Beet Soup

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Beet soup isn’t just delicious, it’s also jam packed with nutrients. A mix of beets, parsnip, ginger, onion and garlic, this blended version is creamy, savory, and rich in flavor. Top it off with a swirl of coconut cream (or yogurt), parsley, and black sesame seeds.

This beet soup is hearty enough as a main course or you can serve it alongside my apple kale salad, lentil salad or pulled pork, cabbage and arugula salad.

Beet soup garnished with parsley in a bowl.

While you commonly find beets roasted, blended into hummus, blended into a smoothie or chilled on top of a salad, I’ve decided to switch things up a bit. Today I’ll be blending fresh cut beets (not roasted) into a silky, warm soup.

Now, let me tell you why this soup should be on your list of fall and winter meals. It’s perfect for warming up your body on a cold day, is a bright mixture of delicious earthy flavors, and reaps of health benefits that are good for your gut.

Ingredients for Beet Soup

This soup looks impressive, but it’s not at all difficult. It can be whipped up with a few simple ingredients and some time on the stove. Here’s what you’ll need to make it:

  • Beets – Heart-healthy and rich in vitamins and nutrients.
  • Parsnip – For a creamy texture with less carbs than potatoes.
  • Ginger – Because who can resist that zest and spiciness.
  • Garlic & Onions – For richness and depth of flavor.
  • Vegetable Broth – You can make this soup as thick or thin as you’d like.
  • Salt and Pepper – a little sprinkle of seasoning.
Diced beets, onions, parsnip and other ingredients to make beet soup in a pot.

How To Make This Beet Soup Recipe

The recipe comes together easily if all your ingredients are peeled, diced and ready to go. Watch how I make it on the video below!

  1. Cook the onion in a large stock pan over medium high heat with avocado oil for about 3-4 minutes.
  2. Add the garlic, ginger, salt, and pepper and cook for 1-2 additional minutes.
  3. Add the diced beets, parsnips, and vegetable broth into the pot. Turn the heat to high and bring it to a boil. Then, reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and let it simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until the beet is fork tender.
  4. Transfer the soup into a high powered blender (I always recommend my favorite Vitamix) and blend for one minute, until it’s smooth and creamy.
  5. Garnish with coconut cream, parsley, and black sesame seeds. Serve!

I know some worry about beet stains when cutting beets, so make sure to read my extra tips below.

Beet soup ingredients in a blender.

How To Remove Beet Stains

The process of preparing beets are notorious for staining things. But with a few tips you’ll see it’s really not that bad to cook with fresh beets. Here’s what you can do:

If stained on your hands (a couple of options): 

  • Rub lemon juice in between your hands or dip your hands in a bowl of lemon juice
  • Add baking soda and a little bit of water, then rub your hands vigorously
  • Cut a raw potato in half, dip it in salt, and scrub the flat side against your hands under water

To prevent stains on your cutting board:

  • Spray a little oil on your cutting board before cutting. This helps prevent the beet juice from soaking into the wood.

If stained on your shirt: 

  • Mix 2 tablespoons of dishwashing liquid with 2 cups of water. Dip a towel in this mixture and blot the stain. Make sure to not rub it or it will make it worse!
Two bowls of beet soup on a white table.

Beet Soup Serving Suggestions

While this beet soup tastes great on it’s own, it’s also great served with a heartier main course. In addition to the salads that I listed at the top of the post, here are some of my favorite main courses.

Close up shot of beet soup.

If You Loved This Beet Soup Recipe…

I’ve got heaps more delicious soup recipes for you! These are some of my favorites which nourish and hit the spot.

Beet soup in a bowl garnished with coconut cream and parsley.

Beet Soup (Smooth and Velvety)

5 from 28 votes
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 40 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Lisa Bryan

Description

Beet soup is a mix of beets, parsnip, ginger, onion and garlic. This blended version is creamy, savory, and rich in flavor. Perfect to serve on it's own, next to a salad or hearty main.

Video

Ingredients 
 

  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil, or olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 3 large beets, peeled and diced (or 4 beets, if smaller)
  • 1 medium parsnip, peeled and diced (approx 1 cup)
  • 4 cups vegetable broth, or more for desired texture

Garnish

  • coconut cream or yogurt
  • parsley
  • black sesame seeds
  • cracked black pepper

Instructions 

  • Heat the avocado oil in a large stock pot on medium high heat. Add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes, until softened.
  • Add the garlic, ginger, salt and pepper and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, until fragrant.
  • Add the diced beets, diced parsnips and vegetable broth. Turn the heat to high and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the beets are fork tender.
  • Use a ladle to transfer the soup to a high-powered blender. Blend for one minute or until creamy.
  • To serve, pour the soup into a bowl and garnish with coconut cream or yogurt, parsley, black sesame seeds and cracked black pepper.

Nutrition

Calories: 145kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 994mg | Potassium: 394mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 521IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 34mg | Iron: 1mg
Course: Soup
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Beet Soup, Beet Soup Recipe
Did you make this recipe?Mention @downshiftology or tag #downshiftology!

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About the author

Lisa Bryan

Lisa is a bestselling cookbook author, recipe developer, and YouTuber (with over 2.5 million subscribers) living in sunny Southern California. She started Downshiftology in 2014, and is passionate about making healthy food with fresh, simple and seasonal ingredients.

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Recipe Rating




71 Comments

  1. Hi Lisa,

    I dint have a pot big enough I think for the ingredients and was going to use my instant pot. Any idea of the settings I could use? The soup setting or pressure cook and time?

    Thank you. Looks like great soup and looking forward to making it!

  2. Will an immersion blender work on this recipe? I have both but the stick blender is so much easier to clean.

  3. This recipe changed my mind about beets! It’s easy to make and tastes great! The fresh ginger elevates the taste, and the garlic and parsnips add dimension. I made this soup for Thanksgiving; the color is so festive and appetizing!5 stars

  4. I LOVE this soup! I’ve made it a lot since finding your recipe. It is so easy to make (wear gloves when handling the beets!), delicious, healthy and comforting. I had people at work try the soup without telling them what it was. Almost all of them said they don’t like beets, but to their surprise, they loved the soup!5 stars

    1. I think of myself as a very good cook, I tried this recipe and I am blown away. Hands down one of the best soups I have ever made. I did not use the ginger as parsnip is strong in itself and it was phenomenal. 10/10 will recommend to any one and will continue to make.5 stars

  5. Thank you for posting this recipe! I had a bunch of leftover beets from my summer garden and thought this sounded perfect. I served it just barely warm (for summertime soup) and garnished with homemade plain yogurt. YUM!!!5 stars

  6. I made this for my family last night and everyone loved it! I was anticipating a large amount of leftovers, as there are only 3 people in my family, but we ate all of it. I used coconut cream, which was a great recommendation. It added another layer of yummy flavors! I can’t wait to make this again. It is definitely a new family favorite. Thank you!5 stars

  7. I wasn’t sure if I would like this as I normally only like beets when they’re roasted, but it turned out amazing! One question, though. How much is a serving? 1 cup? Thanks!

  8. Just finished a bowl. So delicious one of our favorites. Love to freeze. We love it with a grilled cheese. YUMMY!5 stars

  9. Great soup, but after it cooled and sat on kitchen stove in the course of a dinner, a white substance appeared on the sides of the pan above the red beet soup. I think it might have something to do with the parsnip. Any thoughts?

  10. Excellent! I’ve made this recipe numerous times and is always very well received. I wasn’t able to get parsnips and substituted with turnip and it was excellent as well.5 stars

  11. Made it for Valentines Day as daughter and I are vegan. The men in my family swear they hate beets so I made broccoli cheese soup for them. As I was passing soup the guys were eyeballing the appealing color and savoring the aroma. They commented on how good it looked – a lot better than their broccoli cheese soup! My younger son said, “I changed my mind. I want some of that beet soup!” He was singing the praises of that soup. I made it again 10 days later and this time hubby tried it. He said it was “tolerable.” That’s a compliment coming from him as he is not a fan of beets. (Hahaha!) My daughter and I loved it! The parsmips really add to the soup!5 stars

  12. I make this soup regularly. I am wondering if you can substitute golden beets for the red beets?

    @downshiftology #downshiftology

  13. Great tasting recipe and easy! I had to substitute potato (purple potato!) for the parsnip, but otherwise followed the recipe. Topped with a bit of sour cream. NOW, I’m going back for seconds!5 stars

  14. Absolutely delicious and so easy!! I had some friends who said they didn’t like beets try the soup without telling them what it was and they really loved it!! I think I’ll try using the organic golden beets next time! The fresh ginger makes this so amazing! 5 stars

  15. We love, love, love this soup. Have made it with red beets but also with golden beets, so beautiful and delicious. This year I’m making it (right now) with organic beets that are notoriously small. Could you estimate the weight of three large beets?5 stars

  16. This was a simple recipe that I didn’t expect to love. But dang it was sooo good!! I think the ginger is what makes the recipe.5 stars

  17. Made it for Super Bowl. Even my carnivore husband loved it.  Huge hit!  Going to make a double batch later this week. 5 stars

      1. Could I used roasted beets to make this soup? Or is there a reason you choose to not use them? We love the flavor of roasted veggies and I’m always looking for ways to use up extra veggies that I roasted. I make huge batches of roasted veggies every week. I’ve found that we eat more veggies if they are already cooked and ready to go. Thanks!

  18. My new go-to! The garden has had so many beets and parsnips this year and I have been looking for more ways to enjoy them. This recipe is perfect – easy to prepare, filled with great nutrients to keep us healthy (especially now in fall/winter), and it was fine to freeze. Thank you for another great recipe!

    I added a dash of Trader Joe’s umami seasoning with the garlic and ginger, used an immersion blender, and also topped with walnuts and homemade kale chips. Delicious!5 stars

    1. Wonderful! I’m so happy you loved the recipe. It’s a great way to freeze an abundance of beets for sure. And love the addition of the umami seasoning – yum!

  19. Beet soup, just delicious. Vibrant color, i will certainly be doing it again soon. I also shared some with my mom…eaiting to heat her comments.
    Thank you I’m eating healthier . 5 stars

  20. I loved this soup! I am sharing it with everyone. Since being diagnosed with cancer and going through hard surgeries i have to find ways to get my vegetables in.  I will eat this one often.  It is flavorful and beautiful.  
    I love beets but now need them cooked well to eat them.  I salted at the end to make sure I didn’t over do it. Keep up the good work.  I will be doing some other recipes as well! 5 stars

  21. Hi Lisa, I have some CSA ingredients I’m trying to use up – how do you think this recipe would turn out with golden beets and with rutabaga subbed for the parsnip/potato? Thanks!

  22. Hello Lisa,

    I just want to say that I tried to make this soup today and I really enjoyed the process. Beet is not my favorite but I know is healthy and I am starting my journey into eating healthier. So thank you, I been lucky to have your videos to guide me through each recipe. Most of your recipes are easy and tasty. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.5 stars

    1. Hi Diana – I’m so happy to hear that I can inspire you to venture into a healthy lifestyle. My goal is to make it an easy process, using clean and simple ingredients that turn into extremely delicious recipes! Even though you don’t like beats, I’m glad you tried something new and ended up enjoying this soup :)

  23. Just made this easy and wonderful beet soup! The color is just amazing! I kept bringing it to my wife to show her… Then we ate it and loved it. All the elements came together with the parsnips and ginger adding wonderful nuance.

    My question: In the video, your vegetable broth looks wonderful, rich and creamy. Is it homemade or store-bought?

    If homemade, please include your recipe. if store-bought, what kind?

    Thanks very much, Lisa

    New fan,
    Kenny Kramer5 stars

    1. Hi Kenny – I am so happy to hear you and your wife loved the beet soup! It really is a delicious blend of rich fall ingredients :) As for the vegetable broth, it is store bought. But I will have to add onto my list to make a homemade vegetable broth!