Hearty Beetroot Soup Recipe with Kidney Beans & Vegetables

This hearty beetroot soup is a wholesome, vegetable-packed bowl with a deep ruby colour and a tangy, earthy flavour. It is a budget-friendly, family-friendly meal that comes together in under an hour using simple pantry staples.

It is one of those meals that feels like a proper home-cooked dinner without keeping you stuck in the kitchen for hours. The broth is rich and warming, the vegetables give a chunky texture, and the kidney beans make each bowl light yet filling. A squeeze of fresh lemon juice at the end lifts the whole pot and balances the natural sweetness of the red beets. If you are after a healthy beetroot soup that is vegetarian and packed with real food, this one delivers every time.

How This Soup Differs from Borscht

While beetroot soup and borscht share some similarities, they are not the same. Borscht traditionally includes cabbage, but this version skips it, resulting in a smoother and lighter texture. Instead of fresh tomatoes, this soup uses only tomato paste, which deepens the flavour without adding too much acidity. Another key difference is the base—borscht relies on a rich vegetable or bone stock, whereas this beetroot soup is designed to be quick and fuss-free, made simply with water+stock cube. Despite not using broth, the combination of sautéed vegetables, kidney beans, and lemon juice ensures the soup remains full of depth and richness, making it a perfect, speedy alternative to traditional borscht.

Ingredients for Homemade Beetroot Soup

Here is what you need to make this easy beetroot soup recipe at home.

• Cooked beetroots - the heart of the dish, giving the soup its deep ruby colour and naturally sweet, earthy flavour.
• Potatoes - they add body and make the soup light yet filling.
• Carrot - grated carrot brings a gentle sweetness and softens into the broth beautifully.
• Onion - the flavour base for almost any good soup, adding depth as it cooks down.
• Celery - brings a clean, savoury note that balances the sweetness of the beets.
• Green sweet pepper - adds a mild, fresh flavour and a little bite to the vegetable mix.
• Tomato paste - deepens the colour and gives the broth a rich, rounded flavour.
• Neutral oil - for sautéing the base vegetables without overpowering them.
• Fresh lemon juice - brightens the soup and keeps the red colour vibrant.
• Salt and black pepper - simple seasoning that lets each vegetable shine.
• Vegetable stock - the flavourful broth that holds everything together; a stock cube works fine too.
• Red kidney beans - a hearty source of plant protein that makes this a proper one-bowl meal.

How to Make Beetroot Soup — Step by Step

Making this beetroot soup is simple, quick, and doesn’t require any fancy techniques. With a few everyday ingredients and less than an hour, you'll have a warm, nourishing meal ready to enjoy.

1. Step 1. Prep the vegetables. Peel and grate the carrot, slice the onion thinly, and finely chop the celery and green pepper. Dice the potatoes into small, even cubes so they cook at the same rate.
2. Step 2. Sauté the base and build flavour. Warm a good splash of neutral oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the carrot and onion and cook until soft, then stir in the celery and green pepper with a pinch of salt and black pepper. Add the tomato paste and cook for two to three minutes, stirring often, to take away the raw edge and deepen the flavour.
3. Step 3. Boil the potatoes. While the vegetables sauté, bring a pot of lightly salted water (or vegetable stock) to the boil. Tip in the diced potatoes, lower the heat, and simmer for about 10 minutes until almost tender.
4. Step 4. Bring it all together. Add the sautéed vegetables to the pot with the potatoes and cook for another 5 to 7 minutes. Shred the cooked beetroot, then stir it in along with the drained kidney beans. Simmer for a couple of minutes, squeeze in fresh lemon juice, and adjust seasoning. Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let the Beetroot soup rest for 15 minutes before serving.

How to Serve and Store This Beetroot Soup

I like to serve this beetroot soup hot, with a generous spoonful of sour cream or thick yoghurt on top, a sprinkle of chopped parsley, and a little fresh garlic for bite. A crusty seeded bread roll or a slice of dark rye alongside makes it a proper meal. It also works beautifully with a dollop of horseradish cream if you enjoy a bit of heat.

Leftovers keep very well in the fridge for up to 4 days in an airtight container, and I honestly think the flavour gets better on day two once everything has had time to settle. To freeze, let the soup cool completely, portion it into freezer-safe containers, and store for up to 3 months. Reheat gently on the stovetop over low heat, adding a splash of water or stock if it has thickened, and taste for seasoning before serving.

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Top Tips and Notes to Make the Best Beetroot Soup

• Use properly cooked beetroot for the best colour. Pre-cooked beetroot from the supermarket works brilliantly here and saves a lot of time. If you are roasting or boiling your own, let them cool fully before peeling and shredding so you do not lose any juice. The riper and sweeter the beets, the deeper and more vibrant the final colour of the soup will be. Avoid pickled beetroot, as the vinegar will throw the flavour off balance.
• Grate or shred the beetroot rather than dicing it. Shredded beetroot releases more colour and flavour into the broth, giving you that signature deep ruby colour throughout. Diced beetroot tends to sit in chunks and the broth stays paler, which is not what we want here. A box grater works perfectly, or you can use the grating attachment on a food processor for speed. Wear an apron, because beetroot juice stains everything it touches.
• Do not skip the tomato paste step. Cooking the tomato paste for a couple of minutes with the sautéed vegetables is what gives the soup its rich, rounded flavour. Raw tomato paste tastes sharp and slightly metallic, but a short cook mellows it and brings out its natural sweetness. Stir constantly so it does not catch on the bottom of the pan. This small step makes a noticeable difference in the final pot.
• Let the soup rest before serving. Covering the pot and resting the soup for 15 minutes off the heat is not optional in my kitchen. This is when the flavours settle and marry together, and the broth takes on that deep, developed taste you get in proper home cooking. If you skip this step, the soup will still be good, but it will taste like separate ingredients rather than one harmonious bowl. Use this time to set the table or slice your bread.
• Canned kidney beans are your friend. I use canned red kidney beans for convenience and consistency, and they work perfectly in this recipe. Drain and rinse them well under cold water before adding, as the starchy liquid from the can can cloud the broth. If you prefer dried beans, soak them overnight and cook them fully before adding. Choose your favourite brand, I go just with the cheapest option.
• Finish with fresh garnishes. A bowl of this soup without garnishes is fine, but with them it becomes something special. Sour cream or Greek yoghurt adds creaminess, chopped parsley or dill brings freshness, and a little finely chopped raw garlic gives a proper kick. A slice of warm seeded bread on the side makes it a full meal. Do not skip these finishing touches, as they lift the whole dish.
  

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Beetroot Soup Recipe

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Beetroot soup with kidney beans and vegetables is a hearty, wholesome one-pot meal with a deep ruby colour and a bright, tangy finish. It is vegetarian, vegan-friendly, and made without cream, using simple ingredients for a nourishing bowl that comes together in under an hour.

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Additional Time 15 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Ingredients

• 4 cooked beetroots (about 500 g / 1 lb)
• 2 potatoes (about 300 g / 10.5 oz)
• 1 carrot (about 100 g / 3.5 oz)
• 1 onion (about 150 g / 5 oz)
• 2 celery stalks
• 1 green sweet pepper (about 150 g / 5 oz)
• 3–4 tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 tablespoon neutral oil, for sautéing
• 1–2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, to taste
• Salt and black pepper, to taste
• 1.5 litres vegetable stock (6 cups) or 1 stock cube dissolved in 1.5 litres hot water
• 1 can of red kidney beans (400 g / 14 oz), drained and rinsed

Instructions

1. Peel and grate the carrot, slice the onion thinly, and finely chop the celery and green sweet pepper. Dice the potatoes into small, even cubes of about 1 cm.
2. Heat the neutral oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add the carrot and onion and sauté until soft and translucent, around 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the celery and green pepper, season with a pinch of salt and black pepper, and cook for another 3 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring often, to deepen its flavour.
3. While the vegetables cook, bring the vegetable stock (or lightly salted water with a stock cube) to the boil in a large pot. Add the diced potatoes, reduce the heat, and simmer for 10 minutes until almost tender.
4. Transfer the sautéed vegetables into the pot with the potatoes and cook together for another 5 to 7 minutes. Shred the cooked beetroot and add it to the soup along with the drained kidney beans. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes to let the flavours settle.
5. Squeeze in the fresh lemon juice, taste, and adjust the salt and pepper. Turn off the heat, cover the pot, and let the soup rest for 15 minutes before serving. Ladle into bowls and top with sour cream, fresh parsley, and a little finely chopped garlic if you like.

Notes

Cooked beetroot shortcut: Shop-bought vacuum-packed cooked beets work perfectly and cut the prep time considerably. Avoid pickled beetroot, as the vinegar flavour will throw off the balance of the soup.

Grate, do not dice: Shredding the beetroot gives the broth its deep ruby colour and spreads the flavour evenly. Diced beetroot sits in chunks and does not release its colour the same way.

Balance with lemon: Start with 1 tablespoon of fresh lemon juice, taste, then add more if the soup needs brightening. The acidity also helps keep the colour vivid rather than dull.

Make it heartier: For a more filling meal, add a handful of shredded cabbage in the last 10 minutes of cooking, or serve with a crusty seeded roll on the side.

Storage: Keeps in the fridge for up to 4 days in an airtight container, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. The flavour deepens beautifully overnight.