Vinegret (Russian/Ukrainian Beet Salad)

Vinegret – beet salad with potatoes, carrots, and pickles – is a Soviet cuisine staple, particularly popular during the winter holidays. (This recipe is part of my From the Motherland series, where I pay homage to my Ukrainian heritage.)

If you grew up in a Russian or Ukrainian household, you can recognize vinegret from a mile away. If you’re like me, glancing at the dark fuchsia salad will surface visions of birthdays and New Year’s Eve’s past – of being surrounded by cheerful relatives, their hands raised mid-toast while holding crystal shot glasses of vodka.

Vinegret (винегрет in Russian) – pronounced “veen-i-gret”, adapted from the French “vinaigrette” – is a classic Soviet-era salad. Consisting of boiled beets, potatoes, and carrots, punctuated with chopped pickles, it’s one of the most common Russian/Ukrainian dishes. Vinegret is especially common in the winter, since all the ingredients can survive the season in the cellar.

I have distinct memories from my childhood of diligently peeling and dicing the cooked vegetables alongside my mom, the night before guests were to arrive. While I loved being my mom’s sidekick in the kitchen – often late into the evening – I wasn’t crazy about actually eating the salad (both the color and texture of beets used to freak me out).

As an adult, I’ve finally come to appreciate this standard from the olden days (along with golubtsi, buckwheat, and borscht).

Vinegret Ingredients

My mom makes vinegret with boiled beets, potatoes, and carrots, plus chopped dill pickles, and unrefined sunflower oil as the dressing. Sometimes she throws in canned peas and/or finely diced raw onion (I prefer the salad without either). I personally add a splash of lemon juice as it really makes the beets pop.

She also sometimes substitutes the pickles with Ukrainian pickled cabbage, which can be found in Eastern European markets. This is not the same as the sauerkraut we have in American stores. Some families also add red kidney beans to their vinegret.

Like all old-school recipes, every cook has their own little twists on the original. (Let me know how your family does vinegret in the comments!)

How to Make Vinegret

Find complete instructions with ingredient amounts in the recipe card below.

Step 1: Boil the Vegetables

Place the potato, beets, and peeled carrots in a medium pot, and add enough water to cover by at least 1 inch. Cover with a lid and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low and simmer until the vegetables are fork-tender, but still holding their shape well.

Pro tip: These vegetables cook at different rates, so keep an eye on them. The carrots will likely be done first, so pull them out with tongs and set aside. The potatoes will be ready after that, and the beets will likely take the longest (depending on their size).

Step 2: Cool the Vegetables

Once all the vegetables are fork-tender, pull them out of the pot and let them cool completely (at least 1 hour).

Step 3: Dice the Vegetables + Dress the Salad

When the veg are cool enough to handle, peel the potato and beets. Finely dice everything and toss in a large bowl with pickles, oil, and dill. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Let the salad sit for about an hour before eating, if possible.

Tips for Peeling the Vegetables

Peeling boiled vegetables is the least fun part of making Russian beet salad. Here are some tips…

• While my mom boils all the vegetables with their skins, I find peeling limp boiled carrots insanely frustrating. Thus, I peel them before boiling and the results are just the same (except they don’t make me want to rip my hair out).
• Boiled potatoes are quite easy to peel with your fingers, but a paring knife can be helpful.
• A lot of tutorials suggest peeling beets by slipping the skins off with a paper towel. This has never worked well for me (especially with large, mature beets). I find that a regular peeler or paring knife are best for beets. Boiled beets will briefly stain your hands though. If that’s a concern, wear disposable gloves (and an apron too).

P.S. The beets will inevitably stain the other vegetables and that’s perfectly fine.

How to Serve This Beet Salad

This hearty salad is the perfect vegetable side dish for the chilly months. Serve it with lentil patties, stuffed portobellos, or lobio.

(P.S. Want to use up some leftover pickles? Make Polish pickle soup next.)

Make-Ahead Notes

If you want to get a head start on the salad, boil the vegetables a day in advance and cool them in the fridge overnight. It’s worth noting the salad is even tastier on the following day (after all the ingredients have a chance to meld together), so you can certainly make the whole thing in advance.

Making vinegret can be time-consuming because cutting everything into small cubes requires special care. It’s best to recruit another person, if possible, to help you chop.

More Ukrainian Recipes…

• Kompot
• Golubtsi (Vegetarian Cabbage Rolls)
• Buckwheat with Creamy Mushrooms
• Ukrainian Leek Salad

Let me know if you try this recipe! Give it a rating below and leave a comment, and don’t forget to tag your creation with @thenewbaguette on Instagram.