Green Borscht (Ukrainian sorrel/spinach soup recipe)

Delicious green borscht is one of the most popular Ukrainian soups I always recommend trying. It is a refreshing, light, and flavorful sour soup that can be enjoyed hot or cold.

Jump to:

• 🍲What is green borscht soup
• 🥦Why you will love this green borscht recipe
• 🥬Sorrel or spinach
• 🥘Ingredients
• ⏲️How to make Ukrainian green borscht
• ⭐Tips for success
• 🍴Serving suggestions
• 🌡️How to store and reheat green borscht
• 📋Recipe variations and substitutions
• ♨️Green borscht instant pot recipe
• 🥣More Ukrainian recipes
• 📖 Recipe
• 💬 Comments

🍲What is green borscht soup

Green sorrel borscht is a traditional Ukrainian soup, it’s a version of classic red borscht.

It is a hearty soup that is lighter than red borscht and is prepared mainly in spring and summer when the first garden herbs appear.

This recipe has a lot of variations and can be made with meat broth or vegetable broth, seasonal vegetables such as potatoes, and carrots.

Sorrel leaves or spinach with lemon juice are one of the main ingredients that give borscht its refreshing sour taste.

Traditionally, sorrel borscht is served with some boiled egg and a dollop of sour cream on top.

🥦Why you will love this green borscht recipe

• loaded with vitamins from seasonal greens such as sorrel, spinach, and the rest of the vegetables.
• affordable – big pot of soup to feed the whole family using healthy affordable ingredients. 
• light – this soup taste light and refreshing. It is naturally gluten-free. Perfect for spring and summer, but can be also great during cold months.  
• Kid’s favorite – my son loves this soup, and I am sure a lot of kids will do too because of its unique sour taste and perfectly tender veggies.

🥬Sorrel or spinach

The authentic green borscht requires fresh sorrel leaves. Sorrel grows in almost every garden in Ukraine. I used to eat it straight from the plant as a kid. 

Sorrel plant has a sour, lemony taste. It’s like sour spinach. In winter, you can use canned sorrel. It loses some of the flavors, but still can be used to make the soup.

In the United States, sorrel is not a very popular plant/herb. I have great luck finding sorrel leaves only during the summer months at Whole Foods Store in the produce section. You can also find it at your local farmer’s markets.

You can also find canned sorrel in Eastern European grocery stores or even on Amazon.

Spinach and lemon juice is a great alternative if you do not have fresh or canned sorrel on hand.

You can use fresh or frozen spinach to make the soup. As for lemon juice, I recommend adding only freshly squeezed one.

I made my green borscht with spinach a lot of times and 100% approve it. 

This sour sorrel borscht is my favorite spring soup, and it doesn’t matter if you use sorrel or spinach – it will taste amazing.

🥘Ingredients

• Potatoes – pick waxy potatoes, because they hold together better after boiling. Yellow or Yukon gold potatoes are the best for making borscht.
• Carrots – you will need diced or cubed carrots. If you have baby carrots in your fridge – use them too.
• Onions – yellow or white medium onion. You can also use leeks to make this soup.
• Sorrel Leaves or Spinach+Lemon Juice – fresh sorrel leaves. If you do not have sorrel, you will need fresh spinach and some lemon juice.
• Fresh Dill – dill is also a must in this soup. You can use dry dill, green onions, and other fresh herbs of your choice.
• Bay leaves – bay leaf adds a very slight bitterness to the soup to balance its taste and bring up the rest of the flavors.
• Ghee Butter – I use ghee butter to saute the veggies for the soup. It has a rich, buttery flavor. You can also use butter or olive oil instead.
• Water or Broth – I mainly use filtered water with some “better than bouillon” base. You can also use chicken broth instead.
• Better Than Bouillon (if using water) – just a little bit of this bouillon base ( I use vegetables flavor) turns filtered water into a delicious broth for the soup.
• Salt – the bouillon base already has enough sodium. If you’d like to add more salt, do it at the end after tasting the soup.
• Black Pepper (for serving) – added by taste.
• Hard Boiled Eggs (for serving) – it is another main ingredient you do not want to skip. Add sliced or chopped egg to the bowl of soup.
• Sour Cream (for serving) – and of course, a spoonful of sour cream goes to the bowl of the hot borscht for serving.

⏲️How to make Ukrainian green borscht

Dice the veggies: scrub, rinse, and peel potatoes and carrots. Rinse the sorrel leaves and dill. Cube the potatoes and carrots into small bite pieces. Dice the onion finely. Chop sorrel (or spinach) and dill finely and set aside. You will need it at the very end.

Saute the veggies: in a large pot, add ghee butter and heat it over medium heat. Now, add diced onions. Cook stirring occasionally on medium heat for about 3 minutes or until they become translucent. Add carrots and saute for another 3 minutes.

Simmer the soup: now, add water, cubed potatoes, bay leaf, “better than bouillon” base. Bring everything to boil, cover, and cook on low for about 15 minutes until the potatoes are fully cooked.

Boil eggs: meanwhile, add 3-4 eggs (or more, depending on how many people you are serving. Usually, I add ½-1 egg per serving) to the small pot. Fill with water, bring to boil, and cook for 9 minutes for a hard-boiled egg or 5 minutes for a medium soft yolk. Once the eggs are cooked, place them under cold water to cool down, peel, and set aside.

Add greens: once the potatoes and carrots are tender, add chopped sorrel and fresh dill. Taste the soup and add more salt if needed. Cover with the lid, turn off the heat, and let it sit for about 10 minutes before serving.

Note: if using spinach, add chopped spinach and lemon juice instead. 

Serve: pour the hot soup into a large bow, add sliced, diced, or halved egg, some black pepper, and a tablespoon of sour cream. You can also add some extra chopped dill on top.

⭐Tips for success

• add “better than bouillon” base if using water.
• use waxy potatoes because they will hold the shape.
• add the egg to the serving bowl (not to the pot) if you are planning to refrigerate the leftovers.

🍴Serving suggestions

This Ukrainian sorrel soup is perfect as a first course of your dinner menu or as light lunch served with a slice of fresh bread.

Make it a complete Ukrainian meal, by serving it with Pampushky bread rolls.

If you are looking for a gluten-free bread, try our hearty buckwheat groats bread.

On hot summer days, you can enjoy it cold.

Traditionally, it is served with a dollop of sour cream on top. Cold sour cream cools down hot soup and makes it creamy and rich.

You can skip sour cream or use a vegan one.

🌡️How to store and reheat green borscht

Let the soup cool down and then transfer it to the large glass air-tight container. Store it in the fridge for up to 3 days.

To reheat: pour the needed amount into the small pot and bring it to a gentle simmer over low heat. Serve! You can also microwave it in a bowl until hot.

📋Recipe variations and substitutions

• Seasonal greens: as I have mentioned above, you can use spinach with some lemon juice to make this soup if sorrel is not available (I only find it during the summer months). You can also use kale or Swiss chard. If using other greens instead of sorrel, always add lemon juice to compensate for that sorrel’s sour-ish taste.
• Paleo: use cauliflower flowers instead of potatoes and coconut sour cream.
• Broth: you can use vegetable, chicken, beef, or pork broth.

♨️Green borscht instant pot recipe

You can easily make this soup in an instant pot in under 30 minutes.

• Saute: press the “saute” button on your instant pot. Add ghee butter, diced onion, and cubed carrots. Saute for about 3-5 minutes or until the vegetables have softened.
• Add the rest of the ingredients: now, add broth or water with bouillon, potatoes, and bay leaf. Lock the lid.
• Pressure cook: make sure the pressure valve is in a sealing position. Set pressure cook on high to 10 minutes. It will take another 10-15 minutes for the instant pot to come to full pressure before the timer countdown begins. After it beeps, let it naturally release for 5 minutes. Carefully vent the rest of the pressure and open the lid.
• Add greens: now, add chopped sorrel and dill. Stir the soup, cover, and let it sit for about 10 minutes before serving.

🥣More Ukrainian recipes

• Beet salad
• Unstuffed cabbage rolls
• Braised cabbage recipe
• Holubtsi
• Salad Mimosa

📖 Recipe