Nothing beats a bowl of wholesome borsch soup on a cold winter day. This classic beef borscht recipe features simple ingredients, classic method and authentic taste!
This beautiful deep red beet soup is my childhood favorite!!! While I’m not technically a Russian, I’m definitely a Russian at heart. I grew up in a Russian community from the age of 3 and learned to talk, read and write in Russian. 😉
So yeah, I know a thing or two about Russian cuisine. And if you love Russian food, you may also like my Russian piroshki, shashlyk and crepe recipes.
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love this borscht soup:
Borscht is actually a traditional Ukrainian dish, but is equally popular in Russia and former USSR countries and northern Asia.
And surprisingly it’s quite popular here in North Dakota too, because all the Ukrainian immigrants settled in ND long time ago.
There’s no one way to make borscht. Every family (or even every cook) makes borsch different ways. That’s the beauty of this soup!
You’ll love this for so many reasons. This borsch is:
- loaded with veggies – And kids love this soup!!!
- easy to customize – You can make it with our without beef, replace any veggies if you need to.
- perfect for meal prepping – It makes a huge batch and it only gets better with time!
And even beet-haters love this soup!
Key Ingredients:
- Beef is not essential for making a great borsch, but we love beef borscht. If you can, choose a beef soup bone, chuck roast, stew meat, or top sirloin.
- Beets are the star of the show! I like to grate half of the beets on a large box grater, and cut other half into matchstick with a knife for texture variation.
- Carrots are also one of the main vegetables, and I also like to grate them on a large box grater. You can choose regular orange carrots, as well as rainbow ones!
- Onion and garlic add ton of flavor, but since my husband can’t eat onion, I cook my borsch without onion.
- Tomato paste is key for depth of flavor. Some use ketchup too.
- Celery is not traditional vegetable in a Ukrainian borscht, but I think it’s a great addition nonetheless. Feel free to omit it, if you want.
- Potatoes make the soup more substantial and hearty. I like to cut them into small cubes, so they cook faster and easy to eat for little kids.
- Cabbage – You can use any variety of cabbage: green, purple, Napa. Although Napa cabbage isn’t traditional, I like how quick it cooks and its subtle texture.
- Bay leaf, lemon juice, dill (or parsley) are additional flavor boosters that make the soup so tasty!
Tip
To make a vegetarian borsch, add any kind of beans and mushrooms in place of beef and use vegetable broth.
How to make borsch:
1. Make beef broth and prep vegetables
First, we’ll start making beef broth. If you have beef on the bone, fantastic! Cook it whole in the cold water and then remove from the stock and cut the meat into small pieces.
If you’re using beef without bones, then go ahead and cut the meat into 1-inch pieces and make the broth. When the broth boils up, it’ll produce some scum foam on top. Remove the scum with a slotted spoon right away for nice and clear broth, it’s purely for aesthetics though.
And while broth is cooking, wash, peel, cut all the veggies.
Tip
I don’t use any disposable gloves to handle beets. If you wash the cutting board and your hands with soap immediately after chopping and handling beets, the stain doesn’t stay long. The beet stain will completely gone in couple of washes.
2. Make zajarka
In a large skillet (I use 12-inch skillet), heat oil and add onion, garlic, carrots. Saute until nice and fragrant, about 2 minutes.
Then stir in beets, followed by tomato paste. And continue to cook for about 8 minutes.
If you’re short on time, you may want to try my simple borscht recipe.
3. Make the soup
Add potatoes, celery, cabbage and bay leaf into the broth and continue to cook until potatoes are tender.
Once the potatoes are cooked, add carrot and beets mixture, lemon juice, dill (or parsley) and freshly ground black pepper. And gently simmer for about 5 minutes.
What to serve with borsch:
Traditionally, borsch is served with sour cream and bread. And that’s exactly how I like it! And feel free to garnish with more fresh dill or parsley.
Storing Tips:
Beef borscht stores well and only gets better with time. I usually divide the leftover soup into plastic soup containers.
- Refrigerate for up to 5 days.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
To reheat, take only the amount you’re serving and gently simmer on stovetop until heated through, or microwave for 2 minutes.
Tip
Repeated heating, or boiling the soup for too long, will cause the beet soup loose its bright color.
Classic Beef Borscht
Ingredients
For beef broth:
- 1 lb (450g) beef cut into 1-inch cubes Note 1
- 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt divided
For zajarka/mirepoix:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves pressed
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 2 medium carrots
- 2 medium beets
- 4 tablespoons tomato paste Note 2
For soup:
- 2 medium potatoes Yukon gold or russet
- 2 celery ribs optional
- 1/4 cabbage 2-3 cups chopped Note 3
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ cup parsley or dill chopped
- Juice of half a lemon
- Sour cream and bread for serving
Instructions
To make beef broth:
- In a large pot (I use 5qt Dutch oven), add beef chunks, 10 cups of cold water and 1 tablespoon of salt. Bring it to a boil over medium high heat, skimming off the scum for clearer broth. Then reduce heat to medium and simmer for about 45 minutes.
To prepare vegetables:
- Meanwhile, wash and peel all the vegetables. Grate the carrots and one beet on a large box grater. And julienne the other beet. (I like the variation in texture, but you can grate them all or julienne all the carrots and beets by knife, if you want to.)
- Cube the potatoes and slice celery into small pieces. Thinly slice the cabbage.Finely mince the onion.
To cook zajarka/mirepoix:
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet (I use 12-inch skillet) over medium low heat.
- Add onion, carrots and garlic and sauté until nice and fragrant. Then stir in beets and tomato paste and cook for 8 minutes, stirring frequently.
To make the soup:
- Once the broth has been cooking for about 30 minutes, add potatoes, celery, cabbage and bay leaf. And continue to cook the soup until potatoes are tender.
- Once the potatoes are cooked through, reduce the heat to medium low and stir in carrot and beet mixture along with freshly squeezed lemon juice into the soup.
- Gently simmer the soup for 5 minutes and then add freshly ground black pepper, fresh parsley or dill.
- Serve immediately with sour cream and bread.
Tips & Notes:
Beef borscht stores well and only gets better with time. I usually divide the leftover soup into plastic soup containers.
– Refrigerate for up to 5 days.
– Freeze for up to 3 months.
To reheat, take only the amount you’re serving and gently simmer on stovetop until heated through, or microwave for 2 minutes. (TIP: Repeated heating, or boiling the soup for too long, will cause the beet soup loose its bright color.)
Nutrition Facts:
This recipe was originally shared on February 23, 2016.
Marian Lincoln says
I had my 1st exposure to borscht when a neighbor asked me if I’d be willing to help her do some canning. This was in 1972, I was just 16. Mrs. Stemkowski had me help her can 50 quarts of borscht that year. I can’t tell you how happy I was to come across your recipe. This is the closest I’ve seen to hers… I think she used paprika in hers.. Can’t wait to make this, it’s been 50 years since I last had any of Mrs. Stemkowski wonderful soup.
Shinee says
Hi, Marian! I’m SO happy you found my recipe. Hope you’ll give it a try. Please let me know how you like it! Thanks for sharing your beautiful memory!!
Natashka Cheburashka says
I was hesitant to make this as a few of the reviews mention lack of flavor. However, since it was a simple recipe, I decided to give it a try. And I’m so glad I did! It was delicious! It was rich in flavor, almost like my mom used to make. I would of given 5 stars, however, I feel like the time isn’t accurate as it took more than an hour and I did have to add 1 qt of organic broth, which made it perfect consistency. Will be adding this one to my recipe binder 🤗
Shinee says
Hi, Natashka!! I’m so happy you tried and liked my borscht recipe!! As you cook the soup more and more, I think it’ll come quicker for you!! Thank you SO much for your feedback!
Debra says
Do you roast the beets first or do you use raw beets?
Shinee says
Hi, Debra. No, I don’t roast the beets. Just raw beets sautéed with carrots and tomato paste before adding to the soup.
Debra says
Thank you. I will give this a try.
Shinee says
Let us know how it turns out, Debra. Thank you for stopping by!
Varda says
Try adding a lot of dill and lemon with a little bit of sugar.
Shinee says
Hi, Varda. Yes, dill and lemon are fantastic addition too!
DONNA L PEDRONCELLI says
Quick comment, your borscht is missing one key ingredient—-Fresh dill.
Esp with sour cream on top of the bowl of soup as well.
xoxo
I grew up in a family in New York- my father first generation American, his family all came from Russia, my mother’s father too was from Russia.
in the Pinsk/Minsk area of Belarus. We grew up eating many Russian dishes which are simply lovely.
Shinee says
Hi, Donna. Thank you for sharing! Yes, fresh dill is pretty common garnish and addition to borsch. However, I don’t always use dill, mostly because our family didn’t use it growing up. I think every family has their own classic version.
DONNA L PEDRONCELLI says
This is so true! that’s what makes international cuisines so interesting based on family traditions passed down through the generations and flavors that vary by regions.
Nice to chat with you, I’ll keep my eye on your blog/recipes.
Shinee says
Let me know if you try any of my recipes, Donna. 😉
Vanessa says
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
Shinee says
Hi, Vanessa. Yes, leftover soup can be stored in fridge for couple of days, and it also freezes well.
Suzanne says
This looks so good! I love that it is hearty and healthy! So satisfying!
Shinee says
Thank you so much, Suzanne.
Kacie says
Shinee,
You wouldnt happen to have the nutritional info on this soup would you? It shoudlnt be difficult to go through and figure out but if someone else has already done it, it does make things a bit easier.
Jess says
I feel like I missed something, this must be the most bland borcht I’ve ever made. I even added fill and apple cider vinegar, as well as cubed beets and grated.
Shinee says
Hi, Jess. Sorry you didn’t like my borscht recipe. I guess it was so horrible it only deserved only 1 star. Oh well, I appreciate your feedback. I’m surprised though. With all that vegetables and meat, herbs and even vinegar, it was still bland?
Alia says
Just so so. Not enough flavor and I did not enjoy the mushiness the grated vegetables added. I added beef bones, dill, salt, more pepper and an extra long simmer on the broth and it was still bland. Needs more beets and potatoes, next time I’d do onions and I wouldnt cook anything in a separate pot so the flavors actually meld.
Shinee says
Hi, Alia! Thank you for your honest feedback. Onions would be a great addition. But I’m surprised you felt it didn’t have enough beets, I secretly think I add a bit too much of it. 🙂 I guess, to each their own. Stewing beets and carrots separately actually adds more flavor and it’s a traditional way of cooking borsch. But I know not everyone cooks it this way. Again, everyone has their own method. Hope you’ll find a perfect borscht recipe for you and your family.
Alia says
Ok, I have to up it to 4 stars. It did taste better the following days, but even more than that my 1 and 4 year olds have been chowing down on it. So maybe it’s not my exact “perfect borscht,” but it is obviously very well received. Thank you!
Shinee says
Yay, so happy your kiddos are loving it. My 2 year old also loves it!! Thank you for this feedback. (And I increased your original rating to 4. 😉
Carl says
Hi there I’m not sure if you are still answering comments but I’m going to be making this for the first time. I have a beef on the bone like you said and want to cook it on the stove top but I didn’t see how long you cook one with the bone in… Weather this is more like an eight-hour process or you still only cook for about 45 minutes with the bone in and just discard the bone after. Thanks!
Shinee says
Hi, Carl. So sorry for late response. No need to boil for 8-hours, you can boil it for about an hour, and then remove from broth, cut the meat into small pieces and discard the bone. Hope you’ll enjoy!
Kayla Sirghii says
This is a favorite of my family, my husband is Moldovan and is always asking for it. In the recipe, I don’t see anything about where in the process to add the celery in. I added it at the end with the cabbage, but I’m not sure that was enough cook time to make it soft. Just curious 🙂
Shinee says
Hey, Kayla! Thank you for your feedback! So glad you all loved the soup. And sorry for confusion on celery. You did it right, it goes in with cabbage. I updated the recipe to reflect that.
Jillian says
Hi Shinee!
I was reading through some comments, saw the onion situation. If you were to add an onion, which I believe is usually used in this soup?, how much would you add? When would you add it?
I LOVE borscht, and beets in general. Can’t wait to make this – it’s chilly out!
Shinee says
Hi, Jillian! Great question. Yes, you can definitely add onion. I’d add about 1/2 of a medium yellow onion. My husband can’t eat onion and I learned to cook without it. Hehe. Saute the onion with carrots and garlic at step 5. Hope you’ll love it, and let me know if you make it.
Margarette says
could u make this in a slow cooker instead of on the stove?
Shinee says
Hi, Margarette. To be honest, I’ve never made borscht in slow cooker. But I don’t see why you couldn’t. I do recommend making the step 5 on stovetop though.
Sam McBride says
I made it in a slow cooker and it turned out great. But I seared the meat first to hold in the juices, and I sauteed the veggies in a pan before adding them. Hope that helps.
Shinee says
Thanks for sharing your experience, Sam. 🙂
Olya says
I was just wondering why you don’t add onion to зажарка? Other than that I make it the exact same way you do! Great pictures!
Shinee says
Hi, Olya! Thanks!! Yes, I used to add onions too, but my husband doesn’t digest onion well. So that’s why I don’t use much onion in my cooking anymore.
Jess says
Oh my goodness this looks divine! I especially love your photography 🙂 Totally pinning, have a great day! xo
Shinee says
Thank you so much, Jess!
Mila says
Shinee, I will definitely share a recipe for the pickle soup, it is not currently on the blog but would make a fun addition.
I forgot to answer your question about the carrots– yes, I cok them separately the same way you do and add them to the pot towards the end.
Shinee says
Awesome, I’ll be watching for that recipe then. And I can’t wait to try your method next time I make borscht.
Mila says
Shinee, by pickle soup I meant рассольник. It’s a hard word to pronounce for my husband, so we call it “pickle soup”. Surprisingly, it is very popular in my family.
On a side note, I grew up in Buryatia, in Ulan Ude– very close to where you are from (a small world).
Your baby boy is adorable! Congratulations on this new addition to your family. You are such a trooper. I had unmedicated births as well and have a lot of respect for women who choose this route. Sounds like your husband made a great support team!
Shinee says
I bet it’s hard to say рассольник! Haha And no, actually, I’ve never made that soup. Would you mind sharing your recipe, I’d love to give it a try. Or is it on your blog already?
Ah, Buryatia, I remember having supervisors coming from Ulan-Ude at the children’s summer camp in Mongolia that we used to go. It was so hard to say good-bye to them at the end of the summer. Lovely people!! And thanks for reading my birth story. It was quite an experience and I definitely proud for going through it med-free. 🙂
Mila says
Hi Shinee, your borscht looks absolutely scrumptious.
I grew up eating borscht, and like with any comfort dish, every household has its own way to make it, which I think is totally fine.
Growing up in Russia, I’ve never seen celery in my life, so I don’t use it in borscht. For the beets, I’ve cooked them the way you do all my life until I read a tip to boil thoroughly scrubbed whole beets (unpeeled) with the meat. Then remove, cool slightly and chop or shred. I now use this method (I just hate shredding raw beets, it’s a workout).
Soups are definitely a life-saver when you need to feed a family. I have four kids and they all, and my Houston born and raised husband, adore Russian food and soups. Have you made pickle soup?
Shinee says
Hi, Mila! You’re so right, every household has its own version of any classic dish. Oh yeah, celery is totally something I started adding after I came to the U.S. And what an interesting way to cook beets. I’ll have to try that next time. So do you still make зажарку with carrots? And I totally agree about grating raw beets, it’s hell! 🙂
Russian cuisine is absolutely delicious. No wonder your family loves it. By pickle soup, do you mean солянка? If so, I’ve had it, but I don’t usually make it.
Beth (OMG! Yummy) says
Such a great dish – I am lucky enough to have eaten classic Russian borscht from a friend – nothing quite like it. And this looks just as good. And congrats on being a mom for the first time!
Shinee says
Thank you, Beth! Hope you’ll make some borscht soon. 🙂