Vinegret Salad (Russian Beet Potato Salad)

Vinegret Salad is a delicious and healthier alternative to American Potato Salad. It features cooked beets, potatoes and carrots along with tangy dill pickles and green peas. This traditional Russian recipe has loads of flavor and great for side dish or dinner. 

Vinegret Salad

Just like homemade Borscht and breakfast Oladi, Vinegret is one of those recipes I grew up eating on a regular basis. 

It’s made with winter vegetables and is especially popular in colder months, when flavorful cucumbers and tomatoes are no longer available on farmer’s markets.

Vinegret or also called Vinaigrette is quintessentially a Russian recipe which is also quite popular in all post-Soviet countries. People love it because most of them grow their own vegetables and then store it for winter. They also make dill pickles and sauerkraut, which is essential for classic Shchi Soup.

Given all this, vegetables that are needed for Vinegret are almost always available in most homes without the need to go to the grocer. 

Vinegret

You’ll most likely see Vinegret as a side dish on a Christmas or New Years Eve table. Its simplicity made this salad one of the most popular dishes that everyone loves. 

Up until 19th century, Vinegret was dressed with a Vinaigrette sauce consisting of vinegar, oil and mustard. Nowadays, the most popular dressing is either sunflower oil or mayo. 

Whenever I make Vinegret Salad, I like to stick to oil dressing. 

If you follow Low Carb or Keto diet, you can substitute roasted celery root for potatoes.

There are several key ingredients that make this Vinegret Salad so special and delicious:

• boiled potatoes
• beets
• carrot
• onion
• dill pickles

These ingredients make the base of the salad. After they have been added, you can choose to add one or several of the below ingredients.

My favorite Vinegret recipe always features green peas or sauerkraut depending on what I have on hands. 

Another thing that I’ve been loving to do lately is sauté the onions versus adding it raw. This step is optional and you can add raw onion, but I feel like sautéing adds just a bit more flavor to the salad.

Can Vinaigrette be made ahead?

Yes, you can cook and cut beet, potatoes and carrots 2 days in advance and store them in a fridge. Add dill pickles along with other ingredients at the very end when you’re ready to serve.

How long will Vinegret Salad last?

Properly stored, Vinaigrette will last for 2 days in the refrigerator. I recommend storing it the airtight containers with lids. (I like these glass containers).

More delicious vegetables Salad recipes you’ll love

• Beet Salad With Greek Yogurt
• Roasted Bell Pepper And Bean Salad
• Roasted Butternut Squash And Arugula Salad
• Cauliflower, Corn And Cucumber Salad

Vinegret Salad

Vinegret Salad is a delicious and healthier alternative to American Potato Salad. It features cooked beets, potatoes and carrots along with tangy dill pickles and green peas. This traditional Russian recipe has loads of flavor and great for side dish or dinner. 

5 from 3 votes

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Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: Russian

Keyword: crispy, easy, savory

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour

Servings: 6

Calories: 197kcal

Author: Iryna

Ingredients

• 4 medium potatoes
• 2 large carrots
• 1 can sweet peas drained and rinsed
• 3-4 dill pickles or more if you like
• 1 large beets
• 1 medium onion finely minced
• 2 tbsp olive oil or sunflower oil
• 2 sprigs green onion diced
• 1/2 tsp salt or more to taste
• 1/4 tsp pepper or more to taste

Instructions

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add beet, potatoes and carrots. Reduce the heat to medium low and cook until vegetables are tender when poked with a knife. (see Note 1 for vegetables cooking time)
• At the same time, heat olive oil in a large saute pan and over medium heat. Add onions and cook stirring occasionally until translucent, about 5-7 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer onions to a bowl.
• When vegetables are tender, carefully remove them from water and place in a bowl with cold water. This will allow them to cool faster. Once they are cool to handle, peel and cut the vegetables along with dill pickles into small cubes.
• In a large bowl combine cut vegetables (see Note 2), green onion, green peas, sautéed onion, salt and pepper. Give everything a stir and enjoy!

Notes

Note 1

Beet will be tender in about 60 to 90 minutes.

Potatoes - 25-30 minutes.

Carrots - 15-20 minutes.

It's important not to overcook the potatoes as they will be mushy and might fall apart during dicing. 

Note 2

Since beet tends to color all vegetables in intense ruby color, I usually mix all the ingredients before I add beet. Beet goes in last and I mix again.  It's not necessary just a personal preference:)

6

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 197kcal | Carbohydrates: 34.4g | Protein: 5.2g | Fat: 5.1g | Saturated Fat: 0.8g | Sodium: 628mg | Potassium: 843mg | Fiber: 7.1g | Sugar: 7.4g | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 2mg

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