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.
WHAT YOU WILL NEED
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.
Vegetable Broth: used for cooking the beets. You can also swap it for chicken broth or plain water.
English Cucumber: most commonly used in Polish cuisine. Small Persian cucumbers or regular cucumber can also be used.
Radishes: to add crunchiness and spice to the soup. If you don’t have or like the flavor of radishes, you can omit them.
Plain Kefir: available in most grocery stores these days. See my note below on health benefits of kefir.
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).
FreshHerbs: 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.
Lemon Juice: typically used in beet soups, to balance out the sweetness of beets.
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.
Salt & Pepper: for seasoning.
WHAT IS MILK 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
STEP 1: 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.
STEP 2: 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.
STEP 3: 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).
STEP 4: Chill. Cover the pot and chill the soup in the fridge for at least 3 hours.
STEP 5: Serve in soup bowls topped with a quartered warm or cold hard boiled egg on top.
STORAGE & MEAL PREP TIPS
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 TO TRY:
- Greek Chickpea Salad
- Strawberry, Spinach & Feta Salad
- Mexican Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
- Cauliflower Shawarma Bowls
- Salmon, Kale & Barley Salad Bowl
Polish Cold Beet Soup (Chłodnik)
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes (plus 3 hours of chilling)
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
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.
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
1.5 cups vegetable broth or plain water
juice from ½ lemon
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
Fresh beets will stain your hands so I recommend using nitrile or latex gloves for peeling and grating raw beets.
When you mix together all the ingredients, the soup will be reddish pink, not the deep fuchsia color as in my pictures. Once it sits for a couple hours in the fridge, it will become more purple/dark pink.
The amount of yogurt and kefir can be adjusted according to your preferences. You can use more or less yogurt or kefir if you’d like, as long as the overall amount of liquid is 4 cups.
I used dill and chives for this recipe but fresh parsley also works very well in this soup.
- Category: soups
- Cuisine: Polish, Lithuanian
Keywords: cold beet soup, Polish cold beet soup, chlodnik
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