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There are so many reason to make this vegan borscht.. where to start? Firstly, you get to say the word ‘borscht,’ which – you have to admit – is a pretty fun word to say. There’s only one vowel, and it sort of catches your mouth in a very pleasing way. Secondly, it’s a ‘souper’ tasty, creamy, velvety, earthy bowl of beety goodness – a unique soup with a unique color, the veritable pièce de résistance for beet lovers everywhere. Plus, you get to experience the awesomeness of the entire beet – root and greens combined! And lastly, it’s pretty healthy, in moderation of course, as well as gluten-free and just hands down gorgeous to look at on your dinner table.

Vegan Borscht Shopping List

2 – 3 lbs. organic red beets, de-stemmed but be sure to save greens
Bay leaf
Coriander seeds
Olive oil
Yellow onion
Shallot
Garlic cloves
Ginger
Vegetable stock (or broth)
Red wine vinegar
Nutritional yeast
Fresh dill

For the Avocado Yogurt

SoDelicious Coconut yogurt (regular or unsweetened both work)
Large avocado
Lemon
Salt

Vegan Borscht Instructions

First, begin by boiling the beets for about 60 – 75 minutes in a couple quarts of salted water with the coriander seeds and bay leaf, until a fork can easily be poked into the beets. Once they’re all tender, set the beets out to cool, then wash the outer layer of skin off, and add to a blender.
Meanwhile, in a large soup pot over medium heat, use 3 tablespoons of olive oil to sauté the onion, shallot, garlic and ginger for 5 – 7 minutes, until golden brown. Add this to the blender with the boiled beets.
Blend the beets and sautéed vegetables with half a box (2 cups) vegetable stock and the red wine vinegar, until smooth. Then, add the blended beets back to the large soup pot, along with the remaining 2 cups of vegetable broth, and reheat it until it’s nice and hot, and season with more salt and nutritional yeast (optional).

How To Make Avocado Yogurt

For the avocado yogurt, blend together the coconut yogurt with avocado, lemon juice, salt.
Serve by ladling the borscht over finely shredded beet greens (washed and de-stem first), and then topped with the avocado yogurt, avocado slices, and fresh dill.

Tips & Tricks

This vegan borscht is not all that difficult to make..however it can be very messy, so take steps to clean up during the cooking process to avoid red beet stains all over your kitchen (not speaking from experience or anything..)

Alternative Ways of Making Vegan Borscht

For a chunkier borscht, leave about a third of the beets from the blender, and roughly chop them, then add the chunks to the soup pot with the blended beets.
Steam the beet greens, instead of eating them raw. Sometimes the greens can be rather tough or bitter fresh, and can be an acquired taste, so steaming them transforms them into softer, sweeter greens for this vegan borscht. If you are going to eat the greens, do make sure you either buy organic beets or grown them at home yourself, otherwise I would advise not to eat the greens due to potential pesticide use.