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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.

Borscht Soup Recipe

Ukrainian family Borscht Soup Recipe with rich beef broth, sweet-earthy beets, cabbage, and dill. Mom’s two secrets: add ½ cup beet-boiling water near the end and finish with 1 tablespoon pickled beet juice. Cozy, vibrant, and wildly flexible.
5 from 1 vote
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Course: Main Course, Soup
Cuisine: Eastern European, Ukrainian
Keyword: Beef borscht recipe, Best borscht soup recipe, Borscht ingredients, Borscht recipe vegetarian, Borscht soup recipe ukrainian, Easy borscht soup recipe, Russian borscht recipe, Traditional borscht soup recipe
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Broth Simmer: 2 hours
Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 290kcal
Cost: $22

Equipment

  • 1 Large heavy pot (6–8 qt) (For broth & soup)
  • 1 Fine mesh strainer (Clarify broth)
  • 1 Box grater (For beets (wear gloves))
  • 1 Cutting board & sharp knife
  • 1 Ladle (Serving)
  • 1 Measuring cups & spoons
  • 1 Kitchen gloves (optional) (To avoid beet stains)

Ingredients

Broth Base

  • 2 lb beef short ribs or chuck roast - bone-in preferred
  • 3 qt cold water - enough to cover
  • 1 large onion - halved
  • 4 cloves garlic - smashed
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 8 whole peppercorns
  • 1 teaspoon fine sea salt - plus more to taste

Vegetables & Flavor

  • 1 lb beets - 3–4 medium peeled & coarsely grated
  • 3 cups green cabbage - thinly sliced
  • 2 medium carrots - sliced
  • 2 stalks celery - sliced
  • 2 medium potatoes - ½-inch dice
  • 2 medium tomatoes diced - or 1 cup canned
  • 2 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 1–2 tablespoon white or apple cider vinegar - add to taste
  • 1 teaspoon sugar - balances acidity
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper - freshly ground
  • ¼ cup fresh dill chopped - plus more to serve
  • ½ cup beet-boiling water - Mom’s secret #1 if you boiled beets
  • 1 tablespoon pickled beet juice - Mom’s secret #2 at the end
  • ½ cup sour cream - for serving

Optional Extras

  • 1 cup kidney beans drained
  • ½ cup bell pepper diced
  • ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped
  • 1 cup sauerkraut for Polish-style variation

Instructions

  • Simmer beef with onion, garlic, bay, peppercorns, skimming foam.
    A pot of simmering beef broth with chunks of beef, whole onions, and bay leaves.
  • Grate beets; slice cabbage, carrots, celery; dice potatoes and tomatoes; chop dill.
    A wooden bowl with prepped vegetables: shredded beets, diced potatoes, carrots, celery, red peppers, chopped onion, and fresh dill.
  • Remove beef; strain broth; return it; simmer grated beets until tender.
    A pot filled with shredded beef, beets, carrots, and celery simmering in broth, garnished with parsley.
  • Stir in carrots, celery, cabbage, potatoes, tomato paste, and tomatoes.
    A pot of soup with shredded beef, carrots, potatoes, cabbage, and tomatoes, as broth is being poured in.
  • Return shredded beef, add beet water and vinegar, adjust salt, rest, serve.
    Three bowls of hot borscht soup served with sour cream and fresh dill on top, with slices of crusty bread on the side.

Notes

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Nutrition

Serving: 400g | Calories: 290kcal (15%) | Carbohydrates: 28g (9%) | Protein: 18g (36%) | Fat: 12g (18%) | Saturated Fat: 5g (31%) | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 55mg (18%) | Sodium: 680mg (30%) | Potassium: 900mg (26%) | Fiber: 5g (21%) | Sugar: 9g (10%) | Vitamin A: 4800IU (96%) | Vitamin C: 18mg (22%) | Calcium: 70mg (7%) | Iron: 3.5mg (19%)
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