This classic borscht recipe is just the way my Ukrainian grandma and mother made it. Easy to make, flavorful and filling, this soup will have you hooked at first slurp.

Borscht is a sour soup (credit: vinegar) with a beautiful fuschia color (credit: beets). It was a staple growing up in my Eastern European home and It’s a comfort food I will always absolutely love. There is truly nothing like a steaming bowl of borscht on a cold winter day.
Borscht is always top of my mind when I am traveling through Europe and trying new restaurants. It’s one of those dishes that has so many different variations. It’s inspiring to see how others make it, but to be honest, this is the best version I have had!
Borscht is awesome for meal prepping. My family likes to get together and make a big batch that we can slowly eat through during the week. Bonus: The longer it sits and marinades it itself, the better it tastes. I think day 3 borscht leftovers are particularly amazing…
So, is Borscht Russian or Ukrainian?
Alright, I might be asking for a fight here. There has always been a bit of back and forth on this question, so I am interested to hear your opinions in the comments! I might be biased, but my vote is Ukrainian!

What Does Borscht Taste Like?
Borscht is a savory, sour and hearty soup that is packed with beef, beets, carrots, potatoes, kidney beans and cabbage. It can be made completely vegetarian (skip the beef), or for an extra punch of flavor you can swap out the water for beef broth or beef stock. The end result is the perfect soup to warm up to on a cold day.
Why is Borscht so Healthy?
Whenever anyone in my family would show any signs of sickness, my mother or grandma immediately started whipping up some borscht. All the veggies, especially beets, are packed with vitamins that are perfect for keeping wintertime colds at bay. Borscht is also naturally low in calories and cholesterol.
Serve with Borscht
- No-Knead Bread: My mom always baked homemade bread to go with borscht. But, being as busy as I am, I really enjoy the ease of this no-knead bread.
- Sour Cream: This is the classic way to serve borscht. Pop a hefty dollop on top for a nice, creamy texture.
- Green onions and Garlic: If you love garlic, I recommend adding some marinated, chopped cloves right into your soup. A nice touch is also some chopped green onions.

Borscht Ingredients
- Cabbage: Shred your cabbage with a mandoline slicer or slice it as thinly as possible with a sharp knife.
- Meat- beef bone-in is always my favorite, oxtail (cow tail) is going to be my #1 option. But, if you prefer chicken or pork, I would highly encourage using bone-in cuts for the extra fat and marrow flavoring.
- Potatoes: Good old-fashioned russet potatoes will do the trick. But, feel free to use any potatoes you have one hand.
- Beets: You can slice your beets into cubes, strips or even grate them. My favorite ways is slicing them into french fry-sized strips.
- Carrots: Grate or cut into tiny cubes.
- Onion: Dice it into tiny pieces or cook an entire cube in the soup and remove it at the end.
- Kidney Beans: These are totally optional. I LOVE them in borscht and if you are sticking to vegetarian, they add a good amount of protein.
- Vinegar & Ketchup: My grandma always used sauerkraut to get the signature sour flavor, but I have grown to love ketchup and vinegar for that kick. .
Other Classic Soups to Try
Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 lb bone-in beef
- 4 tbsp oil
- 1 large beet grated or sliced thinly
- 1/2 large onion finely chopped
- 2 medium carrots grated
- 16 oz canned kidney beans rinse them trough and let them drain
- 3 medium potatoes sliced into bite-sized pieces
- 1/4 head of medium cabbage thinly chopped
- 1 tbsp salt adjust to taste
- 1/4 tbsp ground pepper
- 1 tbsp vinegar
- 2 tbsp ketchup
Instructions
- Cut beef into 2-inch pieces and let it simmer for about 20 minutes with 4 quarts of water.
- Sautée carrots, onions and beets with 4 tablespoons cooking oil. Sautée until vegetables are soft (7-10 minutes). Add to the beef broth. Drain and rinse beans and add them to the pot. Cook for 20 minutes.
- Add sauteed veggies to the beef broth. Drain and rinse beans and add them to the pot as well. Cook for 15 minutes.
- Add sliced potatoes to the cooking ingredients and simmer for another 15 minutes.
- After the potatoes are almost done cooking add sliced cabbage to the pot. Add ground pepper, salt to taste, vinegar and ketchup. Let the borscht simmer for 10 more minutes.
- Serve with a dollop of sour cream or real mayo. This is optional, most people like sour cream, I don't.
I really love sauerkraut so I think I would prefer that over the vinegar and ketchup. How much would you suggest putting in?
I would do half of the fresh cabbage and replace the other half with sauerkraut.
In the first step you say "Cut beet into 2-inch pieces and let it simmer" but the picture looks like meat. Is it beet or beef?
Oh my, yes beef 🙂 thank you!
If I use chicken in the borscht, what’s the process for that? Do I boil it, bake it, or just what?
You would follow the same process as you would with beef. You may just need to cook it for a shorter time!
this is INCREDIBLE! thank you for sharing this classic, true-to-form recipe. a few substitutions for V/VG that i did:
i put in vegan sausage (1 pack) and simmered it in veg broth for the first step.
i used 1 jar of quartered beets brined in a red vinaigrette (Trader Joe's) because they were out of beets-- and it was perfect! this meant i skipped the vinegar at the end.
added a dash of sriracha instead of ketchup-- nice color, nice little kick.
i added a dollop of no-fat greek yogurt (my non-VG cheat) instead of sour cream to let the Borscht bring the sour-ness.
will definitely be making this again (and again).
Hey Grace, I am loving all the tips. So happy to hear that you loved it! Thank you for sharing.
What is the green herb in the picture of the cabbage going into the pot? I don't see it listed on the ingredients...
Many traditional Borscht recipes do add fresh chopped dill before serving.
Hey Sarah, yes, it is very common. But every household still did it a bit different.
Hey Kristie, its fresh parsley, it adds a bit more color to the photo. I don't add it to the soup.
To answer your question .... there are a hundred different types of borscht - all made with beets but all different - and it is a common soup not just in Russia and Ukraine, but in Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Chech Republic, Slovakia... maybe other countries as well. My favorite is the cool borscht made with beet greens and kefir served on warm June days - when i visited Vilnius in June of 1992 it was a stole in every restaurant.
Thank you for sharing!
Hi Natalya! I have made this borscht! But i must say it didn't turn out as red as expected! I have omitted the vinegar and ketchup though. Could it be the reason ? Many thanks.
The carrots leach the red dye from the beets...you can add a small can of tomato paste and it will redden up again.
Hey Carol, thank you for this awesome tip!
Vinegar or lemon juice or pickle brine help keep the red colour.
Anette, such a great tip! Thanks for sharing!
Hey Nina, the redness comes from the beets. Some beets have a deeper color and some don't. The taste is probably very similar though.
Thank you for your reply! 🙂
Hey! Could you give us some tips if we wanted to make it vegetarian? I’m assuming just using veggie broth and cooking the veggies in there?
Hey Anya, yes, sue veggie broth and skip the meat part altogether. Definitely add beans, it will be really good. We make it vegetarian as well sometimes and the beans add so much flavor.
Hi Natalya,
I grew up on borsch, so I'm on the hunt for a genuine recipe. My mum never wrote down her recipes, and now she's gone, I have nothing to go by.
I found your site on the Ukrainian Recipes FB page, it looks great, so I'm giving it a go.
Can you give me some thoughts of cooking this in a slow cooker. Would you reduce the liquids slightly?
Marika
Hey Marika, I have never made it in an instant pot. I think it could make cabbage a bit soggy so I prefer cooking it on a stovetop. This is the way my mom and grandma made it and it's the closest in flavor to their borscht. Keep me posted, I really hope you love this recipe!
Hi, quick question do the beets have to be cooked prior to using in the recipe?
Hey Ann, they don't need to be precooked. They cook in the borscht and add so much flavor.
Do you have to take out the bones?
Hey Nata, we leave the bones while the borscht is cooking. At the end, I remove the large bone.
Borscht is Ukrainian (not Russian).
Natalka, thats what I was thinking! 🙂
Your website is the best! Just love how pretty and simple the dishes are. I feel so comfortable cooking them. I like this recipe too. Will try making it tonight!
Kiera, wow! Your compliment is so sweet! I am glad you found the blog. Let me know what you think of this recipe. 🙂
Was watching a travel program this morning from St. Petersburg, Russia. They interviewed a well know chef while there. He prepared the Russian Dumplings and Borscht. I just about jumped out of the chair. He made them just like my grandmother and mother used to make them. They were from Novosibirsk in Siberia. I was so pleased to find your website with the two recipes. I grew up eating the dumplings. Not so much the borscht though. She did make it for others though. Do you have a recipe book I could purchase? I am just north of Chicago, IL.
Oh Dianne, thanks for sharing this whole story. So far we only have the ebook, https://ebooks.momsdish.com/ but one day we have it on our bucket list have a published one. On the blog I share a lot of traditional recipes. Thanks again! I hope you love all the recipes!
Borscht it's not russian fish but Ukrainian
Dish
Or Polish, everyone claims borscht to be their dish. 🙂
Hi Natalya,
I really like your site! Your recipes are not overly complicated and they turn out great! Thank you!
Hey Molly! Thank you so much, I feel like I don't deserve all the love. I am happy you are loving the recipes, will try to keep them coming 🙂