Instant Pot Borscht is my Ukrainian grandma’s borscht recipe adapted for a pressure cooker. Serve this hearty cabbage and beet soup with lots of dill, garlic and sour cream. So good!
We love cabbage around here, from Instant Pot cabbage rolls, to Instant Pot cabbage soup, to Russian shchi and unstuffed cabbage rolls.
Pressure Cooker Borscht
Instant Pot borscht. Borscht is Ukrainian cabbage and beet soup I grew up eating almost every week. Eventually, I have adapted my grandma’s borscht recipe to a pressure cooker.
And it tastes just like hers. Even without any sauteing of vegetables in tomato sauce called “zazharka”. You throw everything in one pot and walk away!
What is borscht? It’ basically Instant Pot veggie soup meets cooked beets in Instant Pot meets tomato soup.
In summer, we also love to make green borsch with fresh sorrel from our garden.
Ingredients for Borscht
These are a must have ingredients. Borscht is highly versatile!!! You might find recipe too long, but it’s just options for ingredients and different size Instant Pots.
Below I go over other variations depending what you have on hand and corresponding cook times.
- Beets
- Cabbage
- Potato, onion, carrot
- Tomato paste
- Garlic and dill
Borscht Variations and Substitutions
- Meat or soup bones: You can use any chicken pieces like drumsticks, legs, thighs or bones. The more fat or skin, more rich is the borscht. More classic choice would be beef short ribs or bones, and I recommend to make beef broth or Instant Pot beef bone broth first and only then make borscht.
- Tomato sauce or diced tomatoes: I prefer tomato sauce, passata or crushed tomatoes because it’s more hearty where as diced tomatoes contain more water. But I have used both.
- Ketchup: My mom’s trick. Worst case scenario you can add a bit of ketchup if you are out of canned tomato sauce. I am personally not a fan. My mom likes to add a squirt in any case.
- Sauerkraut: Borscht needs acidity (more on it in the next point) and sweetness. Sauerkraut adds that tangy taste that I personally love. It is optional but so good!
- Dried beans: The beauty of any Instant Pot beans recipe is that it can cook dried beans without soaking. I recommend to use white navy, pinto or lima beans. They tend to make Instant Pot cabbage borscht more hearty due to their high starch content.
- Red kidney beans fact: I tried to cook borscht with red kidney beans and found they make borscht very “beany” tasting and also change the color to more orange.
- Canned beans: Reduce water to 5 cups (6 quart) and 8 cups (8 quart) and 15 minutes cook time is enough.
How to Make Instant Pot Borscht
- Prep: I prep ingredients and add them to the pot as I prep. Shred cabbage, rinse beans and meat (if using), dice onions, slice carrots, cube potatoes and cut beets into matchsticks. I like to cut beets last because of their “bleeding”.
- Do not stir and add liquids + seasonings: Pour water, tomato sauce/ paste, maple syrup, bay leaves, salt and pepper on top. Do not stir.
- Cook on High Pressure: Press Pressure Cook on High or Manual button for: any version without dried beans – 15 minutes, with dry beans – 35 minutes. It will take about 30 mins for it to come to pressure.
- While borscht is cooking, prep garnishes: Peel garlic, chop dill, slice lemon in half to prepare for squeezing (if not using vinegar).
- Wait 15 mins and release pressure: After 20 minutes is up, let it stand for 15 minutes. And then release pressure using Quick Release method by turning valve to Venting. It is OK to use Natural Release while you are away.
- Season more: Add lemon juice, grate garlic and add dill. We like lots of everything.
More Tips and Facts
- Cultures: Every Eastern European country has its own version of borscht soup. Every cook even within same family cooks their own version of borscht.
- Vegetarian borscht: Just veggies, would be nice to add canned beans for protein. Cook for 15 minutes.
- Borscht with beef: I recommend to use beef ribs or soup bones and make beef broth or Instant Pot beef bone broth first. So much flavor!!! After cook for 15 minutes.
- Borscht with chicken: Add bone in chicken pieces and cook for 20 minutes.
- Borscht with dried beans: Use white, pinto or lima beans and cook for 35 minutes.
- Borscht develops flavors: Borscht tastes even better next day. Freshly cooked tastes amazing too. Just different.
- It is important to add fresh garlic and dill after borscht has finished cooking!
How Ukrainians Serve Borscht
- Sour cream or plain yogurt. As much as you want, we used sour cream to top syrniki recipe growing up, too. Alex loves a dollop of mayo on his borscht. I don’t but it’s an option too.
- More garlic. Yes! I know you might think I’m crazy but I’m Ukrainian. We always ate borscht while biting on a clove of garlic. So good! Garlic is nature’s antibiotic, did you know?!
- Rye bread. If you could only smell and taste freshly baked Ukrainian rye bread from the bakery, you would understand why I think bagged, sliced and good for 10 days North American bread is a joke. I would cut a garlic clove in half and rub it all around the slice, especially the crust. So good! These days we satisfy ourselves with organic bagged whole grain bread, toasting helps. When I have time I make pampushki, Ukrainian garlic bread.
As a kid, I also would rub a slice of rye bread all over. Spread sour cream on top. And sprinkle with salt. So probably weird to you but so good to me!:) I get it. Eating crickets sounds weird to me to but many do. Can’t argue about tastes and cuisines.
Enjoy, friends!
How to Store and Reheat Borscht
Storing: Refrigerate borscht for up to 5 days. It is like wine and gets only better with time.
Freezing: Freeze in an airtight container leaving some room for expansion. Borscht freezes beautifully. Thaw on a counter for a few hours or bottom shelf of the fridge overnight.
Reheating: Reheat only amount you need in a small pot by simmering and stirring on low.
More Instant Pot Recipes to Try
- Instant Pot lentil soup
- Instant Pot chicken noodle soup
- Instant Pot split pea soup
- Instant Pot chicken and potatoes
- Instant Pot chicken tortilla soup
- Looking for more dinner ideas? Check out my most popular collection of 45 healthy Instant Pot recipes.
Instant Pot Borscht
Instant Pot Borscht is my Ukrainian grandma’s borscht recipe adapted to pressure cooker. Serve this hearty cabbage and beet soup with lots of dill, garlic and sour cream. So good!
Ingredients
For 8 Quart Instant Pot
- 2 lbs cabbage coarsely shredded
- 1.5 lbs 5 large potatoes, cubed
- 1 lb 3 medium beets, cut into sticks
- 2 large carrots sliced
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1 cup white, pinto or lima beans, dried *
- 1 lb any chicken, beef or soup bones (optional)**
- 12 cups water
- 14 oz can tomato sauce low sodium
- 6 oz can tomato paste low sodium
- 1 tbsp any sweetener
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 1/2 tsp salt
- Ground black pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice
- Lots of freshly grated garlic
- Lots of fresh chopped dill
For 6 Quart Instant Pot
- 1.5 lbs cabbage coarsely shredded
- 1 lb 3 large potatoes, cubed
- 2 medium beets cut into sticks
- 1 large carrot sliced
- 1 small onion chopped
- 3/4 cup white, pinto or lima beans dried*
- 1/2 lb any chicken, beef or soup bones (optional)**
- 8 cups water
- 14 oz can tomato sauce low sodium
- 6 oz can tomato paste low sodium
- 1/2 tbsp any sweetener
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 3/4 tsp salt
- Ground black pepper to taste
- 1/2 tbsp vinegar or lemon juice
- Lots of freshly grated garlic
- Lots of fresh chopped dill
Instructions
- In Instant Pot, add ingredients in the following order: cabbage, beans (if using), potatoes, beets, carrots, onion and chicken or bones (if using). Do not stir.
- Pour water and then add on top tomato sauce and paste, sweetener, bay leaves, salt and pepper. Do not stir.
- Close the lid, turn pressure vent to Sealing and press Pressure Cook on High or Manual for: vegetarian and/or with canned beans – 15 minutes, with chicken – 20 minutes, with dried beans – 35 minutes.
- After Instant Pot has finished cooking, let Instant Pot borscht stand for 15 minutes or longer. And then release pressure using Quick Release method by turning valve to Venting and open the lid.
- Add vinegar, fresh garlic and dill. We like lots. Stir and adjust any seasoning to taste.
- Serve hot with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt, rye or whole wheat bread and more garlic.:)
Notes
- Store: Refrigerate borscht for up to 5 days. It is like wine and gets only better with time.
- Freeze: Freeze in an airtight container leaving some room for expansion. Borscht freezes beautifully. Thaw on a counter for a few hours or bottom shelf of the fridge overnight.
- Red kidney beans fact: I tried and found dry red kidney beans make borscht very “beany” tasting and also change the colour to more orange.
- If using canned beans or no beans at all: Reduce water to 5 cups (6 quart) and 8 cups (8 quart).
- Borscht with beef: I recommend to use beef ribs or soup bones and make beef broth or Instant Pot beef bone broth first. So much flavor!!!
- Borscht with chicken: Add bone in chicken pieces and cook for 20 minutes.
- Vegetarian borscht: Just veggies, would be nice to add canned beans for protein. Cook for 15 minutes.
- Tomato sauce or diced tomatoes: I prefer tomato sauce , passata or crushed tomatoes because it’s more hearty where as diced tomatoes contain more water. But I have used both.
Nutrition
Serving: 2cups | Calories: 211kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 755mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 13g
Did you make this recipe?Mention @ifoodreal or tag #ifoodreal!
Although my parents have been to both Russia and Ukraine and have had Borscht I had never tried it before. I absolutely loved it! This recipe is definitely a keeper and is now in my favorites. Thanks!
I’m so happy to hear you found a favorite borscht recipe for yourself!
Love it, Reminds me of my Polish grandma’s recipe. Very similar. I add leeks and use the stems and greens of the beets too. I bake my beets, skin on in the oven to help them retain their color. Borscht Have you ever read Baba’s Kitchen, Ukrainian Soul Food by Raisa Stone (Raisa Marika Stohyn)? I cook like she writes.
Hi Anna. So glad you loved the recipe. Those are great tips! No, I have never read this book. I’ll try to find it.
This tastes great! I had a hard time fitting all of these ingredients in my 6-qt InstaPot, and I left out the short ribs. I definitely went over the 2/3 “high mark” on the InstaPot. I simmered the short ribs separately on the stove, then ended up combining everything in one pot after the veggies were done. The weight of potatoes and cabbage was helpful, could you suggest a weight for the beets, carrots and onions also? My ‘medium’ beets must have been ‘large’. I used one entire giant bulb (6 cloves) of homegrown garlic, so that felt like a guess also. I will cut the veggies back by 20% or so next time so I can pressure cook the beef short ribs in the InstaPot with the veggies.
Borscht with short ribs sounds heavenly! Glad you made it work and your idea to cut veggies by 20% is great. Just estimate amounts of veggies, there is really no wrong way.
I’ve never made Borscht soup (though I used to enjoy cold borscht soup when my Mum made it when I was a kid), but my husband found this recipe, and it looked like something even I could do (I’m the world’s second worst cook; I don’t know who’s worse, but I didn’t want to claim that crown) because the directions were so detailed. This turned out to be delicious! Thanks for the extra Note about the timing for chicken and also using less water if there were no beans.
My pleasure. You made me smile. 🙂 My mom was the worst baker ever because she could never take time to read the recipe. So maybe you are not the worst cook at all.
I followed the recipe but the soup turned out to be the wrong color (yellow-ish) and the beets turned white as if overcooked.
I was skeptical if this would taste like my version without any sauteing of veggies, but this was delicious!! I’m stunned. I’ll be much more likely to make borshch with this easy recipe! Thank you 😊
I’m so happy to read this! Thanks for your positive feedback!
I agree sooo easy!! I froze some and eating it months later today, and still so very delicious!! Thanks for the wonderful recipe!!
Glad you enjoyed the recipe!
can you please explain why you insist on not stirring? there is concern about burning at the bottom of the IP. Most other recipes request stirring so that you can make sure nothing is stuck to the bottom. thank you
To avoid the burn because tomatoes products tend to cause burn, so best to keep them on top. It is recommended to stir only if you sauteed ingredients and there is a lot of brown bits, then you deglaze the pot.
I had never made borscht before trying this recipe even though I have Ukrainian heritage. Until having it made by Ukrainian friends, I thought it tasted like beets and I never wanted to try making it. When I tell my Canadian friends I’m making it, they wrinkle their nose and I forget they also think it just tastes like beets. I shared some with my in-laws and Ukrainian friends and they loved it. I’m making it with canned beans this time but I’ve made it with dry beans once and beef once. For the beef I cooked it first separately for 45 min and natural release. Well worth the time!
Fantastic! Glad you and everyone enjoyed my recipe! I know what you mean by “wrinkled noses” haha
Looking forward to making this Borscht for a young couple who recently arrived in Canada.
My question is: Can I make this recipe in a traditional large pot on the stove or does the recipe have to be adjusted from recipe for the Instant Pot?
Thank you.
Hi Herb. I recommend you make them this stovetop borscht recipe. Hope everyone enjoys!
I’ve been making this with a couple of chicken thighs for the stock and meat, and it has always turned out excellently. My late Mother in Law from Zaporizhzhia used to cook heavenly borshch. She would start by making морс to give it that acidic hit, but the white wine vinegar when serving is a good substitute.
I take it with a dollop of mayonnaise and lots of dill and garlic. Смачного!
So glad you enjoy it and thank you for sharing!