Russian Vinaigrette Recipe with Beets and Sauerkraut
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This Russian Vinaigrette Recipe with Beets and Sauerkraut is another “staple” of Russian/ Ukrainian cooking. Its also a very pretty & vibrant Russian salad.
I think every Slavic person has either made it or tried it. My sis tells me that canned beets taste just as good in Russian cooking and it reduces the hassle and mess of cooking them for 1 hour or more. I will definitely try that next time.
Most people who make this salad use their own pickled cabbage but sauerkraut works just as well. This is my mom’s recipe. This salad is great for parties because you can make it a day ahead. It tastes even better the next day. You may want to scale down the recipe if you are making it for your family.
Ingredients for Russian Vinigrette:
3 medium beets (or 2 (14.5 oz) cans of beets , drained)
3 medium potatoes
3 medium carrots
1/2 cup sauerkraut, drained
3 medium pickles
2 Tbsp sunflower or olive oil
1 Tbsp white vinegar
1 small onion, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
How to Make Russian Vinaigrette:
1. In a medium pot, boil beets for 1 hour or until it can easily be pierced with a knife. OR use canned beets which don’t require any cooking. I peeled beets before cooking, much easier than peeling them boiled.
2. In a separate pot, boil potatoes and carrots about 30 minutes or until a knife goes smoothly through the potatoes. Don’t overcook the potatoes.
3. Drain the vegetables and refrigerate or let them stand until they cool to room temp (or cooler).
4. Peel the skins from the potatoes, beets and carrots, than dice pickles, beets, potatoes, carrots & finely dice onion. The Vidalia Chop Wizard
5. Mix beets with 1st Tbsp of Sunflower Oil separately, so that beets coloring will not get on the other ingredients as much.
6. Mix together beets and the rest of ingredients with the 2nd Tbsp of Sunflower or Olive oil and 1 Tbsp of vinegar. If desired, add more sauerkraut or pickles to taste. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Enjoy 🙂
Russian Vinaigrette Recipe with Beets and Sauerkraut
Ingredients
- 3 medium beets, or 2 (14.5 oz cans of beets, drained)
- 3 medium potatoes
- 3 medium carrots
- 1/2 cup sauerkraut, drained
- 3 medium pickles
- 2 Tbsp sunflower or olive oil
- 1 Tbsp white vinegar
- 1 small onion, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
Instructions
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In a medium pot, boil beets for 1 hour or until it can easily be pierced with a knife. OR use canned beets which don't require any cooking. I peeled beets before cooking, much easier than peeling them boiled.
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In a separate pot, boil potatoes and carrots about 30 minutes or until a knife goes smoothly through the potatoes. Don't overcook the potatoes.
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Drain the vegetables and refrigerate or let them stand until they cool to room temp (or cooler).
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Peel the skins from the potatoes, beets and carrots, than dice pickles, beets, potatoes, carrots & finely dice onion. Place diced beets in a separate bowl.
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Mix beets with 1st Tbsp of Sunflower Oil separately, so that beets coloring will not get on the other ingredients as much.
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Mix together beets and the rest of ingredients with the 2nd Tbsp of Sunflower or Olive oil and 1 Tbsp of vinegar. If desired, add more sauerkraut or pickles to taste. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Natasha Kravchuk
Hi! I'm Natasha Kravchuk. Here you'll find delicious, trusted recipes with easy step-by-step photos and videos. 
Thank you, Natasha!
I just made vinaigrette by myself and it taste great! Can you imagine – my wife (also Natasha) is from Kharkiv, Ukraine and she did not know the recipe of this salad!
God Bless you, will follow your site for delicious recipes of East European food!
You’re welcome, Gilbert. Thank you for sharing, I hope you and your wife will love all the recipes that you will try from my website.
Hi Natasha, where do you get the right kind of sunflower oil – the one which smells like жаренные семечки?
Hi Zhenya, from my research, it’s best to buy un-refined sunflower oil – it tastes better
I love this salad. One of my favorites growing up. I like to add a can of peas and pickles to mine 🙂
That’s just awesome! Thank you for sharing your wonderful review, Sasha!
I’m so glad i found you-I have been looking for this beet salad a long time-Mom was Russian,dad was Ukrainian, just love your recipes-brings back childhood memories-thanks for the trip down memory lane-love your recipes-keep up he good work
Aww, that’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing that with me, Larysa! I’m all smiles knowing my recipes are bringing back sweet memories!
This is great and how long will it last in the refrigerator?
Hi Dawn, I would say it keeps well for about 3, maybe 4 days covered and refrigerated.
I have made this before, it is a fresh, healthy and colorful side dish/salad a great accompaniment for many dishes and or party pot lucks. Of course I always refer to your recipe to remind me how to put it together. Thanks Natsha!
You’re most welcome, Peter. Thank you for always trusting my recipes!
I checked your recipe to see if I was missing any ingredients when making my mother’s version. So thanks, as it is pretty much the same, but I also add a can of rinsed beans and use the pickle juice instead of the vinegar as I like the extra touch of dill. Also, I wrap the beets and carrots in foil and bake them whenever I have something in the oven as I feel it concentrates the flavor, but I’m going to try the pressure cooker next time! This is my favorite salad in the world!
So nice to know that, Tatiana. Thank you for sharing that with us!
Beans is a regional variation – in the classic vinegret there are no beans.
Love this salad! Try adding a fried onion. A game changer!
Yum! Thank you for that suggestion!
Very unusual, perhaps worth trying but I very much like fresh onion as it adds a welcome crunch to all the boiled vegetables.
My favorite beet salad, just love it with added beens.
Yum! I’m so happy to hear that! Thank you for sharing your great review!
I have come across vinegret with peas too though the classic version is without legumes.
Can I use fresh cabbage?
Hi Narine, you would be lacking the tangy flavor that is important in this recipe. Unless you were making homemade sauerkraut, I would highly recommend using sauerkraut and not fresh cabbage.
Thank you for a quick reply. I remember back home (Armenia) we had a salad similar but it also had red beans. Can you elaborate what it was
Hmm, I have not tried this with red beans but these recipes do change based on region. Several of our readers wrote reviews mentioning adding beans to the recipe.
You guys all are full of beans lol, must be from roundabout the same area. There are no beans in vinegret. There are however many other bean salads.
Natsha, hi! I made some Russian dishes I’m a pretty handy cook. I live in Washington state near a city where 25% of the population is Russian.
They say “Allan, your seasonings are wrong. Your borscht is too bland.” Wonder what I am doing wrong?
Hi Allan, are you making it similar to our borscht recipe here?
If you love the borsch you make, it’s none of their business if it does not taste to their liking.
Was just revisiting the recipe (used this many years ago) since turns out my picky eater now loves vinaigrette. I’m just curious- have you cooked the beets, carrots, potatoes in an instant pot and for how long? Trying to see if I can shorten the process.
Thank you!
Hi Julia! I haven’t used it for this recipe specifically but this recipe here calls for an instant pot for the beets. Also, here is what one of our readers wrote: “I made it today and it was so good. My instant pot came in handy for cooking the vegetables which made it a breeze. I ommited the onion since my family isn’t big on onions, other than that I followed the recipe. Will be making it many more time. Thanks Natasha for all the work that you put into this blog, as it is my go to site for the recipes.” I hope that helps.
Ohh thanks for the links and for the response! Was just copying the link to go grocery shopping this week 🙂
where did you get that vegetable cutter from and what is it called because I am a lazy cutter
Hi Laiba, We have it linked in the recipe. You can follow this link here.
Hello. I like this salad so much, because it’s tasty and it’s not have a much calories. I wanted to share with you my recipt. It’s the same, just I use instead olive oil – mustards oil, and I cook without vinegar. I think it’s more tasty. And I boil beets with the peel. It’s not difficult to peel it after boiling, because the peel separates easy.
Thank you for sharing that with me, Irina!
Looks delicious!! As a recommendation there are pre-cooked beets available at many grocery stores now, the brand is Love Beets.
Great tip Haley, thanks for sharing!
Can you put salt in it if is for the next day or will it get soggy and mushy? Also, this recipe is my favorite.
This particular salad won’t get soggy even if you add salt and keep it overnight 🙂 It keeps well in the refrigerator.
One of my favorite salads! I came to see id you make it differently than how my mom taught me 🙂 We do the extra roasted beets, cooked carrots, potatoes, LOTS of pickles (no saurkraut), 1 whole chopped onion, salt/pepper and more olive oil, and the last and very delicious step is a can of red kidney beans…game changer! And we love to keep the beet juices so that the salad is a beautiful deep color. Hope you try the beans! 🙂
*chopping the potatoes and carrots and then boiling is a genius tip! Loved that.
Sounds delicious! Thanks for sharing that with us.
I made it today and it was so good. My instant pot came in handy for cooking the vegetables which made it a breeze. I ommited the onion since my family isn’t big on onions, other than that I followed the recipe. Will be making it many more time. Thanks Natasha for all the work that you put into this blog, as it is my go to site for the recipes.
I’m so glad to hear that Katerina! Thanks for following and sharing your great review! 😀
My Ukrainian mother made this all the time. So delicious. Everything she made was from scratch, no canned veggies. All homegrown, don’t remember carrots but she added I believe was navy beans.
I love the idea of adding beans. Thank you for sharing that with me! 🙂
Yes, I made this for the 1st time last year and added chick peas. I was told about this recipe from the woman at my health food store. I lost the recipe and found yours today..thank you.
BTW..do I add seasoning like pepper or salt?
Hi Susan, seasoning is usually not necessary here. Instead we add more sauerkraut or pickles to taste if you prefer a tangier salad. Between, that and the vinegar, there should be enough sweet/tangy contrast without needing seasoning. You can add a touch of salt and pepper if you like but we usually do not.
Thank you natasha, I added black pepper and you were right, no extra seasoning was necessary. Turned out great!!
That’s so great!
Absolutely love this recipe! Always follow it to the end! I like adding red kidney beans to it, might try navy beans next p.s. making this salad right now!
I’m so happy you enjoyed that. Thank you for sharing that with us Romanna!
Thank you for the recipe! I actually started substituting potatoes with a celery root in vinaigrettes and Olivier salads. It has much less calories, but still feels starchy 🙂
Thanks for the tip! 🙂
Thank you Natasha for this recipe. This is great! I love vinaigrette and this recipe is definitely a keeper.
Thank you Erika! 🙂
My favorite!!!! I also add canned beans and/or canned peas. That way I have more salad with less dicing.
Thank you for the tip Irina! Work smart, not hard 😀.
Omg yo Natasha kinda sorta made this salad except I’m calling it naked vinaigrette beet salad made it with one large beet sliced a quarter or a third of red onion a few pressed garlic cloves a diced pickle a splash of vinegar salt pepper garlic powder a little red pepper and a few tsp of sugar and here’s hoping it’s all good thanx tons 4 all ur gr8 yummy delish healthy and even not so healthy lmao recipes hunny bunny have a really gr8 awesome fantabulous blessed weekend cheers
I love that you got creative with it! Thank you for the wonderful review! 🙂
Awwwww thanx Natasha darlin it was such a big huge hit between me and my momma mind u it was about a pound or three quarters of a pound and we totally just went right into it finished the salad today @ a side with my lunch next time I’ll try it with potatoes and carrots am wondering can they be roasted or are they best boiled my pleasure for the review have a gr8 fantastical cool blessed night and week ahead cheers
Hi Tzivia, I think roasting would be fine and even healthier! 🙂
Hi Natasha! I have pure white vinegar that I use to clean my tea kettle. Is this the same white vinegar I should use in the salad?
Hi Katherine, yes the same Distilled White Vinegar is used in this recipe. I agree, white vinegar is great for descaling the tea kettle! 🙂
I’m so glad I looked through this recipe. The ratios of vinegret veggies are definitely spot on but the chopping can be so time-consuming. I ended up buying a similar cutting thing in TJMaxx! It saves me soon much time and I make this and olivie much more often now. I also cook the beets in the pressure cooker while the potatoes and the carrots are cooking on the stove. Great idea for this chopper! Thank you!
I’m so happy you discovered a time saver! We were so excited when we figured out how useful a chopper like that is for this salad and other salads like olivye 🙂
Delicious and so healthy (when using fresh ingredients)! Thank you!!
P.S. I actually find it easier to push the beet out of its skin once boiled.
Thank you for the nice review and for the tip 😀.
Is it good with canned diced potatoes?
Hi Robert, to be honest, I’ve never tried it with anything but freshly cooked potatoes and I’ve never purchased canned potatoes so the quick answer is: I’m not sure. If you experiment, let me know! 🙂
Natasha,
This recipe looks amazing. May I ask what type of vinegar do you suggest using for this recipe?
Oh sorry about that. It’s normal white vinegar. I specified that in the recipe.
My nanny use to make this salad! I wasn’t sure what went into it, think she used all the ingredients listed except saeurkraut. I vaguely remember her adding ham, or telling me years later that it had ham? Her name was Svetlana and she had a daughter in law named Natasha 🙂 thanks for the recipe, going to try your borscht and then try this, cannot thank you enough!
Welcome to the site Jess 😀. I would love to hear how they turn out.
What kind of pickles do you use ? Sweet/dill, etc…?
I use dill pickles.
On the Russian Vinaigrette Salad, you mention that you need 2 cans of beets, but you don’t define the size of the cans. Did you mean 2, 14.5oz cans, or 2, 9oz, or other?
I can’t rate it if I can’t use an accurate recipe. Please answer.
Jennie, the recipe calls for two 14.5 oz cans and I will update the recipe. Thanks for the tip :).
I wrote you on another post asking for “Vinegrette”, but I have found the recipe here!
Thanks!
I hope you and your husband love it! 🙂
My recipe is almost the same, I just don`t add white onion, instead I put spring onion on the top, which makes it ideal for summer meal! And I cooked it recently for my guests, they loved it and asked for the recipe.
I love the idea of putting spring onion over it. Sounds so fresh and nice! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Thanks fir the recipe. Hubbys grandmother makes the best one and adds beans. This is the closest I’ve found to hers!
P.s. that vidalia chopper is $19.99 at BB&B. 🙂
Thank you for the great review, I’m glad it reminds you your grandmother’s recipe. P.s. don’t forget to use 20% coupon when buying one :).
Buy the way, it is hearing in Old Russian Venegret recepie!
Oh, really? I thought it was just in shuba! We’ve never had this salad with herring.
Hello Natasha. I’m so need this cutting tool and I’m gonna buy it. I have stupid question: Do I have to slice veggies first and then put in slicer (as I understood according pictures of slicer)? Because I think if you put the whole beet (for example) it’ll be long pices, right? Just wont to be sure before I buy it.
Thanks,Marina
Yes, slice the veggies first or you will have long pieces. This makes for perfect dice!
As a Rusophile living in an area where it is nearly impossible to get good Russian food unless you make it yourself, this recipe was fantastic. I ended up adding a little extra smetana and dill (with some dark xleb and shproti on the side), but this was about as authentic as it gets. It was a smash hit at a dinner party, too…never realized there were so many beet lovers out there! Thanks!
Ha! I’ve never even heard that term “Rusophile” before, so I googled it, naturally. A term “used to denote individual or collective admiration of Russia or Russian culture.” Nice, I like it! I like how your version sounds too! I want to give it a whirl now!
THANK YOU! You just saved Thanksgiving with my Russian partner. He always talks about this salad and I had never even heard of it! I will definitely be coming back here for more recipes; Russian food is a bit confusing to make without thorough instructions.
I’m so glad you both enjoyed it 🙂 You’re so welcome 🙂
how was it
If you want to give your vinaigrette a bit of “zip” add in a bit of Russia style hot honey mustard. Also, I agree with the comment that it’s better to use either good kosher (or better, homemade) dill pickles (Vlasic is very good) or sauerkraut – but NOT both. I go for the pickles. By way of veggies you can also add in red kidney beans and/or cut canned green beans.
Thanks for the tips George, I should try them next time I make the dish :).
Thanx for posting. I wanted to make this today but forgot if I was missing anything. And ur recipe is pretty much the same as my moms.. Thanks again def 5 stars. But it only lets me put 3…hmmm. ps. So happy to have found ur site. Its really hard to find authentic russian/ukrainian recipes . And urs are pretty much right on. Thanks again!!!
Thank you for your nice complements. 🙂 That’s strange about the stars; It seems to be working for me but let me know if you have the same problem in the future.
I tried making the vinaigrette using two cans of beets. Mine didn’t come out so good and I can’t pinpoint what it was missing….seems too many beets from 2 cans. I’m sure if I tasted yours I would understand what went amiss with mine. Also, I think the potatoes made a difference also….I used russet potatoes and I think I over cooked them to boot. Would a waxy potato make a difference in the taste?
I think its probably more of a problem with the canned beets. The home cooked ones take awhile and can be a little messy, but the flavor is much better 🙂
Thank you….I will try with fresh cooked beets next time, although I have never used fresh I imagine the flavor is better….canned is always not as good.
Where DID you get that cutting tool?? This WILL make my life easier…:)))
It’s called Vidalia Chop Wizard, you can buy it at Amazon or places like Bath Bed & Beyond.
O! I love your cutting tool!
I love your pictures!
Everybody cooks a bit differently. Hope you don’t mind if I add…
In my salad-Vinegret you wouldn’t see sauerkraut, but the rest of ingredients + canned beans and parsley.
Oh, forgot to mention – I usually bake my beats in the foil in oven for this salad. Thank you.
Sorry just noticed it says vinaigrette.
Does anyone know how many calories is a cup of Vinaigrette?
Hmmm, no idea. Sorry…
There is about 52 calories in a cup of vinegar.
This is such a staple for our family! We add fresh cucumbers also giving it a fresh smell and taste 🙂
oooh fresh cucumbers sound great! Thank you! 🙂
Agree with mixing the beets with oil, separately to the rest of the mix, so you don’t colour the rest of the salad. Also, I add a bit of mustard and vinegar(v.small amount) to the dressing.
I should try mustard next time :).
No, herring is not eaten with vinegret, but with shuba, which is another style of beetroot-potato-carrot based salad when all the veggies are layered with mayonaise with herring at the bottom, ok? Please don’t confuse the two.:)
Hi Slava, I do have a recipe for shuba posted too, but I don’t like herring in there so I use smoked salmon.
Yes, we always have vinigrette on lenten Christmas Eve – after the first star has been spotted, of course! – making sure we have 12 different dishes for the apostles and one more for Christ, though vinigrette is not limited to Christmas Eve. We add an apple (nice crispy crunch and gives more texture) as well as kidney beans, but not canned. The boiled beans have a much nicer texture. We also make it the day/night before so the flavors can mesh a bit too. Yes, we use sauerkraut as well as dill pickles. As anything Russian/Ukrainian, a bit of dill can be added. BTW: always herring for Christmas Eve, so I always do associate vinigrette and herring!
Ира
Thank you for sharing! I definitely want to try apple next time I make this salad.
Also before mixing, you can pour an oil on the beets and stir, so that they do not colour all salad…
Thanks for the tip!
Beets can be prepared in a bit shorter time: Boil them approximately 35-40 mins in water with vinegar, but without salt, then immediately put them under cold water and cool them that way… They should be ready for post-processing 🙂
Tasted this salad last weekend on Ukrainian Christmas dinner,.. so delicious and love to look at.. I am making it this weekend for a Christening dinner!
So glad you enjoyed it!!
Love Vinigret! I add kidney beans to it. yumm!!!!
Just when I thought it couldn’t get any healthier; you proved me wrong. Thanks for the tip!
My recipe is very similar, though I love going “all the way Russian” and use unrefined sunflower seed oil, which is much more popular in Russia.
Sounds good, I actually have that in my pantry
sunflower seed oil and salt is best for the dressing..
Thanks for the tip Angie :).
I love eating this salad at a local Ukranian restaurant, and was so pleased to find your recipe. Can you give me any advice on what kind of pickles to use? I’m limited to what is found in American chain groceries. Thank you! We’re all really looking forward to it.
You can really use any kind of pickles – I used Vlasic (see second picture with all the ingredients)
I think Irina is right on with the pairing with salted herring. Not sure whether that was tradition, or how that pairing came along, but it works! I also like to use a can of peas to my vinaigrette recipe.
Here’s my version of the Russian vinaigrette, Natasha: http://nami-nami.blogspot.com/2007/12/russian-vinaigrette-salad.html 🙂
Now where did you get the idea to use canned beets?
Hmmm… I guess I am just pure genius. Ok, if you read the first paragraph, you would see that I gave you credit for it. But, snap; I didn’t mention your name!!! Ok, so you, Alla, are the genius!!
Yum! I love “vinegret.” I don’t normally add onions and I use either pickles or sauerkraut, but not both. Otherwise, my recipe is essentially the same as yours. I don’t eat fish any more, but, if I remember correctly, vinegret pairs really well with salted herring. Have you ever tried this combination?
I’ve never tried that combination. Sounds interesting.
Irina you are talking about shuba…thats different from vinegret