Recently I was in the mood for some Borscht, which has its origins in areas of Eastern Europe such as Ukraine. So I decided to experiment and came out with a delicious recipe.

The beef is fork-tender, and the soup has notes of sour and sweet with a little bit of heat. Yummy.

Ready to travel to Ukraine for some Borscht? Put on a fur hat with the ear flaps and let’s do this!

How do you make a low carb, keto friendly borscht?

This borscht recipe makes a total of 8 single-servings. Each serving comes out to be 446 Calories, 33.8 g Fat, 8.9 g Net Carbs, and 25.1 g Protein.

First Cooking Cycle:

• 4 tablespoons lard, (52 g/1.8 oz) *May substitute beef fat, ghee, avocado oil, or olive oil.

• 2 pounds boneless beef short ribs (907g/32 oz) cut into 2-inch pieces.

You could substitute a less pricey chuck steak or even pre-cut stew meat, but results will be less tender with a loss of fat content.

If you do replace, I would recommend increasing the cook time of the first phase from 20 minutes to 35 minutes.

• 2.5 cups chopped carrots (288 g/10 oz) chopped into 1-inch pieces/chunks 

• 1.5 cups diced fresh tomato (230 g/8.1 oz)

• 1 cup diced celery (101 g/3.6 oz)

• 2/3 cup diced onion (100 g/3.5 oz)

• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (9 g/0.3 oz)

• 2 cups beef bone broth (473 ML/16 oz)

• 2 bay leaves

• 2 teaspoons sea salt. (12 g) May substitute any good quality salt.

• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper (2 g)

• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes. Reduce to 1/2 teaspoon or omit if you prefer mild heat.

Second Cooking Cycle:

• 2 cups shredded cabbage (113 g/4 oz)

• 1 cup peeled, shredded beets (136 g/4.8 oz)

• 2 cups beef bone broth (473 ML/16 oz)

• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (59 ML/2 oz)

To Serve:

• 1 cup sour cream (230 g/8 oz) 2 tablespoons for each serving.

• 4 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh dill (5 g/0.2 oz). Remove large stems before chopping.

First Cooking Cycle:

1. Place lard into a 6-quart pressure cooker.

Press the “Sauté” function key. The digital display will state High, 30 mins.

Use the “Adjust” button to cycle the LED display to “More” which increases the saute temperature to a level suitable for browning meat.

When the LED display reads “Hot,” place beef in and brown.

2. While the meat is browning, prepare and measure all ingredients as listed in the First Cooking Phase.

3. When the meat is a nice medium brown, add the carrots, tomatoes, celery, onions, garlic, 2 cups bone broth, and all remaining spices from the First Cooking Cycle.

Stir through, and press the “Keep Warm/Cancel” button.

4. Place lid on the pot with the steam releasing handle set to “Venting.” Lock into position.

Adjust the steam releasing handle so that it is pointing to “Sealing.”

Press the “Manual” (High Pressure) button and set to 20 minutes.

Second Cooking Cycle:

5. Now it is time to prepare all your ingredients listed in the Second Cooking Cycle and For Serving.

Shred the cabbage and beets. Tip: Wear gloves when shredding the beets to avoid staining hands.

Measure out the remaining 2 cups bone broth and apple cider vinegar.

Remove large stems from dill and coarsely chop.

6. After the pot has completed the 20-minute cooking cycle, allow it to sit for an additional 10 minutes.

This period allows some of the pressure to release naturally and further cooks the ingredients.

After the 10-minute resting period, release the pressure valve quickly.

Remove the lid after all pressure is expelled through the valve.

7. Add the shredded vegetables, bone broth, and apple cider vinegar to the pot.

8. Place lid on the pot with the steam releasing handle set to “Venting.” Lock into position.

Adjust the steam releasing handle so that it is pointing to “Sealing.”

Press the “Manual” (High Pressure) button and set to 1 minute.

9. Once the 1-minute timer has completed, immediately release the pressure valve.

Remove the lid after all pressure is expelled.

10. Taste the borscht.

Add additional salt, pepper, or apple cider vinegar according to your taste.

To Serve:

Serve each portion with:

2 tablespoons sour cream

1.5 teaspoons sprinkling of dill.

Boo-yah! Enjoy!

What is Borscht? Where does Borscht Come From?

Borscht is a soup that is very common in Eastern Europe. The recipes that are out there for Borscht are so numerous and varied that no one can say that there is only one way to make it.

While borscht is an important dish in much of the Eastern Europe region, Ukraine is commonly cited as its place of origin. 

Borscht is claimed by several groups to be their own national or ethnic dish. In addition to Ukraine, these groups include Russians, Lithuanians, Poles, and Ashkenazi Jews.

In English culture, we tend to think of borscht as always having beets in the dish. But in fact, there are versions such as white and green borscht where beets are absent from the meal.

Today, however, I will focus on the beet variety. Each Eastern European country utilizes various ingredients when making the dish. Some use meat as does this recipe, and some do not.

Besides beetroot, other typical ingredients can include carrots, cabbage, onion, parsnips, potatoes, and tomatoes among others such as beans.

Variations of borscht continue by region, province, town, village, momma, papa, bald grandpa, hairy grandpa, … You get the idea.

The predominant flavors in borscht are sweet and sour. Traditional preparation methods accomplish this by using a fermented mixture called “beet sour.”

Depending on the method, beet sour is whereby beetroots are fermented for several days up to 3 weeks!

The recipe I’m using for today is an Instant Pot recipe. So yeah, beet sour is not being used for my recipe.

Quicker traditional borscht methods for obtaining the sour taste utilize ingredients such as vinegar, lemon juice, red wine, and pickle juice.

For this recipe, I will be using apple cider vinegar as the sour component which nicely balances the subtle sweetness of the beets and carrots.

Borscht is usually served with sour cream. The Eastern European version is called “smetana” and is more similar to crème fraîche.

I prefer the thicker consistency of the American sour cream and use it in this recipe. Crème fraîche could easily be substituted and has a slightly better fat to carb ratio.

Chopped herbs are commonly sprinkled on top of the dish. These can include parsley, chives, scallions but the most common is dill.

Kitchen Tools for Making Keto Instant Pot Borscht

Instant Pot – I used a 6 quart IP for this recipe. Other pressure cookers should work as well. I do not own any other type of pressure cooker. Therefore, I would only be guessing as to adjustments on cooking times.

Kitchen Scale – (optional) Although it is optional, it is one of the most useful tools you can have if you’re trying to track your macros while on keto.

Pro Tip: Weigh the empty removable pot insert of Instant Pot. Weigh any pot or pan that you regularly use to cook with for that matter. Record these weights for later reference.

Once you have finished a dish, you subtract the empty weight from the total weight of the dish and pot. You then divide that amount by the number of servings recipe uses. This gives you the most accurate portions.

These measured portions will allow you to best keep track of your macro nutritional intake.

Vegetable Peeler – You will need for the beets. You do not need to peel the carrots, but I usually do. Sometimes the carrots look a little funky and need a peel. Yeah.

Grater (or Grater attachment for Food Processor) – I use a basic stainless steel grater for the carrots and beets. I somehow lost my grater attachment for my food processor. But honestly, the amount of shredding this recipe calls for, I’m not sure breaking out the food processor is worth the hassle.

Kitchen Gloves – Gloves are used for peeling, shredding, and handling the beets.

Knife – A sharp knife for chopping the vegetables and deboning your short ribs if no boneless available at your store.

Cutting Board – I use cheap plastic ones for the meat and beets. The beets will stain your lovely wooden board. I use my good board for all of the other vegetables.

Measuring Spoons

Measuring Cup(s)

Warning! How to Handle Beets

Beets give this dish its lovely red color. They can also give you a little kitchen anxiety if you’re not experienced with them.

We have cut down the number of beets traditionally used to make this recipe lower in carbs. But, a little bit of beetroot stains just as much as a lot of beetroots.

Use kitchen gloves or disposable gloves when handling your beets. If you do not, your hands will have a lovely reddish stain for a day or two.

Leave about 3-4 inches of the stem attached to the beet. The stems will make a handle that you can use while peeling and grating these bad boys. (Don’t grate the stems.)

Do not grate on any porous surface such as a wooden cutting board. It will stain. Use any non-porous board, plate or sheet.

If you want to play it safe, use a food processor with the grating attachment.

How Long to Store Your Borscht in the Refrigerator or Freezer

Borscht is one of those soups that taste even better the next day. Refrigerate in a covered airtight container(s) within two hours of cooking. It keeps in your refrigerator for up to four days.

If kept frozen at 0 degrees Fahrenheit, it will last indefinitely. For best quality, consume before four months after placing in the freezer.

For further information on food safety: https://www.fsis.usda.gov/shared/PDF/Leftovers_and_Food_Safety.pdf

How to Freeze and Reheat Borscht

1. Chill. It is best to allow the borscht to cool completely before freezing. You do not want to place any warm food in your freezer as it will slightly raise the temperature of items already stored.

You should expedite the process by placing your pot into an ice bath. Then, stir it every few minutes to help release the heat. Freeze within two hours of cooking.

(Do not combine the sour cream with borscht. Sour cream does not freeze well.)

 2. Package. Place quart-size zipper-top plastic freezer bag in a bowl or large drinking glass while cuffing top of the bag over the edge.

Place the bowl or glass on a kitchen scale to weigh your specified portion. (optional – but very convenient for tracking your macros)

Ladle soup into the bag. Expel any excess air and seal. 

Label and date the package with the macros.

Rinse and repeat.

3. Freeze. Lay the zipper-top bags flat in a single layer in the freezer.

4. Reheat. Thaw overnight in the fridge. Empty bag into a small saucepan. Reheat over medium-low heat on stove-top. Stir occasionally.

Alternatively, place a tin-foil hat on and nuke it in the microwave under defrost setting. The box of your freezer bag will specify whether it is safe for microwave use. (Tin-foil hat is optional.)

Have you made this recipe? Click on the stars below to give it a rating.

Did you make any adjustments to the recipe? Comment below. I’d love to hear them.