| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 4 hr 50 min |
| Prep: | 10 min |
| Inactive: | 4 hr |
| Cook: | 40 min |
| Yield: | 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 5 medium fresh beets (about 2 pounds without tops)
- Kosher salt
- 2 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
- 16 ounces sour cream, plus extra for serving
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2 teaspoons Champagne vinegar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups medium-diced English cucumber, seeds removed
- 1/2 cup chopped scallions, white and green parts
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, plus extra for serving
Instructions
- Place the beets in a large pot of boiling salted water and cook uncovered until the beets are tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove the beets to a bowl with a slotted spoon and set aside to cool. Strain the cooking liquid through a fine sieve and also set aside to cool.
- In a large bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups of the beet cooking liquid, the chicken stock, sour cream, yogurt, sugar, lemon juice, vinegar, 1 tablespoon salt, and the pepper. Peel the cooled beets with a small paring knife or rub the skins off with your hands. Cut the beets in small to medium dice. Add the beets, cucumber, scallions, and dill to the soup. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight. Season, to taste, and serve cold with a dollop of sour cream and an extra sprig of fresh dill.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 263 |
| Total Fat | 16 g |
| Saturated Fat | 8 g |
| Carbohydrates | 25 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 2 g |
| Sugar | 19 g |
| Protein | 6 g |
| Cholesterol | 50 mg |
| Sodium | 705 mg |
Reviews
Delicious recipe followed as suggested other than using Plain Kefir instead of yogurt. Added hard boiled eggs when served for complete meal with buttered dark bread. Thanks Ina
Can I heat this for a hot borscht?
I add a chilled egg cut in half with yolk still liquidy to the bowl, as well as boiled, peeled mini potatoes cut into bite size pieces.
Made this and it was wonderful. Anyone ever tried this soup hot.
Delicious! This was exactly like the cold, creamy borscht that I remember from summers in northern Poland. Although I think that version might have been made with vegetable broth? Not sure honestly. Anyway this is the perfect way to eat my bumper crop of beets this year. To those claiming this is not “real” borscht: get over yourselves!
I too had beets in my produce box this week. Normally I roast them. I’ve always wanted to try borscht and I’m so happy I tried this recipe. It was time consuming but not difficult at all. Most importantly it is delicious! If you’re on the fence, try it. Soooooo yummy for summertime!
The flavor is what I hoped for and more. We loved it! The cucumber adds such a lovely bit of crunch. We were lucky to have freshly harvested beets in our weekly farm box which prompted me to make it.
I decided after it was done to remove the beet chunks and pulse them lightly in the food processor to a finer chopped consistency. The next time I make it (which will be soon since we devoured it this time) I want to make sure I have another 2 cups of liquid in the mix, adjusting the sugar and salt slightly to accommodate this addition. (Broth and beet juice) You don’t need this addition through. Just personal preference as it was thickened when I made the beet pieces smaller.
I decided after it was done to remove the beet chunks and pulse them lightly in the food processor to a finer chopped consistency. The next time I make it (which will be soon since we devoured it this time) I want to make sure I have another 2 cups of liquid in the mix, adjusting the sugar and salt slightly to accommodate this addition. (Broth and beet juice) You don’t need this addition through. Just personal preference as it was thickened when I made the beet pieces smaller.
I have not made this yet but will be this weekend. And I’ll do a real review then… but These reviews have me so upset ….there is such a thing as a cold borscht, along with red, hot, borscht and a white, hot, borscht. We traveled to Poland last year and had all three versions! My grandmother was from Poland and she too made all three.
I make this recipe for my Polish husband every year and he loves it!
Made this for my son’s Russian Studies class as he wanted to bring in borscht. It was very easy to make and delicious! We will be making this again. Thanks Ina for another fantastic recipe!