Red borscht is not just a food staple in any Ukrainian household, but it is a national phenomenon! Every respectful Ukrainian homemaker will tell you that her (his) borscht is the best borscht you’ll ever have, swearing on the authenticity or family lineage of the recipe. With this in mind, let me humbly present you with the best borscht you’ll ever try.

If I only could, I absolutely would make this borscht for everybody!!! For anyone to enjoy. Sharing this recipe and showing the way I’m making my red borscht is as close as I can come to satisfying this desire. Enjoy 💞

watch me make it 💞

My borscht evolved with me. From humble first tries of my grandmas’ recipes about 35 years ago to this healthy modern plant-based creation I can call my own. 

Red borscht is a perfect comforting soup during cold weather. Incredibly satisfying, this red borscht will settle your hunger without dragging you down. 

There is only one determining factor that your borscht came out really good:

After the first 3 spoons, you’ll hear: “Mmmmmm! THAT IS YOUR BEST BORSCHT YET!” Funny enough, I hear it every time I make my red borscht. And every time, it ends up being “the best yet.” Hey, don’t judge me 🤣 Bragging about your borscht is a tradition too. No shame in the game 😂. So, follow the recipe, make your borscht, and feel free to brag; now you’re part of the club 💞

I love to prep ingredients in a particular order. I’m adding them to the pot as I go, so the borscht is almost done by the time the last ingredient is added. It is a time-saving proposition, for sure. But the main reason I’m doing this is that – each vegetable has its optimal cooking time, so in the end, all of the ingredients retain the perfect texture and flavor.

The Best Red Borscht (beet soup)
The Best Red Borscht (beet soup)

BEETS are the star ingredient in red borscht. Ukrainians and beets are like that. Even sugar in Ukraine is made out of beets. 😄

For this recipe, we will peel washed beets and then shred them using a large shredder.

HANDS. Let’s talk about hands. Beets will leave your hands blushing pink :)—short term. If you want to avoid any discoloration of your skin, you can wear rubber gloves while shredding your beets (which I never do). Or just do the dishes after, or take a nice shower, and your hands will be back to normal again. And what’s the big deal? If I catch someone looking at my pinkish fingers, I just use it as an opportunity to brag about “the best borscht you will ever try” 😜.

red borscht ingredients; shredded beets

Nutural pranic ingredients – Potato – Po-tah-toe 🧐

Potato is one of the ingredients in this soup, and it is considered to be neutral pranic. If you have problems with your joints or swelling in your legs, it’s better to avoid the neutral pranic food group. (See more on positive, negative, and natural pranic food). You can substitute potatoes with rutabaga, turnip, or any other root vegetable that is not overly sweet. 

Optional ingredients 🤷🏼‍♀️

There are two ingredients in this borscht that I listed as optional—the first one is white beans. Most of the time, I’m making my borscht with them. It takes a little bit of planning because the beans have to be soaked overnight, but the results are well worth it. (see why and how to soak beans).

But, if you are short on time or forgot to soak the beans your borscht will still be excellent even without them

You can make your beans in the instapot, pressure cooker, or on the stove. Here I’m using a dutch oven pot, and I’m adding a bit of kombu; to help improve the digestibility of the beans. On the stove, cook for about one and a half hours with no salt.

Can you use canned beans? 🤔It is up to you. I’d rather not. With me fresh beans or no beans. Really, without the beans, it will taste very good. With the beans – absolutely awesome.

The second optional ingredient is beet greens and stems. Sometimes they’re just not available in the store. But maaaaan, they taste great! If that’s the case, you can substitute beet stalks with a couple of celery sticks. 

The Way To Serve

The last but not least note for this recipe is – SOUR CREAM. That is the traditional way to serve red borscht. Because I’m not consuming dairy products, I’m fixing my own most delicious, quick, and easy 2 ingredient Vegan sour cream. I swear by it, it is soooo good and creamy! Check out the recipe here – easy Vegan sour cream.

Must-Have Before Cooking

  1. LOVE in your heart
  2. A SMILE on your face
  3. SONG in your soul
The Best Red Borscht (beet soup)
The Best Plant based Red Borscht (beet soup) served with vegan sour cream

Let’s make some magic happen 💞🙏🏻

👩🏼‍🍳 THINGS I USED TO MAKE IT HAPPEN

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The Best Red Borscht (beet soup)

The Best Red Borscht

Healthy red borscht (beet soup) recipe. Red borscht is a perfect comforting soup during cold weather. Incredibly satisfying, this red borscht will settle your hunger without dragging you down. 
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 6
Total Calories: 525kcal
Ingredients
  • 6 cups water
  • 1.5 cups beets (shredded (large shredder))
  • 2 cups cabbage (thinly shredded)
  • 1 cup fennel bulb (finely shredded)
  • 1.5 cup carrots (shredded (small shredder))
  • 1 cup potatoes (chopped (bite-size pieces))
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
  • beet greens and stems (if non-available, substitute with 2 celery stalks)
optional
  • 1 cup white beans (soaked overnight)
spices
garnish
Instructions
white beans (optional)
  • If you decided to make borscht with white beans; The night before, set white beans to soak overnight with a splash of lemon and a pinch of salt. In the morning, using a mesh strainer, rinse thoroughly under running water. Set aside covered with a cotton towel.
  • You have to cook the beans prior to borscht making. You can cook them in a pressure cooker or on a cooktop.
  • If using a pressure cooker, cook according to your device specifications. On the cooktop, add soaked beans to a pot, add water (should be about 2 inches above the beans), and one leaf of kombu*. Cover with a lid, bring it to a boil, lower the heat, and cook for about 2 hours.
red borscht
  • Peel potatoes (or root vegetable of your choice) and chop into bite-size pieces. Thinly shred the cabbage. Set aside in a bowl.
  • *All following ingredients should go in separate bowls.
    Chop fennel bulb into thin slices, shred carrots using a small shredder; Separate beet stems from the leaves (if not available, substitute for celery stalks). Chop the stems into small pieces.
  • Pour the water into a pot and set it to boil under the lid.
  • Shred beets using a large shredder.
  • Into a pot with boiling water, add Herbs de Provénce, cooked white beans, dry parsley, chopped potatoes, and shredded cabbage. Bring it back to a boil, lower the heat, and set to cook under the lid.
  • Add coconut oil into a pan and warm it up; incorporate universal sattvic spice mix. Warm-up your spices and add chopped fennel and beet stems. Mix well, lower the heat, cover with the lid, and set to sauté.
  • Transfer beets into the pot along with 1 tbsp of lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Cook for 15 min.
  • Add carrots into the pan with the beet stalks and fennel. Let it cook for 15 min
  • In the meantime, chop beetroot greens into fine pieces. After the time's up, add to the pot along with sautéed vegetables. Do a final salt and pepper check, cover with the lid and cook for 10 more minutes.
  • Serve right away. Garnish with fresh parsley and vegan sour cream.
  • Store in the fridge for up to 4 days
Notes
* kombu is optional; I highly recommend it because it helps break down the starches in the beans and makes them much easier to digest.
The important things to remember: 
  1. Add all of the ingredients into boiling hot water. 
  2. Always bring it back to a boil after adding new ingredients to the pot; and then lower the heat, bringing your borscht into a gentle boil.
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Sattvic, Ukrainian, Vegan, Vegetarian
Keyword: beet soup, borscht, red borscht, vegan borscht, vegetarian borscht
Total Calories: 525kcal
Tried this recipe?Mention @positivepranic or tag #positivepranic!

What about you?

Did you try my red borscht recipe?
Let me know how it went in the comments below and share a picture of your borscht on Instagram with the hashtag #positivepranic @positivepranic so that I can see your beautiful creation 🙂 🙏

Be Alive🌱,
❤ Love, Julia

Mindful Eating 🥢

3 thoughts on “The Best Red Borscht Recipe

  1. JoAnne says:

    5 stars
    This is not my grandmother’s borscht! Several steps from making the spice mix to prepping all the veggies and cooking the beans take a bit of time but the results are very nice! The flavors all blend and the fennel lends a hint of licorice flavor. This is a lovely soup! I could never make my grandmother’s version well anyway! Love earthy beets.

    • Julia Delaney says:

      I’m so happy you went all out and made the beans. And the spice mix works well with so many savory dishes; I’m sure you’ll get a lot of use from it.

      Thank you, dear JoAnn, for taking your time to share your experience. Brings me joy
      ❤️🌱🌺

  2. Supriya Kutty says:

    Wow,I liked it a lot I am really loving this beet soup and so I have added it into my diet plan. My kids have also started liking beet which they never before liked. Thank you so much for putting up this post.

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