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Polish Beet Soup, Barszcz or Borscht, is an easy and delicious vegetable-packed soup that is bright in color and flavor! Your family will love this sweet and sour soup.
You will love this Borscht Soup
My dad has raved about his mother’s Polish Beet Soup (Barszcz or Borscht) for as long as I could remember. I, unfortunately, never had the opportunity to taste it, but I have been using my dad’s palate and memory to try and recreate her Polish Beet Soup.
After years of trying, my dad says I’ve got it! Over the years, I’ve tried different broths—vegetable, beef, and beef bone broth—and have found that the beef bone broth gives the best flavor.
It helps richen and elevate this simple soup into a meal itself! I like to serve it with some nice crusty bread and a simple green salad.
I’ve also experimented with the vegetable that the soup is cooked with: I’ve drained the vegetables from the soup right before serving, pureed them in the soup with an immersion blender, and just left them in the soup as is. Personally, I like to leave them in the soup as is. It’s simpler this way, and the veggies make the soup a bit more substantial.
Eating Barszcz makes me happy. The color is beautiful, and the soup warms me to my Polish core.
Do be careful while eating the soup, though, because little droplets of beet soup are hard stains to remove from clothing and tablecloths (trust me, I know from experience).
What is Borscht?
Borscht is a hearty, sour soup originating in Eastern Europe, particularly in Ukraine, Russia, and Poland. Make it with beets, cabbage, carrots, onions, potatoes, tomatoes, and beef or pork broth. It’s typically served hot with a dollop of sour cream.
Borscht Recipe ingredients
- butter
- yellow onion
- garlic cloves
- beef bone broth
- beets
- carrots
- celery stalks
- bay leaves
- caraway seeds
- allspice
- apple cider vinegar
- granulated sugar
- salt
- ground black pepper
- sour cream
- fresh chopped dill
Cook’s Tools – Beet Soup
- large heavy-bottomed pot
- spoon
- ladle
How to make Borscht Soup
- In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat.
- Add the onion and cook until translucent and soft, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Slowly add the beef bone broth while scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Add beets, carrots, celery, bay leaves, caraway seeds, and allspice.
- Bring the mixture to a low boil and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 10-15 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and remove the bay leaves.
- Add in the vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper to taste.
- Ladle soup into bowls and serve with sour cream and fresh chopped dill (optional).
Cook’s Note – Polish Beet Soup:
- If you prefer your beet soup to be more of a broth, drain the vegetables from the soup right before serving. I personally don’t because I think the soup is delicious with the vegetables in it.
- If you cannot find beef bone broth, then use beef stock.
- I know it’s not exactly authentic, but sometimes I throw in some stew meat while the onions cook in step 1 of the recipe below.
How to serve this Beet Soup Recipe
Serve beet soup hot or cold. Enjoy it as a starter, main course, or light lunch. Traditionally, it’s served with a dollop of sour cream or crème fraîche. It can also be garnished with fresh dill, chopped green onions, or a sprinkle of paprika.
How to store Polish Beet Soup
Beet soup can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
To store beet soup in the refrigerator:
- Let the soup cool completely to room temperature.
- Transfer the soup to an airtight container.
- Store the soup in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
To store beet soup in the freezer:
- Let the soup cool completely to room temperature.
- Transfer the soup to freezer-safe containers.
- Leave about an inch of headspace at the top of the containers to allow for expansion.
- Freeze the soup for up to 3 months.
Borscht Soup Recipe FAQs
You can eat borscht, both hot or cold. The type of borscht determines whether it is served hot or cold.
Hot borscht: This is the most common type of borscht. It is made with beef or pork broth, vegetables, and beets. Hot borscht is typically served with a dollop of sour cream or crème fraîche.
Cold borscht: This type of borscht is made with kefir, beets, vegetables, and herbs. It is typically served with a garnish of chopped hard-boiled eggs, cucumbers, and dill.
Whether or not you should peel beets for soup depends on the type of soup you are making.
For hot borscht: You do not need to peel beets for hot borscht. The skins will soften during cooking and can be easily removed after the beets have cooled. Peeling the beets after they have cooled is also easier than peeling them raw, as the skin will be more pliable.
For cold borscht: You may want to peel beets for cold borscht, as the skins can be a bit tough when eaten raw. However, if you do not mind the skins’ texture, you can leave them on.
Yes, borscht is considered a healthy soup. It is packed with nutrients from the vegetables, meat, and broth. Beets, in particular, are a good source of vitamins A, C, and K, as well as potassium, manganese, and folate.
ONE YEAR AGO: Skillet Pork Chops
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THREE YEARS AGO: Creamy Tomato Tortellini Soup
Do you have a family recipe for beet soup, Barszcz, or Borscht? Leave me a comment below; I’d love to hear how you prepare it!
If you love Polish food, then you must check out my Grandma’s Golumpki and Kielbasa Kapusta!
Borscht Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons butter
- 1 large yellow onion diced
- 5 large garlic cloves minced
- 6 cups beef bone broth or beef stock
- 5 medium beets peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
- 3 large carrots cut into 1/2-inch thick rounds
- 2 celery stalks chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- 3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- salt to taste
- ground black peppers to taste
FOR SERVING:
- Sour cream
- Fresh chopped dill
Instructions
MAKE SOUP:
- In a large heavy-bottomed pot melt the butter over medium-high heat. Once the foaming subsides, add the onion and cook until translucent and soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Slowly add in the beef bone broth while scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add in the beets, carrots, celery, bay leaves, caraway seeds, and allspice. Bring the mixture to a low boil, and cook until the vegetables are tender, about 10-15 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and remove the bay leaves. Add in the vinegar, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste.
SERVE:
- Ladle soup into bowls and serve with sour cream and fresh chopped dill (both optional).
Karen Call says
Can’t wait to eat this soup again. So delicious.
Saima says
Looks so bright and inviting. Beets are so full of nutrition and this soup seems to be the perfect way to have them!
Jillian says
Exactly, just a delicious and comforting soup that’s nutritious, too!
Juli says
That looks amazing, I dont have a family recipe, I didn’t grow up with it but i make it regularly. I love the idea of chunks of beets, it looks amazing.
Lisa Bryan says
I’ve never tried Borscht but it’s been on my recipe to do list for a while. Will have to give your recipe a try!
Neli Howard says
This soup (Borsch) is very popular in Ukraine. Especially in western Ukraine. Ukrainians cook this soup almost every day. It is really very tasty. All my family adores it. Great recipe. Thank you for sharing.
Jillian says
Thank you, and thanks for stopping by!
lola@cheflolaskitchen says
Wow, the colour of this soup is just so tempting! Would love to try this.
Dayna says
This beet soup is the best!
Theresa Anderson says
Love the soup. Reminds me of my Auntie in Poland.
Michelle says
My Grandmother used to make borscht without meat. She would boil the potatoes first, remove the potatoes and then use the potato water as stock. She would then basically make mashed potatoes with a bit of butter and milk and add them back to the soup at the end. Thank you for the inspiration as I might have to make this in the next few days for a warm and wonderful taste of my childhood
Jillian says
Hi Michelle, I love it when there are fond memories attached to food. I’m so glad this recipe brought you back to your grandmother’s kitchen. 🙂
Bev says
I added cut up potatoes and a few canned diced tomatoes. I Found the vegetables were still hard so I put the soup in a crockpot for an hour. Thanks for the recipe!
John Hornady says
Excellent, just what I remember as a kid from my polish side of the family
Cher Mackiewicz says
I love that your recipes are adjustable for the number of people being served. As a retired couple, it is difficult to adjust recipes so that we don’t have leftovers for a week or end up throwing away older food. Thank you for making this process simpler