The Paleo Diet® is supported by users like you. As an Amazon Associate, we earn commission from qualifying purchases at no extra cost to you. We recommend only the products we trust for the best experience.
During those sweltering summer months, a bowl of soup may be the last thing you want to grab for lunch or dinner; but this Beetroot Cold Soup is a classic Eastern European dish designed to be eaten chilled. It’s similar to Russian or Ukrainian borscht, though you’ll find closer versions of this recipe in Poland and the Baltic countries of Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia under different names. To make this dish TRUEPALEO™, we simply swapped the dairy for unsweetened almond milk.
Beetroot Cold Soup has a stunningly vibrant color that will make it stand out at any summer gathering. It can be served as a lunch, appetizer, or side dish, and it is meant to be a sour soup, so certain palates may appreciate a baked sweet potato on the side to complement the taste.
Some recipes make their Cold Soup by mixing in braised or boiled beet greens. We love the texture and nutrients the greens add, but skipped this step to reduce the overall cook time (and dishes!). If you’d like to include the beet greens, chop and boil them in a separate pot until tender while the beets are cooking and drain before mixing in with the other ingredients.
Beetroot Cold Soup will last 4 to 5 days in the fridge, making it a great option to batch cook on the weekend and enjoy throughout the week. Leftovers can also be frozen in an airtight container or pre-portioned freezer storage containers like Souper Cubes—though we don’t recommend freezing the hardboiled eggs.
TIPS
- Handle the beets with food-safe gloves to keep them from staining your skin.
- It’s easy and inexpensive to make almond milk at home—for this recipe, just use 1 ⅓ cups almonds with 4 cups water, then add the entire finished product to the soup when ready!
Love our recipes? Make going Paleo even easier and download our 7-Day, 14-Day, and 28-Day digital meal plans!
Beetroot Cold Soup
- Recipe by: Andrea Dehnke
- Serves: 6
- Meal: Anytime
- Serves: 6
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
Ingredients
1 lb. whole beetroot (about 2-3 beets)
3 eggs
1 cucumber
11⁄2 Tbsp. dill (plus sprigs for garnish)
2 Tbsp. fresh chives
4 radishes (for garnish)
4 cups unsweetened almond milk
1 lemon, juiced
1 cup cold water
1⁄4 tsp. white pepper
Directions
Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add beets, cover, and cook until a fork easily passes through the beets, about 40 minutes.
While beets cook, prep remaining ingredients: In a separate saucepan, add eggs and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until hardboiled, about 8 minutes. Rinse under cool water. Peel and quarter eggs and set aside. Peel and deseed cucumber and grate on the largest holes of a box grater. Finely chop dill and chives. Slice radishes.
Once beets are tender, drain and rinse under cold water until cool enough to touch. Peel the skins under running water or with a dry paper towel. Grate beets on the largest holes of a box grater.
In the same empty pot used for boiling beets, add grated beets, cucumber, chopped dill, chives, almond milk, lemon juice, water, and pepper. Gently mix until well combined.
If soup is warm, chill in refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Serve cold soup topped with hardboiled egg, radishes, and dill sprigs.
Related Recipe
Beet Juice with Lemon, Apple, and Ginger
The Paleo Diet® Newsletter
Sign up to get info on healthy nutrition, free recipes, meal prepping, and the latest health research. New subscribers will also receive our Official Paleo Grocery List!
