Polish Pink Soup (Chłodnik) with Beets and Kefir

Polish pink soup, often called chłodnik or chłodnik litewski, is a chilled beet soup made creamy and tangy with kefir, then finished with cucumber, radishes, dill, and hard-boiled egg. The beets give it its vivid color, while cool dairy and crisp vegetables make it a refreshing summer meal; family and regional versions vary in their choice of sour milk, herbs, and garnishes.

Ingredients

1 lb (450 g) medium beets, about 3, scrubbed, with tops and roots trimmed
6 cups (1.4 L) water, for cooking the beets
½ tsp (3 g) fine salt, for the cooking water, plus more to taste
4 large eggs
3 cups (720 ml) plain kefir, well chilled
½ cup (120 g) sour cream, plus extra for serving if desired
1½ cups (225 g) cucumber, finely diced; peel it if the skin is thick or waxed
1 cup (115 g) radishes, trimmed and thinly sliced or finely diced
⅓ cup (35 g) thinly sliced scallions, white and green parts
¼ cup (10 g) chopped fresh dill, plus a little more for serving
1 tbsp (15 ml) fresh lemon juice
1 tsp (4 g) granulated sugar, optional, to balance the tartness
¼ tsp (0.5 g) freshly ground black pepper
4 cups (950 ml) cold water or ice water, for cooling the eggs

Instructions

Cook the beets. Put the scrubbed beets in a saucepan and pour in the 6 cups (1.4 L) water. Add the ½ teaspoon salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat to maintain a steady simmer, partly cover, and cook for 25–30 minutes, depending on their size. They are ready when a small knife slides into the center with little resistance. Keep the cooking liquid; it becomes part of the soup. If the beets are not covered as they cook, add a little hot water.
Boil and cool the eggs while the beets cook. Put the eggs in a small saucepan and cover them with cool water by about 1 inch (2.5 cm). Bring to a boil, cover, turn off the heat, and leave for 10–12 minutes. Transfer them to the cold water or ice-water bath. Once cool, peel and halve or quarter them. For whole boiled eggs, cook until the yolk and white are firm.
Cool, peel, and grate the beets. Lift the cooked beets from their liquid and let them cool until easy to handle, about 20 minutes. Reserve 1½ cups (360 ml) of the cooking liquid and cool it as well; refrigerate the rest for another use or discard it. Rub or trim off the beet skins, then grate the beets on the large holes of a box grater. Use gloves or a washable cutting board if you want to avoid staining your hands or work surface.
Make the creamy base. In a large bowl, whisk the kefir and sour cream until smooth. Whisk in the cooled, reserved beet liquid a little at a time. Start with about 1 cup (240 ml), then add more until the mixture is as creamy or as pourable as you like. Stir in the lemon juice, optional sugar, black pepper, and a small pinch of salt. The broth should taste pleasantly tart and slightly more seasoned than you want the finished soup to taste, because the vegetables will soften its flavor.
Add the vegetables and chill. Stir the grated beets, cucumber, radishes, scallions, and dill into the kefir mixture. Taste and adjust the salt, lemon, or sugar. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour 40 minutes, until thoroughly cold and the flavors have had time to mingle. The soup will look intensely pink as soon as the beets are mixed in, then become more uniform in color as it chills.
Serve cold. Stir the soup before ladling, since the vegetables may settle. Divide it among four bowls and top each portion with a halved or quartered egg and a little extra dill. Offer sour cream, if using, at the table rather than stirring it into the entire batch.

Tips

Choose beets of similar size. Three medium beets cook more evenly than a mix of very small and very large ones. If yours are large, cut them in half before simmering and begin checking for tenderness early; smaller pieces may finish in less time. Avoid boiling them until they are falling apart, because they are easier to grate when tender but still hold their shape.
Cool the beet liquid before adding kefir. Warm liquid can make the dairy mixture less pleasantly chilled and may affect its texture. If you are short on time, set the reserved liquid in a shallow bowl in the refrigerator while the beets cool, and stir it occasionally. Do not pour hot beet water straight into the kefir.
Adjust the thickness gradually. Kefir varies by brand and can be thin or quite substantial. Add the reserved beet liquid in stages and stop when the soup has the consistency you prefer. If it becomes too thin, stir in another spoonful of sour cream; if it is too thick, loosen it with a little cold water or extra kefir.
Use a substitute with the flavor in mind. Plain cultured buttermilk can replace kefir in the same quantity, though the soup may be thinner and more sharply tangy. Plain unsweetened yogurt whisked with cold water until pourable also works, but tastes less fermented and may be thicker. Avoid sweetened or flavored dairy, which will throw off the savory, tart balance.

Serving Suggestions

Serve chłodnik very cold in shallow bowls so the pink color and toppings are easy to see. The egg is a traditional, satisfying garnish, while extra dill, sliced radishes, and a spoonful of sour cream let everyone adjust their bowl. For a more substantial meal, set out boiled new potatoes, rye bread, or crusty bread on the side. Warm potatoes are especially appealing alongside the chilled soup, but keep them separate rather than dropping them into the pot, where they can dilute the carefully balanced broth.

This soup also works well as a light first course before grilled vegetables, fish, or a simple summer meal. If serving it at a buffet or outdoors, keep the bowl nested in a larger bowl of ice and return it to the refrigerator promptly. The eggs can be served on a platter beside the soup so guests can add them just before eating. Set out a small jug of kefir or cold water for anyone who prefers a thinner consistency.

Variations

Chłodnik has many household versions, so use this recipe as a flexible template rather than a single fixed formula. Some cooks use sour cream, cultured buttermilk, or another sour milk instead of kefir; others use a combination. If you prefer a richer soup, replace up to ½ cup (120 ml) of the kefir with additional sour cream. If you want a lighter, more drinkable texture, use less sour cream and add cold water or beet liquid gradually.

For a more pronounced fresh flavor, add 1 tablespoon (15 g) of finely chopped parsley or chives along with the dill. A small handful of young beet greens can be blanched, cooled, and chopped into the soup, though they are optional and not needed for the pink color. For a milder bowl, reduce the radishes; for extra crunch and a sharper bite, add a few more. A little extra lemon juice brightens a batch that tastes flat, while a pinch of sugar can soften excessive acidity without making the soup sweet.

To make a meat-free meal, simply serve the soup as written with its egg garnish. To make it dairy-free, use an unsweetened, plain cultured plant-based yogurt and thin it with cold water; the result will be less traditionally tangy and may not have the same creamy body as kefir. Stir in a small amount at a time and taste before adding more lemon or salt, since plant-based products vary considerably.

Storage and Reheating

Refrigerate the soup within 2 hours of preparing it, in a covered container at 40°F (4°C) or colder. It keeps for 3–4 days refrigerated. The cucumber and radishes soften gradually, so the first day gives the crispest texture; the beet-and-kefir base remains enjoyable for several days. Store the peeled eggs separately in a covered container and add them to bowls when serving, rather than keeping cut egg mixed through the soup.

This is meant to be served cold, so reheating is not necessary. If you choose to warm a portion, heat it gently on the stove, stirring often, and bring leftovers to 165°F (74°C), the safe reheating temperature; the kefir may separate or lose its smooth texture when heated. For best results, freeze only the cooked beet portion before mixing it with dairy and fresh vegetables. Thaw it in the refrigerator, then prepare the chilled soup with fresh kefir, cucumber, and radishes. The fully assembled soup is not ideal for freezing because the dairy can separate and the vegetables turn soft.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Polish pink soup the same as borscht?
It belongs to the broad family of beet soups, but this particular version is served cold and made creamy with kefir or another cultured dairy product. Hot beet borscht is a different preparation, often made with broth and served warm. Names and recipes overlap across Central and Eastern Europe, so a menu may use more than one term.

What is chłodnik litewski?
Chłodnik means a cold soup in Polish, and chłodnik litewski refers to a Lithuanian-style cold soup found in Polish cooking. Recipes vary, but beets, sour dairy, and fresh summer vegetables are common. This version uses kefir, cucumber, radishes, dill, and egg.

Can I make it with cooked, packaged beets?
Yes. Use about 1 lb (450 g) of plain cooked beets, grate them, and replace the reserved beet cooking liquid with 1–1½ cups (240–360 ml) cold water or extra kefir. Packaged beets may be less earthy or more watery, so add the liquid gradually and season to taste. Choose plain beets without vinegar or added sugar.

Why is my soup not bright pink?
Make sure the beets are grated and stirred thoroughly through the base, and allow the soup to chill before judging the color. A pale variety of beet or a large amount of dairy can make the shade softer. You can add a little more grated beet or beet cooking liquid for deeper color, then rebalance the seasoning with lemon and salt.

Can I make Polish pink soup ahead?
Yes. Prepare the soup base and chill it for up to a day before serving; the flavors blend well as it rests. For the best crunch, you can hold back some cucumber and radishes and stir them in shortly before serving. Keep the eggs separate, covered, and refrigerated, then garnish each bowl at the table.

Is this soup supposed to be sour?
It should taste pleasantly tangy because kefir and lemon are both acidic, but it should not taste harsh. Add the lemon gradually if your kefir is already sharp. If the finished soup tastes too tart, stir in a little more sour cream or kefir, or use the optional teaspoon of sugar to round out the flavor.

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