Vinegret or also known as Russian Vinaigrette Salad is made with beets, potatoes, pickles and dressed with olive oil. It is a healthy salad served during celebrations in many Slavic countries.
Table of contents
I grew up in Ukraine eating vinegret salad (Винегрет) a lot during birthdays, special occasions and especially for New Year’s Eve. It appeared along with its cousin Olivier salad on every table in post-soviet states.
According to Wikipedia, it is Russian vinaigrette salad. But because there is a lot of overlap of cuisines in Eastern Europe, this beet salad is cooked and enjoyed by everyone. Slavic people love beets and you will have a hard time finding one who hasn’t tried this delicious salad at least once. It is a staple in Ukrainian cooking.
Its main ingredients are beets combined with other boiled vegetables, pickles and traditionally dressed in unrefined sunflower oil. Some cooks add sauerkraut, kidney beans or green peas but it’s less common.
Vinegret salad is naturally vegan, full of fiber and low in calories. Let’s make it!
Ingredients You Will Need
Vinegret recipe consists of 9 simple ingredients that you probably have in your kitchen already.
- Red beets: Beets are a main ingredient in this salad. Pick firm beets at the grocery store. Shriveled beetroot is old. You can also use pre-cooked beets sealed in vacuum packaging or canned beets. I prefer to use fresh vegetables.
- Carrots: Just a few and not too many, so carrots don’t make salad too sweet. Like for a potato salad.
- Potatoes: I like to use yellow potatoes, Yukon gold or red skin potatoes. Russet potatoes tend to fall apart and are best to use for mashed potatoes.
- Onion: A little bit of yellow onion or I prefer white onion. Red onion will work great too!
- Pickles: Use dill pickles and not sweet pickles. They add tangy taste and crunchy texture to this vegetable salad. You can also use sauerkraut instead.
- Oils: To mimic the classic taste of sunflower oil, I like to use a combination of extra virgin olive oil and toasted sesame oil. Make sure you buy toasted sesame oil. Otherwise, just olive oil is fine.
- Salt and pepper
How to Make Vinaigrette Salad
To make Russian vinaigrette salad, you will need to plan about 2 hours ahead, so boiled vegetables have enough time to cool off for chopping.
- Cook beets: You want to cook beets separately from carrots and potatoes to avoid everything turning pink. In a medium pot, add beets, cover with cold water and cook for about an hour or until they are tender and can be easily pierced with a paring knife.
- Boil potatoes and carrots: Add carrots and potatoes to another medium sized pot, cover with cold water and cook for about 20 minutes or until they easily pierce with a knife.
- Cool and chop veggies: After you want to drain both veggies and leave them uncovered to cool off until safe to handle, a few hours. Then using a paring knife, peel them and chop into small cubes of same size. Also chop pickled cucumbers and onion.
- Dress and combine: Transfer all ingredients as you dice them into a large bowl, then drizzle with oils, sprinkle with salt and pepper, stir and I highly recommend to refrigerate vinegret salad before enjoying. Like a potato salad, that’s when vinegret tastes best!
Recipe Tip
Do not overcook root vegetables as you want them to be firm and hold their shape for chopping and stirring. If using canned beets, make sure to rinse with cold water and drain well.
Tips for Best Results
Here are a few tips and tricks I learnt from grandma and mom to make the best traditional Russian beet salad.
- Mess-free beets: I love to cook beets in Instant Pot because they are ready fast and my stove stays clean. Truth is beets splatter a lot during boiling.
- To speed up veggies cooling down: Do not place them back on the burner on the stove. Instead, place in a cold place. Grandma always cooled cooked veggies for salad outside on a patio.
- Do not peel vegetables before cooking: It will make them fall apart.
- Pick thick carrots: Carrots can be a pain to peel. First of all, peel them with a paring knife crosswise and not lengthwise. Also, thicker carrots are much easier to peel than skinny ones. You can also cut them in halves before cooking to fit into the pot.
- Extra optional garnish: You can add a few tablespoons of chopped green onions, fresh parsley or fresh dill. Since Ukraine lived off of seasonal produce, we didn’t add fresh herbs because they weren’t available most of the year.
Serving Vinegret
Vinegret is usually served cold after it has chilled in the fridge for a few hours. It’s a great make ahead salad, especially during busy holiday time or on hot summer days.
Russian vinaigrette is served as part of a spread, in a large bowl. Some cooks like to add it into a small bowl, then turn upside down onto each individual plate.
Outside of special occasions, I like to enjoy a heaping dose of this salad with a fresh slice of rye bread. So good! Serve it as a side dish during your next BBQ, potluck or any celebration. This cold salad goes so well in summer with grilled meats like grilled chicken breast or proteins like pan fried lamb chops.
Storing
Vinegret will last in an airtight container for about 4 days. The flavor will continue to develop as all ingredients keep marinating, making for amazing leftovers. Just like borscht, it tastes better next day!
It does not freeze well, so I would advise against it. Once thawed, cooked vegetables will turn into mush.
More Ukrainian Salad Recipes
- Olivier salad
- Cucumber and tomato salad
- My favorite easy coleslaw
Vinegret Salad
Ingredients
- 4 large beets
- 1 extra large yukon gold potato or red potato or 2 large ones
- 3 large carrots
- 1/3 cup white onion finely chopped
- 4 baby dill pickles
- 2 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
- 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- Ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a medium pot, add beets and enough cold water to cover. Cover with a lid, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and cook for about 1 hour or until beets can be easily pierced with a fork.
- At same time, in another medium pot, add carrots, potatoes and enough cold water to cover. Place the lid on top, bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 20-30 minutes or until easily pierced with a knife.
- Drain both pots with veggies and set uncovered to cool off until safe to handle, about 2 hours.
- Using a paring knife, peel beets, carrots and potatoes. It's easier to peel carrots crosswise. Then chop into small pieces. Also dice pickles and onion. Transfer to a large bowl.
- Drizzle with olive oil, toasted sesame oil (if using) and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stir gently but thoroughly until well combined. Refrigerate vinegret for about 2 hours, taste and adjust any seasonings to taste, if you wish.
- Serve salad chilled.
Notes
- Store: Vinegret will last in an airtight container for about 4 days. It does not freeze well, so I would advise against it.
- To speed up veggies cooling down: Do not place them back on the burner on the stove. Instead, place in a cold place. Grandma always cooled cooked veggies for salad outside on a patio.
- Do not peel vegetables before cooking: It will make them fall apart.
- Pick thick carrots: Carrots can be a pain to peel. First of all, peel them with a paring knife crosswise and not lengthwise. Thicker carrots are much easier to peel then skinny ones. You can also cut them in halves before cooking to fit into the pot.
I did not eat beets growing up, but I’m a gardener and trying to learn to enjoy vegetables that are easy to grow, such as beets! I really liked this salad. The flavors meld together well. If you’re on the fence I suggest trying it.
I’m so glad you enjoyed this salad, Amelia. And I’m so jealous of your green thumb. I’m trying to grow vegetables and honestly it has been a struggle. Not sure why, even after Googling. But I will keep trying!
My mom (Russian) used to make this, embellished with kielbasa, hard boiled egg, green beans and my sister, niece and I still make this – my husband (English background ) loves it as well Thank you for all your Great recipes – so many bring back fond memories from childhood
And up to now 💞
That sounds delicious! Truly many things can be added.:) You are very welcome!
My mom used to make Vinegret all the time when I was a kid. How happy I was to see your recipe. It is just like my mom used to make. Thank you for sharing this with us
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for the wonderful review!