Vegan Borscht with Japanese Umami Seasoning

🇯🇵日本語で読む

This jewel-toned vegan borscht is more than just a soup to me — it’s a comforting remedy that brings a little warmth and color to gray days.

Whenever I need a moment of grounding, this nourishing bowl of vegetables gently lifts my mood and brings me back to myself.

The secret to its deep flavor is homemade onion koji, a Japanese fermented seasoning that adds a savory depth similar to a bouillon cube. Just one spoonful adds a rich umami depth, transforming simple vegetables into a satisfying and flavorful soup.

🧺 About This Vegan Borscht

When I lived in Vancouver, Canada, there was a European bakery I'd go to after yoga. Vegan borscht was always on my order. I remember the soup arriving, all that color on the table, and in me seemed to lift. (Vancouver winters are gray — rain most days, the kind of weather that's said to weigh on people's spirits).

Here in Japan, with winter approaching, I thought I'd try making vegan borscht — something to lift my gray mood the way the bakery's did. Mine isn't as bright pink as the classic version, but it's just as good: the colour softer, the flavour more balanced, less beet upfront.

I cut my vegetables differently from the bakery's strips — mine are diced, little vegetable jewels studded through the soup.

I hope this soup fills both your eyes and your stomach.
With only vegetables, and very little effort 🕊

Jump to:

• 🧺 About This Vegan Borscht
• 💎 Ingredients
• 🥄 Instructions
• 🍞 The Way I Like to Eat
• 🤍 Recommended Pairings
• 🗓 Storage
• 💭 FAQ
• 📖 More Recipes with Beets
• 🧅 Recipes with Onion Koji
• 🍲 My Other Soup Recipes
• 📖 Recipe Card

💎 Ingredients

Here's what goes into this vegan borscht.

Vegetable

• Cooked beets : I like to use pre-cooked beets from the supermarket. I haven't tried fresh beets myself, but boiling them first is said to soften their earthy edge. Some pre-cooked beets sold in Japan taste rather bland — look for ones with vivid color and a shape that's held together well.
• Cabbage: Cabbage is the second most important ingredient after beets. Without it, this vegan borscht would fall flat.
• Cherry tomatoes: I used ripe, sweet & low-acid, thick-fleshed cherry tomatoes (Aiko). No cherry tomatoes on hand? Large or medium tomatoes work too — just choose one on the less acidic side. If the flavor feels short on sweetness, a pinch of sugar brings it back into balance.
• Potatoes: This time I used Inca no mezame (also known as Inca Gold, an Andean potato) — it holds its shape well, and its bright yellow adds good color to the bowl.
• Carrots and onions: The backbone of any good soup.

Seasoning

• Onion Koji: This is the secret to the flavor of this recipe. Onion koji is a homemade Japanese fermented umami seasoning — I like to call it “vegan consommé.” It stands in for the Japanese consommé cubes commonly used in Western-style dishes like stews, curries, and soups here in Japan.
  Don’t have any made yet? Japanese consommé cubes or any bouillon cube will work as a substitute. Here's how to make it.
• Salt: Brings out the umami of the vegetables as they sauté.
• Olive oil: Used for sautéing the vegetables — any neutral oil works in its place.
• Dill: A scatter of finely chopped fresh dill over the soup — it makes all the difference.

For exact amounts, please check the printable recipe card👇

🥄 Instructions

Vegan borscht comes together in three simple moves — chop, sauté, simmer. Thirty minutes, and it's ready.

🍞 The Way I Like to Eat

My favorite way to eat it: just dip a slice of bread into the soup.

As I bit into the broth-soaked bread, the rich broth filled my mouth with the natural sweetness of the vegetables. By the time I'd finished the slice, I'd forgotten I hadn't had much of an appetite.

🤍 Recommended Pairings

For a more balanced meal, I like to add hummus and bread for protein and carbs.

In my chickpea hummus recipe, I use my own cooked chickpeas, but the store-bought ones work too. I keep it simple—no tahini or lemon juice, just ingredients I always have in my Japanese kitchen.

🗓 Storage

I like to finish this vegan borscht the same day it's’s made. The vegetables still have a little bite and taste fresh. Most soups taste even better the next day, once the flavors have settled—but with this one, freshness matters more to me than anything.

Still, like any soup, it keeps in the fridge for a few days. Just warm it through before serving.

💭 FAQ

📖 More Recipes with Beets

Vegan recipes using cooked beets:

🧅 Recipes with Onion Koji

Vegan recipes using homemade onion koji:

🍲 My Other Soup Recipes

More vegan soups & stew recipes ( 👉 browse all):

📖 Recipe Card