RussiaTwo things separate a good vinegret from a mediocre one. First, cook the beets unpeeled — peeling before cooking washes out the pigment and some of the flavor. Second, dress the beets in oil separately before mixing them in. Without that step, the beet juice turns every other ingredient pink within minutes. It won't stop it entirely, but it slows it down significantly. Serve vinegret in a white bowl — the deep ruby color against white is one of the most striking things on any table.
The pickles in vinegret should be Russian-style dill-brined cucumbers, not sweet American pickles. If only sweet pickles are available, reduce them and add a splash more vinegar to compensate for the missing sharpness.
Russian Vinegret Salad
By Sergei Martynov
Boiled beets, potatoes, and carrots diced small and tossed with briny dill pickles, sauerkraut, green onions, and a simple sunflower oil dressing. This salad has been on Russian holiday tables for over a century. It is earthy, tangy, and satisfying cold — the kind of thing that gets better by the day and tastes best made a day ahead.
Key Ingredients
What you'll need
Ingredients
- 500 g
See recipes with raw beetsraw beets (2–3 medium), unpeeled
i - 400 g
See recipes with waxy potatoeswaxy potatoes (2 medium)
i - 200 g
See recipes with carrotscarrots (2 medium)
i - 200 g
See recipes with dill picklesdill pickles, diced small
i - 150 g
See recipes with sauerkrautsauerkraut, drained and roughly chopped
i - 1 can
See recipes with green peasgreen peas (200 g drained), optional
i - 3
See recipes with green onion stalksgreen onion stalks, thinly sliced
i - 3 tbsp
See recipes with unrefined sunflower oilunrefined sunflower oil (or olive oil)
i - 1 tbsp
See recipes with white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegarwhite wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar
i 
See recipes with salt and black pepper to tastesalt and black pepper to taste
i
How to make it
Instructions
- 1
Cook the beets separately: place unpeeled beets in a pot, cover with cold water, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer 50–70 minutes until a knife slides in without resistance. The skin helps retain color and flavor — do not peel before cooking.
- 2
In a separate pot, cook potatoes and carrots together in salted water 20–25 minutes until just tender. They should hold their shape when cut, not crumble. Drain and cool to room temperature.
- 3
Peel all vegetables once cool. Dice beets, potatoes, and carrots into 1 cm cubes. Dice the pickles to the same size. Uniform dicing matters — each bite should contain a bit of everything.
- 4
Toss the diced beets separately in 1 tablespoon of oil. This creates a thin coating that slows color bleeding into the other vegetables. Then combine everything in a large bowl: beets, potatoes, carrots, pickles, sauerkraut, peas if using, and green onions.
- 5
Add the remaining oil and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Toss gently. Taste — the balance should be earthy from the beets, tangy from the pickles and sauerkraut, with the oil bringing it together.
- 6
Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour before serving. Overnight is better. The vegetables marinate in each other's juices and the flavors fully integrate.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you stop beets from turning everything red in Russian vinegret salad?
Completely preventing color transfer is impossible — beet pigment is water-soluble and will migrate. But you can slow it significantly with one technique: after dicing, toss the beets in one tablespoon of oil and let them sit for a few minutes before adding the other ingredients. The oil coats the cut surfaces and creates a partial barrier. Add the beets last when mixing. The salad will still be slightly pink, but not uniformly red.
Can I use canned or pre-cooked beets instead of boiling raw beets — does it change the taste?
Yes, and it works well. Canned beets are softer than home-boiled ones, which changes the texture — the salad will be slightly more uniform and less chunky. The flavor is slightly milder and sweeter. If using canned beets, drain them thoroughly, pat dry with paper towels, then dice. The time saving is substantial: raw beets take 50–70 minutes to boil; canned beets bring assembly time down to under 30 minutes.
What is the difference between Russian vinegret salad and French vinaigrette — why do they have similar names?
They share a name but are completely different things. French vinaigrette is a liquid salad dressing made from oil and acid (vinegar or lemon juice). Russian vinegret is a composed vegetable salad of boiled beets, potatoes, and carrots. The name likely came to Russia in the 18th century as French cuisine became fashionable among the aristocracy, but the dish itself evolved into something entirely distinct — a hearty root vegetable salad with pickled elements that reflects Russian winter cooking.
Why does vinegret taste so much better the next day — can it be made two or three days in advance?
Yes, and it should be. The vegetables release moisture as they sit, which combined with the oil and vinegar creates a light brine that the whole salad marinates in overnight. The beets, potatoes, and carrots absorb the pickled flavor from the sauerkraut and cucumbers, the vinegar mellows, and the oil rounds out the edges. Made the morning of serving, vinegret is decent. Made the night before, it is at its best. It holds 4–5 days refrigerated, though it gets softer and more uniformly pink with each day.
Is it possible to make vinegret without sauerkraut — what does the sauerkraut actually add?
The sauerkraut adds a fermented sourness that is different from pickles — tangier and more complex. Without it, the salad relies entirely on the pickles for acid. You can omit it, but increase the dill pickles slightly and add an extra teaspoon of vinegar to compensate. Some Russian families also substitute sauerkraut with pickled cabbage or add a tablespoon of brine from the pickle jar, which achieves a similar effect.
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