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Beets are a staple in Ukraine! It would grow easily on Ukrainian soil and store long (in time for winter hence all the beet salads served on Holidays). Our top beets salads to make time after time is this Red Herring Salad (Beet Herring Salad), and Creamy Garlic Shredded Beet Salad with Ukrainian Vinaigrette of course!
Watch How to Make Ukrainian Vinegret!
What is Ukrainian Vinegret?
I like to think of this old-fashioned dish as a cooked potato salad only the Russian or Ukrainian way with cooked beets, potatoes, and carrots. Then raw onions and dill pickles get added for tang and crunch and the salad gets finished off with a light sunflower oil dressing (vinaigrette).
The Vinegret salad gets its purple color from the cooked beets which dyes the potatoes purple after marinating. Perhaps the brine from the pickles helps with the color change.
My mom likes to add canned kidney beans to this salad but I like it with just Dill pickles. You can add both or leave the beans out. If you don’t have pickles of any sort, Homemade Sauerkraut will work for the brine flavor (plus it’ll be probiotic)! Keep it mind it will change the flavor profile if adding sauerkraut.
Like the Olivier salad (salat Olivye), Vinegret, and Dressed Herring are up there as a popular dish in Ukrainian cuisine. It’s often served as a side dish to a meat dish and looks so festive on Holidays.
Ukrainian Vinaigrette is a salad dressing of oil that is very simple but so delicious! If you have ever attended a Ukrainian or Russian wedding you may have tried this beet salad among the many salads served on the celebration tables.
Ukrainian Vinaigrette Salad History:
Ukrainian Vinaigrette is a very old recipe that our great grandmothers made. As far as my mother-in-law can remember she said “Vinegret has always been around as a salad growing up even back in her mother’s time.”
All the ingredients for it were grown in gardens (back then everyone had gardens to survive). This rich purple salad enriches the table with its unique color and tastes like no other salad. Whoever tries it will want to make it again as it is no ordinary salad. My mother said the Russians would add sauerkraut and Ukrainians add salty pickles (they used to brine pickles in salt water in barrels back in the day).
It was also one of the first salads at weddings, for Easter, Christmas, and was a popular salad even in the youth times of my great grandmother. My mom also said Vinegret was served at weddings back in the poor times with Kissel (a thick fruit drink) and Ponchiki so, it even remained in hard times.
I think it was a staple salad because of its simple ingredients from the garden. I was told by ma, that mayonnaise came out much later perhaps that’s why creamy dressings didn’t come into the picture yet.
Anyways, I hope you try this Vinaigrette salad whether your Russian, Ukrainian, exploring new recipes or maybe your looking for old fashioned salads your grandma used to make. This salad is very basic and the perfect balance of sweet, earthy, and tangy.
Equipment:
- Large Pot
- Sharp Knife (to chop and pierce the cooked ingredients to see if they’re done).
- Cutting Board
- Large Mixing Bowl with lid
Ingredients for Vinaigrette Ukrainian Salad:
- Potatoes- Ukrainians typically grow new potatoes or gold potatoes. Yukon gold or any waxy variety holds its shape better than starchy russet potatoes. However, any variety can be used as long as you don’t overcook them.
- Beets- I usually Roast a Batch of Beets in the oven and freeze them for meal prep in recipes like these but if you start with fresh beets you’ll need to boil them. Roasted beets are earthier and deeper in flavor and so yummy! You can also use canned beets too!
- Carrot- you’ll need one large carrot or two small ones.
- Onion- yellow or white onions are what I typically use.
- Dill Pickles- I can my own dill Pickles year after year and find that they have the perfect tang and sour brine for this salad. Use any dill pickles or refrigerated kosher dill spears. You want sour and salty pickles not the sweet Gherkin pickles.
- Sunflower oil– is a popular Ukrainian cooking oil but vegetable or canola oil would be very similar.
- Salt and pepper- are the only seasonings you’ll need. Very basic but they go a long way.
How to Make This Vinaigrette Salad with Pickles:
- Wash the traditional Ukrainian vegetables. You’ll need to clean the beets, carrot, and potatoes and leave the skins on so that they retain the nutrients and hold their shape better.
- Prepare and boil the vegetables: place the beets, carrot (snapped in half if too large), and potatoes into a large pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil. Then simmer over medium heat (slightly covered with a lid so that the water doesn’t evaporate) until tender. I boiled my potatoes and carrot for about 45 minutes because they were large and the beets for an additional 15 minutes. They should be easy to pierce with a knife. The cooking time will vary on the size of your vegetables. When vegetables are tender remove from the water and set aside to cool.
2.) Meanwhile, drain and rinse the cooked canned kidney beans then finely dice the pickles and onion. Place all of these chopped ingredients into a large mixing bowl along with the beans.
3.) When the vegetables have cooked and are cool enough to handle, you may chop the vegetables. Dice the vegetables into into small equal-sized pieces (about 1/4″ cubes) using a Chef’s knife or a sharp knife. Add all the chopped vegetables to the pickles and onion mixture.
4.) Make vinaigrette salad dressing: for this vinaigrette Ukrainian salad dressing all you need to do is combine the salt, pepper, and sunflower oil to the chopped vegetables and toss everything together. Refrigerate at least a few hours for flavors to set and the potatoes to turn purple. The longer the beet salad marinates the darker it gets from the beets.
5.) Let the vinaigrette salad rest and develop color. Cover the mixing bowl with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least two hours or overnight. Then serve, just give the salad a good stir to revive the vinaigrette dressing again.
How To Serve Vinaigrette Salad:
We like to serve this vinaigrette salad recipe with a hearty meat dish or another main potato dish (it works somehow works). Here are more Ukrainian recipes to make to accompany this beet salad:
- Boiled Baby Potatoes with Bacon Butter Sauce– these boiled potatoes are so delicious and would pair great with this salad! I have a meatless version if you like plain Boiled Potatoes and Dill.
- Oven Baked Potato Wedges- these roasted potatoes are served at Ukrainian and Russian weddings (so good)!
- BBQ Braised Ribs- a timeless classic to potatoes!
- Baked Salmon With Garlic Mayo- Ukrainians love fish and this is no exception!
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Ukrainian Vinaigrette Salad Recipe (Vinegret Beet Salad)
Equipment
Ingredients
Ingredients:
- 2 Large beets
- 3 Yukon Gold Potatoes, (medium-sized)
- 3 large dill pickles
- 1/2 cup red kidney beans, (rinsed and drained)
- 1 large carrot
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 4 Tbsp sunflower oil
Instructions
Directions:
- Wash the beets, carrot, and potatoes then transfer to a large pot and cover with cold water. Leave the skins on so the vegetables hold their shape better.
- Bring the pot to a boil. Then simmer over medium heat for about 25-40 minutes until they are easily pierced with a knife. The cooking time will depend on the size of your vegetables. Ideally, the carrot will be done first then the potatoes and beets. I cooked mine for about 45 minutes then the beets for an additional 15 minutes (they were huge). When vegetables are tender remove from the water and set aside to cool.
- Meanwhile, finely dice the pickles and onion. Drain and rinse the beans and place all of these ingredients into a large mixing bowl (chopped onion, pickles, and kidney beans).
- When the cooked vegetables (beets, potatoes, and carrot) are cool enough to handle, peel the skins off and chop them into even-sized pieces (about 1/4" cubes). Add to the pickle and onion mixture.
- To make the Vinaigrette dressing combine the salt, black pepper, and sunflower oil and season salad with dressing, mixing to ensure all vegetables are coated.
- Let the vinaigrette salad rest and develop color. Cover the mixing bowl with a lid or plastic wrap and refrigerate it for at least two hours or overnight. To serve, give the salad a good stir to revive the vinaigrette dressing again.
Nutrition (per serving)
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