Not only is our Vegan Borscht a sight for sore eyes, it is utterly delicious, hearty and nutrient dense! Best yet, it is a simple one-pot dish that’s super affordable to make.
We guarantee our Vegan Borscht will have you coming back for more. This tart, earthy and mildly sweet soup is loaded with vegetables and nutrients. It’s topped with tangy sour cream, fresh dill and served with sliced rye bread. You simply can’t beat these beets when you’re warming up on a cold winter’s day.
Do you crave soup as much as we do? Check out some of our other soup/stew recipes: Coconut Ginger Chickpea Curry, Vegan Nigerian Red Stew, Vegan Filipino Arroz Caldo (Rice Porridge), Vegan Copycat Zuppa Toscana.
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🇺🇦 WHAT IS BORSCHT?
Borscht is a red beetroot soup most often associated with Slavic nations. Most people think of borscht as a quintessentially Russian dish, which is understandable, borscht being a staple dish is Russia. However, most food historians will tell you that borscht likely originated in modern day Ukraine.
That being said, tensions between Russians and Ukrainians over the rightful claim to the dish run high, mirroring current events you’re probably reading about in the news. It’s akin to the Arab-Israeli conflict over the origins of falafel. But if you’re like us, you’re content to stay out of the fight and just enjoy the damn delicious food!
Borscht traditionally begins with a meat or bone-based stock. Our Ukrainian-American friend Mike shared his family recipe with us, which starts by making a homemade beef stock. Even though borscht can contain meat or fish, a vegetarian version is also common.
In addition to beets, borscht is chock full of vegetables and can include onions, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes and cabbage. It can be served both hot or cold, but three things are for certain: it’s got to be accompanied by a generous helping of sour cream, chopped dill and bread for dipping—often rye bread. We served ours with homemade marble rye.
We adapted our recipe from Natasha’s Kitchen. Do check out her authentic (non-vegan) preparation!
Fun Fact: The name “borscht” is derived from the Slavic word borschevik, which means “hogweed.” The earliest form of borscht was made from fermented hogweed.
🇺🇸 BORSCHT IN THE U.S.
The first time we had a taste of borscht was in a Jewish deli in NYC. This comes as no surprise, because NYC is home to the largest Jewish population outside Israel. Ashkenazi Jews, who are of Eastern and Central European descent, comprise the majority of NYC’s Jewish population. And with the Ashkenazi Jews came the gift that is borscht.
Nevertheless, borscht is not a super common soup in the U.S. as a whole. In our humble opinion, borscht is criminally underrated and does not get the love it rightfully deserves! We INSIST you give borscht a try. You’ll be singing its praises and warming up to this hearty, nutrient-dense soup every winter after one bite.
We veganized this warming, ruby red soup by subbing in water flavored with vegetable bouillon paste, adding cannelloni beans for protein garnishing with a vegan sour cream. We adapted a recipe by the über talented Ukrainian-American food blogger Natasha’s Kitchen.
🌱 A CASE FOR BEETS
Why beets? We’re glad you asked. Beets are high in vitamin B2, manganese, folate and fiber. They are also a source of betaine, an antioxidant that’s evident in its rich, red-colored roots. In addition, beets are affordable and really one of the most visually stunning ingredients you can cook with in your kitchen.
❤️ WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE
- It’s tart, earthy, mildly sweet, and herby.
- It’s hearty and nutrient packed.
- It’s made from super affordable ingredients.
- It’s a simple one-pot dish.
📝INGREDIENTS
- Beets: The star of our soup-y show.
- Olive oil: The fat in which we cook down our aromatics and vegetables.
- Onion: An aromatic
- Celery: An aromatic
- Red bell pepper: Adds lovely flavor and red color to our soup.
- Garlic: An aromatic
- Ketchup: Enhances the soup’s sweetness and adds a touch of vinegary flavor.
- Water: The liquid base of our borscht.
- Vegan bouillon paste: Infuses our soup base with deep umami flavor, mimicking a meat-based stock.
- Yukon gold potatoes: Add heartiness and thicken our borscht with its starch.
- Carrots: Add sweetness.
- Cannelloni beans: Our protein source, which also add wonderful texture to our soup.
- Bay leaves: An aromatic
- White vinegar: The bright, acidic element in our borscht.
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper: Season our soup.
- Fresh dill: Adds a fresh element to our borscht, imparting a citrusy, grassy, almost licorice flavor.
- Sour cream: Adds tang and richness.
🔪 STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS
- 1. Using rubber gloves, peel and then grate the beets in a food processor or using a box grater. Set aside.
- 2. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large pot (5.5 quarts or larger) over medium-high heat. Add onion and sprinkle with salt to draw out the liquid. Cook until translucent. Add celery and red bell pepper and cook 6 minutes. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes.
- 3. Then add beets and cook 10 minutes, until beets have softened. Add ketchup and cook for 30 seconds.
- 4. Next, add 10 cups of water, bouillon paste, potatoes (drained) and carrots and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until vegetables are fork tender. Add cannelloni beans, bay leaves, white vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper and dill, simmering for 2 to 3 minutes. Adjust seasoning. Serve with a dollop of vegan sour cream, chopped dill and sliced rye bread. Enjoy!
💡RECIPE TIPS
- How to work with beets: Beets will stain your hands, so we recommend using latex gloves when handling them. Peel the beets with a potato peeler. And definitely use a food processor to grate your beets. You can also use a box grater for this purpose, but using a food processor makes for easier cleanup.
- Say no to brown, oxidized potatoes: Keep your potatoes from browning by placing them in cold water until they are ready to use, draining the water beforehand.
DID YOU MAKE OUR VEGAN BORSCHT?
Did you make this recipe? We’d love to hear about it! Please comment and leave a 5-star🌟 rating below. Share your dish with us on Instagram and tag us @plantbased.passport. We would love to seeing your delicious creations! Still hungry? Follow us on Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, and Pinterest for more global vegan recipes and travel tips!🍴✈️
💕 MORE SOUP RECIPES YOU’LL LOVE
👩🏽🍳 RECIPE
VEGAN BORSCHT
Ingredients
- 3 medium beets
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 celery ribs diced
- 1 medium red bell pepper diced
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- ¼ cup ketchup or substitute 3 tablespoon tomato sauce
- 10 cups of water
- 3 teaspoons vegetable bouillon paste
- 3 medium Yukon gold potatoes peeled and chopped into bite-sized pieces (place in cold water to prevent from browning)
- 2 carrots peeled and sliced
- 2 14-oz can white cannelloni beans drained
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 Tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon salt or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper or to taste
- 6 Tablespoons dill chopped, plus more to serve
To serve
- vegan sour cream to garnish
- rye bread
Instructions
- Using rubber gloves, peel and then grate the beets in a food processor or using a box grater. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large pot (5.5 quarts or larger) over medium-high heat. Add onion and sprinkle with salt to draw out the liquid. Cook until translucent. Add celery and red bell pepper and cook 6 minutes. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes.
- Then add beets and cook 10 minutes, until beets have softened. Add ketchup and cook for 30 seconds.
- Next, add 10 cups of water, bouillon paste, potatoes (drained) and carrots and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until vegetables are fork tender. Add cannelloni beans, bay leaves, white vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper and dill, simmering for 2 to 3 minutes. Adjust seasoning. Serve with a dollop of vegan sour cream, chopped dill and sliced rye bread. Enjoy!
Notes
- How to work with beets: Beets will stain your hands, so we recommend using latex gloves when handling them. Peel the beets with a potato peeler. And definitely use a food processor to grate your beets. You can also use a box grater for this purpose, but using a food processor makes for easier cleanup.
- Say no to brown, oxidized potatoes: Keep your potatoes from browning by placing them in cold water until they are ready to use, draining the water beforehand.
I loved this recipe so much! The dill was wow.
That color tho, wow!