Vibrant and deeply comforting, this traditional Ukrainian borscht is a family recipe that has been a staple in my kitchen for years. The foundation relies on a classic medley of red beets, carrots, potatoes, and cabbage, which simmer together into a rich, aromatic masterpiece. It's is a meatless recipe and very easy to make. Do not forget to serve it with garlic pampushky.
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About my borscht recipe
Every Ukrainian family has their own borscht recipe. This authentic, meatless version is my family's favorite, passed down directly from my parents. While borscht varies widely across Eastern Europe, from clear Polish broths to Ukrainian green borscht, this classic red recipe is the most popular. It's so good that even my beet-avoiding husband asks for seconds! Plus, this easy vegan recipe is affordable and relies entirely on accessible US supermarket ingredients.
Ingredients notes
It looks like a lot of ingredients, but all of them are mostly vegetables and spices you can easily find at a grocery store. Please, see the recipe card at the end of this post for the ingredients quantities.
- Red Beets: use fresh beets. Beetroots are the main ingredient of borscht. I do not recommend using canned or pickled beets.
- Cabbage: you will need fresh green cabbage.
- Yellow Onion: yellow onion is the best for soups as it has more flavor and high sugar content.
- Carrots: large or medium fresh carrots.
- Orange Bell Pepper: I usually have half of the bell pepper. You can also use a red or yellow one. It is optional, but I always add some when making meatless borscht.
- Potatoes: yellow or any other waxy potatoes are the best for soups. Avoid starchy potatoes such as russet, they will not hold their shape after cooking.
- Water: you can use water, broth, or stock of your choice. But most of the time, I just use water and sometimes, I add better than bouillon base (vegetable flavor).
- Bay Leaf: for amazing flavor.
- Olive oil: you can use sunflower oil or any other vegetable oil to saute the veggies.
- Tomato Paste: I recommend using tomato paste because it has a rich flavor. You can also use tomato sauce.
- Fresh Lemon Juice: An important ingredient to balance the sweet flavors and create a pleasantly sour taste. So do not skip it. My mom used to add apple cider or distilled vinegar instead. They both will do the job.
- Sugar: I add at the end a little bit of sugar to balance the taste. It makes a big difference in taste.
- Salt: add to taste. Just add a little less for your taste and then everyone can adjust it individually. If you use broth, you will need less salt.
- Dry spices and herbs: sweet paprika powder, coriander, bay leaf and black pepper. These are my favorites to add to this soup.
- Fresh Dill and Parsley: chopped fresh herbs will be added at the very end to highlight the rest of the dish.
- Fresh Garlic: you use garlic powder too.
- Sour Cream: For serving.
How to make Ukrainian borscht
If you make borscht for the first time, I recommend preparing 5 separate bowls for all the chopped or shredded vegetables. It will make the process so much easier. You can even do it a day before.
Start with the broth. Heat a large pot over medium heat. Add the ½ onion, roughly chopped carrots, roughly chopped celery, and a few whole garlic cloves. Sauté for about 5-6 minutes, stirring frequently until they begin to soften. Add water, salt and a few peppercorns, then bring the pot to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to its lowest setting. Let it simmer for 30-45 minutes while you prepare the rest of your vegetables. Remove the pot from the heat and let it cool down slightly. Strain the liquid to remove the vegetables and peppercorns.Return the clear broth to the pot, drop in 1 bay leaf, and turn the heat back on low until you are ready to use it.
Note: You can also use store bought broth or stock.
Prepare the vegetables. Dice the onion finely and add it to the 1st bowl. Slice bell pepper thinly (matchstick size), shred the carrots on the coarse side of a grater box - and add both into the 2nd medium bowl. Using the large side of a shredder box, grate the beets and place them into the 3rd bowl. Peel and cube potatoes and transfer them to the 4th bowl. Using a sharp knife, shred the cabbage and transfer it to the largest 5th bowl.
Note: Instead of shredding, you can cut carrots and beets into matchsticks or use a food processor.
Make Zazharka. Warm the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat, then add the onions, carrots, and bell peppers, letting them sweat for 3 to 4 minutes while stirring occasionally. Once they begin to soften, stir in the beetroot and tomato paste, cooking for another 2 to 3 minutes to toast the paste until it becomes deeply aromatic. Finally, mix in the lemon juice, paprika, coriander, sugar, and ⅓ cup of water, then cover the pan and let the mixture simmer gently on low heat for 6 to 8 minutes so the flavors can beautifully meld together.
Add potatoes and cabbage. Add cubed potatoes and shredded cabbage to the simmering broth, bring it to a boil and cook for about 10 minutes or until the potatoes are fork-tender.
Add beetroot zazharka. When the potatoes are cooked, turn the heat on low and add the sauteed vegetable mix to the soup. Let it cook for another 3-4 minutes on the lowest heat without any heavy boil.
Taste and adjust the seasonings. Now, it's time to taste the borscht and add any salt, pepper, or other spices if needed. If it tastes too sweet, add another tablespoon of lemon juice. If it doesn't taste sweet enough, add about half a teaspoon of sugar. Here, you can adjust it to your own liking.
Fresh herbs and garlic. At the very end, add chopped dill, parsley, and minced garlic. Stir it well and turn off the heat. Let borscht rest covered for about 10 minutes for the flavors to meld together.
Serve borscht. Pour borscht in large bowl. Add a dollop of sour cream on top and some extra fresh chopped dill. Enjoy it with some rye bread, garlic bread rolls, salo (pork belly fat), and sliced raw onions.
Recipe tips
- It is easier to chop and shred all the vegetables and place them in separate bowls before starting the cooking process.
- Make borscht in a large pot.
- Since this is a vegetarian borscht recipe, you can add some cooked red kidney beans to make it more filling.
- Instead of water, you can use some vegetable broth.
- Do not skip lemon juice (or apple cider vinegar) and sugar. These ingredients bring up all the amazing flavors.
- Always taste the soup at the end and adjust it to your taste.
- You can prepare the vegetables and tomato paste base ahead of time and freeze it for up to 3 months.
How to store and reheat borscht
Refrigerate: Borscht soup tastes even better the next day. Make sure to cool down the leftovers properly. I recommend transferring it to smaller containers or bowls to bring it to room temperature faster. Do not leave the soup out for longer than 2 hours. Keep the leftovers refrigerated in an airtight container for about 3-4 days.
Reheat: the best way to reheat the soup is by simmering it in a small saucepan over low-medium heat. You can also reheat it in the microwave oven.
📖 Recipe
Vegetarian Borscht
Equipment
- 1 Box grater
- 1 large skillet
- 1 large dutch oven or stock pot
- 5 separate bowls
Ingredients
- 6-8 cups vegetable broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 (about ¾ cup shredded) medium beetroot
- ½ (about 3 cups shredded) medium green cabbage
- ½ medium onion
- 2 medium carrots
- ½ bell pepper
- 5 medium yellow potatoes
- 2 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
- ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
- ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice add more for more sour taste
- ¼-½ teaspoon sugar to balance tomato paste taste
- ½ teaspoon salt Add more if your broth is salt free
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper by taste
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped dill and parsley
- 2 cloves diced fresh garlic
- extra salt, sugar, lemon juice by taste
Vegetable broth
- ½ onion
- 2 carrots, coarsely chopped
- 2 celery ribs, coarsely chopped
- 2 whole garlic cloves, peeled
- 5 whole peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 8 cups water
Instructions
- Heat up the broth. Pour the prepared strained broth (see the instructions below)) back to the pot. Add one bay leaf and let it simmer on low, so it is ready for the potatoes and cabbage.
- Prepare the vegetables. To streamline the cooking process, organize your prepped ingredients into five separate bowls: place the diced onions in the first; the shredded carrots and julienned bell peppers in the second; the shredded beetroot in the third; the cubed potatoes in the fourth; and the shredded cabbage in the fifth.
- Make zazharka. Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Sweat the onions, carrots, and bell peppers for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the beetroot and tomato paste, cooking for 2 to 3 minutes to toast the paste until aromatic. Stir in the lemon juice, paprika, coriander, sugar, and ⅓ cup of water. Cover and simmer gently on low heat for 6 to 8 minutes.
- Add potatoes and cabbage. Carefully add the prepared potatoes and cabbage to the pot of simmering broth. Turn the heat to medium-high and bring it to a boil. Cook for approximately 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork-tender.
- Add zazharka. Turn the heat down. Stir in the sautéed beetroot mixture, salt, coriander, and paprika. Cover the pot and gently simmer on the lowest heat setting for an additional 3 to 4 minutes, avoid a rolling boil.
- Taste the soup. Add more salt or pepper if needed. If it still tastes a little bland, add a little bit more sugar.
- Add fresh herbs (optional). Add freshly chopped dill, parsley and minced garlic to the pot. Turn off the heat and let stand covered for 10-15 minutes before serving.
- Serve. Serve hot with a big dollop of sour cream and bread!
Vegetable broth
- Heat a a large pot over medium heat. Add ½ onion, roughly chopped carrots, few whole garlic cloves, and roughly chopped celery. Saute for about 5-6 minutes, stirring often. Add a few peppercorns, salt and bring it to a boil. When it boils, turn it down to the lowest heat and let it simmer for about 30-45 minutes, while you prepare the vegetables. Let it cool down a little bit and strain. Return the broth to the pot, add 1 bay leaf and turn the heat back on low. You can also use store-bought vegetable broth instead.
Trina says
Greetings!
This sounds amazing!
This may be a silly question, but how much water should be used?
Sava's Kitchen says
Hi Trina. Thank you so much! And It's not a silly question at all. I wrote it in liters in a recipe card which can be confusing, need to change it for readers.
For this recipe you will need about 6 Cups of water, which is approximately 1.5 liters.
You can always adjust the thickness of soup by adding more cabbage or more water.
Zara says
I liked this vegetarian recipe. It tasted authentic. The kitchen smelled great, and the soup had good flavor. Clear directions. I did feel that it was heavy on the cabbage and not enough liquid, so next time I'd cut back on cabbage. Prep time took much longer than 20 minutes to assemble ingredients and shred and chop the many veggies. I'd make this again and add beans.
Iryna says
Oh how I love Borscht. My favorite soup, I make it weekly.
Sava's Kitchen says
Thank you for you comment, Iryna! My favorite one as well. It's actually the only soup my husband loves ha-ha.