A simple delicious recipe for Borscht -a healthy, vegetarian beet and cabbage soup that can be made in an Instant Pot or on the stove top. Warming and nourishing, Borscht is full of flavor and nutrients! Vegan-adaptable and gluten-free.
No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn. ―
The color of this soup almost feels therapeutic during the winter months! Bright and vibrant and full of healthy fresh veggies, Borscht nourishes body and soul. This version made by my friened Tonia is vegan, except for the dollop of sour cream (or yogurt ) on the top, but feel free to leave it off entirely or sub vegan yogurt. I find the little extra richness to be lovely.
Earthy, tangy and subtly sweet from the beets, Borscht is elevated with a generous sprinkling of fresh dill. A whisper of Spring.
Make it quickly in your instant pot or simmer it slowly on your stove – either way it is sure to delight. A little bit of color therapy, just when we need it most!
Borscht hails from Eastern Europe – Russia and the Ukraine – and is traditionally made with beef bone broth, giving it delicious depth to balance out the tartness. If so inclined feel free to use bone broth- or keep it vegan with veggie broth- up to you!
The fresh really dill elevates the Borscht – so be sure to include this!
We hope you enjoy this simple Borscht recipe – made with colorful beets, cabbage and fresh dill. Share your adaptions and let us know what you think in the comments below!
Related: Ethnic-inspired Instant Pot Recipes from Around the Globe!
PrintSimple Borscht Recipe
A simple delicious recipe for Borscht, a healthy, vegan-adaptable beet and cabbage soup that can be made in an Instant Pot or on the stove top. Warming and nourishing, Borscht is full of flavor and nutrients!
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 25
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 1x
- Category: soup, vegan, instant pot, vegetarian, gluten-free
- Method: Instant pot, stove top
- Cuisine: Russian
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or butter
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 6 large garlic cloves, rough chopped
- 2 stalks celery, chopped
- 1 cup carrots, sliced or diced small
- 1 extra large beet, thinly sliced, or small dice (approx. 2 cups)
- 2 cups red cabbage, shredded or chopped
- 1 cup beet stems and greens, chopped (optional or add another cup cabbage)
- 4 cups veggie broth (or chicken stock or traditional beef stock)
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon celery seed
- ½ teaspoon allspice
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne (more to taste)
- 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ½ cup fresh dill, chopped
Garnish: dollop of sour cream, Greek yogurt or vegan yogurt
Instructions
Set Instapot to “saute” function.
Add the olive oil (or butter) and diced onions and sauté 4-5 minutes stirring often making sure onions do not stick. Add the rest of the veggies; garlic, celery, carrots, beets, cabbage, beet stems and greens and stir to coat with onions and oil.
Add the broth and tomato paste, spices, salt and pepper. Give and stir and press “cancel” button.
Place the lid on pot and lock, making sure steam release is pointed to Sealing. Press High Pressure and set to 10 minutes. When time is up, allow to naturally release for 5 minutes then place kitchen towel over the pressure release button and turn to manually release. Once the float valve drops, open the lid.
Stir in the apple cider vinegar. Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
To serve, top with a dollop of sour cream or yogurt ( or vegan yogurt) and ample amounts of fresh dill.
Enjoy!!!
Notes
This can also be made on the stove top, in a similar fashion. Heat oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the onions, stirring 4-5 minutes. Lower heat to medium and add garlic, saute 2 minutes, then add celery, carrots, beets, cabbage, beet greens, stirring to coat. Add broth and tomato paste. Add spices, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, cover and simmer on low heat 20 minutes or until beets and carrots are tender.
Continue with recipe above, adding vinegar, adjusting salt and pepper.
Keywords: vegan Borscht, vegetarian Borscht, instant pot Borscht, easy borscht recipe, beet borscht, beet soup, beet cabbage soup,
This was so GOOD! Vegan version here with vegan yogurt. Our family (including two littles) gobbled it up! So excited about this recipe.
I’ve wanted to try Broscht all my life., so I selected a very basic, mult-veggie recipe (this one) and it tasted STELLAR. I was surprised it only calls for one beet!!! COVID19 flaring everywhere at the time of this review and I’m looking specifically for fresh, hi-vitamin/mineral-dense foods to keep our immunity strong. You can tell this soup does the trick. Also, we’re two seniors, and this makes a TON of soup, so I’ll be freezing a portion for later.
My adjustment is to remove the cayenne, and half the ground pepper…that’s just our intolerance for heat. A big tsp of Dijon instead of vinegar, and also 1/2 tsp. of dried dill at the end. We also plopped healthy dollops of sour creme on top, and it was the perfect!
★★★★★
Excellent but a bit spicy for grandma and the kiddos. Will make again and reduce cayenne to 1/8 teaspoon. So yummy with yogurt topping and dill.
★★★★
Yum! What would you recommend pairing this with? Any salad or main entree recommendations? Thank you!
★★★★★
Made it tonight and came out fantastic. The flavor is so good, and the little kick from the cayenne made it so perfect.
★★★★★
Gald you enjoyed!
Very tasty. My family doesn’t love beets, but everyone enjoyed this soup. I mashed the soup with an electric hand blender at the end so that my 2 year-old would eat it too, and it was delicious.
★★★★★
Great to hear!!!Thanks for sharing Elizabeth!
Simple . Easy and Delicious! My first Instant Pot venture and it was a success!
★★★★★
Great to hear!
This was fantastic, I did however use my immersion blender and it was great.
Thanks
I Iove the subtle flavor. I also love that it is vegetarian. Super good!
★★★★★
Ohhhhh soooo good!!
★★★★★
Just had this for dinner on a cold autumn evening. Super easy to make and absolutely delicious! Subtle flavors. So quick to make!
★★★★★
Way
Thank you for sharing all these wonderful recipes !
★★★★★
Stunning recipe <3 My favorite to date! Easy to make, popping with flavor, and the dill really does enhance the flavor!
★★★★★
Great to hear! Glad you enjoyed it!
hell ya!
I am Ukrainian and this recipe is very far away from authentic one. I usually make vegetarian recipe but mostly Ukrainian cook on pork broth. Potato is must have ingredient. The cabbage should be added the last moment in order to keep its crunchiness.
I have never had authentic borscht…. and am so looking forward to it….I hear it is amazing!!!
This is not meant to be “authentic”, just our take on it. 🙂
As soon as I saw this recipe on the blog I knew I had to try it. I made it in the Insta pot and it was delicious! It’s hard to believe how fast a soup like this can be made. There is such good depth to the flavor and just the right amount of heat! It’s on my list of best winter soups! Thank you Feasting at Home for sharing.