Cranberry Borscht is flavorful soup with autumn berries and roasted beets that can be served either hot or cold.
Cranberry Borscht
By Sue Lau | Palatable Pastime
It’s hump day here at Palatable Pastime for #CranberryWeek. And today I am bringing you my recipe for cranberry borscht, because it has cranberries, obviously. And someone had asked me about a month or two ago for a borscht recipe that hadn’t quite made it to the blog. I was roasting beets for that while I was making something else, and when the timer went off, the oven went off, and I forgot to get the bloody things out of there until I suddenly had that oh-no moment of recall about 2 hours too late. So into the bin they went. And I have just been so busy with other recipes since then that I hadn’t gotten back to it until now.
And borscht isn’t something I make that often, even though I love beets (especially pickled or even Harvard style). Yes, I love tangy, sweet & sour things of all sorts. But Bill likes this one so much I will probably do a more trad one in January once the holidays are over.
It will be nice to get away from the holiday recipes and back to the grind. I am quite looking forward to making a lot of soups as well as a tagine or three and I always start gearing up for Asian and Cajun foods by mid-January (even if you don’t see it until later in February). On those soups- I had already hoped to be doing a soup recipe every Wednesday but so far, it hasn’t worked out that way. They are backed up like LA traffic on my computer though, just waiting to escape. If I don’t get them posted soon, just badger me in the comments.
And here we are the Wednesday before T-Day which is always a big cooking day. I hope you got your bird thawed. I saw someone checking out at the store with a huge frozen one while I thought “Good luck with that.” Hopefully he gets it into cold water before he…ahem…finds himself in hot water. Hahahahaha—time to go before I drown you in dry corny humor.
Be sure to check back with me on T-Day for more Cranberry Week- I have apple-ginger cranberry sauce going up on the blog, and on Friday, I’ll have my version of Starbuck’s Cranberry Bliss Bars. Until then-
~Sue
Cranberry Borscht

Ingredients:
- 1 pound fresh red beets
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup fresh cranberries
- 4 cups chicken broth, divided
- 1/4 cup instant potato flakes
- 1/2 teaspoon dill weed
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup sour cream
Method:
- Rinse beets and cut off greens; wrap in foil and bake at 375F for about 75 minutes.
- Allow to cool, then remove skins under cold water.
- Saute onion and garlic in olive oil until soft; add 1 cup of chicken broth and the fresh cranberries; cook over moderate heat until cranberries pop, then remove from heat and let cool.
- Place cranberry mixture in a food processor with the beets and puree.
- Add puree back to saucepan and add the remaining chicken broth, potato flakes, dill weed, salt and black pepper.
- Cook until hot then remove from heat.
- Stir in the sour cream.
- Serve hot or cold as desired, with additional sour cream if you like.
From the kitchen of palatablepastime.com

Welcome to #CranberryWeek, hosted by Caroline’s Cooking and A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures. We’ll be sharing cranberry-inspired creations all week long in celebration of national cranberry day. Search #CranberryWeek to keep up to date and follow the #CranberryWeek Pinterest board for more cranberry inspiration. But first, see all the other cranberry recipes being shared today:
- Braised Short Ribs with Hoisin-Cranberry Sauce and Asian Coleslaw from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
- Cranberry & Cornbread Stuffed Pork Chops from Books n’ Cooks
- Cranberry Borscht from Palatable Pastime
- Cranberry Glazed Pork Loin from Sew You Think You Can Cook
- Cranberry Lemon Curd Tart (No Bake, GF) from Caroline’s Cooking
- Cranberry London Broil from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
- Cranberry Mustard from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Cranberry Vanilla Bean Donuts from Hostess At Heart
- Grilled Brie with Cranberries from Full Belly Sisters
- Honey Roasted Orange Ricotta Crostini from Take Two Tapas
- Mixed Berry Sorbet from A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Orange Cranberry Turnovers by The Bitter Side of Sweet
- Panko Crusted Chicken with Maple Cranberry Sauce from Family Around The Table
- Sweet Heat Cranberry Spread from Cooking With Carlee
You might also like:
Beet Greens with Roasted Garlic
Sweet and Spicy Jalapeno Cranberry Sauce
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Very different, Sue! This could be a new holiday favorite!
What a fun idea to put cranberries in borscht – I can see it working, though!
Yum!
I have only had borscht once. I loved it and have always vowed to either make or eat it again. I think I need to make it with your recipes. Looks delicious.
Hope you had a perfect Thanksgiving Sue…this soup would make a wonderful first course.
Just look at that color! I have never tried borscht, but I love beets. Too bad I’m the only one in my house that does!
I haven’t had borscht in years! This dish looks so pretty and sounds delicious!