This vegan borscht soup is made with liver-cleansing beets, vegetables, and a dairy-free yet creamy cashew coconut milk flavored with dill. It is such a delicious soup to enjoy in cold weather and even tastes great as a cold soup served in summer!
I grew up in a tiny town in British Columbia where Russian borscht was a popular soup among the community due to its Russian heritage. My mom learned how to make the best traditional borscht recipe with lots of cream, butter, and hearty vegetables, including red beets and dill, the main ingredients in borscht.
While I loved my mom’s soup, I wanted to create my own borscht recipe free of butter and cream, as these are among my top food sensitivities that I try to avoid.
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Instead, I created a vegan version using coconut oil instead of butter to fry the grated vegetables. I blended cashews with coconut cream and water to make the best dairy-free cream that tastes amazing in the vegan borscht soup. The soup has a mild earthy flavor, but it is the best-tasting beet soup, especially when fresh herbs such as dill are used to flavor the soup.
Ingredients for the vegan borscht
- 3 cups cabbage
- 3 cups beets
- 3 cups carrots
- 3 cups potatoes
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 onion
- 2 tsp coconut oil
- 4 cups water
- 1 cup fresh dill loosely packed
- 15 oz can tomatoes
- 2 cubes of vegetable stock
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 cup cashews
- 1/3 cup coconut cream
- 2 cups water
How to make the best vegan borscht soup
Prep for making the vegan borscht by peeling the skins off the potatoes. Cover the potatoes with water in a pot, then bring them to a boil. Cook the potatoes for 20 minutes or until they are soft.
Grate the carrot and red beets, then thinly slice the cabbage and chop again into smaller chunks.
Finely dice the garlic and chop the onion. In a large soup pot, melt the coconut oil on medium heat, then add the onion and garlic; saute for a few minutes before adding the grated carrots, beets, and thinly chopped cabbage.
Continue to saute on medium to low heat for 20 minutes with some salt and pepper.
While the vegetables are sauteing, blend the cashews and coconut cream with 2 cups of water in a high-speed blender for one minute. Save 1 cup to mash the potatoes with.
Add the canned tomatoes, freshly chopped dill, vegetable broth (water mixed with the vegetable stock cubes), and the homemade cashew coconut cream to the large soup pot with the vegetables.
Once the potatoes are cooked, strain the excess water, then mash with one cup of the cashew coconut cream using a fork or potato masher. Add the mashed potatoes to the borscht, then let the ingredients simmer on low for another ten minutes.
The vegan borsht soup becomes tastier the longer it sits as all the flavors meld together.
Can you freeze borsht?
If you have leftovers, borscht freezes well to enjoy at a later date. You can freeze in 500 ml glass mason jars which is an ideal portion size. But leave room for the soup to expand at the top; otherwise, the jar may break.
You can also freeze this vegan borsht in freezer bags or plastic Tupperware with a lid. I avoid plastic Tupperware and only have glass Tupperware as plastic can contain toxic substances such as BPA. Mason jars are the perfect airtight container to store soup in the refrigerator as well.
How to serve vegan borscht soup
Enjoy this vegan borsht soup recipe with gluten-free toast, sourdough bread, or rye bread topped with a vegan cashew cream cheese for a hearty, healthy, and delicious lunch meal with soup!
You can also add a dollop of vegan sour cream, but I found the vegan soup delicious and perfectly creamy, as is from the vegan cashew coconut milk.
Nutritional benefits of this vegetarian borscht recipe
This vegan borscht recipe makes approximately six servings, with each serving equaling 742 grams.
According to cronometer each serving contains:
- 385 calories
- 11 grams protein
- 48 grams carbohydrates
- 15 grams of fat
- 11 grams of fiber
Borscht soup is an excellent source of the following nutrients and phytonutrients:
- vitmain B1 (thiamine)
- folate
- vitamin A
- alpha-carotene
- beta-carotene
- lycopene
- vitamin c
- vitamin k
- copper
- iron
- magnesium
- manganese
- phosphorus
- potassium
A great way to determine if you are meeting your body’s basic nutritional needs is to track your food intake in cronometer. Input all the foods you eat into the food diary for at least one week to see what nutrients you obtain through diet and what nutrients you lack.
After analyzing your data, you can find out what nutrients you lack and then make a concerted effort to eat more whole foods high in nutrients you need more of! To make this easy you can search in cronometer for foods high in a specific nutrient.
Vitamin B1 is a vital nutrient for the nervous system. A deficiency in vitamin B1 leads to the disease Beriberi which is characterized by the following symptoms:
- edema in the feet and legs
- weight loss and muscle wasting
- nerve degeneration
- stunted growth
Rest assured that you will obtain lots of vitamin B1 in this vegan beet soup.
Folate is a crucial nutrient for the MTHFR enzyme. Anyone with an MTHFR gene mutation will want to ensure they eat lots of folate-rich foods like those in this hearty soup.
Carrots are an excellent source of vitamin A, beta-carotene, and alpha-carotene, which are particularly beneficial for eye health and the immune system.
Vitamin c is essential for the immune system and collagen production in the skin. Get your skin glow on when you eat this antioxidant-rich soup high in vitamin c.
Magnesium deficiency is one of the most common nutritional deficiencies for many people. Low levels of magnesium are associated with obesity and diabetes. This vegan beet soup is excellent for weight loss for many reasons, including the fact that one serving contains 146 mg of magnesium.
Manganese is another mineral I love, and I try to obtain ample amounts from the diet as it is the co-factor for the SOD enzyme (superoxide dismutase). This enzyme is one of the body’s top antioxidant enzymes, crucial for reducing inflammation and reactive oxygen species.
I have always been prone to inflammation in my skin, which I believe has something to do with SNP’s in this gene, but thankfully there are antioxidant-rich foods that also help to reduce inflammation. After discovering that I had SNP’s in the SOD gene via genetic testing, I have focused on including manganese-rich foods in my diet to support the SOD enzyme.
Potassium is an electrolyte required for optimal hydration and works in synergy with sodium. Many people get too much salt in their diet, yet more potassium is needed.
Health benefits of the ingredients in the vegan borsht soup
All the vegetables in this soup are among the top liver-cleansing foods. Eating a variety of vegetables, such as those found in Ukrainian borscht, is a great way to support optimal liver function and boost overall health.
Beets are a fantastic vegetable for diabetes, gut health, and liver detox. The vibrant red beet soup is full of antioxidants that reduce inflammation. One of the best ways to naturally support a sluggish gallbladder for optimal phase 3 liver detox and gut health is by eating beets or a beet soup such as this delicious vegan borscht.
Cabbage contains vitamin u, which has amazing gut healing properties as the vitamin u factor in cabbage juice is attributed to the heating of histamine-induced peptic ulcers. The bacteria H. pylori is also associated with stomach ulcers, and cabbage inhibits the growth of H. Pylori.
This vegan borsht soup contains 10 grams of a fiber per serving which is great for diversifying and nourishing the microbiome. Fiber is also great for weight loss and balancing blood sugar levels.
As you can see, this healthy borsht soup is packed with health-promoting vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients. There are so many health benefits of this dairy-free borsht.
The borsht is also free of the top food sensitivities that cause weight gain, including dairy. If you have weight loss goals, this delicious soup is the perfect lunch or hearty dinner soup to enjoy in the winter season.
Also, be sure to check out this beet soup recipe and sign up to get my gut health guide and access free E-books with recipes for weight loss and gut health!
Vegan Borscht Soup – Dairy Free & Healthy
Equipment
- 1 Soup pot
- 1 Chopping knife
- 1 potato peeler or paring knife
- 1 High speed blender
- 1 Chopping board
Ingredients
- 3 cups cabbage
- 3 cups beets
- 3 cups carrots
- 2 tsp coconut oiil
- 3 cups potatoes
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 onion
- 4 cups water
- 1 cup fresh dill loosley chopped
- 15 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 2 cubes vegetable stock
- 1 cup cashews
- ⅓ cup coconut cream
- 2 cups water
Instructions
- Peel the skins off the potatoes then place in a pot covered with water. Bring the water to a boil then cook for 20 minutes.
- Grate the carrot and beets, then use a knife to thinly chop the cabbage. Finely dice the garlic and onion.
- Melt the coconut oil in the soup pot then add the garlic and onion and let saute for 2-3 minutes before adding the beets, carrots and cabbage. Saute on medium heat for 20 minutes with some salt and pepper.
- Blend the cashews and coconut cream with 2 cups of water. Save 1 cup to mash the potatoes with.
- Add the water mixed with vegetable stock to the soup pot with canned tomatoes freshly chopped dill and the cashew coconut cream.
- Mash the cooked potatoes with 1 cup of the cashew coconut cream then add to the soup pot. Lete all the ingredients simmer for antoher ten minutes before serving .
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