Ebon Moss-Bachrach’s Vegetarian Borscht

Recipe from Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Lidia Yemchuk

Adapted by The New York Times

Updated July 22, 2026

  • Ryan Liebe for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Anna Billingskog.
Media 1 of 2
Ready In
26 hr (2 hr plus overnight resting)
Rating
5(127)
Comments
Read comments

More savory than sweet, this Ukrainian cabbage and beet soup is one that the actor Ebon Moss-Bachrach learned from his beloved late mother-in-law, Lidia Yemchuk. The soup’s complex flavor stems in part from allowing the cabbage and onions to cook long enough that the water evaporates and the sugars caramelize. While Mr. Moss-Bachrach lets the soup rest overnight on the counter, refrigerating is recommended and will still allow the flavors of the dish to blend and deepen. Serve the soup hot or cold with a dollop of sour cream swirled in, for a vibrant magenta color, and a sprinkle of fragrant dill. If serving cold, diced fresh cucumber and chopped hard-boiled egg are particularly nice additions.

Featured in: These 2 Stars of ‘The Bear’ Are Close Friends Who Cook Together in Real Life

  • or to save this recipe.

  • Subscriber benefit: Give recipes to anyone

    As a subscriber, you have 10 gift recipes to give each month. Anyone can view them - even nonsubscribers. Learn more.

    Subscribe

  • Share this recipe

  • Print this recipe

    or to print this recipe.

Advertisement

Ingredients

Yield:8 to 12 servings, about 5 quarts

For the soup

  • 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil

  • ½ medium to large head green cabbage

  • 2 large onions

  • Salt, to taste

  • 2 carrots

  • 6 to 10 garlic cloves, to taste

  • 4 medium to large red beets (about fist-sized)

  • 12 to 14 cups water

  • 1 to 2 lemons, depending on size

For serving

  • Sour cream

  • Fresh dill, chopped

  • Finely diced cucumber (optional)

  • Hard-boiled egg (optional), chopped

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 to 12 servings)

14 grams carbs; 15 milligrams cholesterol; 92 calories; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 4 grams fat; 4 grams fiber; 1167 milligrams sodium; 3 grams protein; 7 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

Powered by

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over low.

  2. Step 2

    Meanwhile, core and thinly slice the cabbage and dice the onions, adding them to the pot as you work, along with a big pinch of salt. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened, released their moisture, and begun to develop a little color, about 25 minutes. Don't rush this step: the cabbage should cook for quite a while, as this is where much of the soup's flavor develops.

  3. Step 3

    While the cabbage is cooking, dice the carrots, mince the garlic and peel and dice the beets.

  4. Step 4

    Once the cabbage is slightly caramelized, add the carrots, garlic and a pinch of salt to the pot and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes, until fragrant, stirring occasionally.

  5. Step 5

    Stir in the diced beets and another big pinch of salt.Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes.

  6. Step 6

    Fill the pot with water until the vegetables are well covered. Bring to a boil on high, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 1 hour.

  7. Step 7

    Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the juice of 1 lemon. Taste and add more salt or lemon juice, if desired.

  8. Step 8

    Let the soup cool slightly then cover and let it rest, ideally overnight, in the refrigerator. The flavor improves significantly on the second and third day.

  9. Step 9

    Serve hot or cold, topped with sour cream and dill. If serving cold, you can add diced cucumber or chopped hard-boiled egg, or both, as desired.

Private Notes

Leave a Private Comment on this recipe and see it here.

Ratings

5 out of 5
127 user ratings
Your rating

or to rate this recipe.

Have you cooked this?

or to mark this recipe as cooked.

Comments

Former restaurant inspector

Obviously, letting the borscht rest on the counter overnight is inviting food poisoning. But putting a large pot of hot soup in the refrigerator is only somewhat better because the soup will spend a lot of time in the danger zone between 45 and 140 degrees F when rapid bacterial growth can occur. Instead put the pot in a sink with the drain plugged, fill the sink around the pot with ice and then water up to the top of the pot. The soup will cool very quickly and once it’s below 45 degrees it’s ready for the refrigerator. This will also prevent a rapid rise in the temperature in your refrigerator putting other food in danger while the refrigerator tries to cool down.

Betsy

I have not made the recipe yet, but look forward to trying it. The video of Ayo and Eben is really dear and I love that the recipe is from Eben's Ukrainian mother-in-law.

Simon

Before going that route, try blanching them whole in rolling boiling water for five minutes and shocking afterward in an ice bath. Skins will be much easier to dispatch.

Ballroom panacea

I made this recipe exactly as written and waited a day to allow the flavors to develop before making a final judgment. The soup was incredibly bland! I added quite a bit of salt and pepper. Still bland. I added more lemon juice, more garlic and a bit of Worcestershire powder. Still bland. I love red beats, and I’ve made borscht and deeply flavorful cabbage soup before. We are also 90% vegetarian — and I have many vegan recipes that I love. So I was primed to really enjoy the soup, and I don’t think that meat is necessary to make a dish tasty. I went back to the comments on this recipe, and while I didn’t read all 100+ of them, I didn’t find any that really commented on the flavor of this soup. They all seem to be focused on other borscht recipes they had made, or family recipes, and there were comments on the video. The video is very charming, and I fully support Ukraine and admire its people. But this soup as written is not good! I’ve now added some beef broth concentrate, Bay leaves, and 1.75 pounds of turkey kielbasa that I happened to have on hand. I also added some smoked paprika, to accentuate the smoky flavor of the kielbasa. I have sour cream and fresh dill ready for serving.

Jen P.

My husband said it was the best borsht he'd ever had!

Lilian

I've made many different kinds of borscht. Made this one last night and ate it today. Not impressed. Kept thinking it needs something more—caraway and lentils (as in Deborah Madison's recipe)? Olives and tomato (as in Darra Goldstein's)? I don't know, but I had hoped for more from the long-cooked cabbage and onion in the first step. I don't think more lemon juice would make the difference.

Private comments are only visible to you.

Recipe Tags

or to save this recipe.