This cold beet soup is that gorgeous magenta bowl you scoop up on the hottest day of summer, tangy from kefir, crunchy from fresh cucumber and radish, and so refreshing straight from the fridge. It needs at least two hours to chill, but I always make it the night before because it only gets better with time.
It’s built on cooked beets, cool tangy kefir, and a handful of crisp vegetables from the produce drawer. Ready in about an hour of hands-on time, most of that is the beets boiling on their own, then it chills while you do something else. If you love a cold summer soup, this one belongs right next to my other cold summer soup recipes.
Nine everyday ingredients, one pot, one grater, and about an hour of hands-on time before it chills. Make it a day or two ahead. I promise it tastes even better on day two, once the beets and kefir have had time to really get to know each other.
Table of Contents
Why This Cold Beet Soup Is a Summer Make-Ahead Favorite
What I love about this soup is that all the actual cooking happens without you standing over anything. Once the beets are boiled and cooled, the rest is just grating, stirring, and waiting for the fridge to do its job.
That waiting part is the best part. This is a genuine make-ahead recipe, not just a recipe that happens to keep. The beets keep working their flavor into the kefir as it sits, so a soup made on Tuesday tastes even better by Thursday. I usually make a big batch on the weekend and ladle out bowls all week for lunch.
It’s also the rare summer recipe that cools down your kitchen instead of heating it up. The only heat you need is a pot of simmering water for the beets, then everything else happens in the refrigerator. On a 95 degree day, that matters more than people give it credit for.
What You Need for Cold Beet Soup
- Beets: small to medium ones roast tender faster and grate more easily than giant ones. If you can find them with the greens still attached, even better, that usually means they’re fresher.
- Kefir: the tangy, pourable base that ties everything together, already thin enough to spoon over the beets without any thinning. Well shaken buttermilk works just as well, and plain yogurt thinned with a splash of water is a good stand in too.
- Fresh vegetables and herbs: English cucumber, thinly sliced radishes, scallions, and a generous handful of fresh dill bring the crunch and brightness. Garlic and a good squeeze of lemon juice round out the tang, and I always recommend fresh garlic cloves instead of pre-minced here, it just has that extra punch.
- Hard boiled eggs: the classic finishing touch, halved and nestled right on top of each bowl. They make the soup feel like a full meal instead of a side.
- Dairy-free swap: a plain unsweetened plant based yogurt plus an extra squeeze of lemon gets you most of the way there.
How to Make This Chilled Beet Soup
- Boil the beets. Place them whole and unpeeled in a pot, covered by a couple inches of water, and simmer until a knife slides into the center with zero resistance. This takes a while, so put on a movie and let them do their thing.
- Peel and grate. Once cool enough to handle, the skins should rub right off under running water. Grate the peeled beets on the large holes of a box grater into a big bowl for that classic soft, shreddy texture. Wear gloves for this part or accept pink fingers, I never bother and I don’t regret it.
- Whisk the kefir base. In a separate bowl, whisk the kefir with the garlic, lemon juice, salt, and pepper until completely smooth. Taste it here, it should already taste bright and a little tangy, that’s your base doing its job.
- Combine everything. Stir the grated beets into the kefir base first, then fold in the cucumber, radishes, scallions, and dill. The whole bowl turns this incredible shade of pink almost instantly, it’s kind of a fun kitchen moment.
- Chill. Cover and refrigerate for at least two hours, though overnight is really where this soup shines. Cold mutes seasoning, so taste it again once it’s chilled and add a little more salt or lemon if it needs it, it almost always does.
- Garnish and serve. Ladle into bowls and top each with a halved hard-boiled egg and a little more dill. Serve it ice cold, straight from the fridge.
What People Actually Call This Beet Soup
Cold beet soup is a chilled soup built on cooked beets, shredded or blended into a tangy dairy base like kefir, buttermilk, or yogurt, then finished with fresh cucumber, radish, dill, and garlic. Known as chłodnik in Poland and kholodnyk in Ukraine, it’s served ice cold as a refreshing summer starter or light meal.
If you’ve searched around, you’ve probably noticed this soup goes by a few different names, and that’s not a mistake. In Poland, it’s chłodnik. In Ukraine, the same idea goes by kholodnyk. Head further into Russia and you’ll see it called svekolnik, sometimes made a little chunkier instead of fully blended smooth. You might see it labeled Polish cold beet soup in one place and Ukrainian kholodnyk in another, but they’re all the same tradition crossing a few borders.
The versions overlap more than they differ. Beets, a tangy cultured dairy base, fresh dill, and usually a hard boiled egg on top show up across all of them. What changes is mostly texture, some cooks blend it smooth, others leave it shreddy like this one, plus small regional touches like extra radishes or herbs.
Easy Ways to Change Up This Beet Soup
This version is shredded, not blended, because I like the texture, but you have options.
- Blend it smooth: puree the beets with the kefir base in a blender before folding in the fresh vegetables for a completely different mouthfeel, still delicious, just less rustic.
- Swap the dairy base: no kefir on hand? Well shaken buttermilk is my second choice, and plain yogurt thinned with a little water works in a pinch, just whisk it until it pours easily.
- Roast instead of boil: roasting the beets concentrates the flavor even more and skips a pot of water entirely, though it does take longer in the oven. Either method gets you tender beets, it’s really a matter of which one fits your afternoon.
- Make it heartier: don’t skip the hard boiled egg. A scoop of cooked, cooled potato or a spoonful of cottage cheese on top turns this from a starter into a full lunch.
Storing Cold Beet Soup
This cold beet soup recipe keeps beautifully in the fridge for 3 to 4 days in an airtight container. The flavor actually rounds out the longer it sits, at least for the first couple of days.
Give it a good stir before serving again since the vegetables settle and some liquid separates on top, that’s completely normal.
I don’t recommend freezing it. The texture of the cucumber, radish, and dairy base gets watery and grainy once thawed, so this one’s a fridge only, eat it this week kind of recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a cold beetroot soup called?
Depending on where it comes from, you’ll see it called chłodnik in Poland, kholodnyk in Ukraine, or svekolnik in Russia. They’re all close cousins of the same cold, beet and dairy based soup.
Is cold beet soup Lithuanian or Russian?
It’s claimed by several countries, not just one. You’ll find versions across Poland, Ukraine, Russia, and Lithuania, each with its own name and small tweaks, but they all share the same beet and cultured dairy base.
Can you make cold beet soup ahead of time?
Yes, and honestly it’s better that way. Make it one to two days ahead and let it sit in the fridge. The flavors settle and deepen, so day two usually tastes even better than day one.
How long does cold beet soup keep in the fridge?
About 3 to 4 days in an airtight container. Give it a stir before serving since it naturally separates a little as it sits.
More Soups to Try
- Vegan Tomato Soup Recipe: another veggie-forward bowl, this one served hot
- Vegan Mushroom Soup Recipe: deep, savory, and just as easy to make ahead
- Vegetable Barley Soup Recipe: hearty and filling for cooler days
- Low-Calorie Cabbage Soup Recipe: light, simple, and pantry-friendly
Pin this one for the next heat wave, you’ll want it in your back pocket. And if you make it, come back and leave a comment, I love hearing how it turned out in your kitchen.
Cold Beet Soup
Equipment
- Large pot
- Box grater
- Mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 4 medium beets about 1.5 pounds, trimmed
- 2 cups kefir or well shaken buttermilk, or plain yogurt thinned with 1/2 cup water
- 1 English cucumber diced small
- 4 radishes thinly sliced
- 3 scallions thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup fresh dill chopped, plus more for garnish
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 hard-boiled eggs halved, for serving
Instructions
- Place beets in a large pot and cover with water by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 40 to 45 minutes, until a knife slides into the center with no resistance. Drain and let cool until you can handle them.
- Once cool enough to touch, slip the skins off under running water, they should rub off easily. Grate the beets on the large holes of a box grater into a big bowl.
- In a large bowl, whisk the kefir with the garlic, lemon juice, salt, and pepper until smooth with no streaks remaining.
- Stir the grated beets, cucumber, radishes, scallions, and dill into the kefir base until everything is evenly coated in that gorgeous pink color.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, ideally overnight, so the soup gets fully cold and the flavors have time to settle.
- Taste and add more salt, pepper, or lemon juice as needed, it usually needs a little more once it’s cold since chilling mutes seasoning. Ladle into bowls and top each with a halved hard-boiled egg and a sprinkle of dill.
