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Boost your immune system with my soul-warming Beet Soup with Sweet Potato! It’s overflowing with nutrient-dense vegetables like red beets, sweet potatoes, carrots, and fresh ginger and garlic. This simple, 100% vegan recipe packs a punch – you’ll be reaching for it all winter.
This blog post was originally published on February 12, 2018. It was updated with new information and photos on October 27, 2025.
Consider this my love letter to vegan beet soup. It’s a hearty, warming, and nutritious dish that hits all the right spots in fall and winter. Filled with an all-star cast of nutrient-dense ingredients, it nips any impending sickness right in the bud. We got fiber from the beets (greens and stalks included), anti-inflammatory magic from ginger, and digestive health support from celery. And of course, antioxidant-rich sweet potatoes have us covered in the nutrition category, too.
Aside from the health benefits, this recipe is easy and effortless to make. I’m talking slicing, dicing, and peeling on your part – the soup pot does the rest. But let’s be real, the #1 reason I keep turning to beet soup recipes is because they taste too good. So if you’ve been wanting to learn how to make beet soup, you’re in the right place.
For more soul-warming soup recipes, check out my Curried Parsnip Soup, Spiced Chickpea Soup, and Butternut Squash Soup with Coconut Milk. And check out my roundup of 15+ Vegan Soup recipes.
Ingredients
Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Extra virgin olive oil is my go-to oil for sautéing and soup making. You could also use a neutral oil like avocado oil. Either is great for our vegetable-dense soup.
Onion: Yellow or red onion gives us a savory flavor base. Red onion is slightly sweeter, and white onion will do in a pinch.
Garlic: Minced garlic cloves, to be exact – for a pungent and savory flavor boost. Plus, garlic is full of anti-inflammatory properties.
Jalapeño Pepper: For a kick of spice.
Ginger: Another powerhouse ingredient in the lineup. You’ll want a ginger knob about 1 ½ inches.
Celery: With a milder taste, celery is a humble but key player in the foundation of red beet soup. In terms of health benefits, celery boasts high fiber, antioxidant properties, and vitamins and minerals for a healthy gut.
Beet Stalks and Greens: The leafy greens and the red, fibrous stalk of beets are not only tasty inclusions, but they’re crazy nutritious, full of vitamins and minerals, including iron. Two cups of beet greens have more calcium than a cup of cow’s milk! If your beets didn’t come with the greens attached, you can replace them with swiss chard, spinach, or kale.
Carrots: These fiber-rich, orange veggies bring balance with their natural, ever-so-slightly bitter sweetness. When softened, they’re a delight to bite into.
Beets: This bright, earthy vegetable is the leading lady in vegan beet soup, making it hearty and nourishing with tons of fiber, B vitamins, iron, and vitamin C. When cooked, they get more vibrant and velvety soft.
Vegetable Broth (or Stock): This savory liquid transforms the cooked veggies into a flavorful soup. You can also use 2 tablespoons of vegan Better than Bouillon or 2 vegetable bouillon cubes, combined with water.
Sweet Potato: Rich in complex carbs, this root vegetable makes beet soup recipes substantial and filling.
Red Wine Vinegar: A splash of red wine vinegar for tang and flavor balance.
Fresh Parsley: Chopped, for garnish.
Salt and Black Pepper to taste.
How to Make Beet Soup
Grab your cutting board, knife, and soup pot, and heat up the burner. Dinner’s going to be good!
- Sauté aromatics. Warm the oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, jalapeño, ginger, and celery, and beet green stalks, and sauté for about 5 minutes until the onions are translucent.
- Incorporate beets and carrots. Add the beets and carrots, and sauté for another 3 minutes.
- Add broth and simmer. Add the vegetable broth (or water and bouillon) and black pepper. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer the soup with the lid ajar for 10 minutes, adding more vegetable broth to thin the soup if preferred.
- Mix in sweet potatoes then beet greens. Add the sweet potatoes and cook with the lid ajar for another 20 minutes or until the beets and sweet potatoes are tender. Stir in the beet greens, and cook for another 5 minutes until they are tender.
- Season, garnish, and serve. Remove the beet soup from the heat and stir in the red wine vinegar. Season with salt to taste and serve hot, garnished with chopped parsley.
Jenné’s Recipe Tips
- Chop vegetables small and uniformly. Larger, uneven chunks take longer to cook through. Cut them on the smaller side for consistent texture.
- Use all parts of the beet, including the green leaves and red stems. By leaving them out, you’ll lose serious flavor, texture, and nutritional value. Plus, it prevents food waste!
- Don’t overcook. Bring the vegetables and broth to a simmer over medium to medium-high heat. Too high a heat will cause the beets to lose their signature vibrant color, turning them brown.
- Keep beet stains off your cutting board by coating or spritzing the board with a bit of oil. This stops the beet juice from seeping into the wood.
Recipe Variations
Give this beet soup recipe a twist with the following recipe adaptations and variations.
- Beans: If this super-hearty soup is not bulky enough for you, and you’re shooting for an extra-hearty soup, add white potatoes and/or white beans, like garbanzo or Great Northern.
- Beet Squash Soup: Butternut squash is officially in season. You can get the most out of it by replacing sweet potato with chopped squash.
- Extra Creamy: Thicken up your vegan beet soup by mixing in coconut milk or coconut cream as a final step. It’s so decadent.
Serving Suggestions
Top your red beet soup off with fresh parsley, jalapeño pepper slices, or roasted crispy beans. You’ll need some pita or crusty bread chunks for dunking, of course. Turn it into a full meal alongside a crisp salad:
Storage Directions
- Refrigerating: In the fridge, leftover beet soup keeps covered in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Before transferring, allow the soup to cool down completely.
- Freezing: In the freezer, the beet soup will stay fresh for up to 3 months. Store in a freezer-safe, airtight container. Thaw the soup overnight in the fridge or on the stovetop over low heat.
- Reheating: Reheat on the stovetop over medium heat or microwave in 1-minute bursts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Borscht is an Eastern European beet soup that traditionally includes cabbage, potatoes, and meats in addition to beets. My beet soup recipe is completely vegan, and doesn’t include cabbage – though you’re welcome to include it.
The most common error is using too high of heat to cook the beets. High heat causes the beets to lose their bright color. Instead, use medium to medium-high heat.
Almost every ingredient has nutritional value, so making a soup that’s jam-packed with fiber, vitamins, minerals, iron, and a slew of antioxidant properties would be considered healthy by many.
More Comforting, Wholesome Soup Recipes
- Sweet Potato Soup
- Curried Parsnip Soup
- Collard Miso Soup
- Butternut Squash Lentil Soup
- Red Lentil Carrot Soup
- Sweet Potato Tortilla Soup
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Hearty Beet Soup with Sweet Potato
Video
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 medium yellow or red onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
- 2 tbsp ginger, minced or grated (about 1 ½-inch knob)
- 1 cup chopped celery, about 2 stalks
- 1/2-1 cup chopped beet green stalks, or swiss chard stalks
- 1 cup diced carrot, about 1 large carrot
- 2 cups cubed beets, Peeled. about 2 large beets
- 6 cups vegetable broth, or water plus 2 tablespoon Better than Bouillon Vegetable paste or 2 bouillon cubes
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 cups cubed sweet potato, about 2 small sweet potatoes
- 2 cups chopped beet greens, or swiss chard greens
- 3-4 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 cup chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Warm the oil in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, jalapeño, ginger, and celery, and beet green stalks, and sauté for about 5 minutes until the onions are translucent.
- Add the beets and carrots, and sauté for another 3 minutes.
- Add the vegetable broth (or water and bouillon) and black pepper. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer the soup with the lid ajar for 10 minutes, adding more vegetable broth to thin the soup if preferred.
- Add the sweet potatoes and cook with the lid ajar for another 20 minutes or until the beets and sweet potatoes are tender.
- Stir in the beet greens, and cook another 5 minutes until they are tender.
- Remove the soup from the heat and stir in the red wine vinegar. Season with salt to taste and serve hot, garnished with chopped parsley.
Notes
- Refrigerating: In the fridge, leftover beet soup keeps covered in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Before transferring, allow the soup to cool down completely.
- Freezing: In the freezer, the beet soup will stay fresh for up to 3 months. Store in a freezer-safe, airtight container. Thaw the soup overnight in the fridge or on the stovetop over low heat.
- Reheating: Reheat on the stovetop over medium heat or microwave in 1-minute bursts.
- Chop vegetables small and uniformly. Larger, uneven chunks take longer to cook through. Cut them on the smaller side for consistent texture.
- Use all parts of the beet, including the green leaves and red stems. By leaving them out, you’ll lose serious flavor, texture, and nutritional value. Plus, it prevents food waste!
- If you have more beet greens than the recipe calls for, feel free to add them all to the soup. They will cook down. Add more greens.
- Don’t overcook. Bring the vegetables and broth to a simmer over medium to medium-high heat. Too high of a heat will cause the beets to lose their signature vibrant color, turning them brown.
- Keep beet stains off your cutting board by coating or spritzing the board with a little oil. This stops the beet juice from seeping into the wood.
i added spanish smoked pepper and beef broth to give a bit more flavor. GREAT combination of veggies.!
Thanks for sharing!!
I am just learning to make soups after many years of having given up. A few things confused me.
1. You say to use a stalk of celery. You also said about 1 cup. So I assumed you meant to say 1 rib of celery.
2. You did not say how much black pepper. I guessed about 1/2 teaspoon.
3. What is the difference between vegetable broth and bouillon? I followed the directions on the bouillon package: 1 cube per 500 ml. But in looking at your directions I wonder if I used too much.
4. You call for 3 beets (about 2 cups). I cleaned two beets, but one would have been enough.
5. You say to season with more salt, but salt is nowhere in the list of ingredients nor does it say anything about adding salt until step 8.
This is not an easy recipe for a beginner. I would have preferred the quantities given by weight, some clarification on the boullion vs broth, and clearer instructions on the seasonings.
It’s still cooking now. I’ll leave another comment once I have tried it.
Thanks
Hello, I’m gonna give this vegan thing a try. . First time, I know NOTHING!!! Going food shopping today. Very limited budget. I want too get healthy and lose weight naturally. Close to 80-90lbs over time. Well being a Vegan, the weight will just melt off naturally and my body will go to the weight it knows it should be at, correct?
Pls tell me what main spices I need to purchase and foods I should stock up on the most?
Your channel is very nice. I battled with anxiety, so I’m trying take in all food info for the shopping part, but started feeling anxious, and I so want, NOOOO NEED, to do make a Serious change in my diet lifestyle.
I heard you state, you started being a vegan over 11 yrs ago. May I ask how you got your family on board, if you had one then? I need suggestions to get my family on board please.
I live with my grown daughter, who loves Carmel Frappuccino’s EVERYDAY! And is overweight as well, Her 2 children: 7 yr old girl and 5 yr old boy, and my youngest son, 21yrs old.
I will have to incorporate recipes for household as well. I know it’s possible. Especially when I saw how you made a mushroom lover out of the guy whose a rapper and hated mushrooms at first.
Please help me with what ever pointers you can give. (Sorry so long of a message).
Hi! One step at a time. Start by making these recipes that really appeal to you, and you’ll build your spice collection as you go. No need to buy everything at once. Start with those recipes. Plan your meals at the beginning of the week (or when you have time), and do all of your shopping in one trip. That way you’ll be prepared all week.
As far as getting family on board, as they eat your delicious food and see you thrive, they may come along. You can’t force them though. So give them time. and do your thing! Good luck!
What are the carbs in cup of sweet potato and beet soup
I made this soup and its very earthy and good. You want your nutritious hearty soup this is it! I thought the soup was deliciously made it last year and will make it again this year!
Oh my. So good. Thank you. I didn’t have beet stalks so I used celery stalks, kale and broccoli. I didn’t use garlic or onion because I can’t eat them, and instead added a minced celery stick at the start instead of the onion. Flipping delicious. I also added arrowroot powder to the stock to make a thicker soup.
Sounds good, I made this last year and making it again this year! Normally, I freeze soup in my Soup Cuber but I don’t want it to stain
Is it ok to use kale instead of beet stalks? I don’t have them, neither swiss chard.
Thank you!
Yes, for sure 🙂
Yes, for sure 🙂