Polish Cold Beet Soup (Chłodnik) is a super healthy and refreshing summer meal that’s light but satisfying. It is made with cooked beets, probiotic-rich yogurt and kefir, crunchy cucumber and radishes, and a ton of fresh herbs. Serve it on its own or with a hard boiled egg for an extra protein boost.
This cold soup is one of my very favorite meals to eat on a hot, hot day. It is perfect in every way: wonderfully cooling, super flavorful, creamy (thanks to the kefir and yogurt), crunchy (thanks to fresh cucumber, radishes and herbs) and the color is just stunning!
“Chłodnik” is a staple summer dish in Poland and Lithuania. Traditionally, it is served chilled with a quartered hard boiled egg or sometimes with warm young boiled potatoes with sautéed bacon bits. Its beautiful fuchsia color comes from boiled grated beets mellowed down by creamy yogurt, kefir or sometimes buttermilk.
If you're interested in Polish recipes, make sure to also try this phenomenal Polish Chicken Soup with noodles, this Creamy Dill Pickle Soup and my Polish Meatballs with Cabbage (unstuffed cabbage rolls).
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What you will need
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Beets: you will only need the root part of beets for this soup. From my experience, beetroot is cheaper than beets with leaves, so look for the “leafless” kind at your grocery store.
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Vegetable Broth: used for cooking the beets. You can also swap it for chicken broth or plain water.
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English Cucumber: most commonly used in Polish cuisine. Small Persian cucumbers or regular cucumber can also be used.
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Radishes: to add crunchiness and spice to the soup. If you don’t have or like the flavor of radishes, you can omit them.
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Plain Kefir: available in most grocery stores these days. See my note below on health benefits of kefir.
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Plain Yogurt: use good quality full-fat or low-fat plain yogurt. Regular plain yogurt will work better than much thicker Greek yogurt or Skyr (Icelandic yogurt).
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Fresh Herbs: fresh dill, chives and/or parsley will all work in this soup. If you love fresh herbs, add more than what the recipe calls for.
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Lemon Juice: typically used in beet soups, to balance out the sweetness of beets.
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Apple Cider Vinegar (optional): for even more acidity in the soup. You can skip it if you want, but a bit of vinegar really takes chłodnik to the next level of flavor.
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Salt & Pepper: for seasoning.
What is kefir?
Kefir is essentially a fermented milk drink, similar to yogurt but thinner, more sour and lightly carbonated. It is more potent than yogurt and packs in more nutritional value, especially probiotics. Kefir originates from Eastern Europe where it is still widely popular and it is now available in most grocery stores in the US.
How to make cold beet soup?
- Cook & cool the beets. Peel and grate raw beets (use rubber gloves for this step to avoid red stains on your hands). Cook the grated beets in some vegetable broth (or water) until soft and let cool completely. I usually put the pot with beets in a sink with a couple inches of icy cold water to speed up the cooling process.
- Prep veggies & herbs. Grate the cucumber (no need to peel it) and grate or chop up the radishes. Chop up dill and chives and set aside.
- Assemble. Add the cooled beets (with liquid), kefir, yogurt, prepped cucumber, radishes and herbs in a large pot and stir well. Season with salt and pepper and add lemon juice and apple cider vinegar (if using).
- Chill. Cover the pot and chill the soup in the fridge for at least 3 hours.
- Serve in soup bowls topped with a quartered warm or cold hard boiled egg on top.
Storage and meal prep tits
This soup is great for meal prep, as long as you have access to a refrigerator as it needs to be kept cold at all times. You can make a big pot of the soup, stick it in the fridge and enjoy throughout the week or divide it between to-go airtight containers and serve with a hard-boiled eggs on top.
It will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days (or longer). Because the soup is made with kefir and yogurt, it cannot be frozen.
More healthy summer dinners
- Greek Chickpea Salad
- Strawberry, Spinach & Feta Salad
- Mexican Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
- Cauliflower Shawarma Bowls
- Salmon, Kale & Barley Salad Bowl
- Hawaiian Shrimp Poke Bowl
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Recipe
Polish Cold Beet Soup (Chłodnik)
Ingredients
- 2 beets leaves and stems removed
- 2 cups plain yogurt
- 2 cups plain kefir
- 1 English cucumber
- 6-8 radishes
- ¼ cup fresh dill chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh chives chopped
- 1 ½ cups vegetable broth or plain water
- ½ lemon juiced
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar optional
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Peel and grate raw beets (see note below on using gloves). Cook the grated beets in a large pot or Dutch oven in some vegetable broth (or water) until soft (about 10 minutes) and let cool completely. I usually put the pot with beets in a sink with a couple inches of icy cold water to speed up the cooling process.
- Grate the cucumber using a box grater (no need to peel it) and grate or chop up the radishes. Chop the herbs and set aside.
- To the pot with cooled beets (with liquid) add kefir, yogurt, prepped cucumber, radishes and herbs and stir well. Season with salt and pepper and add lemon juice and apple cider vinegar (if using).
- Cover the pot and chill the soup in the fridge for at least 3 hours.
- Serve in soup bowls topped with a quartered warm or cold hard boiled egg on top.
Notes
Nutrition
More Polish inspired dishes
Meet the Author
Hi, I'm Agnieszka. I'm a mom of three and recipe developer, writer and photographer behind Wholly Tasteful. I love creating comforting, delicious, family-friendly recipes that you can feel good about.
Jerika says
Wow! this looks so delish!:) YUM!!
Pam Greer says
Perfect for the hot days of summer!
Leslie says
Great way to eat beets!
Emily Flint says
A cold soup is so good and this one did not disappoint.
Kayla DiMaggio says
This polish soup was so delicious! I loved how easy it was to make and it was such a fun new recipe to try!
Kasia says
This soup is not Polish, but Lithuanian.
marina Harrison says
Nope. Wrong. I don’t know how on earth you would pin down exactly where a dish comes from. I am sure the people of Lithuania make it, as do the poles. I am not polish, just to be clear. Cold borscht is made all over Eastern Europe, including Russia, Belarus, most of the Baltic and Ukraine. It most likely comes from Ukraine as the cold version of the beloved hot soup, which, too, is made all over Eastern Europe.
Luke Ratford says
A great soup recipe, perfect for the summer evenings 🙂
Stine Mari says
So delicious and I absolutely love this color!
Toni says
This was huge hit at my house!!
Jen says
I loved it! So good!!
Natalie says
Lovely soup. Flavors sound amazing. I will definitely make this soup.
Andrea says
such a delicious and nutritious soup! love it!
Natalie says
My kids usually don`t love soups, but loved this one, must be the color. I can`t thank you enough!
Nora says
What an amazing soup! Love the color!
Kayla DiMaggio says
This cold beet soup was so refreshing! I loved how easy it was to make and perfect for this hot day!
Keri says
I'm always looking for new borscht recipes, and this one didn't disappoint! Thank you for the great recipe.
Genevieve says
What a gorgeous looking soup and perfect for these hot summer temps we are having in California!
Andrea says
So pretty! I love how colorful it is. Thanks for the recipe!
Nancy says
Wow what a wonderful recipe. We made it for dinner and everyone loved it!!
Alexandra says
Such a gorgeous colour, and beautiful use of fresh ingredients. I love it!
Boguslawa Morusiewicz says
Delicious, quick and easy!
Teresa Rymer says
Absolutely delicious! And even if you don’t like beets, you will love this (as long as you like the flavor of dill, chives, and cucumber). And of course, it is so beautiful to look at…
Agnieszka says
Thanks for trying out my recipe and I'm super happy you liked it!
Fatima says
Amazing recipe! Thank you for sharing it. I just used chicken stock instead of vegetable but followed everything else as instructed. Turned out perfect AND pretty, great for a hot summers day.
Kaysha says
Wow! What an unexpectedly wonderful soup discovery! It’s so good. Thank you for sharing.
Agnieszka says
It's definiely my summer favorite! So glad you enjoyed it, Kaysha.
Rochelle says
This is almost identical to my mom’s cold borsht soup! I make it all summer - it’s like instant air conditioning. My mother was from a small town in Poland called Staszow and her family had a farm so the ingredients for the soup were home grown and with soured milk from their cows. I can only imagine how delicious it must have been from such fresh products!
Agnieszka says
Thanks for sharing your story, Rochelle!
Agnieszka says
Thanks for sharing your family story, Rochelle.