Vegan Borscht

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Protein-Packed Vegan Borscht. Adding lentils to this hearty borscht boosts protein and fiber, making it a more nourishing and filling low-calorie soup. The creamy tofu sour cream enhances its richness while adding extra protein. This recipe is perfect for meal prep, as it lasts up to 5 days in the fridge, ensuring a nutritious, gluten-free, and dairy-free option ready for the week.

Vegan borscht with vegan sour cream and dill in a white bowl.

Beets are rich in natural nitrates, which your body can convert into nitric oxide. This process explains why researchers have been able to show a ten-point systolic blood pressure drop in volunteers within hours of their consuming beet juice—an effect that lasted throughout the day. One little shot of beet juice, for example, allowed free divers to hold their breath for a half minute longer than usual. No drug, steroid, supplement, or intervention had ever before been shown to do what beet juice could do, and this effect works with whole beets too.

This Vegan Borscht recipe was inspired by my Cabbage Soup on this site, as well as this White Bean Soup with Quinoa.

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👩🏼‍🌾 Ingredients
🍏 Substitutions
📖 How to Make Vegan Borscht
✔️ Expert Tips
🙋🏽‍♀️ Recipe FAQs
🛒 Shop Nisha's Cookware and Products
🥣 Related Recipes
🫙 Pairing
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

👩🏼‍🌾 Ingredients

For the vegan borscht:

Dill, beets, carrots, onion, lemon, lentils, broth, and date syrup.

Beets
Carrots
Onion
Date syrup or maple syrup
French lentils, or Puy, green, or brown lentils
Vegetable broth
Dill
Lemon
Longevity spices: ground long pepper and black cumin seeds (optional)

For the tofu sour cream:

Miso, tofu, nutritional yeast,, onion powder, lemon, and garlic on a white board.

See the recipe card for quantities.

🍏 Substitutions

Apple - add one peeled and grated apple with the beets, onion, and carrots for a hint of sweetness
Date syrup - use maple syrup or agave instead
Dried herbs - add a bay leaf, or a dash of marjoram, oregano, thyme, or herbs you have on hand to the cooking borscht
Tofu sour cream - substitute with my cashew Vegan Sour Cream as desired

For more healthy soups, visit my Vegan Soups & Stews on this site.

📖 How to Make Vegan Borscht

This is an overview. The full recipe is at the bottom of the post.

Peel the beets using a sharp vegetable peeler.

Prepped ingredients for vegan borscht: beets, onion, carrots, and dill on a wooden cutting board with a shredder disc.

For the food processor: Cut the vegetables into chunks small enough to fit easily into the feed tube. For manual grating, use a large box grater to grate the carrots and beets. Thinly slice it using a sharp knife to create consistent half-moon slices.

Shaved beets, carrots, and onion in a food processor.

For the food processor: Attach the shredding blade to your food processor and securely lock the lid. Turn on the processor and feed in the beets, carrots, and onion, one at a time, letting the blade shred them into thin, even strips.

Shaved beets, carrots, lemon, and date syrup in a white saucepan.

Transfer the shredded vegetables to a large pot. Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, and date syrup. Add fresh or dried herbs as desired.

Shaved beets, carrots, broth, lemon, and date syrup cooking in a white saucepan.

Cook: Cover the ingredients with vegetable broth or water until just submerged. Bring the liquid to a simmer and partially cover the pot with a lid. Let the mixture cook over low heat for 5 minutes, then stir in the lentils. Continue cooking for about 15 more minutes, or until the lentils are al dente. Then stir in the dill, salt, and black pepper.

Vegan borscht with tofu sour cream, and dill, in a glass meal prep dish.

For Serving: Add more fresh dill, lemon juice, and a generous dollop of tofu sour cream before serving.

✔️ Expert Tips

Use a food processor with a shredding disc attachment to quickly shred the carrots, beets, and onion. This will save time and create uniform pieces. If a food processor isn’t available, use a large box grater to grate the carrots and beets. For the onion, thinly slice it using a sharp knife to create consistent half-moon slices. This method ensures the onion cooks evenly and blends well with the shredded vegetables in the borscht.
Consider adding fresh or dried herbs to the broth, such as bay leaves, marjoram, oregano, or thyme.
Tofu sour cream: This component is optional but significantly enhances the flavor of this vegan borscht recipe. I recommend adding some for the most delicious soup.
Storage: Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Store the tofu sour cream (if using) in a separate container or with the borscht. Freeze for up to 3 months.

🙋🏽‍♀️ Recipe FAQs

Are carrots more nutritious when cooked or eaten raw?

Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, a precursor to vitamin A. Cooking carrots increases the bioavailability of beta-carotene, making it easier for your body to absorb this important nutrient. This is because cooking breaks down the tough cell walls in carrots, releasing more beta-carotene. Studies show that steamed or lightly cooked carrots have significantly higher levels of absorbable beta-carotene compared to raw carrots.

What about the oxalates in beets?

It's not just the quantity of oxalates in foods that matters, but also how much your body absorbs. Beets, for example, have an oxalate absorption rate that is about six times lower than that of spinach. Cooking beets can help by reducing their oxalate levels by roughly 25%. However, for individuals with idiopathic calcium nephrolithiasis—a type of kidney stone—following a low-oxalate diet is recommended, which may mean reducing or avoiding beet consumption.