last two minutes of cooking. It seemed to really boost it. Also, the seasonings didn’t seem to do it for me this time. So I also added some white pepper, ground Cardamon, celery salt, and some marjoram. A squeeze of sour cream as in the picture. I’m ready for a second bowl!
Wow! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Hi:) what an interesting twist:) Can you tell me how much of each seasoning you added? i would like to try it:)
I love sour cream AND mayo!
Good to know that, we do too!
Just made this and it was great! I don’t know if it just needs time in the fridge but I added a lot more vinegar to my soup bowl because it needed a bit more “tang”. It is the prettiest soup I have ever made and it is delicious!
I’m so happy you enjoyed this recipe, Adrienne! Thank you so much for sharing that with me.
Love your recipes and enjoy your videos. Thank you Natasha!
You’re welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed that.
I’ve been looking for an old country recipe for “kapusta” . I recall my mother- in law making it using sauerkraut with the cabbage. She’s no longer with us and her recipe is gone. We need your help.
Hi Manny, you can found our “kapusta”/ sauerkraut recipes HERE.
DON’T CUT THE ROOT END OFF, AND YOU WON’T CRY,
Thank you for sharing that tip with us, Barbara!
Hi Natasha! I’m trying make this recipe for my hubby tonight but I doubting about quantity of ingredients, in your video says so different quantities than your writing recipe. Which one should I follow. Thanks!
Hi Diana, I always recommend following the written recipe as that can be updated whereas the video cannot be edited anymore. We sometimes update the recipe so it’s best to follow that.
Thanks!! It was a very good “start”. I will work on perfecting it. It looks just like the soup from Beauty and the Beast. We loved it.
I’m happy that you liked it! Thanks for sharing.
My go-to recipie for Borscht! So delicious. My husband loves it as is, but I tend to add a bit more vinegar to my personal bowl. Just personal preference ☺️
Thanks Natasha!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Anneli!
Just pulled up quite a few beets out of the garden and wanted to try Borscht. I will use your recipe. I had no idea that this soup had so many other veggies and beans. Thank you for sharing
You’re welcome, Sandi. I hope this becomes your new favorite!
I wanted to love this but it was just ok. Kinda flavorless so I added other things to salvage it and basically turned it into a vegetable soup with vegan sausages.
Hi Alicia, I don’t know if this was the case for you, but I highly recommend using fresh beets and all of the ingredients listed without substitutions the first time.
For the beet soup could I use beef bone broth?
Hi Melodie, I have done that before and it is tasty, although it does make the borscht a little more of a brick or brownish color versus the vibrant red.
So tasty! And just the right balance of sweet, sour, and dill. I love the idea of using ketchup to add a bit to tomato flavor and some sweetness. Just like my mom used to make! Dyakuyu!
You’re welcome, Barbara! I’m so happy you enjoyed that!