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Borscht Recipe – A hearty and flavorful Russian soup that gets its gorgeous color from fresh roasted beets. A classic beet soup recipe.
What Is Borscht?
Borscht is a soup commonly found in Russia and is made from beets. Borscht is typically made with beef or chicken broth and sometimes you’ll find borscht recipes made with beef and cabbage.
The consistency of borscht can be smooth and I have also seen versions made with bits of beef, beets, and other vegetables mixed throughout.
Is this version of borscht authentic? I’m not really sure. But I will say that this version is hearty and delicious and will surely satisfy when the borscht craving hits again.
Why This Recipe Works
- The flavor of borscht is lovely and complex.
- The natural sweetness of the beets and carrots is perfectly balanced by the tartness of the red wine vinegar. The dollop of sour cream added to the end adds a light and delicate creaminess.
- This soup is incredibly delicious and ready to enjoy in minutes!
Ingredient Notes
See the recipe box below for ingredient amounts and full recipe instructions.
- Beets: The key component of this recipe. Beets add a beautiful color, a lot of nutrition, and a delicious, earthy and subtly sweet flavor.
- Olive oil: I use extra virgin olive oil in this recipe as well as in every other recipe on ZagLeft that calls for olive oil. Extra virgin olive oil is the least processed form of olive oil. It is an unrefined oil and the highest-quality olive oil you can buy. Because of the way extra virgin olive oil is made, it retains more true olive taste. It also contains more of the vitamins and minerals found in olives. It’s my favorite type of olive oil to use but you may use a lighter olive oil instead.
- Salt and pepper: Feel free to adjust the amount of salt and pepper you use depending on your preferences.
- Vegetables: This Borscht soup recipe calls for using chopped onions, carrots, celery, potatoes, and garlic.
- Broth: I use low sodium chicken broth in my recipe. To make a vegetarian Borscht soup, use vegetable broth.
- Spices: Dried thyme and allspice add tremendous flavor!
- Red wine vinegar: Adds great flavor and tartness.
- Honey: A small amount of honey adds the perfect amount of sweetness.
- Sour cream (optional): The perfect topping to this soup. It adds a light and delicate creaminess.
How To Make This Recipe
Since Borscht is all about the beets, I began there. In researching borscht recipes, I found that many recipes called for cooking the beets in a simmering broth. However, since I love the flavor of roasted vegetables, I chose to roast the beets instead. Roasting the beets is simple!
- Scrub the beets and put each beet on a separate square of aluminum foil.
- Drizzle with olive oil over the tops and season with salt and pepper.
Wrap the beets loosely with the foil and transfer to a baking sheet.- Roast in a preheated 400 degree F oven for 50-60 minutes.
Wrap the beets loosely with the foil and transfer to a baking sheet.
5. Remove from the oven and let the beets cool. Once cooled, the skins peel off easily. Use a knife and slice off the tip of the beet and carefully pull the skins off.
6. Chop up the beets into 1/2-inch pieces and set aside.
For the Borscht soup
- In a large pot over medium heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add in the onions, carrots, celery and potatoes and cook, stirring until softened, about 10 minutes.
- Add garlic and cook for a minute more.
- Add chicken broth and chopped beats and simmer until beets are completely tender, about 10 minutes.
- Add thyme and allspice and continue simmering for another 10 minutes.
- Use and immersion blender to puree the soup. If you don’t have an immersion blender, a regular blender will work just fine and puree in batches.
- Blend until smooth, adding more broth if the puree is too thick.
- Stir in the vinegar and honey and season with salt and pepper to taste.
The simple ingredients of this borscht soup recipe truly deliver a beet soup with colors and flavors that can not be ignored.
Expert Tips
- Cut the vegetables into somewhat uniform chunks so that they cook evenly.
- If your soup is too thick, add additional broth or cream. In the unlikely event that the soup is too thin, simmer it on the stove for a few extra minutes to let the soup reduce. Reducing the soup will help thicken it.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Should I Store Borscht Soup?
Leftovers can be refrigerated for up to 5 days. You can also freeze this soup for up to 2 months.
Can I Use A Regular Blender To Puree The Soup?
Yes. If you don’t have an immersion blender, a regular blender will work just fine. Just puree in batches.
Borscht
Ingredients
- 3 – 4 large beets
- 3 tablespoon olive oil
- Kosher salt and pepper
- 1 medium onion , chopped
- 2 carrots , chopped
- 1 stalk celery , chopped
- 3 cups gold potatoes , peeled and diced (about 2 1/2 )
- 2 cloves garlic , chopped
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/8 teaspoon allspice
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Scrub the beets and put each beet on a separate square of aluminum foil; Use 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and drizzle a little bit over each beet. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Wrap the beets loosely with the foil.
- Transfer the wrapped beets to a baking sheet and roast for 50-60 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let the beets cool so they're easier to handle.
- When the beets have cooled, the skins peel off easily. Use a knife and slice off the tip of the beet and carefully pull the skins off.
- Chop up the beets into 1/2-inch pieces and set aside.
- In a large pot over medium heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Put in the onions, carrots, celery and potatoes and cook, stirring until softened, about 10 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook for a minute more.
- Add the chicken broth and the beets and simmer until beets are completely tender, about 10 minutes.
- Add the thyme and the allspice and continue simmering for another 10 minutes.
- Use an immersion blender to puree the soup. If you don't have an immersion blender, a regular blender will work just fine and puree in batches.
- Blend until smooth, adding more broth if the puree is too thick.
- Stir in the vinegar and honey and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Top with sour cream and serve.
Dear Joanie, I have never tried Borscht. But of course now I must. Loved following along on your quest for the perfect borscht recipe. Roasting those beets must have made all the difference, I love roasted veggies. I sure hope EJ appreciate all your hard work!
Thanks so much, Allie. I love roasted vegetables and roasting the beets made a huge difference, I think. It’s fun researching a recipe and trying to figure out the flavors, I think EJ enjoyed our quest to find a recipe that brought back memories of his grandmother’s recipe.
I have been dying to make borscht! Love this!
I love beets and borscht. Funny, though, I never make it. You’re inspiring me to try it with my immersion blender, preferably on a day before I intend to clean the kitchen anyway. PS – Speaking of cleaning, our methods for roasting beets are similar – much less to clean up when you encase them in foil.
I love cooking beets in foil, virtually no mess and beets can be so messy otherwise.
I’ve always loved that beautiful magenta color of Borscht! This looks fabulous Joanie!
Thanks so much Erin. I love the color too!
It’s fun stumbling on a recipe that you have never heard of before. This is definitely a new one for me but it looks so good.
It’s so good Meagan. When my husband first mentioned it to me, I was hesitant – but love it now!
Very interesting take on borscht. I never had a pureed borscht before, always chunky and with cabbage. 🙂 I love your idea of roasting the beets, will give it a try soon. 🙂
I found it interesting, Shinee that there were many types of borscht and ways to cook it. I loved the flavor of the roasted beets in the soup. I hope you’re able to give the recipe a try.
Looks so pretty. What amazing color. And I do think that roasting the beets intensifies their flavor. This sounds wonderful.
Wow, I must admit~ I had no idea Borscht was made with beets & I love beets! Thanks for sharing. Sharing your recipe. Lots of love, Lisa
Thank you Lisa! xoxo
The color is beautiful, but I am definitely not sure about this soup, even though I love beets! It is amazing how much work beets take to prepare. And it always looks like a crime scene when you are cooking with them. Almost like pomegranates. 😉
You know, I was hesitant at first. I didn’t think I’d like Borscht but it’s really delicious. Beets are so nutritious and their flavor isn’t overpowering in this recipe. Yes, beets can be messy. As I was roasting the beets and chopping them up all I could think of was how beets could be a great addition to a Halloween party.
Oh my grandmother used to ALWAYS make borscht and I would never, ever eat it. Cold soup still doesn’t hold much appeal for me, but I would love to at least be able to taste hers and see what I was missing all that time.
Jill, you should definitely try it. You might be surprised, it’s really delicious 🙂 – I served this version hot and we loved it.