Vegetarian Red Borscht

By David Tanis

Updated June 26, 2026

  • David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
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Total Time
1 hour
Rating
4(1,734)
Comments
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A traditional vegetable soup made for centuries throughout Eastern Europe, borscht is well loved by many. There are white versions, made with potatoes and cabbage, and green versions, made with sorrel and spinach. Most familiar, though, is the red version, made with beets. Many recipes add simmered beef, lamb or pork, but here, the meat is skipped for a quick-cooking vegetarian red borscht.

Featured in: Sweet, Sour and Brilliantly Red

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Ingredients

Yield:6 to 8 servings

FOR THE SOUP

  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil or unsalted butter

  • 1 large onion, diced (about 1 ½ cups)

  • 1 cup diced celery

  • 1 large leek, diced (about 1 cup)

  • Salt and pepper

  • 4 garlic cloves, minced

  • 1 tablespoon tomato paste

  • 1 teaspoon paprika

  • ½ teaspoon caraway seeds

  • 1 bay leaf

  • 1 thyme sprig

  • 1 pound Yukon Gold or other starchy potatoes (about 6 potatoes), peeled and cut in 1-inch chunks

  • 1 pound medium beets (about 6 beets), peeled and cut in 1-inch chunks

  • ½ pound medium carrots (about 4 carrots), peeled and cut in 1-inch chunks

  • 3 cups chopped kale

  • 1 tablespoon apple-cider vinegar, or to taste

FOR THE HORSERADISH CREAM

  • 2 tablespoons grated fresh horseradish

  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

  • ½ teaspoon salt

  • Pinch of granulated sugar

  • 1 cup crème fraîche or thick sour cream

  • Dill, parsley, tarragon and chives, for garnish

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 to 8 servings)

48 grams carbs; 17 milligrams cholesterol; 293 calories; 4 grams monosaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 10 grams fat; 8 grams fiber; 898 milligrams sodium; 7 grams protein; 11 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Put olive oil in a heavy-bottomed soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

  2. Step 2

    When oil is hot, add onion, celery and leek, stir to coat, and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring, until onion has softened and just begun to brown. Add garlic, tomato paste, paprika, caraway, bay leaf and thyme, and cook for 1 minute, stirring.

  3. Step 3

    Add potatoes, beets and carrots, 6 cups water and 1 ½ teaspoons salt, or to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a brisk simmer. Simmer with lid ajar for 20 minutes, or until potatoes, beets and carrots are fork tender.

  4. Step 4

    Add kale and vinegar, and stir to distribute. Taste broth and adjust seasoning. Simmer until kale is done, about 8 minutes.

  5. Step 5

    Meanwhile, make the horseradish cream: Put horseradish, lemon juice, salt and sugar in a small bowl. Let macerate 5 minutes, then stir in crème fraîche.

  6. Step 6

    To serve, ladle into soup bowls, and garnish with chopped dill, parsley, tarragon and chives. Pass the horseradish cream at the table.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
1,734 user ratings
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Comments

Janet Esser

Why kale when, if you shop carefully, you should have those beautiful beet greens? Fresh beet greens, so often discarded, are delicious (and good for you!) More delicate than kale they are versatile and cook quickly.

Jaana

In my Finnish version, the differences are: - julienne or shred the vegetables instead of cutting into chunks; more pleasant to eat - using cabbage, not kale - no potatoes - no tomato paste - using a vegetable broth as base - balsamic vinegar - 3-4 cloves If you want a meat version, cut up some sausages into the soup.

Amita

Add the beet greens in place of or in addition to kale! This recipe looks delicious and healthy.

Elizabeth

An all time favorite recipe! We make it again and again. Serve it with plain whole milk yogurt and rye bread. Fantastic for vegan friends , too.

Mike

Delicious with intense beet flavor. I used homemade chicken stock instead of water, the greens from the beets instead of kale, and a white onion instead of leek. Also pressure cooked the beets for 10 minutes in water to have some beet juice around and added beets to the carrots etc. Improvising didn’t hurt a bit.

RudisHuman

@Weinssh I grew up in a predominantly Jewish town outside NYC and often ate Manischevitz borscht from the jar. Thx for the reminder. Summertime it was eaten chilled with sour cream on top (swirling it in, my kid called it "pink soup"). But now in No CA it's not as available nor as good. Soon glad for this recipe that, with commentets' adaptations, is splendid!

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