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?
Very nice recipe. Everybody liked it. Thanks a lot for sharing.
You are welcome Laura, I’m glad that everyone enjoyed it :).
I made the soup with your help and it was delicious! Thanks!
Thank you for the great review Desiree and you are welcome :).
Большое спасибо!
I followed your recipe exactly only I added a peeled fresh tomato and used vegetable broth instead of chicken and it was fabulous! I loved the addition of beans! Thanks so much for sharing 🙂 As good as бабушка used to make!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you so much for sharing your awesome review and how you changed things up 🙂
Hi Natasha – My grandmother was from Poland and maybe her being from a poorer area her borsch did not have all those ingredients. I remember her using soup bones and she would add the beetroot, onion carrot and a bit of vinegar plus salt and pepper. We would only use the stock with sour cream was added, so it would be like a creamed version. This was eaten with a side dish of mashed potatoes or the mashed potato was put in the middle of the bowl and the borsch pored in.
I’m sure your Grandmother’s was super yummy – anytime you cook a broth with bones – it tastes incredible! That’s interesting that she poured it over the potatoes – sounds so homey.
It is a good recipe, however it is most certainly not the classic borscht. CHICKEN broth in a borscht? Please… Meat (lean or with a bone, it is a matter of individual preference) should be put on a very slow boil for at least 2.5-3 hours to get a proper broth. And beans are used only for a lent version, which is in conflict with broth, right?
The same goes for ketchup. No way. This is cheating. Either fresh tomatos or tomato paste (as a last resort).
Beets. Beets should be never boiled beforehands. chop them finely or grate the same way carrots are grated (be prepared that you kitchen might resemble a battlefield, one of the bloodier ones, at the end of grating – beets STAIN!) and then sauteed or just put into pot as it is.
I understand why you chose this particular recipe. It is fast and easy and not too messy. I have no doubt that it tastes really good, but it is not the classic…
Hi Rish! This is a personal/family blog and I share the recipes the way my family makes and loves them. Do you have your version posted online somewhere? I’d love to check it out.
Your spelling is terrible!!!
Beets is double e not beats
Peel is double e not peal!!!!
You’d think after 2 degrees,… sheesh! lol. Thanks Lin 🙂 I intentionally mis-spelled beets once so if someone was searching my site and they equally couldn’t spell, they’d still be able to find it. 😉
I made this recipe and it came out great. In the past, I have made borscht, but it came out bitter and I had to douse it in sour cream to cover the bad taste. I’m making it again today. Thanks for posting it.
I wonder why the other recipe could have been bitter? Bad beets maybe? You might taste your raw beets before adding them next time? Or was there something unusual in the other recipe that could have been the culprit?
We just made your recipe for a class project. We’ve attempted borscht before but now LOVE this recipe! Awesome, it tastes so fresh and not heavy. I added sour cream before but this recipe doesn’t need it making it even healthier. Thanks we will have to check out more of your recipes.
My husband doesn’t usually add sour cream either, but I love it. I’m so happy you all enjoyed the borscht. Thank you so much for a great review!
I was driving home from work on Christmas Eve and and the story that was being told on the radio station was about a beggar who claimed he could make Borscht from bone buttons. Needless to say the story peaked my curiosity. I found your recipe online and made this New Years day. It is the first time I have ever had Borscht in my life. Absolutely delicious! I am going to make this again during the week. Good stuff, even cold from the refrigerator. Thank you.
That’s so interesting! Thanks for sharing that story with me :). What a cool way to discover a recipe!
Вотни как Russian ,a Українськй борщ.
What type of beef do you use?
I’ve used different kinds; top sirloin, regular sirloin, also good quality stew meat works. 🙂
THE MOST AMAZING BORSCHT EVER!
My husband thinks this is to die for!
Thank you for the great review Katie, I’m so glad you guys like it :).
absolutely love this recipe, however I omit the beans because I am just not a fan of them and I do 10 cups broth 6 water, but it is a great recipe I have made several times…thanks for sharing!
I’m so happy you love it! 🙂
I made this once before and loved it. I have some beets but got carried away and cut them before cooking. Can I still use them?
Denise, yes you can still use them. There is speedier version of borsch, click here for the recipe.
Hello Natasha! First off I have to say I gave it 5 stars, but it wouldn’t let me put 5. This is one of our families favorite meals as soon as it starts to get cold! I change it up most of the time. We have introduced many of our friends to borscht because of you! I have my own variation now, but whenever someone asks for the recipe I send them here to your blog! 🙂 thank you for a delicious recipe! ( we usually throw portion control out the window the nights that we eat borscht, I think I single handedly eat 4 or 5 big bowls. It never lasts us two days. Haha) thank you!!!
Tiauna, I’m so glad you love the recipe and thank you so so much for sharing it with your friends. I sure appreciate it and agree that portion control goes out the window when eating borscht ;).
Hi Natrasha,
Wow, you’re also Ukrainian! Great to know! But why are you calling borsch “Classic Russian”, while it is actually Ukrainian Traditional dish?
I know it 🙂 I originally posted it that way and then it was too late to change it since I couldn’t change the link. Oh well. Yes, you’re correct, it is Ukrainian 🙂
Hi Natasha,
What do you think about substituting the ketchup with tomato paste? Have you tried that? Which do you like better? and also, do your potatoes turn out pink or white? My mom adds some of the beets before the potatoes, that way the potatoes kind of take on the color of the borscht, and then the rest of the beet later..
It depends on the beets I’m using. Some of them make the liquid such a fierce red that it gives everything a shade of pink :). I think tomato paste would be a good substitute. I like the flavor of ketchup; it’s a little saltier and tangier, but you can always add a little lemon juice and/or salt to compensate. 🙂
Hi, How would you adapt this to prepare in a slow cooker?
I’m not sure if this one would work well in a slow cooker since you don’t want to overcook the cabbage or it will become mushy. Sorry that’s not very helpful, I’m just not sure I’d put it in a slow cooker. If you figure out a creative way, do let me know! 🙂
I’m not even a tiny bit Russian (or Ukrainian…), but ever since I tried borscht at a little eastern European restaurant years ago I’ve been hooked. I confess, I used your recipe as a starter and worked with what I had, so mine might not be authentic any more, but we loved the result! I used red wine instead of the lemon juice, homemade beef stock instead of chicken stock, and browned a pound of ground pork at the start to make it entree-worthy. Then added a can of diced tomatoes instead of ketchup, and a diced zucchini and some celery just for kicks–more veggies is always good, right? Oh, and I’m a big believer in one-pot soup (who wants extra dishes?) so I kinda did things in a different order (browned meat/onions/carrots first, then added raw grated beets and everything else). Absolutely incredible! Thanks for the recipe, it gave me the courage to give this a shot! 🙂
Your soup sounds really really good! Thanks so much for sharing how you made it. Now I want to try that too! 🙂
I have never tried borscht but have been wanting to. Had no idea how it might taste. For a country boy in Missouri I have to say it was unusual and when my wife and I just tasted it from the pot I said “Yuck!” But then it got a second chance. This time we put some in a bowl and put a heaping tablespoon of sour cream and another of Hellman’s. This time it was delicious. We were eating the soup and then drinking the juice and wanted more. This is good! Thanks for the recipe.
I’m so glad you liked it! It’s definitely nice with sour cream or mayo 🙂
It is a different recipe for borsch, because I am original from Ukraine and we don’t use been and ketchup, but I like use for this dish homemade tomato juice, it is more interesting combination. I always bake some garlic pastry (pampushki) for this soup:) Thank you very much for pickling recipes!
I absolutely love the idea of homemade tomato juice and pampushki served with the borsch! Yum!