Vegetarian Borscht Recipe

Simple Vegetarian Borscht Recipe is Ukrainian beet soup made with cabbage, root vegetables and beans. Then we serve it with a dollop of sour cream and pampushky. So good!

Ingredients for Vegetarian Borscht

You will need quite a few ingredients but most of them are fridge and pantry staples, and are available at any grocery store.

• Beets: Buy red beets that are firm to the touch. You can use yellow beets but they won’t have typical red deep color.
• Cabbage: Any cabbage like green cabbage or red cabbage works. You can also use softer savoy cabbage or Taiwanese cabbage but reduce cook time by 10 minutes as it’s softer.
• Potatoes: I like to use yellow potatoes or red potatoes. Russet potatoes are OK but fall apart more.
• Green pepper: Used to add another layer of flavor. You can omit it or use celery instead.
• Other vegetables: Onion and carrots plus any oil for frying them.
• Garlic: Lots of fresh garlic to season at the end. If using more potent garlic like Russian garlic, use less of it. Also if you are a garlic lover, use more to taste.
• Dill: Fresh dill is a must in Ukrainian borscht and is a staple in Ukrainian cuisine. Other fresh herbs like fresh parsley or green onion will taste delicious.
• Beans: One can of cannellini beans also known as white kidney beans. You can also use other meaty beans like red kidney beans or pinto beans. Just make sure to drain the slimy liquid and rinse with cold water. Or learn how to cook dried beans from scratch.
• Tomato paste: To add a depth of flavor and enhance the bright color of red beet soup. You can also use a can of tomato sauce instead.
• Vegetable broth: From a carton, homemade vegetable broth or I also like to use vegetable base diluted with water (use less salt then).
• Vinegar: White vinegar is added to make soup sour. You can also use lemon juice, white wine vinegar, apple cider vinegar and red wine vinegar.
• Seasonings: A pinch of sugar to compliment vinegar. Bay leaves, salt and pepper.

How to Make Vegetarian Borscht

Here is a quick overview how to make vegetarian borscht recipe in 4 simple steps, in one pot. There is a full recipe card below.

1. Saute vegetables: First, we want to saute onion and pepper with oil until fragrant, in a large soup pot or heavy-bottomed pot. Then add carrots, beets and cook.
2. Make soup base: Add tomato paste and stir it with vegetables very well. Saute a few more minutes to solidify flavorful borsch base. Now pour in a little bit of broth and mix well into uniform texture. It helps to avoid chunks of tomato paste.
3. Cook cabbage, beans and potatoes: Add shredded cabbage and broth and cook for 20 minutes. Only after we add beans and potatoes and cook them for another 10-15 minutes. If we add all vegetables at once, some will be overcooked and some undercooked.
4. Season: I like to season my simple borscht recipe with salt and pepper a few times during cooking. Once when I add veggies and another time at the end. Also sugar, vinegar, freshly grated garlic and lots of fresh dill are added in this step and off the heat.

How Do You Serve Borscht?

In Ukraine, borscht is served for lunch or dinner. It is also served during special occasions or to welcome anyone on Ukrainian soil.

Serve borscht hot, almost piping hot. With a dollop of sour cream or plain yogurt as a lighter alternative. Garnish with more fresh dill and ground black pepper in each individual bowl. I like to add more dill and garlic than many of you can handle. 🙂

You can also eat borscht cold during hot summer days.

As for bread, classic is a slice of rye bread or sourdough bread. Or serve with true side dish – Ukrainian garlic bread called “pampushky”. If you have time, make them, so good!

Older generation Ukrainians and true Ukrainians also like to bite on a clove of garlic while dipping it into salt with each bite and between each spoonful of borscht.

More Soup Recipes to Try

• Instant Pot borscht
• Green borscht
• Vegetable soup
• Buckwheat soup
• Russian shchi