The beet soup recipe
for your table
Boil the beetroots with their skins on in plenty of water until you can easily pierce them with a knife; allow about an hour. If you use pre-cooked beetroots from a vacuum pack, skip this step and finish forty-five minutes earlier, although the flavour will be flatter.
Peel the cooled beetroots and cut them into cubes. Do this on a board that may stain and put on gloves, because beetroot juice soaks into wood and your fingers and does not simply wash out with water.
Sauté the onion and garlic until translucent, add the diced beetroot and potato, and pour in the stock. Let everything simmer for twenty minutes until the potato falls apart, then blend the soup until smooth with a hand blender.
Now stir in the vinegar or lemon juice and taste. Without acidity, the soup remains sweet and flat; with acidity, the earthy flavour comes through and the colour stays deep red instead of turning brown. Only then season with salt and pepper, because the acidity changes how salty it tastes.
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The story
Beetroot soup belongs to Eastern European cuisine, where it is known as borscht. That version is not a smooth purée but a hearty soup containing white cabbage, potato, and often a piece of beef or bacon, soured with vinegar or sauerkraut brine. The puréed version you usually encounter here in the Netherlands is a pared-down offshoot of it: the same beetroot, the same acidity, but without the chunks. What both versions have in common is that the acidity is not an afterthought added for flavor. It is part of the recipe from the beginning, because otherwise the beetroot remains too sweet and the color fades.
The right glass
The appeal of beetroot soup served in a glass is the white spiral of sour cream against that deep-red surface, and for that you need a smooth, clear glass. The 10-centiliter Islande Tubo glass is exactly that: straight, without relief, and described as being made to show off layers of color. The low 17-centiliter Circus tumbler is roomier and handy for the cold summer version, but its bubble relief catches the light and breaks up the view of the layers, so the smooth glass is the better choice for the spiral. Both glasses are made of clear glass and are dishwasher-safe. More straight-sided models can be found among the amuse glasses.
Arcoroc Islande Shot Glass 10 cl Tubo (6 pieces)
RCR Circus Low Tumbler 17 cl (6 pieces)
Both sets together € 42,90.
The right tools
For beetroot soup, besides the glass, you need a citrus juicer for the lemon juice and a jigger to measure the acidity. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glass set (our choice 01) + 2 bar tools together € 38,85.
What will you serve with it?
The earthy, tangy flavor of beetroot pairs well with something neutral or something herbal. In Eastern Europe, ice-cold vodka is served alongside borscht, and gin works surprisingly well because the juniper and dill complement each other. If you prefer wine, choose a light red wine or a dry rosé. On every drinks page, you can read the alcohol percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it works in, and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
Make the hearty borscht by not puréeing the soup and adding white cabbage, extra potato, and a piece of cooked beef or bacon; it then becomes a meal soup instead of a starter. For summer, let the soup cool and serve it cold, optionally thinned with buttermilk or yoghurt and with grated cucumber stirred through it. Half a grated apple instead of the potato makes it fresher, and a spoonful of grated horseradish gives it a sharp kick. Looking for more inspiration? Browse more than 100 cocktail recipes.
Serving tip
Whisk a spoonful of sour cream or crème fraîche with a little water until it is just pourable, and pour it in a spiral over the soup. Place a sprig of dill on top and nothing else, because the soup needs only one accent. Fill the glass to about two-thirds, so the spiral stays within the rim, and place a small spoon beside it.
Good to know
Why does beetroot soup need acid?
Beetroot contains a lot of sugar and little acid, so the soup tastes sweet and flat without anything added. A splash of vinegar or lemon juice provides the counterpoint that brings out the earthy note, just as lemon does with fish. In addition, the red pigment in beetroot holds up better in an acidic environment: with acid, the soup stays deep red; without it, it turns brownish purple. Stir in the acid before adding salt, because it changes how salty the soup tastes.
Pre-cooked beets or cook them yourself?
Cooking them yourself takes about an hour and gives more flavour, because you cook the beet with the skin on, so little escapes into the water. Pre-cooked beets from a vacuum pack are ready to use within a minute and save you almost an hour, but they are watery and flatter in flavour. If you use them, add a little more acid and an extra clove of garlic. Test a home-cooked beet with a knife to see whether it is done: the knife should slide in effortlessly.
How do you prevent pink hands and a pink cutting board?
Beetroot juice stains anything porous, and wood is porous. So cut beets on a plastic board or one that is already discoloured, and put on thin gloves. If you have no gloves, rub your hands immediately with lemon juice and salt before washing them. Peel the beets only after cooking, because the skin then comes off easily and you won't have to use a vegetable peeler through the juice.
Borscht: the family that beet soup belongs to
In Eastern Europe, beet soup is not a smooth purée but borscht: a hearty soup with beet, white cabbage, potato and often beef or bacon, soured and finished with sour cream and dill. There are countless homemade versions, hot and cold, with and without meat. The puréed soup in this recipe is its simplest branch, but the acidity and sour cream come from that same tradition.
The cold version for summer
Beet soup is also delicious cold, and the acidity comes through even more strongly because cold dishes release less flavor. Let the soup cool, refrigerate it for at least three hours and thin it with buttermilk or yogurt until pourable. Taste again for acidity and salt. Grated cucumber and extra dill turn it into a summery version that you can drink from the same glass.
Frequently asked questions
How do you make beet soup?
Cook the beets with their skins on for about an hour until tender, peel them and cut them into cubes. Sauté the onion and garlic, add the beet and a potato, pour in the stock and cook for twenty minutes until the potato falls apart. Purée the soup until smooth, stir in the vinegar or lemon juice, and only then season with salt and pepper.
Why do you add vinegar or lemon juice to beet soup?
Because beets are sweet and earthy and taste flat without acid. The acid brings out the flavor and also keeps the soup deep red, because the red pigment in beets holds up better in an acidic environment. Allow about two teaspoons per serving and stir it in before adding salt.
Can you use precooked beets?
Yes, and that saves almost an hour. The flavor will be flatter and more watery, though, so add a little more acid and an extra clove of garlic. Cooking them yourself with the skin on gives the best result because less flavor is lost in the cooking water.
Which glass do you use for beet soup as an amuse-bouche?
A straight, smooth and clear glass of about ten centiliters, filled two-thirds full so that the white spiral of sour cream is clearly visible against the deep red surface. Relief or cut-glass work catches the light and disrupts that image. For a more generous portion, and for the cold summer version, use a low tumbler of around 17 centiliters.
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