Cold Beet Soup (Chlodnik Litewski)

This traditional Polish Cold Beet Soup is the ultimate answer to the summer heat. Sweet, fresh young beets are boiled down and mixed with tangy kefir and creamy Greek yogurt, then chilled to perfection and garnished with vibrant cucumber and radish to create a visually stunning soup that tastes as good as it looks!

Author’s Notes for Cold Beet Soup

Regular readers will already know that I’m a big fan of beetroots: we cook with them extensively in Poland and across Eastern Europe. The mature, hearty beets you find in the winter months are perfect for my authentic Polish borscht, but we’ll be using sweet, mild, young beets for this easy recipe.

Now, if you prefer your soups hot, I’d recommend you try my recipe for botwinka. It’s a famous young beet soup that my mother taught me as a teenager. Today, though, we’re making a mouthwatering and refreshing Polish beet soup that’s always served chilled: chlodnik litewski.

Cold beet soup (or cold borscht, to use the traditional name) is intensely refreshing, with a gentle sweetness from the beets and a wonderful umami tang from the yogurt and kefir. Plus, it looks fantastic! The gorgeous pink color is eye-catching and impossibly vibrant, and the sight of it takes me right back to my childhood. 

Top with a hard-boiled egg and some fresh cucumber and radish to make the perfect starter or side dish, or serve with mashed potatoes sprinkled with bacon bits or simple boiled potatoes to turn your cold borscht soup into a complete meal.

Main Ingredients and Substitutions

Refer to the recipe card to see the full list of ingredients with measurements!

• Young Beetroots – Don’t get trimmed beets! We use the stems, leaves, and flesh for this recipe.
• Water, Stock, or Bouillon – Use any of these options as the liquid base for your soup. Adjust your seasoning to taste if you’re using stock or bouillon.
• Kefir – This fermented dairy drink is rich in probiotics and has a wonderfully unique, tangy flavor. Check the chilled aisle in your local grocery store, or substitute with buttermilk if you can’t find any.
• Yogurt – Both natural and Greek yogurt are suitable for this recipe, bringing a delightfully creamy richness. Sour cream works, too!

How to Make Perfect Cold Red Beet Soup

1. Prepare the Beets – Separate the beets from their stems, then peel and chop them into small cubes. Wash the green section, then separate the stems from the leaves and chop them both.

2. Boil the Beets – Add the chopped beets to a large pot with the broth or water. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Then, add the stems and leaves and cook for a further 5 minutes. Taste and add salt if needed, then turn off the heat and cool to room temperature.

3. Prepare the Garnish – Dice the cucumber and radishes into small cubes, ensuring they match the size of the beet cubes. Separate them into separate bowls. Next, chop the scallions and dill.

4. Cook the Eggs – Fill a pan with cold water, and add the eggs. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook for about 10 minutes. Remove the eggs, let them cool completely, then peel and cut in half for serving.

5. Assemble the Soup – Add the kefir or buttermilk to the cooled soup, along with the yogurt, lemon juice, scallions, and dill. Mix well and add salt or pepper if required, then transfer to the fridge to chill for at least 2-3 hours.

6. Serve! – Pour your soup into bowls, then top with a tablespoon each of cucumber and radish. Add half an egg, and serve!

Prepare the beets

Bring beets and broth to a boil

Add the stems and leaves and cook for 5 minutes

Let the soup cool completely

Prepare the garnish

Assemble the rest of the ingredients

Add the kefir, along with the yogurt, lemon juice, scallions, and dill

Stir everything together until well combined

Storing, Reheating, and Make-Ahead

Cold beet soup is a cooked dish that needs to chill before serving. In other words? This is categorically a make-ahead dish! If you want cold soup for dinner, you’ll need to plan ahead to give it time to cool off.

The good news is that this dish gets better if left overnight. I’ve recommended 2 to 3 hours chilling in the fridge as an absolute minimum, but I find the flavor peaks after 12 hours. 

Then, when it’s time to eat, simply prepare the garnish vegetables and eggs, and serve! Cold red beet soup is also a fantastic meal prep recipe. Store in an airtight container in the fridge, and it’ll stay fresh for up to 5 days.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I choose beets for cold borscht?

You’ll need to find young beets with the stems and leaves still attached. Young beets have a mild, sweet flavor that’s perfect for this dish, and the earthy, slightly bitter leaves balance out that sweetness perfectly!

Can I make cold borscht soup without radishes?

I get it… radishes are an acquired taste! My husband’s no fan of them himself, so I can confidently say it’s possible to make this recipe without them. Just remove them entirely from the garnish, and up the amount of cucumbers to compensate.

Can I add the garnishes earlier?

Some recipes will tell you to add the scallions, cucumber, and radishes the minute your cold beet soup reaches room temperature. This helps cut down on fuss when serving, and can be helpful if you’ve made chilled beet soup for a dinner party or as part of a multi-course meal. 

I would recommend, however, that you leave the garnishes until the last minute if possible. The cucumbers stay fresher and taste more vibrant if you add them just before serving!

Print

Cold Beet Soup

This traditional Polish cold beet soup is the ultimate answer to the summer heat. Sweet, fresh young beets are boiled down and mixed with tangy kefir and creamy Greek yogurt, then chilled to perfection.

Course Soup

Cuisine Polish

Prep Time 20 minutes minutes

Chill Time 5 hours hours

Total Time 5 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Servings 6 Servings

Calories 108kcal

Author Edyta

Ingredients

• 1 bunch of young beets with greens attached about 1½ pounds total
• 2 cups water stock or bouillon
• 3 tbsp chopped dill
• 3 tbsp chopped scallions
• ½ English cucumber peeled
• 4 radishes
• 2 cups Kefir or buttermilk
• ½ cup natural or Greek yogurt or sour cream
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 3 hard-boiled eggs for garnish
• salt and pepper

Instructions

Prepare the beets:

• Separate the beets from the stems. Peel the beets and chop them into small cubes/rectangles. 
• Wash well the leaves with the stems, separate the stems from the leaves and chop them.
• Add chopped beets (without the stems and leaves) to the pot with broth of water; bring to boil, cover and cook for about 10 minutes.
• Add stems and leaves and cook for another 5 minutes.
• Check for seasoning, add salt if needed.
• Turn off the heat and completely cool the soup.

Prepare the garnish vegetables:

• Chop scallions and dill.
• Chop the cucumber and radishes in small cubes/rectangles in size similar to the beets.
• Place cucumber and radishes in separate bowls.

Prepare eggs:

• Place 3 eggs in a pot with cold water.
• Bring to boil, reduce to simmer and cook for about 10 minutes to achieve hard boiled eggs.
• Once cooked remove from hot water, let completely cool off, peel and cut in halves.

Assemble chlodnik:

• Once the soup cooled off, add kefir or buttermilk, yogurt, scallions, dill and lemon juice. Mix well and check again for seasoning. Add salt and pepper if needed.
• Place in a fridge for 2-3 hours as this soup needs to chill well.

Serve the soup:

• Add soup to the bowls.
• Add cucumbers and radishes to your liking (about 1 tablespoon to each bowl).
• Add half egg and serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 108kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 0.002g | Cholesterol: 104mg | Sodium: 90mg | Potassium: 135mg | Fiber: 0.5g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 369IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 142mg | Iron: 1mg

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