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    Home » Vegetarian Soups

    Published: Jul, 2019. Updated: Nov, 2021 by Iryna Bychkiv | This post may contain affiliate links. Read more here

    Green Borscht (Ukrainian Spinach Soup)

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    Such a delicious Green Borscht with Spinach. Classic Ukrainian recipe your whole family will enjoy. Ready to be served in 30 minutes. Also try Ukrainian Red Beet Borscht, Cauliflower Borscht and Crockpot Borsch.

    Bowl of Green Borscht

    Spinach Borscht

    It's not like I planned to post two Borscht recipes in a row.

    But let me tell you, my husband is obsessed with Green Borscht.

    And since my parents are now living with us and my mom helps me with cooking, she happened to make this classic Ukrainian soup for lunch, which I couldn't help but make photos for.

    I hope you don't mind, because it's a really great recipe which every Ukrainian homemaker has in frequent rotation.

    When I was growing up we had fresh vegetables on the table only in summer. And I'm not talking about potatoes or carrots. We had plenty of those all year round.

    Such veggies as tomatoes, cucumbers or sorrel or herbs were almost impossible to find in winter.

    And even when we were lucky to find those, they tasted like grass. 

    That's why this soup is also called Ukrainian summer borscht. It's made with seasonal ingredients that back in the days were available only in summer. 

    Of course, now in the US you can find fresh spinach, green onions and dill at any time of the year.

    So please, do yourself a favor, prepare this soup this summer and I'm sure it will soon become a favorite in your house even during cold winter months.

    Ukrainian Green Borscht In A Pot

    Traditionally, Green Borscht is cooked with Sorrel. It's a tart salad vegetable that is fairly easy to get in Ukraine. Many people also grow it at home.

    Thanks to Sorrel, soup has a specific, slightly sour taste which usually disappears when sour cream is added.

    But this sour-ish taste is what makes Green Borscht so delicious. Once you take the first sip, you just won't get enough of it.

    Although, we Ukrainians always treat Green Borscht as a classic Ukrainian recipe, other Eastern European countries have their own variations of this delicious soup. 

    Despite that once cooking with Sorrel has been popular in North America, nowadays it is rarely used, hence it's difficult to find it in regular grocery stores. 

    Green Borscht with Spinach and herbs served in a bowl

    How to make Green Borscht without sorrel?

    Simple solution to this problem is to use spinach in combination with lemon or lime juice.

    I've been substituting with spinach for years and no one could tell a difference. It's yummy, nutritious and so easy to make.

    Just like Holodnik, which is Belarusian cold Borscht, Ukrainian Green Borscht tastes especially great during summer months. It's packed with greens, easy on digestion and refreshingly delicious. 

    That being said, there's nothing wrong with making this soup in fall or winter. It's delicious at any time of the year.

    In the recipe you can use vegetable or meat broth. And if you make your own meat broth, go ahead and add cooked shredded meat into each bowl for even more satisfying and complete meal.

    How to make Green Borscht with Spinach?

    • Bring 64 oz of chicken broth to a boil and add potatoes. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook for 15 minutes.
    • At the same time, heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium non-stick skillet and on a medium heat. Add minced onion and carrot and cook stirring occasionally for 10 minutes.
    • Stir in sautéed onion, carrot, cubed zucchini and spinach to a pot with potatoes and continue cooking for 5-7 minutes. Add salt and pepper to a taste.
    • Add lemon juice, cubed hard-boiled eggs and parsley. Remove from the heat and serve with a generous dollop of sour cream.
    Bowl of Green Borscht with sliced egg on top

    Do I have to use Dutch Oven?

    In this recipe you can use any type of soup pot. 

    I personally love making soups and stews in my Dutch Oven. It evenly distributes and retains heat, durable, super versatile and great for any type of recipes.

    Can I make this Borscht Low Carb or Keto-friendly?


    If you're following Low Carb or Ketogenic diet, simply replace potatoes with cauliflower, cut into small florets. 

    How do you hard-boil eggs so that they peel easily?

    My favorite way to cook the eggs is to bring a medium pot of water to a boil and add eggs. Then I cook the eggs on a medium heat for 10 minutes.

    Now all you have to do is drain water and immediately fill the pot with a cold water. Once eggs are cooled off, you should be able to easily peel them and chop.

    How To make Green Borscht with Spinach

    Can I freeze Green Borscht?

    Yes, you can certainly freeze it. Green Borscht will freeze up to 3 months. There are few things to keep in mind though:

    1. dairy doesn't generally freeze well, so I recommend holding back on adding sour cream. You can always do so once you defrost the soup
    2. hard-boiled egg whites become tough and rubbery when frozen. So if you plan to freeze this soup, make sure to do this without adding eggs and sour cream. 

    For freezing I recommend using these double zipper Freezer Bags. They are made with 100% polyethylene and are BPA-free.

    To defrost Green Borscht, remove it from the freezer bag and add it into a pot. Bring a soup to a gentle simmer and add hard-boiled eggs and sour cream.

    How do you serve Borscht?

    Just like any Ukrainian or Russian Borscht, this Green Borscht is usually served with a generous dollop of sour cream and a slice of yeast bread (see my Savory Pumpkin Bread). 

    In addition, you can boil a few more eggs, peel them, slice in half and place into each bowl.

    Need more yummy soups for summer? Try my favorite recipes.

    • French Soup Au Pistou
    • Cauliflower And Beans Soup
    • Spanish Tomato Gazpacho

    If you want to learn more, please check out my Green Borscht web story.

    If you make this recipe, please leave me a comment below and rate it. I always appreciate the feedback. Also, you can follow me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest.

    Recipe

    Bowl of Green Borscht

    Ukrainian Green Borscht

    Classic Ukrainian as well as Russian soup that is so perfect for summer. It's full of healthy greens and great option for lunch or dinner.
    4.64 from 98 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Soup
    Cuisine: Russian, Ukrainian
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 35 minutes minutes
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 307kcal
    Author: Iryna Bychkiv
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    Ingredients

    • 64 oz chicken or vegetable broth
    • 3 tablespoon olive oil
    • 1 medium onion minced
    • 1 medium carrot grated on a large grater
    • 3 large potatoes cubed
    • 4 cups spinach chopped
    • 1 zucchini cubed
    • 3 tablespoon lemon juice
    • 4 egg hard-boiled and cubed (See the notes)
    • ½ c parsley or dill chopped
    • salt, pepper to taste
    • sour cream for serving

    Instructions

    • In a large pot or Dutch oven bring chicken broth to a boil and add potatoes. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook for 15 minutes.
    • Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a medium non-stick skillet and on a medium heat. Add onion and carrot and cook stirring occasionally for 10 minutes.
    • In a pot with potatoes, add sautéed onion, carrot, zucchini and spinach and continue cooking for 5-7 minutes. Add salt and pepper to a taste.
    • Add lemon juice, cubed eggs and parsley.
    • Remove from the heat and serve immediately with a dollop of sour cream.

    Notes

    Eggs
    To cook the eggs, bring a medium pot of water to a boil and add eggs. Cook on a medium heat for 10 minutes. Drain water and immediately fill the pot with a cold water. Chop the eggs when no longer hot to handle.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 307kcal | Carbohydrates: 35.1g | Protein: 14.7g | Fat: 12.3g | Saturated Fat: 2.7g | Cholesterol: 124mg | Sodium: 1048mg | Potassium: 1323mg | Fiber: 5.9g | Sugar: 5.5g | Calcium: 80mg | Iron: 3mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @Lavender.And.Macarons or tag #lavenderandmacarons!

    An image of a stainless steel cooking pot.

    If you don't have a good stock pot in your kitchen, now is the time. This affordable stock pot has 20 quart capacity, durable, with handles that stay cool during cooking. It's perfect for homemade soups and stews and for when you want to double or triple the recipe to put in your freezer. This Cook N Home Stock Pot has the best reviews and is under $40.

    Iryna Bychkiv
    Website

    Iryna Bychkiv is the founder and writer of the culinary website Lavender & Macarons, where she shares clean, European-inspired recipes that are delicious, easy to prepare, and made with wholesome ingredients. Iryna loves creating meals that are simple yet healthy and unique, including vegan and vegetarian recipes.
    Iryna is also a freelance writer for MSN and Associated Press Wire.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Ayla says

      June 30, 2025 at 6:24 pm

      5 stars
      Delicious! I added red kidney beans to mine.

      Reply
      • Iryna Bychkiv says

        July 08, 2025 at 2:58 pm

        Ayla, thank you so much for your comment and 5-start rating! I'm happy you enjoyed this recipe! Adding beans is a great idea!

        Reply
    2. Régine B. says

      May 01, 2025 at 5:57 pm

      I want to make this soup. I do grow sorrel in my backyard, so I would love to use that when in season. Should I use the same quantity as spinach or less? Thanks for advising 🙂

      Reply
      • Iryna Bychkiv says

        May 02, 2025 at 3:27 pm

        Régine, that’s so great that you grow your own sorrel! You can use the same amount as you would spinach, but since sorrel is naturally more tangy, you might not need to add any lemon juice at all. I’d recommend tasting the soup at the end—green borscht should have just a hint of acidity. If the sorrel doesn’t give you quite enough tang, you can always stir in a teaspoon or two of lemon juice to balance the flavors.

        Reply
    3. Elizabeth says

      October 05, 2024 at 11:35 pm

      5 stars
      This soup was quite easy to make and is satisfying while also feeling like one of the healthiest things I've ever made! I followed the recipe fairly closely, although I used three carrots instead of one, along with a pound of very small potatoes (quartered). Like most soup recipes, it's forgiving of such modifications. The only thing I'd do differently the next time is to increase the broth, but that may be because I used more spinach than called for. And probably more dill. I never remembered to add the sour cream, either. Didn't miss it.

      Reply
      • Iryna Bychkiv says

        October 08, 2024 at 5:07 pm

        Elizabeth, thank you for your comment and 5-star rating! I'm happy you enjoyed this Borsch recipe!

        Reply
    4. Michael Pugh says

      October 03, 2024 at 5:59 pm

      Ukrainians who I follow on social media all insist that it should be spelled borshch, and that borshcht is the Russian spelling.

      Reply
    5. Lisa H says

      August 30, 2024 at 12:53 am

      this looks very yummy. How well does this soup freeze? without the hard boiled eggs ??

      Reply
    6. Lori Lynne says

      January 18, 2024 at 11:03 am

      I know this will sound strange but if you are trying to cut carbs, I have found that in soups, radishes are good at taking the place off potatoes and don't affect the flavor very much. They have a similar texture when boiled. it's quite nice.

      Reply
      • Iryna Bychkiv says

        January 18, 2024 at 11:20 am

        Lori, thank you for the suggestion! That's excellent advice for readers who might follow a low-carb diet.

        Reply
    7. Vic says

      October 24, 2023 at 3:21 am

      1 star
      There are so many pop up ads you can’t even see the recipe.

      Reply
      • Alin says

        June 12, 2025 at 9:17 am

        1 star
        too many ads, too annoying to read, not easy to follow, also, it's Borsh- we all make in Eastern Europe, if you add eggs then it's not Borsh

        Reply
        • Iryna Bychkiv says

          June 24, 2025 at 5:03 pm

          Alin, thanks so much for your comment! I'm sorry to hear the ads made it harder to follow the recipe—I'll take a look and see what I can do to improve the reading experience. As for the eggs—this is actually a very traditional part of Ukrainian green borscht (with sorrel). I grew up eating it this way, and it's how many families in Ukraine prepare it. There are so many regional and personal variations of borsch across Eastern Europe — it’s part of what makes this dish so special to so many people. Thanks again for stopping by!

    8. Michael Stice says

      September 09, 2023 at 10:09 pm

      5 stars
      Borsrt. It’s extremely excellent. Lots of other things similar to this one! Mikestice

      Reply
    9. Theresa says

      August 03, 2023 at 5:55 pm

      5 stars
      I will definitely make it again. It’s light and easy to make and appeals to my Lithuanian palate. Nice recipe..thanks for sharing. I made the recipe almost exactly as written except I only used 2 potatoes(what I had in pantry) and 3 eggs (of which I only used 1 of the yolks, since the whites are the fun texture anyway).

      Reply
      • Iryna says

        August 04, 2023 at 10:17 am

        Theresa, thank you so much for your comment and a 5-star rating! I'm happy you enjoyed this recipe:)

        Reply
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    The photo of Iryna Bychkiv, the writer and owner of a culinary website - Lavender & Macarons.

    I'm Iryna - a healthy food writer, photographer, and taster behind Lavender & Macarons. Here, you'll find healthy, clean recipes that are easy to prepare, made with wholesome ingredients, and approved by picky eaters. More about Iryna...

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