Got fresh beets? Make this easy Russian Beetroot Soup! A light, yet hearty veggie soup that requires minimal prep time and can be served warm or cold.
This vibrant colorful soup is made with basically one major ingredient that’s cooked Russian style into a delicious Beetroot Soup recipe! If you’re not a beet person, please please keep reading—I think I can convince you to give it a try 😉
I absolutely LOVE soup any season, and we’re kicking off spring with a deep pink, healthy and light beetroot soup! And while I’m invited this year for Easter dinner, I would totally have this soup on my Easter table!
Why you have to try this Russian Beetroot Soup:
When it comes to this beetroot soup, beets are absolutely the main ingredient here. It’s really one of those soups you can make and serve really hot on a cold rainy day.
Yet, you can serve it cold or warm on Spring and Summer days and it’ll fit perfectly too.
The beetroot soup here is as classic as can be, so I’ve shredded the beets. I know some people dice the beets, but I can tell you that these shreds of beets add an extra touch of interesting texture to the soup!
I’ve made this beetroot soup the classic old-fashion Russian way here, but you can definitely jazz it up with a few more toppings. This classic taste brought back so so many memories for me so I had to share 🙂
This traditional Russian Beetroot Soup brings back memories of Moscow!
A few of you might not know that I lived in Moscow for nearly four years. I was in high school, yet I remember it vividly. It was one of the posts my Dad served at, and one of the places we enjoyed living at.
The first thing I got asked was, is it really that cold? The truth is, it wasn’t! It’s colder than most of Europe, but definitely not colder than Canada.
In the summer, Moscow was so very green. Daylight could go on till nearly midnight and we stayed out enjoying it all summer long ( probably two months in total, but totally worth it!). We had to learn some Russian words just to get by day to day communication, funny enough I still remember so many words!
I remember the local Russian ice cream sold on the streets—the creamiest thing I ever tasted! l I remember many gorgeous cities, parks, rivers around Moscow and most of all I remember eating much new delicious food!
Back to the beetroot soup, a memory of my few years in Moscow which dragged with me till now. If you’ve followed the beet movement, then you know it’s one of the healthiest foods.
It’s super rich in Vitamin C, Fiber and minerals like Potassium and much more! Luckily for me, I find beets super delicious, so I make plenty of salads using it as a main ingredient.
I also love adding it to any salad even if it’s not the main ingredient like this Italian Balsamic Chicken Salad recipe.
How to make Russian Beetroot Soup (aka. borscht or svekoljnik):
You’ll need to boil the beets until they’re soft enough to be easily shredded. After that, you’ll quickly sauté the onion, garlic, and celery with a neutral tasting oil.
At that point, you’ll add the stock, the shredded beets, a bay leaf, some of the beet water and cook for maximum 30 minutes.
Finished off with a tablespoon of vinegar, some parsley, and croutons. A perfect bowl of beetroot soup!
For the record, some people add cabbage, potatoes, carrots and more veggie goodness. I love the old-fashioned classic beet only beetroot soup and if you make it, you’ll be totally surprised by how simple, easy and delicious it is! So Make it and enjoy 🙂
Tips for success:
- Some people like to add turnips, cabbage, potatoes, carrots, and more veggie goodness to their beetroot soup and you can go ahead and do just that.
- You can use any stock you like, beef, vegetable or chicken.
- This recipe requires fresh beets, so don’t use pickled!
- Along with the croutons, you can also serve some sour cream in a separate bowl or added into the plate with borsch right before serving it.
Beetroot Soup Russian Style
Got fresh beets? Make this easy Russian Beetroot Soup! A light, yet hearty veggie soup that requires minimal prep time and can be served warm or cold.
Ingredients
- 2 pounds beets washed and peeled
- 8 cups water for boiling
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- 1 onion diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 cup celery finely diced
- 3 cups stock
- 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper (more or less to taste)
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
- Croutons for serving ( you can find my recipe in this post: )
Instructions
-
Place a large pot with the water over high heat and add in the beets. Let the beets cook for half an hour to one hour until it’s tender enough for you to grate.
-
In the meantime, start making the soup so it can concentrate the flavors. Sauté the onion, garlic, and celery. Then add the stock, seasoning and let that boil for at least ten minutes.
-
Remove the beets from the boiling water and let them cool for a little bit until they’re cool enough for you to handle.
-
Start grating the beets and add them to the soup base.
-
The beets need to cook for 20-30 minutes further until they have a nice tender bite.
-
Add the vinegar and parley to finish off the beetroot soup and serve it with some croutons!
-
If you like topping your soup, sour cream is the best option! Enjoy 🙂
Recipe Notes
- Some people like to add turnips, cabbage, potatoes, carrots, and more veggie goodness to their beetroot soup and you can go ahead and do just that.
- You can use any stock you like, beef, vegetable or chicken.
- This recipe requires fresh beets, so don't use pickled!
- Along with the croutons, you can also serve some sour cream in a separate bowl or added into the plate with borsch right before serving it.
Looks delicious. I am definitely trying this recipe!
is not a russian soup, and it does not have a hint of the culture of using the products. russian soup is shchii, in which there is nothing except bone and cabbage… If you look at the history of where beets were used, then this is definitely not russia.
Help! I can’t find the recipe for croutons. They look delicious.
Linda thank you!!! You can find the crouton recipe in this post:
https://www.twopurplefigs.com/strawberry-spinach-salad-artichoke-soup-brunch/
Enjoy 🙂
Hi! What type of vinegar do you add along with parsley?
I usually add something like a white balsamic vinegar because it’s sweet and vinegar-y at the same time. If you can’t find it though, any other vinegar would work.
This is seriously making me hungry! This looks absolutely delicious! Yummy!
This is such a different type of soup Erin, you need to try it!
I’m the only one in my family that likes beets, so I guess I get this all to myself!
hahah Allison, you never know–they may change their mind 🙂
How wonderful you lived in Moscow for those years as a child. Such great memories and how nice you can make something from that time that looks so good!! I’m a huge beets fan!
Thanks Lora 🙂 This soup is a very Russian thing and so different from your everyday soups–hope you make it 🙂
I’m trying to find a way to use beets more often and I LOVE the vibrant color of this soup! Thanks for sharing your recipe!
You need to try this Michelle!
I tried this once at a restaurant and fell in love with first bite. Can’t wait to try my hand at making it at home.
Oh so happy you’ve tried it before Sabrina!
Sign me up! I need to try this soup asap!
Go for it Anna!
I cannot tell you how much I love beets. The gorgeous color of this veggie is simply amazing and makes any dish …wow! You Russian style beetroot soup is just wow. I have my version of beetroot soup which is been my go-to beetroot soup recipe, now I need to try your Russian style beet soup ASAP.
Thanks Jyothi, hope you make it!
I don’t usually cook with beetroot but this recipe looks like a one-million-dollar recipe if you have beetroot at home! The soup looks so comforting and delicious!
It’s super light too April and seasonal
Beetroot is one vegetable I really wanna add to our diet this year. I hardly ever make it. I must try this soup. Saving this for later. Sounds so yum.
You really should Veena!
I am a firm believer in beets — it is so good for you and for years it got a bad rap that it had no nutrition. I think some jealous veggies got together and started that rumor. I’ve always wanted to have borscht — I love the color– and now I have a recipe I can try. Thank you!!
Me too Marisa! Thank you
Love this! It is the perfect cold weather food and the color is so beautiful!! I just love beets so I’m sure this is amazing!
Thank you Danielle!
I love beets and this soup is so easy and the flavors are spot on! My husband and I love this recipe, and it is always a treat for us when we have fresh beets!
So glad you enjoy this!
What sort of stock do you use?
I use vegetable stock to make this entirely vegetarian/vegan, however if you like chicken stock or beef, feel free to use ti too! It’ll just add extra flavor, which never hurts 🙂
Thanks so much Sam!!So glad you enjoyed this one!! 🙂