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Home » Soups & Salads » Soup Recipes » Ukraininan Borsch (Борщ)

Ukraininan Borsch (Борщ)

March 31, 2018 by victor 24 Comments

Traditional Ukrainian Borsch | ifoodblogger.com

Borsch (also known as borscht or borshch) is a traditional Ukrainian soup that is hearty, satisfying and full of vitamins. The sweet and tart taste of borsch pleasantly tickles your taste buds and makes you crave for more. It’s typically served with Pampushki – soft pull-apart garlic rolls – or crusty sourdough bread.

In Ukraine borsch is often served as a two-course meal – a soup and a main course consisting of meat taken out of borsch with some side dish added to it. You can skip a salad too considering the amount of veggies you will find in borsch.

Traditional Ukrainian Borsch | ifoodblogger.com

A few words on making borsch

Traditional Ukrainian borsch typically does not have a deep purple color, the color of beetroot soup or ‘svekolnik’ as they call it. Instead, it has more of a reddish and dark orange color to it.

Borsch is usually associated with traditional Ukrainian cuisine, though other Slavic countries have long had this dish in their menus. Variations of borsch recipes are endless, there are no two that are the same, and every cook has own unique recipe.

Making borsch is quite time consuming, but definitely worth it. Hopefully this post will help make the cooking process a little easier and reveal a few tips that that will help make your dish a tad tastier.

Fresher and better quality ingredients will make for better borsch, it goes without saying. Make sure you have all your ingredients prepared before cooking as it will help the process go a lot faster and smoother.

Traditional Ukrainian Borsch | ifoodblogger.com

If you want your borsch to have a brighter color with distinct beetroot taste, use beet varieties that are darker in color (e.g. Bull’s Blood or Cylindra). If just a hint of beets taste is what you are after, pick lighter beet varieties, such as Chioggia or Golden beet. With lighter varieties of beets your borsch will have less of a purple beet color and more of the color of tomatoes and/or tomato paste.

Traditional Ukrainian Borsch - prepping cabbage| ifoodblogger.com

Traditional Ukrainian Borsch - prepping beets | ifoodblogger.com

What meat to use for borsch?

Different kinds of meat can be used for borsch. There is no strict rule here whatsoever. Some like to use pork ribs or pork butt, some use chicken or duck meat, while some use smoked meats in their borsch. The meat should be fresh and well rinsed before cooking, and free of sinew. Ukrainians love the meat to have some fat on it, but this is optional. My personal favorite is pork butt with fat trimmed off to bare minimum.

Making broth – the foundation of borsch

Borsch base is the broth. Good broth is essential for good borsch. Broth should be ‘strong’, meaning it should have full body, good mouth feel, and some thickness to it. To get that meat and bones should cook for at least 2 and up to 3 hours. I never have patience to go that far, stopping typically at about 1.5 hours. Broth should be tasty and flavorful. This is achieved by cooking it over low heat. Gentle simmer is what you want. Vigorous boiling will also cause broth become dull and cloudy, you want to avoid that. Beautiful coloration is achieved by adding a whole onion and a carrot. Aromatic qualities are achieved by adding spices of choice. I usually only add whole black peppercorns and bay leaves.

How to make borscht the traditional Ukrainian way - the broth makes a huge difference

Finally, it’s recommended that before use the broth is filtered through cheesecloth.

How to make borscht the traditional Ukrainian way - great broth makes great borscht

Traditional borsch spices

Traditionally, few spices are added to borsch. Commonly used ones are bay leaf, black pepper, garlic and greens, such as dill, green onions, and parsley. Some cooks choose to add other spices, but do so cautiously, so as not to overpower the natural flavors of borsch.

Important borsch making steps

The order in which ingredients are added to borsch are also important. So, here is how to make borsch in 5 easy steps following the traditional sequence:

  1. Prepare the broth
  2. Add diced potatoes and meat. If using beans, add pre-cooked beans right after adding potatoes and meat
  3. Add stewed carrots, onions, beets and tomato paste
  4. Throw in garlic and shredded cabbage 5 minutes before borsch is ready
  5. Add greens at the very end, right before borsch is ready (alternatively, sprinkle greens just before serving)

Salt and acidic ingredients are typically added towards the end of cooking. If added too early in the process, they will prolong the cooking of potatoes and the cabbage, making them overly soft and mushy. Adding spices and garlic at the end ensures that they don’t release too much of their flavor into borsch and don’t overpower it.

Traditional Ukrainian Borsch - prepping carrots | ifoodblogger.com

Balance of sweet and tart in borsch

Borsch should have a full body and certain thickness to it, be slightly sweet and tart, and have a pronounced taste of vegetables. Starchy ingredients such as potatoes and good ‘strong’ broth add to the body of borsch. Sweetness is achieved by adding beets and sugar, which is often added at the time of stewing beets to help retain their deep color.

Moderation is key here, you don’t want your borsch overly sweet. Sometimes sweet bell peppers are added to borsch, in which case less sugar is used. Tartness is achieved by adding vinegar which is added during stewing of beets, tomatoes and/or tomato paste. Balance of sweet and tart is crucial, one should not overpower the other.

Ukrainian_Borscht_Recipe_Beets

Greens help bring out the flavor. Usually fresh dill, parsley, scallions and celery are used.

Borsch color

Ideally the color of borsch should be deep and saturated. The color may vary from light red to dark red depending on the quantity of beets and how long they were cooked. The longer they cook, the more color they will give off to borsch. Sometimes certain ingredients are added to borsch specifically to achieve desired color. Those can be beet juice, tomato juice, cranberry or black currant juice.

Traditional Ukrainian Borsch | ifoodblogger.com

Thickness of borsch

Good borsch, they say, should be thick. Some say that it should be thick to the point where if you stick a spoon in it, it should not fall. Thickness in borsch is achieved by ‘strong’, saturated broth and proper amount of certain ingredients, such as cabbage. It’s not uncommon for flour to be added to thicken borsch. Here is the picture of the thick borsch that I am talking about. I added a little bit of flour to thicken it, and used a fairly ‘strong’ broth. My family prefers a less thick version so I don’t make it like that often, but it’s soooooo good.

Traditional Ukrainian Borsch | ifoodblogger.com

All that said, borsch should not be mushy and puree-like. All ingredients should maintain their shape and cabbage should have a slight crunch.

Serving traditional borsch

Commonly borsch is served hot. Keep in mind that borsch has good keeping qualities and will keep well in a fridge for several days, and even longer if the meat is removed. A common saying in Ukraine is ‘good borsch is yesterday’s borsch’, meaning that borsch only benefits from sitting in a fridge for a day or two which helps it develop better flavors.  Traditional borsch is often served with Pampushki (Ukrainian garlic rolls) and sour cream.

Traditional Ukrainian Borsch | ifoodblogger.com

Traditional Ukrainian Borsch Recipe

5 from 11 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 2 hours 40 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Total Time: 3 hours 45 minutes
Servings: 12
Calories:
Author: Victor

Ingredients

  • 2 medium beets (shredded)
  • 3 cups cabbage (shredded)
  • 1 medium carrot (shredded)
  • 2 medium potatoes (cut into 1-inch pieces)
  • 1/3 cup parsley root (grated, optional)
  • 1 small onion (diced)
  • 2 Tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
  • 1 Tbsp vinegar
  • 4 Tbsp vegetable oil (or olive oil)
  • 2 garlic cloves (minced)
  • Kosher salt (to taste)
  • Freshly ground pepper (to taste)

For the broth (see note):

  • 10 cups water
  • 2 lbs pork butt (fat trimmed off)
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 10 whole peppercorns
  • 1 carrot (peeled and cut in half)
  • 1 medium onion (peeled and cut in half)

For garnish

  • sour cream (optional)
  • fresh dill, parsley and green onions (finely chopped)

Instructions

  • Place the meat, water, carrot, onion, peppercorns and bay leaves in a large pot and bring to boil. Turn the heat down to very low and simmer for about 1.5 to 2 hours. Take the meat out, let cool and cut into pieces or shred. Filter the broth through cheesecloth and set aside. The broth can be made in advance and refrigerated overnight.
  • Start bringing the broth back to boil over medium heat.
  • Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet. Place beets in the skillet and cook over medium high heat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add two more tablespoons of oil, followed by onions, carrots, and parsley root. Continue cooking for 10 minutes. Add tomato paste, vinegar, sugar and 1 cup of hot broth. Turn the heat to medium and continue cooking for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
  • Add the meat and diced potatoes to the boiling broth and cook for 15 minutes.
  • Now, add the beets, carrots and onions and wait until borscht comes back to boil.
  • Add the shredded cabbage with chopped garlic and cook for 5 minutes
  • Add salt and pepper to taste just before the borsch is done, followed by the finely chopped greens (fresh dill, parsley and green onions). Alternatively, you may sprinkle fresh greens in the bowl just before serving.
  • Turn off the heat, cover and let sit for 20 minutes.
  • Serve with sour cream (optional but highly recommended), fresh greens and garlic buns (pampushki).

Notes

This amount of broth will produce a fairly thick borch. If you want to make your borsch less thick, as pictured above, increase the amount of broth by 1.5 times. Sugar, vinegar and tomato paste should be increased by the same ratio.

 

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    Recipe Rating




     

  1. Merulus

    April 17, 2022 at 6:25 pm

    Clear instructions and interesting information make this blog post very readable and inspiring. I can’t wait to try the recipe. Glory to Ukraine.

    Reply
  2. Ana F

    January 17, 2021 at 8:48 pm

    I did not have parsley roots and did not add the sugar, but other than that, I followed the recipe. The result was delicious. In the past I have made borscht with beets as the only vegetable. The additional vegetables called for in this recipe add a marvelous complexity to the dish. It’s a good weekend recipe, especially if the pull-apart rolls are made as well, but overall it is not a complicated recipe. It just takes a little time and some preparation shredding vegetables and making the broth. I will incorporate this recipe into my winter recipes repertoire.

    Reply
    • victor

      January 19, 2021 at 7:59 am

      Glad to hear it, Ana. Enjoy and check out my other recipes, plenty of good stuff here.

      Reply
  3. Marianna

    November 03, 2019 at 8:37 pm

    I made this tonight and this borscht recipe is one of the best I’ve tried. I’ve added a little bit of Vegeta seasoning towards the end. Hits close to home 😊

    Reply
    • victor

      November 04, 2019 at 9:21 am

      Thank you for kind words, Marianna. I hope you tried it with Ukrainian pampushki (garlic rolls). If not, you absolutely must! The two traditionally go together, though I can eat half a dozen of pampushki on their own at one sitting. They are to die for.
      >
      pampushki

      Reply
  4. Ashley

    October 23, 2019 at 8:35 pm

    It’s definitely time consuming, but worth the effort! A wonderful recipe 🙂

    Reply
    • victor

      October 24, 2019 at 8:39 am

      Thank you, Ashley. Much appreciated. I find that the more you make it the easier and faster it gets though.

      Reply
  5. Zina P

    September 14, 2019 at 2:48 pm

    The link for “Garlic Pampushki” doesn’t work. Do you have a recipe for same and link? Your borsch recipe is spot on! Thank you for sharing.

    Reply
    • victor

      September 16, 2019 at 5:55 pm

      Thank you, Zina. Glad to hear it. Pampushki is on my Taste of Artisan blog, I updated the link.

      Reply
  6. Sara

    February 09, 2019 at 5:51 pm

    I have read through many recipes for borsch but this looks the tastiest! I would love to make this asap except my family does not eat pork and we don’t have any bone-in beef right now, just stew meat. Is it possible to make this with a beef broth base (which I already have made) and of so, about how many cups of it would I need?

    Reply
    • victor

      February 09, 2019 at 8:08 pm

      Hi Sara, I think 8 cups of broth should do it. You can add more at the end of cooking if too thick for your taste.

      Reply
  7. Janna

    February 06, 2019 at 9:25 am

    Made borsch twice using this recipe. We like it a lot. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
    • victor

      February 06, 2019 at 6:03 pm

      You are very welcome.

      Reply
  8. Sharon

    November 07, 2018 at 10:56 am

    Just found this site.. all sound like old world (Grandma’s kitchen) Special. Thanks.

    Reply
  9. Adriana

    October 30, 2018 at 1:09 pm

    Wonderful recipe, made it and was delicious! Very detailed explanation…. I used 2 beef bouillon cubes cause my broth came out to plain, so very little salt was needed at the end, also added thyme…

    Reply
    • victor

      October 30, 2018 at 2:07 pm

      Thank you for the compliment. If you can, try this borsch with pampushki. It’s like a heaven in the mouth.

      Reply
  10. Janice

    February 22, 2018 at 3:25 am

    I was never a fan of borscht but I decided to give your recipe a try just for the heck of it, despite all the prep work. I have to say I was pleasantly surprised and love the taste a lot. And I agree, borscht taste better the next day.

    Reply
  11. Diana

    January 30, 2018 at 6:40 am

    I’ve attempted borscht a few times in the past but never really liked it. Your version turned out quite good and my husband liked it a lot. Thanks for the recipe and detailed instructions which were very helpful.

    Reply
    • victor

      January 30, 2018 at 8:18 am

      You are very welcome!

      Reply
  12. Has

    January 25, 2018 at 1:47 pm

    Really good recipe and the steps are very easy to follow. I’ve attempted borscht before but could never get the taste just right. This recipe worked well for me.

    Reply
  13. cody

    October 29, 2016 at 1:59 pm

    Great recipe! I had been wanting to try borscht, but Russian restaurants aren’t much of a thing here in the US. Happy to find a good from scratch recipe!

    Reply
    • Andrii B Gritsina

      July 06, 2021 at 1:06 am

      Maybe try Ukrainian

      Reply
  14. Anna

    July 29, 2016 at 3:09 pm

    I want to make this tomorrow (saturday)…i love week-ends, you get the opportunity to cook……..and do all the things you wouldn’t normally do 🙂

    Reply
    • victor

      July 29, 2016 at 3:19 pm

      Same here, Anna. I plan to make Tartine croissants on the weekend. They take a lot of time to make, but oh so worth it.

      Reply

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Hi, I am Victor and welcome to my blog dedicated to simple and delicious everyday food... Read more...
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