Okroshka Recipe (Russian Cold Soup)

Okroshka (chilled Russian soup) features crisp radish and cucumber, flavorful dill, and a refreshing yogurt-like base.

Course Soup

Cuisine Russian

Keyword Cold Russian Soup, Okroshka, Okroshka Recipe, Russian Cold Soup

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 30

Servings servings

Calories 268kcal

4 Persian cucumbers chopped (or 1 English cucumber)
1 bunch radishes ends trimmed and chopped small (about 6 to 8 radishes; see Notes)
2 medium waxy potatoes cooked, cooled, peeled, and cut into 1/4-inch cubes (about 340 to 450 grams of potatoes before cooking; see Notes)
4 hard-boiled eggs finely chopped (see Notes)
3 scallions green and white parts, finely chopped
1/4 cup minced fresh dill
1 teaspoon flaky sea salt
3 cups kefir chilled
1 cup mineral water chilled
4 ice cubes to keep the soup chilled (optional)

Divide the cucumber, radish, potato, egg, scallion, and dill between each of 4 shallow soup bowls. Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of flaky sea salt on the vegetables in each bowl.
Gently stir together the kefir and mineral water in a pitcher. (Don’t over-mix or you’ll lose all the bubbles.)
Pour 1 cup of the kefir mixture into each bowl, and add 1 ice cube to each. Serve immediately.

Radishes: I like to save 1 radish to thinly slice and use as garnish.
Kefir Substitute: You can use 3 cups of buttermilk instead of kefir.
Okroshka with Kvass: You can use a mixture of 4 cups of kvass + 6 tablespoons of yogurt or sour cream instead of the kefir + mineral water.
Meat Options: To bump up the protein, feel free to add diced poached chicken, canned chicken, ham (or turkey ham, which you can buy at the deli), hot dogs, or sausages.

How to Make Okroshka Ahead:

Eggs: You can make the hard-boiled eggs up to 1 week ahead. Once they’re cool, store them in the fridge and wait to peel them until right before you’re eating them.
Potatoes: Boil the whole potatoes up to 4 days ahead. Like hard-boiled eggs, after they cool, store whole boiled potatoes in the fridge and peel them right before you want to eat them.
Vegetables: Prep all the vegetables, and once they’re chopped, store them in airtight containers in the fridge for up to 3 days.

How to Boil Whole Potatoes:

Rinse the potatoes and add them to a saucepan.
Add enough cold water to cover the potatoes by 3 inches.
Bring the water to a rolling boil over high heat.
Reduce the heat to a slow boil and cook until a sharp paring knife easily slides in and out of the potatoes. This takes about 30 minutes give or take, depending on the size of your potatoes.
Drain the potatoes and let them cool. You can peel and eat them now, or keep them in the fridge for up to 4 days.

How to Hard Boil Eggs:

Add up to 1 dozen eggs to a 3-quart saucepan.
Add enough cold water to cover the eggs by 3 inches.
Bring the water to a rolling boil over high heat.
Immediately reduce the heat to a slow boil and set a timer for 9 minutes 30 seconds.
Once the timer goes off, drain the eggs and add them to a large bowl of ice water (I fill a large bowl with ice and add enough cold water to come up to the top of the ice).
Let the eggs chill in the ice bath for 10 minutes. You can peel and eat them now, or keep them in the fridge for up to 1 week.