Healthy Borscht Soup Recipe

This borscht soup recipe comes from my grandmother's old recipe box, written on yellowed index cards in her shaky handwriting that's barely readable now. Every Sunday for as long as I can remember, she'd make this Ukrainian borscht while telling us stories about her childhood in the old country. The kitchen would fill with that earthy, sweet smell of beets cooking, and we'd know something special was happening on the stove. Emma was completely skeptical the first time she saw it - "Why is the soup purple? That looks weird!" she said, making the most disgusted face.

A bowl of vibrant red borscht soup recipe with chunks of beet, carrot, and beef, topped with a dollop of sour cream and sprinkled with dill.

Why You'll Love This Traditional Borscht Soup Recipe

Making this borscht soup recipe has become one of our favorite things to do together, and I know exactly why it wins over even the pickiest eaters. Emma's friends used to think we were nuts when they'd come over and see purple soup on the stove, but now half of them beg their parents to make it at home. There's something really satisfying about taking ordinary vegetables - beets, cabbage, carrots - and turning them into pure comfort in a bowl.

This recipe fills your whole house with the most incredible smells while it cooks. The beef broth gets this deep, rich taste that you can't buy in stores, and when you add the beets, everything turns this beautiful deep red that Emma calls "soup magic." The best part is you can change it up however you want. Some nights we skip the meat when we're not super hungry, other times we pile in extra beef when everyone's starving.

Jump to:

Why You'll Love This Traditional Borscht Soup Recipe
Ingredients for Borscht Soup Recipe
How To Make Borscht Soup Recipe Step By Step
Equipment For Borscht Soup Recipe
Borscht Soup Recipe Variations
Easy Swaps for Your Borscht Soup Recipe
Storing Your Borscht Soup Recipe
The Flavor My Mom Never Shared (Until Now)
Top Tip
What to Serve With Borscht Soup Recipe
FAQ
Time to Make Some Purple Magic!
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Pairing
Borscht Soup Recipe

Ingredients for Borscht Soup Recipe

The Broth Base:

Beef short ribs or chuck roast
Large onion
Fresh garlic cloves
Bay leaves
Whole peppercorns
Salt

The Vegetables:

Fresh beets
Green cabbage
Large carrots
Celery stalks
Fresh tomatoes
Potatoes

A cutting board with fresh ingredients: raw beef, potatoes, carrots, garlic, onion, tomatoes, cabbage, and seasonings.

The Flavor Makers:

White vinegar
Tomato paste
Fresh dill
Sour cream
Sugar
Black pepper

Optional Extras:

Fresh parsley
Kidney beans
Bell peppers

See recipe card for quantities.

A wooden platter with small bowls of ingredients: red kidney beans, olive oil, sour cream, chopped herbs, diced red pepper, honey, salt, and pepper, along with fresh dill and parsley.

How To Make Borscht Soup Recipe Step By Step

Start the Broth:

Put beef in big pot with cold water
Toss in whole onion, garlic, bay leaves
Bring to a boil, then turn way down low
Skim off that gross foam that comes up
Let it simmer gently for 2 hours

A pot of simmering beef broth with chunks of beef, whole onions, and bay leaves.

Prep Your Vegetables:

Peel and grate the beets
Chop cabbage into small pieces
Slice carrots and celery
Dice tomatoes and potatoes
Chop up fresh dill

A wooden bowl with prepped vegetables: shredded beets, diced potatoes, carrots, celery, red peppers, chopped onion, and fresh dill.

Build the Soup:

Pull out the beef and shred it up
Strain the broth and put it back in pot
Add grated beets first
Cook for 15 minutes until soft
Throw in carrots and celery
Cook another 10 minutes

A pot filled with shredded beef, beets, carrots, and celery simmering in broth, garnished with parsley.

Finish It Up:

Add cabbage and potatoes
Mix in tomato paste and diced tomatoes
Season with salt, pepper, sugar
Add vinegar for that sour taste
Put the shredded beef back in
Simmer until everything's soft

A pot of soup with shredded beef, carrots, potatoes, cabbage, and tomatoes, as broth is being poured in.

Serve It Right:

Serve with good bread
Scoop into bowls while it's hot
Put a dollop of sour cream on top
Sprinkle with fresh dill

Three bowls of hot borscht soup served with sour cream and fresh dill on top, with slices of crusty bread on the side.

Equipment For Borscht Soup Recipe

Large heavy pot (at least 6 quarts)
Sharp knife
Cutting board
Box grater
Fine mesh strainer
Ladle

Borscht Soup Recipe Variations

Winter Heavy:

Extra beef chunks
Toss in white beans
Add some barley
Use beef stock instead of water

Summer Light:

Skip the meat completely
Add fresh corn
Use lighter vegetables
Serve it cold (Emma thinks this is gross)

Polish Style:

Add Polish sausage
Use sauerkraut instead of fresh cabbage
Extra garlic and marjoram
Serve with dark rye bread

Quick Weeknight:

Use pre-cooked beets
Rotisserie chicken instead of beef
Frozen mixed vegetables
Store-bought broth

Easy Swaps for Your Borscht Soup Recipe

Meat Options:

Beef short ribs → Pork shoulder
Chuck roast → Chicken thighs
Fresh meat → Leftover pot roast
With meat → Skip it for vegetarian

Beet Choices:

Fresh beets → Pre-cooked vacuum-packed ones
Red beets → Golden beets (makes yellow soup)
Large beets → Baby beets (cook faster)
Grated → Cut into chunks

Broth Swaps:

Homemade → Store-bought beef broth
Beef broth → Vegetable broth
Regular → Low-sodium
Fresh → Bouillon cubes when desperate

Dairy Changes:

Sour cream → Greek yogurt
Regular → Light sour cream
Dairy → Coconut cream for dairy-free
Traditional → Just skip it

Vinegar Fixes:

Strong → Start with less and taste
White vinegar → Apple cider vinegar
Plain → Lemon juice
Regular → Rice vinegar

Storing Your Borscht Soup Recipe

In the Fridge (5 days):

Let it cool down completely first
Store in covered containers
Don't add sour cream until serving
Reheat gently on the stove

Freezer Storage (3 months):

Cool completely before freezing
Use freezer-safe containers
Leave some room at the top for expansion
Write the date on everything

Reheating Tips:

Thaw overnight in the fridge
Heat slowly on medium heat
Stir often so it doesn't stick
Add fresh dill when serving

Make-Ahead Tricks:

Put it together when ready to cook
Make the broth a day early
Prep all vegetables the night before
Store everything separately

The Flavor My Mom Never Shared (Until Now)

My mom had this one thing she'd sneak into her borscht when nobody was watching. For years, I couldn't figure out what made her soup taste so much better than mine, even when I copied her recipe word for word. Emma and I would stand there watching her cook, trying to catch what she was doing different, but she was really sneaky about it. Finally, last Christmas when she was showing Emma how to make borscht, I caught her red-handed.

But that wasn't her only trick. She'd also save the water from boiling the fresh beets and pour about half a cup back into the borscht soup recipe. "Never throw away beet water," she'd tell Emma, like everyone should know this. That bright red liquid has tons of flavor that most people just dump down the sink. Now Emma makes sure we do both things every time we make borscht. She's in charge of the beet juice, and she takes it really seriously.

Top Tip

Remember what Mom taught us about those two secret things that most people just throw away - always save that bright red water from boiling your fresh beets and add about half a cup back into your soup for extra beet taste. And here's the real trick: add one tablespoon of juice from a jar of pickled beets right at the end of cooking. That tangy, sweet liquid gives your borscht this amazing depth that people can taste but can't figure out what it is.

Emma learned this the hard way when she forgot to save the beet water one time - the soup was fine, but it was missing that rich, earthy taste that makes our borscht special. These little tricks that seem like nothing actually make the huge difference between okay soup and soup that people ask you to make over and over. Now Emma is really careful about saving every drop of that beet water, and she's in charge of the pickled beet juice in our kitchen.

What to Serve With Borscht Soup Recipe

From years of making this for family dinners, here's what tastes great with borscht. For bread, we love crusty sourdough with butter, dark rye bread (Emma's favorite), or pumpernickel with cream cheese. Fresh dinner rolls work great too, and when we want something special, garlic bread is perfect. Side dishes that go well include simple green salad with dressing, roasted potatoes with herbs, steamed broccoli or green beans, pickled vegetables like cucumbers and carrots, and hard-boiled eggs.

To make it a bigger meal, we'll add things like meat and cheese platters, stuffed cabbage rolls, Polish sausage, or pierogi (Emma goes absolutely crazy for pierogi). Don't forget the extras like more sour cream for topping, fresh dill for sprinkling, black pepper for grinding, lemon wedges for extra sourness, and pickled beets on the side. For holidays, we'll make a whole Eastern European spread with borscht as the star of the show.

FAQ

What are the ingredients in Borscht Soup Recipe?

Traditional borscht uses beef broth, fresh beets, cabbage, carrots, onions, garlic, tomatoes, and potatoes. You season it with vinegar, dill, salt, and pepper, then serve with sour cream. Some recipes add beans or other vegetables, but beets are what give it that red color.

What is the difference between Russian and Ukrainian borscht?

Russian borscht soup recipe often has more cabbage and is thicker, while Ukrainian borscht has more beets and a clearer broth. Ukrainian versions usually include more vegetables like beans and potatoes. Both taste great, just different ways of making the same soup.

What is the essential ingredient in Borscht Soup Recipe?

Fresh beets are absolutely necessary - they give borscht soup recipe its red color and that earthy-sweet taste. You can't make real borscht without them. Some people use canned beets, but fresh ones taste way better and give you that beautiful bright color.

Is borscht Russian, Ukrainian or Polish?

borscht soup recipe comes from several Eastern European countries, but each place makes it differently. Ukrainian borscht has more vegetables, Russian versions are thicker, and Polish barszcz is more sour. They're all related but families add their own special touches.

Time to Make Some Purple Magic!

Now you know everything about making real borscht soup - from building that rich beef broth to Mom's sneaky beet juice trick. This purple soup that Emma was once terrified of has become one of our most requested family meals. There's something really nice about taking regular vegetables and turning them into something that makes your whole house smell good and makes everyone feel cozy.

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