Borscht: Classic Recipe and All Variations | Costless
Borscht — classic red borscht recipe, plus green and meatless versions
Borscht is more than a soup. It is the dish that brings the family together, passed down from grandmother to granddaughter. Rich, deeply red, fragrant with garlic and pampushky — Ukrainian borscht has long become the culinary symbol of the country. We break down the classic red borscht recipe, as well as the green (sorrel) and meatless versions, share the secrets of a vivid colour, and calculate how much a pot of borscht for the whole family costs today.
Borscht is a traditional Ukrainian soup made on a meat or vegetable broth, whose main ingredient is beetroot, which gives the dish its characteristic red colour and a gentle tartness. Classic borscht includes cabbage, potato, carrot, onion and tomato; it is served hot with sour cream, garlic and pampushky. In 2022, the culture of Ukrainian borscht cooking was inscribed on the UNESCO heritage list.
Borscht at a glance: time, servings, calories
- Prep time: 20–30 minutes
- Cook time: 1.5–2 hours (with meat broth)
- Servings: 6–8 (full 4–5 L pot)
- Difficulty: medium
- Calories: ~45–70 kcal per 100 g (depending on meat and garnish)
- Cuisine: Ukrainian
What is borscht and why it is a symbol of Ukraine
Borscht is a hearty, richly flavoured soup built on beetroot, which gives it a recognisable red colour and a gentle tartness. Traditionally it is cooked on a meat broth (beef, pork or chicken), with cabbage, potato, carrot, onion and tomato added, then finished with garlic and fresh herbs.
In Ukraine, borscht is prepared differently in every region: the Kyiv version is made with white beans, the Poltava version with halushky dumplings, the Lviv version with beans and smoked meats, the Chernihiv version with courgette. There are dozens of regional variants, and it is precisely this diversity that makes borscht a living culinary tradition rather than a single fixed recipe.
In 2022, UNESCO inscribed the culture of Ukrainian borscht cooking on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in Need of Urgent Safeguarding. This officially recognised borscht as a treasure of Ukrainian cuisine.
Ingredients for classic red borscht
An approximate set of ingredients for a 4–5 litre pot (6–8 servings). This is a base recipe that is easy to adapt to your own taste.
Vegetables and base
- Beetroot — 1–2 pieces (about 400 g), the main colour ingredient
- White cabbage — 300–400 g (a quarter of a small head)
- Potato — 4–5 medium
- Carrot — 1 piece
- Onion — 1–2 pieces
- Tomato paste — 2–3 tablespoons (or 2–3 fresh tomatoes)
Meat and broth
- Beef on the bone, pork or chicken — 500–700 g
- Water — 3–3.5 L
- Bay leaf — 2 pieces, black peppercorns — a few
For flavour and serving
- White beans — 150 g (optional, for the Kyiv version)
- Garlic — 2–3 cloves
- Lard or oil — for the sauté
- Sugar, salt, vinegar (or lemon juice) — to balance flavour and colour
- Sour cream, fresh herbs (dill, parsley) — for serving
Classic red borscht: step-by-step recipe
The main principle of delicious borscht is that every ingredient goes in at the right moment, and the beetroot is cooked separately to preserve the colour.
- Make the broth. Cover the meat with cold water, bring to the boil, skim the foam and simmer over low heat for 1–1.5 hours until tender. Remove the meat, separate it from the bone, chop it and return it to the pot. If you are adding beans, soak them in advance and cook them separately.
- Add potato and cabbage. Add diced potato to the boiling broth; after 5–7 minutes add the shredded cabbage. Cook until half-done.
- Make the sauté. Fry the onion in lard or oil, then add the carrot. Add the tomato paste and a little broth and simmer for 2–3 minutes.
- Braise the beetroot separately. Grate the beetroot and braise it separately with a spoonful of tomato paste and a teaspoon of vinegar (or the juice of half a lemon) for 10–15 minutes. The acid is the key secret to keeping the vivid red colour.
- Combine everything. When the potato is almost done, add the sauté and the beetroot. Season with salt, add a pinch of sugar for balance, the bay leaves and pepper. Simmer for another 5–7 minutes over low heat.
- Season and let it rest. Turn off the heat, add the crushed garlic and fresh herbs. Cover and let the borscht rest for at least 20–30 minutes — this is what gives it a deep, rounded flavour. Serve with sour cream and pampushky.
Tip: borscht always tastes better the next day. After a night in the fridge the flavours meld together and the colour deepens.
Secrets of a rich borscht colour
The most common problem is borscht turning brownish-orange instead of red. Here is what preserves the colour:
- Acid. Add a spoonful of vinegar, lemon juice or tomato paste to the beetroot while it is still braising — an acidic environment fixes the natural pigment betanin.
- Braise the beetroot separately. Do not drop raw beetroot into the boiling broth for a long time — prolonged boiling bleaches it. Braise it separately and add it at the end.
- Raw beetroot at the finish. Add a portion of freshly grated raw beetroot 5 minutes before the end, or pour in the juice of raw beetroot after turning off the heat — this gives a bright, fresh colour.
- Do not over-boil. After adding the beetroot, the borscht should not boil vigorously — only gently simmer with the lid on.
Green borscht (sorrel borscht)
Green borscht is an entirely different dish, despite sharing the name. Instead of beetroot and cabbage, its base is sorrel, which provides a characteristic tartness — no extra acidifying needed. This is a seasonal spring and summer soup.
It is made in the same way on a meat broth with potato, carrot and onion, but chopped sorrel is added at the end (and optionally spinach or young nettle). A hard-boiled egg is essential: it is placed in halves in the bowl or grated and stirred into the pot. Served with sour cream. If sorrel is scarce, extra tartness can come from lemon juice.
Meatless borscht
Meatless (vegetarian) borscht is made without meat — on a vegetable or mushroom broth. It is lighter but no less delicious, and ideal for fasting or a light lunch.
The technique is the same, but instead of meat broth you use water or a broth made from dried mushrooms, and white beans add heartiness. The sauté is made with oil. Meatless borscht is often cooked with mushrooms — they give a rich, almost meaty aroma. The remaining steps — braising the beetroot separately, balancing acid and sugar — stay exactly the same.
How much do borscht ingredients cost
Borscht is one of the most economical hearty meals: the base of beetroot, cabbage, potato, carrot and onion costs very little, and a single pot feeds the whole family for several lunches. The most expensive ingredient is the meat, so the meatless version is even cheaper.
Prices for the same vegetables vary considerably between supermarket chains and depend on the season: in autumn, at the height of the harvest, the borscht ingredient set costs several times less. Before you head out shopping, compare prices at supermarkets and find the best deals on the Costless deals page — we collect and update prices from supermarkets every week, so you always see the current shelf price.
Here is the full shopping basket for classic borscht — add it to your shopping list and compare prices for each item at nearby stores.
Tip: add the borscht ingredient set to your favourites on Costless and enable price-drop alerts — you will catch a promotion on meat or vegetables exactly when you are planning to cook.
Frequently asked questions
How do you make proper red borscht?
Make a meat broth, add potato and cabbage, prepare a sauté of onion, carrot and tomato separately, and braise the beetroot separately with acid (vinegar or lemon) to preserve the colour. Combine everything, finish with garlic and herbs, and let the borscht rest for 20–30 minutes.
How is green borscht different from red borscht?
Green borscht is made with sorrel rather than beetroot and cabbage; the sorrel provides tartness and the green colour. A hard-boiled egg is essential. It is a seasonal spring dish, whereas red borscht is made all year round.
How long does borscht take to cook?
The borscht itself, once the vegetables are in, takes about 30–40 minutes. Including the meat broth, the full process takes 1.5–2 hours. After cooking, it is worth letting the borscht rest for at least half an hour — that is what makes it richer.
Can people with diabetes eat borscht?
A moderate portion of borscht is generally acceptable: the vegetables provide fibre and the calorie content is low. It is worth limiting potato, avoiding added sugar, and choosing the meatless or chicken version instead of fatty meat. Always discuss your specific diet with your doctor.
Can you eat borscht if you have pancreatitis?
During an acute phase, borscht with a sauté, acid and cabbage is not recommended. In remission, a gentler version can be prepared: without a sauté, without vinegar, with minimal cabbage, on a lean broth. Consult your doctor before introducing the dish to your diet.
Why does borscht turn brown and lose its colour?
The colour is destroyed by prolonged boiling of the beetroot. Braise the beetroot separately with acid (vinegar, lemon or tomato), add it at the end, and do not let the borscht come to a vigorous boil after that. You can also pour in a little raw beetroot juice just before turning off the heat.
How long does borscht keep?
Borscht keeps in the fridge for 3–4 days and tastes better with each day. For longer storage it can be frozen in portions (without sour cream) for 2–3 months.
Which meat makes the best borscht?
Beef on the bone gives the richest broth; pork makes the borscht heartier and fattier, chicken makes it lighter. For a deeper flavour, two types of meat are often combined, or a smoked rib is added.
Love soups? In the heat try cold soups — classic okroshka and beetroot cold soup, both made without any cooking.