Cabbage Borscht Soup Recipe (Vegan) (2024)

Cabbage Borscht Soup Recipe (Vegan) (1)

Cabbage borscht soup is a very yummy traditional meal coming from Eastern Europe. It is not the same as beet borscht or Ukrainian borscht. There are several borscht soup versions and recipes; every family has a favorite. I love this kind of recipe that can be followed loosely since there is no right or wrong in making borscht. The best borscht recipe is the one you make at home.

Cabbage borscht soup is rich in vegetable flavor and great for a whole-food plant-based diet. It is best made with fresh vegetables from the garden. It is an excellent harvest-to-table meal. All the vegetables can also be precut and frozen separately or in portions for a recipe in freezer-safe containers for winter soups. White cabbage is best blanched before freezing; red beets, carrots, and onions can be chopped and frozen.

Instead of tomato paste, you can use fresh tomatoes (about 2 cups) from the garden. You can also freeze whole tomatoes for soups in the winter. We make our vegetable broth for a healthy soup. Read here how to make a flavorful broth.

The soup will vary in color, as all vegetables are used for vegan borscht, but it is always delicious. I think the pictures do no justice to the actual borscht soup. We do not use lemon juice or apple cider vinegar to preserve the beautiful color. It wasn’t part of the original recipe, and I do not think we would like the sour taste.

The traditional Cabbage Borscht Soup

This version of borscht originates from a German Mennonite cookbook. The Mennonites also have a green borscht recipe, an entirely different delicious soup. Traditional borscht is best served with a dollop of sour cream (Or vegan alternative) and garnished with fresh dill.

Traditional meat with a bone is used; the recipe asks for 500 g of meat. After being cooked, the soup bones are removed, and the meat is cut into bite-sized pieces. In my recipe card, vegetable broth is used instead of bone broth.

For vegans, borscht can be made using only vegetables, but beans make borscht even better. Useing home-canned pinto or kidney beans, I add the whole pint jar (500ml) to the soup. The liquid from the beans gives the soup a bit of creaminess/graveness that we all love. If you prefer white beans or cannellini beans, you can use them as well.

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Cabbage Borscht Soup (Vegan)

Cabbage Borscht Soup Recipe (Vegan) (4)

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Author: Anna @ Northern Homestead

Ingredients

  • 3 small to medium-sized onions
  • 1-2 diced carrots
  • 1 beetroot diced
  • 1-2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 tablespoon oil (Optional)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 6 potatoes, diced small to medium size
  • 1 pound white cabbage, chopped
  • 3-4 tbsp tomato paste, or 2 cup fresh tomatoes
  • about 8 cups of homemade vegetable broth and water as needed (all vegetables need to be covered)
  • 1-pint jar of kidney or pinto beans
  • 1 bunch of dill
  • Black and hot pepper to taste
  • Miso paste, Brags, liquid soy seasoning, or salt to taste

Instructions

  1. Wash, peel, dice, and chop all the vegetables. Some prefer the veggies cut small, and some coarse. You choose.
  2. In a large soup pot (or Instant pot) sauté the onions and carrots on medium heat until they are translucent.
  3. Add garlic
  4. After 1-2 minutes, add tomato paste, bay leaf, and vegetable broth
  5. Now add the beets, cabbage, and potatoes
  6. Add water if needed to cover all the veggies.
  7. Bring to a boil.
  8. Cook on low heat for 30 minutes (Instant Pot 10 minutes)
  9. Add the can of beans and bring back to a boil.
  10. Add dill and seasoning

Instant pot Borscht

Cabbage Borscht Soup Recipe (Vegan) (5)

Instant pot borscht needs 10 minutes of high pressure and turns out yummy. When time is off, it’s best to let it release on its own. If you are in a hurry, you can use the 10-minute natural release. Let the cooker go into the “Keep Warm” mode and count for 10 minutes. Then press “cancel” and twist the steam release handle on the lid to the “Venting” position.

Cabbage Borscht Soup Recipe (Vegan) (6)

It is said that borscht tastes best after the seventh heat-up. That’s an exaggeration, but yes, a large batch of borscht can be prepared in advance and is great as leftovers. Yummy!

Cabbage Borscht Soup Recipe (Vegan) (7)

Borsht is usually served with bread, homemade dinner rolls, rye bread, or Krebli.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Cabbage Borscht Soup Recipe (Vegan) (19)Anna says

    Yes, that is what I meant. It makes it more flavorful, I think. But you can make it anyway you want.

    Reply

  2. Cabbage Borscht Soup Recipe (Vegan) (21)Kimberly @ Real Homestead Mom says

    This soup looks yummy for a cold day!

    Reply

  3. Cabbage Borscht Soup Recipe (Vegan) (22)Sarah says

    Looks good! Always looking for more ways to use cabbage. There’s only so much roasted or sauteed cabbage we can handle!

    Reply

  4. Cabbage Borscht Soup Recipe (Vegan) (23)Laura @ The Rookie Cook says

    This does look yummy! I’m so glad it’s cooling down some and starting to get into soup season! 🙂

    Reply

  5. Cabbage Borscht Soup Recipe (Vegan) (24)Missy Homemaker says

    This looks delicious! I can’t wait to try this one.

    Reply

  6. Cabbage Borscht Soup Recipe (Vegan) (25)Christina @ Juggling Real Food and Real Life says

    You always bring something new and interesting for me to read at Let’s Get Real. Thanks so much for linking up each week. I’ve never made borscht. My family will be impressed with me when I write that on our meal planning calendar. It sounds so glamorous and exciting. LOL! I don’t often have cabbage because I make a meal and then think………..now what do I do with the rest of it? This soup would go along nicely with a few other recipes I can think of so that I don’t have to let the cabbage go to waste. That makes me very happy. I really don’t like wasting good produce.

    Reply

    • Cabbage Borscht Soup Recipe (Vegan) (26)Anna says

      I don’t like wasting good produce either, soups are just so good for that. Hope your family likes borscht!

      Reply

  7. Cabbage Borscht Soup Recipe (Vegan) (27)Nihal says

    I will be keeping this recipe for my meal planning as I always end up with the core of cabbage after I cook some delicious dolmas (cabbage rolls).

    Reply

    • Cabbage Borscht Soup Recipe (Vegan) (28)Anna says

      Borscht is delicious, and cabbage rolls sound good too. Enjoy!

      Reply

  8. Cabbage Borscht Soup Recipe (Vegan) (29)Marla says

    Sounds absolutely delicious. I love recipes that are the whole meal in one dish. I shared this on Pinterest. Thanks for sharing on Real Food Fridays Blog Hop!

    Reply

    • Cabbage Borscht Soup Recipe (Vegan) (30)Anna says

      Thank you Marla! Love your Blog hop for Real Food!

      Reply

  9. Cabbage Borscht Soup Recipe (Vegan) (31)jezza says

    uhhh why did this change from a recipe with meat to a vegan one??

    Reply

    • Cabbage Borscht Soup Recipe (Vegan) (32)Anna says

      Because we changed. We realized that we feel much better without eating meat. Also, we learned that in today’s butchering practice many animals are cut apart before they even die, that’s cruel and absolutely forbidden by the Creator God. If you still want to eat meat and are sure that the meat you have is not cut from a living animal, you can use a pound of stew meat of your choice for this recipe, instead of legumes.

      Reply

  10. Cabbage Borscht Soup Recipe (Vegan) (33)Jenny says

    I’m curious, how will the taste differ if I do not add beetroot. I ask because I do not always have this on hand.

    Reply

    • Cabbage Borscht Soup Recipe (Vegan) (34)Anna says

      Not much, I have made it without many times. Recipes are just guidelines, if you want to add or take away something, go for it. Freestyle cooking is the best way to cook anyways.

      Reply

  11. Cabbage Borscht Soup Recipe (Vegan) (35)Amanda says

    Made this at the weekend and it’s delicious. Thanks for the recipe

    Reply

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Cabbage Borscht Soup Recipe (Vegan) (2024)

FAQs

Is there a difference between Russian and Ukrainian borscht? ›

It's standard for Ukrainian cooks to use pork in their Borscht and top it off with sour cream, whereas Russian cooks are more likely to use beef. Furthermore, Ukrainians will offer buns with their bortsch, and Russians will offer a native bread known as “black bread.”

What's the difference between beet soup and borscht? ›

Put simply, barszcz is a Polish name for a beetroot soup that is a shared staple in the whole of the Eastern Europe and the word borscht is an anglicised version of the Yiddish word for it. There are many many versions of this bright pink soup as it's eaten throughout the year.

What is the difference between Polish and Ukrainian borscht? ›

Poland has their own Borscht version. It is kind of similar, to how Ukraine adapted the Polish traditional kapusniak soup, Poland adapted Barszcz. The big difference between Ukrainian borscht and Polish borscht is that the Polish version is usually clear, meatless, and made with both pickled and fresh beets.

Is borscht good for your gut? ›

This gorgeous looking soup is packed with flavour and nutrition. Beets are great to support the liver, bone broth is healing and nourishing for the gut, and turmeric brings in its anti-inflammatory goodness. With all the other vegetables and spices, this soup is a full meal in itself.

What do Russians eat with borscht? ›

It is often served with smetana or sour cream, hard-boiled eggs or potatoes, but there exists an ample choice of more involved garnishes and side dishes, such as uszka or pampushky, that can be served with the soup.

Which country has the best borscht? ›

Ukraine borscht is more than just a comfort food for it spans the nation as a true classic Ukrainian dish. I think the reason borscht has cemented itself as a national treasure in Ukraine is precisely because it is so multifaceted and readily adaptable.

Why is my borscht not red? ›

Cooking Time and Temperature: Beets can lose their vibrant red color if they are overcooked or cooked at high temperatures for too long. If you cooked the beets for an extended period or at a high temperature, it could cause them to lose some of their color intensity, resulting in a more orange appearance.

How are you supposed to eat borscht? ›

You can serve borscht with sides like Pumpernickel or rye bread, garlic toast, meat, salads, dairy, pickled foods, pierogi, grains, potato pancakes, mashed potatoes, hard-boiled eggs, deviled eggs seasoned with paprika or dill, gluten-free options, and accompany it with fermented Slavic beverages and Santa Carolina ...

Which soup is considered the most traditional in Ukraine? ›

Traditional Ukrainian dishes often experience a complex heating process – "at first they are fried or boiled, and then stewed or baked. This is the most distinctive feature of Ukrainian cuisine". The national dish of Ukraine is red borscht, a well-known beet soup, of which many varieties exist.

What is the difference between red and green borscht? ›

For Dima, the "green borscht" was one of the staples growing up in Ukraine. The original borscht is red because it is beet based, and that's the most common one. However, in the summer, when the sorrel is in abundance and the beets are hard to come by, the green borscht is what's popping in the kitchen.

What ethnicity is borscht? ›

Although borscht is important in Russian and Polish cuisines, Ukraine is frequently cited as its place of origin. Its name is thought to be derived from the Slavic word for the cow parsnip, or common hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium), or from a fermented beverage derived from that plant.

Can I eat borscht every day? ›

Borscht is healthy but should be eaten in moderation as part of a balanced diet.

How soon after eating beets is urine red? ›

The urine color change may appear in the first few hours after drinking something containing beetroot. It may continue for a day or two after eating the coloring, especially in the stool.

Can you eat too many beets? ›

The oxalates found in beets can increase your uric acid level, meaning that too many beets can lead to gout. To avoid this, stick to no more than a single half-cup serving of beets per day.

Are there different types of borscht? ›

This Ukraine's rich cultural heritage is reflected in the different versions, such as white borscht vs red borscht, which are popular in different regions. In this article, we shall explore the differences between two popular types of borscht: white borscht and red borscht.

What is Ukrainian borscht? ›

Borscht holds a special place in Ukrainian culture and is celebrated as part of its heritage, a fact acknowledged by UNESCO in 2022, according to NPR. The name 'borscht' comes from the Old Slavonic 'borsht', meaning 'hogweed', an ingredient in the soup's earliest recipes.

What does Ukrainian borscht taste like? ›

Borscht is a beet soup that's warm, sweet, and sour all in one bowl. It has the umami and complexity of a well-developed chicken soup but the beets add a whole different flavor profile.

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