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
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?
All the recipes on borscht soups that you have given are all different! My soup didn’t turn out at all in your new recipe book! The water amount you have 3 different quantities from video to this recipe and book! Please only list one correct recipe to prevent a wasted time.
Hi Larissa, they are actually different recipes and the one in my new book is a favorite. I suggest following the recipe as written without changes. Note this one on my blog is made without meat while the one in my cookbook is made with baby back ribs which simmer in the water and broth to enhance the flavor of the broth so the one in the book doesn’t require as much broth. I hope that makes sense. I suggest sticking to one recipe depending on whether or not you want beef, pork or vegetarian.
This is an Excellent instruction video. I will use it for making Borsh for my entire family !!!! Cannot wait to try it. Thank you very much and best wishes.
Hi there! I’m very excited to make this borscht tonight! However I only have pinto beans in my pantry…would they work in place of the cannellini beans?
Hi Virginia! They have a different taste and texture. Cannellini beans are a good choice for soups/stews because they retain their shape well.
Hello, I want to give this recipe a try. It looks amazing and the color is incredible. Do you also serve this cold?
Hi Nannette! Yes, it can be eaten cold too. I hope you love the recipe!
Hi Natasha,
Where can I find the old Borscht recipe? Without the bell pepper?
Thanks!
Hi Jessica, you can find all of my Borscht recipes by searching “Borscht” in the Blog search bar in the top right corner. I have this Superfood Borsch, or this Borscht with red meat! I hope this helps.
Can this soup be canned, this is a tasty soup.
Hi Roseann! I haven’t tested canning this.
Hi! I was wondering if it is possible to freeze excess soup? I have a lot of beets to cook and I don’t think we will be able to eat it all in one week 🙂
Hi Felixe. Yes, this freezes well.
Thank you for sharing the Borscht recipe.
Tastes just lovely.
You’re very welcome, Jonny!
Soup was awesome. I need to serve this to a large group can I make it the day before and put it in a crockpot to heat up??
I’m glad you loved it, Rhonda! Yes, you can reheat this soup.
So good thank you! Have made this about 6 times in the past couple years. We indeed add the cabbage and we skip the peppers and it’s so easy to follow!
If you want to avoid tears while peeling and dicing onions chew a stick of spearmint gum. Make sure you breath through your mouth not your nose. Works for me
That’s a great tip! Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Shelli!
Why do you add 8 cups broth with 2 cups water? Why not just 10 cups broth?🤗
Hi Tanya – you can use 10 cups broth but most containers come in 4 cup measurements and that would mean having to purchase another extra box of broth for people which isn’t necessary. The extra 2 cups of water won’t make a difference. Of course if you have homemade chicken broth and want to use 10 cups – that would be delicious.
Natasha, this was my first borstch-attempt in over twenty years. The first time took me a greater part of an evening and went into the wee hours of the morning… and, that was just the ingredient prep work. There was beet juice all over everything.
I decided to try it again, using your recipe, and a food processor this time. It turned out AMAZING! No beet juice anywhere but in the processor bowl.
My partner hates beets, but once he tries what I made using your recipe, his whole outlook on beets will change.
Thank you SO very much for posting this delicious recipe that has been handed down for generations in your family!
Hi Bryan! Thank you so much for trying my recipe. I’m so glad it was enjoyed.
On the video it says 4 cups of chicken broth and six cups of water, but in the recipe it says 8 cups of broth and 2 cups of water? That’s quite a big difference. Will it end up a bit watery with six cups of water? Thank you, I’m excited to try Borscht for the first time.
Hi Helene, 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.
Hi Natasha, wow we love this blog at our house. I like the huge variety of recipes you are doing and have done! Have a beautiful Summer, Jill
My son picked Ukraine for a culture fair and needs to make a traditional dish. We like that this doesn’t contain meat so it caters to more diets. Would substituting vegetable stock to the chicken broth change the taste much?
Hi Jessica! That would be fine.
Hi Natasha! I’m keen to try some version of this recipe, but I had one question.
In the description above you mention “beans” as one of the ingredients, but then I don’t see beans on the listed recipe. 🤔🤔
Which one was the typo? 😅
I love all kinds of beans, and I was hoping to see which ones! Ha!
All the best! 😌🙏
Hi! Yes, in the recipe card I mention 1 can white cannelini beans with their juice. See step 5 in the recipe card for instructions on when to add the beans. I hope you love the recipe!
Amazing recipe! My husband is Ukrainian and my MIL makes the best borscht. After moving out of state we desperately wanted to find somewhere that made good borstch but everywhere we tried was not the same. Usually too sweet. So I thought I would try to make it myself and, holy moly. This recipe came out almost just like my MIL! It is delicious. My husband raves about it and my kids gobble it up. Even my brother in law and his gf (who is also from Ukraine) were impressed. This recipe is very simple to follow too! I love it. Thank you Natasha!
Hi Karina, thank you so much for sharing your experience trying out our recipe. I’m glad you enjoyed it!
How would I incorporate beef into this recipe? I found your other borscht recipe with meat but I wasn’t the same base as this one calls for, just with meat. Trying to figure out when to add it in during the cooking process and for how long. Thanks in advance.
Hi Ryah! In this particular recipe I used beans instead of meat. You could add cooker meat at the end or sautéed stew meat before or after sautéing the beets and then continue with the recipe.
Natasha, Your site is amazing. I wanted to share you rrecipe on FB but found that the link shows that borschch is a russian soup… I see that you edited name but the link is a tough one .. It is a big deal now you know, so just a feedback on something that you want to edited…
Hi Anna, the name of the recipe is correct but the old URL isn’t easily changed without breaking the link all over the internet, on Pinterest, social, etc.
This is the first time I ever made or ate borscht. I do not even love beets. BUT THIS SOUP IS FANTASTIC! I will be making this again.