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?
This might be the best soup I’ve made to date! Such earthy but complex flavors…I think due to how the parts were cooked separately and then combined. Lots of chopping (but quite simple to make otherwise)! But that’s okay in my book and usually required for any fresh and healthy soup. *Excellent* recipe, I can’t wait to make it for friends. Thank you!
Thanks so much for your excellent comments and feedback, Becca. We’re so glad that you loved our Classic Borscht!
Aside from missing the chunks of beef, another primary ingredient is missing from your recipe: cabbage. It is not borsch without cabbage – It’s just beet stew.
Needs at least 1-2 more beetroots to make it the prominent flavour but otherwise delicious.
Thanks for sharing and for the feedback!
Great recipe! It was a labor of love as I cut everything by hand and used a box grater for the beets. I will freeze the soup into 3-4 portion containers for the winter.
Labor of love indeed! Great to hear that you liked our Classic Borscht Recipe!
I used red cabbage and beets and they completely lost their color! Why is that?
Hi Cheryl, if you continue to cook the soup for too long, the beets will eventually lose their vibrant color. I recommend following the recipe timeline the best you can.
Beet Stains: Pour boiling water through the fabric. The stain disappears like magic!
Ok, now I’ll go try this recipe — looks fabulous!
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Gail! I hope you love this recipe.
This was so good I don’t even know the right words to express how delicious this is! I ate 3 bowls in a row… couldn’t get enough. Made exactly as stated and was perfect! Thank you for sharing this lovely soup with us 🙂
It’s my pleasure! I’m super glad that you loved our Classic Borscht Recipe!
This is delicious! We always have a ton of these ingredients on hand in the fall and this will become a staple for us! Thanks so much for sharing!
It’s my pleasurem, happy to hear that you love this recipe!
Just made this for myself and oh my goodness! 10/10 would recommend!
So glad you loved it!
A hearty and utterly delicious soup! I used vegetable boullion to make it vegetarian.
So glad you love it, Vickie! Thank you for sharing.
Always a favourite at my house. My husband’s Ukrainian mother also adds a couple of healthy spoonfuls of sauerkraut (homemade!) to the ingredients. Gives it a little kick and delicious. We don’t usually add the beans, either, but some chicken pieces from our own stock. We all love it!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Kathy!
Very tasty! I added lemon juice at the end instead of the vinegar. I also added a small bit of cayenne pepper for a little bite. What a great way to use up the garden beets and dill! My family has enjoyed this soup so much.
Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Vanessa!
The recipe calls for ;8 cups chicken broth 2 cups water and the video for 4 cups broth 6 cups water. Which is correct?
Hi Karen, sorry for the confusion. We made the video early on and have since updated the recipe to have a richer flavored broth. The written recipe here is the most accurate and most current. 8 cups broth, 2 cups water. If you have less broth, the recipe will work subbing out some of the broth with water and adjusting seasoning to taste.
It turned out fabulous! I especially loved the addition of white kidney beans for protein.
Thank you!
You’re welcome! So glad you loved it.
Can the beet borscht be frozen? Thinking of making a big batch but like to know if it freezes well or not before doing that.
Hi Corinne, this will be good for a couple of days in the refrigerator. Borscht freezes very well. I would leave out the garnish (sour cream or mayo) until serving.
Great Flavor!
Followed recipe to a tee.
My soup didnt get very red, which is perfectly fine. Perhaps because I soaked the whole peeled beet in water?
I used the soak water instead of the 2 cups water called for.
Next Time I will try with larger beets and no soak. It was delish! Thanks for sharing a great recipe.
Hi Oona! I’m glad you found it to be delish! Thank you for sharing your results.
tip for tearless onion dice…
if you have a small portable fan, set it to blow across your cutting area on the counter. this will blow whatever it is that makes your eyes water away from your eyes.
Thanks for sharing, Yves.
My husband will not eat beets. Ever. I had just made this soup when he came home. I finally convinced him to just try the broth only in the soup. He did that and much to his dismay he loved it. He actually ate a bowl full. I made this soup exactly as the video. A definite 5 stars!
That’s wonderful, Pat! Thanks for sharing.
Hi Natasha, I love this borscht as does my whole family. It reminds me of my time studying in Kiev many decades ago. And of course there must be smetana!!
I do have a question though. Tasty as it is my borscht always comes out brown rather than that gorgeous red. Any helpful tricks to keep it lusciously ruby?
Thanks, Anneli
Hi Anneli, are you doing anything differently with the process of preparing the beets? Sauteeing the grated beets helps them maintain their vibrant red color. It may also be the type of beets used and quantity of beets?
I’ve never had borscht before but I had beets and cabbage and carrots to use up, so it seemed a natural. It was delicious! Better than the sum of its parts. Thank you for the recipe.
That’s wonderful, Doug! I’m so glad you took the time to try the recipe. Thank you for sharing that with me.