I love any kind of soup, and this borscht recipe definitely tops my list.
Beets give this soup an earthy sweetness and a vibrant color, while a dash of lemon juice and fresh dill add a hint of freshness!
It’s a deliciously hearty soup perfect for any time of year.
Borscht is a traditional beetroot soup from Eastern Europe, especially Ukraine, Poland, and Russia, to name a few. It most commonly contains beets, shredded cabbage, and a sour ingredient such as wine vinegar or lemon juice.
Beyond that, ingredients for borscht recipes can vary widely with the addition of onions, beans, celery, and tomatoes, among many other ingredients, including beef. I include carrots and potatoes and use vegetable stock (although chicken or beef stock will taste great as well).
How to Make Borscht
Borscht (aka borsch) has a deep ruby-red color which will also stain your hands and/or white cutting boards. Wearing gloves is a great idea when preparing beets, as they need to be peeled.
- Peel and chop the beets per the recipe below.
- Cook until slightly softened, and then add the broth. Simmer until everything is tender.
- Stir in lemon juice and zest and serve hot.
Save the beet tops to make sauteed beet greens!
Swirl in a dollop of sour cream in each bowl. The fat in the cream helps balance the acidity of the soup and provides some richness and body. Serve borscht as an appetizer with dinner or as a light meal with a side of corn muffins, soda bread, parker house rolls, or cheese biscuits.
Serving & Storing Borscht
Add a generous dollop of rich sour cream and a sprinkle of fresh dill as a topping. Serve it with fresh rye bread or rolls and butter for dunking!
This recipe is easy to store in the refrigerator or in the freezer. The flavor deepens as it sits, so make enough for lots of leftovers. It will keep 4 days in the fridge or up to 4 months in the freezer.
Savory Soup Recipes
Did your family enjoy this homemade Borscht? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below!
Borscht Recipe (Beet Soup)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 beets peeled and diced ½ inch, approx 1 ½ pounds
- 2 carrots diced ½ inch
- 1 large russet potato peeled and diced ½ inch
- ½ small green cabbage thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 4 cups beef broth
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 1 bay leaf
- salt and black pepper to taste
- sour cream for serving, optional
Instructions
- In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the beets, carrots, potatoes, and cabbage. Cook stirring occasionally until slightly softened, about 10 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
- Pour in the broth and add the bay leaf. Simmer uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until the beets and carrots are tender.
- Discard the bay leaf. Stir in the fresh dill, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Taste and season with salt and black pepper.
- Serve with a dollop of sour cream and additional fresh dill.
Notes
Nutrition Information
Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and brands of ingredients used.
Course Side Dish, Soup
Cuisine Polish, Ukraine© SpendWithPennies.com. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited. Please view my photo use policy here.
Do you peel the beets first?
As mentioned in the post, the beets do need to be peeled. Enjoy the Borscht Linda!
Hi Holly
I make my Bortch the same way you do…as it is one of the 12 dishes Ukrainians eat Xmas eve. Simple where the Beet flavour shines through. My mom started adding beef and other veggies to her soup which to me takes away from it being a pure Beet soup. I enjoy all your Slavic recipes.
I am so glad you are enjoying the recipes Sami!
Growing up in a Russian influenced, German ancestry Mennonite home in western Canada (how is that for a blend of cultures), it was rare that there wasn’t a borsht pot on the back of the wood stove. The term borsht covered several different types of soup. The most common was kumpst borsht or cabbage soup. Beet borsht was next in line, followed by sweet milk borsht and sour milk borsht. I don’t ever remember the beets and cabbage making it into the same pot. My mothers borsht had a very good reputation and she would can many jars of it. When cousins, etc, would come back for a visit, they would make a point of stopping in for a jar or two of Aunt Suzies Borsht. I mention this because all the beet borsht recipes I come across now have cabbage in them.
I made this without the cabbage and puréed it as an experiment. Had no bay leaves. It was fabulous! I will do it like this always.
The prep took a little while, and my husband was very hesitant about the smell of the beets… but WOW. Once we served it up the whole family dove in and it is a HUGE HIT! Even my husband loves this. We will definitely be adding this to our regular meals, 10/10.
So glad your family loved this Bri!
My Babka was Polish. Making Beet Soup was my favorite time of the year. Her version had been spareribs for the meat and I remember grating the canned whole beets and waiting in anticipation for my first bowl. She always flavored it with vinegar so seeing a recipe without vinegar makes me curious of how newer version must taste. She always made her homemade dumplings, which in her Beet soup, made it the best soup ever!!!!
Thank you for sharing Kris! My grandma was from Poland and I have such great memories of her food!
My mother made a wonderful borscht, but I never got the recipe.
Enjoy the recipe Loraine!
Although enjoyed in Russia and Poland, Borscht is Ukranian in origin..
Please email me all Borscht recipes pies!
There is a common misconception around the heritage of this dish. It is not Russian, it is national Ukrainian soup, and there are many varieties of it. Naming it a Russian dish is an equivalent of naming pizza margherita a French invention. Please, please consider editing the part regarding the origin of this soup.
Best regards,
Eugene.
Was amazing and even better next day I had frozen shredded cabbage worked perfectly and bought shredded carrots (lazy) was bright purple and when I look at my pic on phone makes me hungry good one holly keeper Holly’s mom
What about the bay leaf?
Sorry for the confusion, it is added with the broth. It should be removed before serving.
Amazing – or so I am told! I don’t eat beets but my husband’s family is Polish and they all raved about it. I loved making it. Takes some time peeling and cubing etc. but I put on some great music and enjoyed spending time preparing a healthy home cooked soup for the family!
Will definitely make this again.
So glad your family enjoyed this recipe, Cara! :)
Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe. Now that my Detroit Red Beets are ready for harvest, I used them along with Swiss Chard (instead of cabbage) and chicken broth (I was lacking beef broth) and it came out splendidly. Do not be afraid to improvise! Can’t wait to try this with all the stated ingredients!
I just harvested some beets from my “covid” garden and was researching beet soup recipes. Found yours and it looks perfect. I’ll give it a try today and see if my boys will eat it. I’ll be fine if they don’t because I know I will. Looking forward to this tasty treat. Thanks.
I love borch
Me too Karen! It’s so yummy.
This recipe takes me back to when my Grandma used to make this soup! So happy to have it again. SWP Employee
I am so glad that this recipe brought back happy memories for you Samantha!
My Polish grandmother brought a version of this over with her in the 1920’s. We grate the veggies, use beef broth and some beef (soup/stew meat), and also add tomato sauce.
Although sour cream was always my favorite topping, homemade plain yogurt was often used for economical purposes. Thank you for sharing this recipe; it is a classic I fear will be lost in future generations.
So happy you enjoyed this recipe Teri. It is honestly one of my favorite recipes! Your grandmother’s additions sound delicious thought, I may have to try that. Thanks for sharing!
My Ukrainian grandmother used to make this for me as a child with some kind of shredded beef.
This was one of my favorite foods growing up. I can’t wait to try your recipe!
Thank you Holly, for providing the recipe.
Jackie Dowbnia
Those are the best memories Jackie! I hope you enjoy it, let us know how it goes.
You have both veggie broth and beef broth in the recipe, but only add the veggie. Is it either or, or did I miss read?
Apologies for the confusion, both types of broth are added at the same time.