Okroshka: Classic Recipe and All Variations | Costless
Okroshka — Classic Recipe and All Variations (Kefir, Kvass, Ayran)
A summer heatwave kills any desire to stand over a hot stove. That is exactly when okroshka appears on the table — cold, fresh and crunchy. A bowl of this soup is more refreshing than a fan, comes together in half an hour, and is built from whatever is already sitting in your fridge. Let's break down the classic recipe and all the popular variations — with kefir, kvass and ayran — and at the end work out how much it really costs to make okroshka for the whole family.
Okroshka is a cold summer soup made from fresh vegetables (cucumbers, radishes), boiled potatoes, eggs, meat or sausage and fresh herbs, poured over a chilled base: kefir, kvass, ayran, whey or sparkling mineral water. It is served cold, often with a spoonful of sour cream and a few ice cubes.
Okroshka at a glance: time, servings, difficulty
- Prep time: 20 minutes (plus boiling the eggs and potatoes ahead of time)
- Total time: 30–40 minutes
- Servings: 4–5
- Difficulty: easy — even a beginner can handle it
- Calories: ~60–90 kcal per 100 g (depends on the base and the meat)
- Season: May–September, peaking in the summer heat
What okroshka is and where it comes from
Okroshka is a cold soup in which finely diced boiled and fresh ingredients are poured over a chilled liquid base. The name comes from the verb “kroshit” — to crumble, that is, to chop into small pieces. It is the way everything is diced, rather than any single mandatory ingredient, that makes okroshka okroshka.
It is a traditional dish of Eastern European and Central Asian cuisines. It is made in Ukraine, as well as in many neighbouring regions — from the Baltics to the Caucasus, where the ayran-based version is common. Historically, okroshka was the food of ordinary people and peasants: leftover boiled meat, boiled potatoes, vegetables straight from the garden and homemade kvass turned into a hearty summer lunch with no cooking heat at all.
Today people love okroshka not for its origins but for the way it feels: it refreshes instantly, it is easy to make filling or light, meaty or meat-free, and every family has its own “right” base.
Ingredients for okroshka
The classic set falls into four groups: vegetables, protein, herbs and the base. The quantities below are approximate — enough for 4–5 servings.
Vegetables and herbs
- Fresh cucumbers — 3–4 (about 400 g)
- Radishes — 6–8 (a bunch)
- Potatoes — 3–4 medium, boiled
- Spring onions — 1 bunch
- Dill and parsley — half a bunch of each
Protein
- Chicken eggs — 4–5, hard-boiled
- Boiled sausage or cooked meat (chicken, beef) — 250–300 g
Base (choose one)
To serve
- Sour cream — 3–4 tablespoons
- Salt and black pepper — to taste
- Mustard — 1 teaspoon (optional, for a bit of heat)
- Ice — a few cubes in each bowl
Classic okroshka recipe
This is the basic okroshka recipe with kefir — the most common version in Ukraine. Boil the potatoes and eggs ahead of time and chill them completely: warm ingredients will ruin the freshness of the soup.
- Cook the protein part. Hard-boil 4–5 eggs (8–10 minutes) and boil 3–4 potatoes in their skins until tender. Cool completely and peel.
- Dice everything small. Cut the cucumbers, potatoes, eggs and sausage (or cooked meat) into even cubes of about 0.5–0.7 cm. The neater the dice, the nicer it is to eat.
- Prepare the radishes and herbs. Slice the radishes into thin rounds or small cubes. Finely chop the spring onions, dill and parsley. You can lightly mash the onion with a pinch of salt — it will release its juice and become milder.
- Assemble the base. Put all the chopped ingredients into a large pot, season with salt and pepper, and add a spoonful of mustard. Stir and let it sit for 5 minutes so the vegetables release their juices.
- Pour in the base. Add the cold kefir. If the soup is too thick, thin it with cold boiled water or sparkling water to the consistency you like. Taste and add more salt if needed.
- Chill and serve. Put the okroshka in the fridge for at least 20–30 minutes. Serve with a spoonful of sour cream, fresh herbs and an ice cube.
A tip to keep okroshka from going watery: don't pour the base over the whole pot in advance. Add only as much as you'll eat now, and keep the chopped base and the liquid separately in the fridge — that way the soup stays crunchy even on the third day.
Okroshka with kefir
The most popular version. The base is kefir of 1–2.5% fat, often thinned with cold water or sparkling water in a ratio of 2 parts kefir to 1 part water so the soup isn't too thick. Kefir okroshka turns out mild, with a light tang; it pairs well with boiled sausage and potatoes. For extra freshness, add a little lemon juice or a spoonful of mustard.
Okroshka with ayran
Ayran is a fermented-milk drink popular in the Caucasus and Central Asia. The ratio is simple: pure ayran with no dilution, or with a little sparkling water if it is very thick. Okroshka with ayran comes out refreshing, with a pronounced tang and a slightly salty note. It goes brilliantly with boiled chicken or beef instead of sausage and with plenty of fresh herbs.
Okroshka with kvass
A classic for lovers of bold flavour. Use unsweetened “white” (rye) kvass for okroshka — sweet, lemonade-style kvass will make the soup cloying. The method: pour kvass over the chopped base until fully covered, then add salt, mustard and a spoonful of sour cream right in the bowl. Kvass okroshka tastes the most “summery” of all: invigorating, with a characteristic tang and a bready aroma.
Okroshka with sparkling water, whey, sour cream or mayonnaise
When you don't have the usual base on hand, there are alternatives:
- With sparkling water: the lightest, lowest-calorie option. Pour cold sparkling mineral water over the chopped base, then add lemon juice and salt. Maximally refreshing, though the flavour is more neutral.
- With whey: a light tang like kefir, but thinner and less caloric. A good option if you have whey left over after making homemade cottage cheese.
- With sour cream: thin sour cream (10–15%) with cold water or sparkling water in a ratio of 1:3 to the consistency of thin kefir. The result is delicate and filling.
- With mayonnaise: for those who like it rich. Thin a few spoonfuls of mayonnaise with water or kvass. It is higher in calories, so it suits a festive table more than an everyday one.
Ukrainian-style okroshka
In the Ukrainian tradition, okroshka is most often made with kefir or whey — not with kvass. The protein comes from boiled sausage or cooked meat, with plenty of spring onions, dill and fresh garden cucumbers as a must. Boiled potatoes are often added, along with a generous spoonful of homemade sour cream. The flavour is mild, milky-tangy and homely-hearty — closer to a cold vegetable soup than to the sharp kvass version.
How much do okroshka ingredients cost
Okroshka is a dish that's easy to make on a budget: most of the ingredients are seasonal and get cheaper in summer — exactly when okroshka is made most often. At the height of the season, new potatoes, fresh cucumbers, radishes and herbs cost several times less than in winter, and the base (kefir, kvass, ayran) can almost always be found on sale.
A rough basket for a pot of okroshka (4–5 servings) is the vegetables, a bunch of herbs, ten eggs, a pack of sausage and the base. The actual total depends on the shop and the week: the price gap for the very same products between chains can be significant.
Before you head out for the ingredients, compare prices across supermarkets and find the best offers on the Costless deals page. We collect and refresh supermarket prices every week, so you see the current shelf price rather than an outdated one.
Here is the full ingredient basket for classic okroshka for 4–5 servings — add it to your shopping list and compare the price of each product at the supermarkets near you. Choose the base to taste: kefir, kvass or ayran.
Tip: add your favourite products to your favourites on Costless and set a price-drop alert — you'll catch a sale on kefir or sausage right when you're about to make okroshka.
Frequently asked questions
How many calories are in okroshka?
Depending on the base and the meat, roughly 60–90 kcal per 100 g. The lightest okroshka is made with sparkling water or whey and no sausage (around 40–50 kcal); the most filling is made with mayonnaise or full-fat kefir and sausage.
How long does okroshka keep?
Store dressed okroshka in the fridge for no longer than 1 day. It's best to keep the chopped base and the liquid base separate and combine them right before serving — that way the base stays fresh for 2–3 days and the soup doesn't go watery.
What can you use as a base for okroshka?
The base can be kefir, kvass (unsweetened, rye), ayran, whey, sparkling water, thinned sour cream or mayonnaise. Traditionally a spoonful of sour cream, salt, pepper and — if you like — mustard for heat are added in the bowl.
What do you serve with okroshka?
Okroshka is a meal in itself, but it goes well with fresh dark rye bread, boiled potatoes on the side, or new potatoes with dill. Serve it cold, of course, with an ice cube in the heat.
How do you make okroshka without sausage or meat-free?
Swap the sausage for boiled chicken, beef or chickpeas. For a meat-free version, leave out the meat and eggs, add more vegetables (cucumbers, radishes, potatoes) and pour over kvass or sparkling water — you'll get a light cold vegetable soup.
How is okroshka different from kholodnyk?
They are different cold soups. Okroshka is poured over kefir, kvass or ayran, and its base is cucumbers, radishes and potatoes. Kholodnyk (cold beet soup) is made with beetroot stock or kefir with boiled beets, which gives it a characteristic pink-magenta colour. Okroshka is green-and-white and milder in flavour.
We'll soon add a separate recipe for kholodnyk — a cold beet soup, the perfect companion to okroshka on a summer table.