This easy healthy recipe for borscht (beet soup) takes less than ten minutes of active prep time and is a perfect soup for warming up on a cold day.

Easy Borscht Soup Recipe

Like most people, I grew up on canned soups – the kind that Andy Warhol immortalized in his paintings.

While they were cheap and palatable, they could never be described as healthy, filling or truly delicious, so discovering homemade soups when I was older was a game changer – soup should be filling, satisfying and it can be incredibly healthy. (It’s my favorite way to incorporate more veggies in our day as it’s easier to get kids to eat a big bowl of soup rather than a big plate of veggies.)

This recipe for borscht is only slightly adapted from Sophie Dahl’s fabulous cookbook, Miss Dahl’s Voluptuous Delights (one of my all-time favorite cookbooks). The only adaption that I made to the recipe was omitting the vodka, as that’s not really something I keep on hand.

This borscht soup is bright and flavorful, with an earthy yet sweet and slightly tangy/sour flavor profile. The lemon juice and dill helps cut through the earthiness of the beets.

Beets are a very inexpensive root vegetable, and are even affordable if you prefer organic. A giant pot of this soup recipe never costs me more than $4 to whip up.

Serve as an appetizer, or alongside a wedge of bread or small sandwich for a hearty meal. I also love it paired with some crunchy greens dressed simply with a vinaigrette, such as our homemade apple cider vinaigrette. Borscht can be enjoyed hot or cold.

Is borscht healthy? This creamy, luscious beet soup is chock full of vitamin C, fiber, essential minerals, and vitamin B folate (which is important for pregnant women), making it a fabulous option for covering your family’s nutritional bases.

Can I freeze borscht? Yes, borscht is super easy to make in large quantities, making it perfect for cooking once and enjoying twice by freezing half of the soup. Store in airtight freezer containers and use within 3 months. (This set of freezer containers is a crazy bargain.)

Borscht Soup Ingredients

• Beets
• Onions
• Olive Oil
• Vegetable Stock
• Lemon Juice
• Sour Cream
• Salt and Pepper
• Dill

Scroll down to the printable recipe card for full measurements.

Tip: many borscht soups use potatoes and cabbage, feel free to add these in with the beets to bulk up your soup and add extra nutrients.

Kitchen Tools You May Find Helpful

• Heavy stockpot or Dutch Oven <– highly recommended for even cooking and seamlessly transferring recipes from the stove to the oven
• Sharp Kitchen Knife
• Frying Pan or Skillet
• Wooden Spoon or Spatula <– I like these spatulas because they are one solid piece and don’t have removable heads for bacteria to get trapped underneath. Plus they are heat-resistant and have a lifetime warranty.
• Cutting Board
• High-powered blender <– this is the one I use, it’s pricey but a workhorse

How to Make Beet Soup

Boil the whole beets in water, then reduce heat and simmer for about 30 minutes until tender.

Meanwhile, saute the scallions in the pan with a tablespoon of olive oil over low heat until translucent and add the chicken stock.

Drain the beet water, then peel and roughly chop the beets into 2″ chunks.

Place the beets and scallion-chicken stock in a blender and puree. Add lemon juice and sour cream, season, and blend until incorporated.

Serve with a bit of dill and an extra dollop of sour cream.

Pin this Easy Beet Soup to add to your cold-weather soups rotation:

Grab your free printable recipe card for this super easy beet soup recipe:

For more scrumptious soups, check out our full soup recipe collection here:

For more ways to make veggies delicious, check out our full vegetable recipe collection here:

Original image from 2015: