Polish Beet Soup, barszcz czerwony 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.
Table of Contents
You Will Love Polish Borscht!
Hi folks,
My dad has raved about his mother’s Polish Beet Soup (Barszcz Czerwony or Borscht) for as long as I can remember. Unfortunately, I never had the opportunity to taste it, but I have been using my dad’s palate and memory to try and recreate her Polish Borscht.
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 richens the soup and gives the best flavor.
I’ve also experimented with the vegetables that the soup is cooked with: I’ve drained the vegetables from the soup right before serving, pureed them with an immersion blender, and just left them in the soup as is.
I like to leave them in the soup as is. It’s simpler this way, and the veggies make the soup 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).
Ingredients and Estimated Cost
Per Serving Cost: $3.48
Recipe Cost: $13.89
- 3 Tablespoons salted butter – $0.30
- 1 large yellow onion – $0.98
- 5 large garlic cloves – $0.34
- 6 cups beef bone broth – $7.86
- 5 medium beets – $1.75
- 3 large carrots – $0.68
- 2 celery stalks – $0.49
- 2 bay leaves – $0.50
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds – $0.41
- ½ teaspoon allspice – $0.06
- 3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar – $0.45
- 2 teaspoons granulated sugar – $0.01
- salt to taste – $0.01
- ground black peppers to taste – $0.05
NOTE: Recipe prices and the amounts needed are based on grocery store websites. Actual costs may vary depending on your ingredients. Prices updated September 2024.
How To Make Borscht
- 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. Remove the bay leaves and add vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper.
- Ladle soup into bowls and serve with sour cream and fresh chopped dill (optional).
Cook’s Tools – Beet Soup
- large heavy-bottomed pot
- spoon
- ladle
How To Serve This Polish Borscht Recipe
Serve beet soup hot or cold. Enjoy it as a starter, main course, or light lunch. Traditionally, you serve it with a dollop of sour cream or crème fraîche. You can also garnish 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 Barszcz Czerwony 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 Polish Borscht 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.
Recipe FAQs
You can eat borscht, both hot or cold. The type of borscht determines whether you serve it 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 soften during cooking and you can easily remove them 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.
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. Serve it hot with a dollop of sour cream.
If you love Polish food, then you must check out my Grandma’s Golumpki and Kielbasa Kapusta!
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!
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Borscht Soup Recipe
Video
Equipment
- cutting board
- knife
- measuring cups and spoons
- vegetable peeler
- large heavy-bottomed pot
- spoon
- ladle
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 ½-inch thick rounds
- 2 celery stalks chopped into ½-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).
Notes
- 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.
Nutrition
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Could I use canned beets? I remember my mom doing that. This is the closest I’ve seen of her soup!
Yes, you can use canned beets! Canned beets are a convenient option and can save you time, as they are already cooked and tender. Here are a few tips when using canned beets:
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
Delicious! And easy to make!
Excellent, just what I remember as a kid from my polish side of the family
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!
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
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. 🙂
Love the soup. Reminds me of my Auntie in Poland.
Wow, the colour of this soup is just so tempting! Would love to try this.
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.
Thank you, and thanks for stopping by!
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!
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.
Looks so bright and inviting. Beets are so full of nutrition and this soup seems to be the perfect way to have them!
Exactly, just a delicious and comforting soup that’s nutritious, too!
Can’t wait to eat this soup again. So delicious.