Okroshka (Cold Summer Soup) - Recipes From Europe (2024)

Here’s A Simple Okroshka Recipe To Keep You Cool!

If you are looking for a delicious and easy way to beat the heat, you should try Okroshka, a cold soup of Russian origin.

It is made with simple ingredients, including chopped potatoes, cucumbers, radishes, green onions, boiled eggs and cooked meat that remind us a bit of Russian Olivier Salad.

These ingredients are mixed with a liquid base, usually made from kvass and/or kefir. You can also add some lemon juice, mustard, and water to adjust the taste to your liking.

Okroshka is similar to other cold soups like Spanish Gazpacho or Bulgarian Tarator, but has a unique taste and texture since it combines raw and cooked ingredients.

It’s popular in Russia and various Eastern European countries, especially as a meal or appetizer in the summer since it’s perfect for cooling you down and filling you up.

Depending on the portions, you can even add an ice cube or two to make sure the soup stays cold when you serve it!

Ingredients

In order to make this Okroshka soup, here are the ingredients that you will need. It may look like a long list, but it’s actually a pretty easy recipe!

• Potatoes – Use waxy or all-purpose potatoes, such as yellow, white or Yuko Gold potatoes. They hold their shape better than starchy potatoes.
• Eggs – Use fresh eggs and hard-boil them. Then cool and peel.
• Sausage – Choose smoked, cured or cooked sausage like bologna, lyoner, frankfurter or similar. Alternatively, you can use cooked chicken breast or cooked beef as well as beef tongue (boiled) or skip the meat altogether.
• Cucumber – Adds a refreshing crunch. Use a firm, unblemished cucumber.
• Radishes – Use fresh, firm radishes.
• Salt – To enhance the overall flavor.
• Black Pepper – Adds a hint of spice.
• Green onions – Adds a mild onion flavor.
• Kefir – The base of the soup. Alternatively, you can use yogurt or a kefir-yogurt mix.
• Dijon mustard – Adds a subtle tang and depth to the dressing.
• Water – Helps achieve the desired consistency.
• Lemon Juice – Optional; adds a zesty flavor. Alternatively, you can use citric acid.

Recipe Tips and Substitutions

Before you make this Okroshka soup recipe, have a glance at these recipe tips and substitutions so that the soup turns out the way you want it to!

• Use fresh, good-quality vegetables for the best taste and texture.
• Cook the potatoes until they are tender but not mushy. Use waxy or all-purpose potatoes if possible and avoid starchy potatoes such as Russet potatoes.
• You can also season okroshka with kvass, mineral water, sour cream, mayonnaise, as well as whey or even chicken broth.
• Instead of sausage, you can also use cooked chicken breast or beef, or cooked beef tongue as the meat component.
• Kefir is the traditional option, but you can use plain yogurt as a substitute if necessary.
• Okroshka tastes great with a variety of chopped herbs, such as parsley and dill, in addition to green onions.
• Don’t add the liquid base until you are ready to serve the soup. This will prevent the veggies from getting soggy.
• Be sure to serve the okroshka chilled.

How to Make Okroshka – Step by Step Instructions

In this section, you will see exactly how to make Okroshka. We’ve included all the recipe process photos so that you can see just what each step should look like when you make it at home.

The recipe card with all the details can of course be found at the bottom of this post.

Cut the boiled and peeled potatoes and sausage into small cubes of about 1/3 inch each. Then place them in a large bowl.

Cut the boiled eggs and cucumber into the same size pieces as the potatoes and sausage. Add them to the bowl.

Finely chop the radishes and green onions and add them to the bowl as well. Season with salt and pepper.

Mix everything well to combine. Refrigerate until you’re ready to serve the soup.

To serve, ladle some of the okroshka mixture into a bowl. Add about 1/2 cup kefir, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard and 1/3 cup water to each serving and mix well.

For a tangier flavor, you can also add some lemon juice or sprinkle some citric acid over the okroshka. Enjoy!

Storage Tips

Store the chopped ingredients and the liquid components separately until you are ready to serve. This prevents the vegetables from getting soggy and makes it easier to store leftovers.

In general, okroshka tastes best when it is fresh since some of the vegetables will lose their crunch over time.

If you do have leftovers, store the chopped ingredients separately from the liquid ingredients in a sealed container in the fridge. Mix everything together just before serving. We would recommend eating the leftovers the next day.

FAQ

Here’s an answer to a frequently asked question about this soup:

Related Recipes

If you liked this soup recipe, here are some other tasty Russian recipes that you may want to make:

• Ukha (Fish Soup)
• Beef Stroganoff
• Rassolnik (Pickle Soup)
• Olivier Salad (Russian Potato Salad)
• Russian Vinaigrette Salad
• Solyanka (Smoked Meat Soup)