Traditional Polish Shredded Beets Salad - Buraczki Recipe (2024)

Zesty and flavorful, the Polish beetroot salad can be made with just a few ingredients. Serve it cold as buraczki, or serve the polish beets warm as buraczki zasmażane. Either way, you’ll love it!

Did you know that the world’s first beet sugar plant was built by the King of Prussia in the Silesian region of Western Poland? But that’s not all that beets have to do with Poland.

Polish shredded beets salad is one of the most popular add-ons to any dinner. In fact, it’s so popular that you’ll find many stores selling it too, with or without apples. It’s as popular as dill pickles and fried cabbage salad!

You can serve Polish mashed beets with kotlet schabowy or any other meat. Buraczki recipe is surprisingly easy. You don’t need any cooking skills to make this delicious Polish beet salad.

In Poland, you can either have your beets hot or cold. The recipes for both versions are very similar, so you will find two of them in this post.

Types Of Polish Beet Salad Recipe

Buraczki Recipe [Cold Beets Salad]

This is the basic recipe for buraczki. When you pasteurize the salad in the jar, you can keep it like that all winter and use anytime you want.

If you add some horseradish, you will get a spicier version of buraczki called ćwikła (chweek-wah).

Buraczki Zasmażane Recipe [Warm Beets Salad]

When you warm up the basic Polish beet salad and add a bit of flour and butter, you will get buraczki zasmażane.

Easy to guess, Polish housewives wanted to spice up the cold salad, so they added the famous zasmażka to it.

Buraczki zasmażane should be served fresh, it’s not recommended to pasteurize them. The flour and fat won’t make the salad last long.

Traditional Polish Shredded Beets Salad - Buraczki Recipe (1)

Tips For Making Polish Beet Salad

Peel the beetroots before or after cooking.

It’s totally up to you, however, peeling is slightly easier when the beets are cooked.

Traditional Polish Shredded Beets Salad - Buraczki Recipe (2)

You can shred or mash the beets.

It’s ok to either shred, mash, or even blend the beets. The taste will be exactly the same.

Every Polish housewives have their own way of making buraczki.

Traditional Polish Shredded Beets Salad - Buraczki Recipe (3)

Usually, ćwikła [cold beet salad with horseradish] and buraczki zasmażane [warm beet salad] are served mashed, whereas the basic cold beet salad is usually made of the shredded beets.

More Tips For Making Polish Beetroot Salad – Cold Or Hot

  • You can either chop the beetroot fine or grate them!
  • Some families add one chopped onion or dill pickle to this recipe.
  • Use gloves so that your fingers and nails don’t get colored.
  • Don’t add horseradish to the hot buraczki salad.
  • You can add more flavor to the buraczki zasmazane recipe by baking the beets for an hour before frying.
  • Fry the warm buraczki with lard instead of butter. It’s delicious!
  • You can also add honey to the warm buraczki to make it sweeter!
  • Add the beetroot salad on top of fried or stewed apples and serve!
  • Or simply serve with sour cream (see my recipe for Polish beet salad with sour cream!

FAQs About Buraczki – Polish Mashed Beets Salad

Why Is This Beetroot Salad So Popular?

Beetroot contains many vitamins and minerals that are good for the body. Beetroot is one of the staple foods in Poland and many popular Polish dishes are made with beetroot. So this recipe is popular too!

What Other Polish Recipes Use Beetroot?

Other Polish recipes that are made with beetroot are:

  • Zakwas Buraczany – a beetroot drink
  • Chlodnik – cold beet soup
  • Barszcz n Botwinka – young beetroot soup
  • Barszcz Ukrainski – Ukrainian style beetroot soup

Can I Make Polish Beetroot Salad A Day Earlier?

Yes, you can make this beetroot salad a day earlier. It tastes better the next day.Store it in an airtight container and consume in 3 to 4 days.

Do not freeze beetroot salad.

If you want, you can pasteurize the beetroot salad in a jar and store it for many months up to as long as a year.

Traditional Polish Shredded Beets Salad – Buraczki Recipe

Yield: 4 servings

Traditional Polish Shredded Beets Salad - Buraczki Recipe

Traditional Polish Shredded Beets Salad - Buraczki Recipe (4)

Zesty and flavorful, the Polish beetroot salad can be made with just a few ingredients. Serve it cold as buraczki, or serve the polish beets warm as buraczki zasmażane. Either way you'll love it!

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Ingredients

Basic Buraczki Recipe Ingredients

  • 5 average red beets
  • 1-2 tbsps of vinegar or fresh lemon juice
  • ½finely grated horseradish root [optional, only if you want to have ćwikła]
  • salt, pepper

Warm Buraczki Recipe [Basic recipe+ the following ingredients]

  • 2 tbsps of butter
  • 1 tbsp of flour

Instructions

How To Make The Basic Polish Beet Salad?

  1. Place the beets in the pot, cover with water, and cook until soft.
  2. Drain the beets and leave to cool off.
  3. When the beets are cold, peel and shred them. [Use disposable gloves if you don't want to end up with red hands]
  4. Add vinegar/ lemon juice, pepper, and salt.
  5. [Optionally] Pasteurize the beet salad in jars. Click here to learn how to do it.

How To Make Buraczki Zasmażane [Warm Beet Salad]?

  1. Melt the butter in the pan. Add the flour and cook for a while, on the low heat.
  2. Add shredded beets.
  3. Serve warm!

Notes

  1. If you want to keep your hands clean, use disposable gloves when peeling and shredding beets. Otherwise, you will end up with red hands that will be hard to wash.
  2. Traditionally, horseradish is only added to cold beet salad. If you want to have your buraczki warm, skip adding the horseradish.
  3. If you don't have time to shred the beets, you can also mash or even blend them. The taste will be the same.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 102Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 243mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 2gSugar: 7gProtein: 2g

These data are indicative and calculated by Nutritionix

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Traditional Polish Shredded Beets Salad - Buraczki Recipe (15)

Did you enjoy this Polish shredded beets salad buraczki recipe? Let us know in the comments below!

Traditional Polish Shredded Beets Salad - Buraczki Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How long does shredded beets last in the fridge? ›

The best way to store cut beets is in a container lined with a moist paper towel in the refrigerator. With this method, cut beets will last for around five days, giving you plenty of time to add them to a salad, dip, or smoothie.

Is it better to roast or boil beets for salad? ›

My favorite way to cook beets is to roast them, which gives a sweeter, richer, and deeper flavor than boiling does. Another advantage is that they don't bleed as much, especially if they're roasted whole.

What is a healthy alternative to beetroot? ›

One excellent substitute for beetroot is red cabbage. Like beetroot, red cabbage offers a vibrant color that can add visual appeal to your dishes. It has a slightly sweet and peppery flavor that complements a wide range of recipes. Red cabbage is also an excellent source of vitamins C and K, as well as dietary fiber.

What is a good substitute for golden beets? ›

Ingredients needed & possible substitutions

golden beets – if you can't find golden beets, you can use red beets OR even pre-packaged steamed baby beets (this would cut down on cooking time!)

What does beetroot do to your body? ›

Beetroot and its juice help your heart and lungs work better during exercise. Nitric oxide from beets increases blood flow to your muscles. Some athletes eat beetroot or drink beet juice when exercising to improve their performance. Beets are rich in folate (vitamin B9), which helps cells grow and function.

Can I freeze fresh beets? ›

Slice the beets (about 1/4-inch thickness), cut in quarters, or dice. Leave small (1-inch) beets whole, if desired. Pack the beets into freezer containers or heavy-duty freezer bags, label with the name and date, and freeze for up to 8 months.

What makes beets taste better? ›

Roasting beets deepens their natural sugars while tempering bitterness. Bake whole, wrapped beets at 400°F for 60-75 minutes until easily pierced by a fork. Allow to cool before peeling and juicing. Incorporating roasted beets creates a smoother, mellower, almost nutty-flavored blended juice.

What is the tastiest way to eat beets? ›

You can use cooked beets in salads, to make hummus or to blend into smoothies. They can be diced for slaw, quartered for a grain bowl or mashed to make a dip or spread. Their thick and chewy texture is even great in a galette or quesadilla.

Why add vinegar to boiling beets? ›

Beets are naturally sweet and earthy, making them a versatile vegetable to incorporate into your meals. By adding vinegar to the boiling process, you can elevate the flavors of beets and give them a delightful tangy kick.

Are beets healthier than carrots? ›

Both beets and carrots are high in dietary fiber and potassium. Carrot has more niacin and Vitamin B6, however, beet contains more folate.

Is it healthier to drink beet juice or eat beets? ›

On the whole, we can surmise that beet juice is for the most part pretty good for you. It's loaded with vitamins and minerals, is rich in antioxidants and can lower blood pressure temporarily. As with all things, though, moderation is key. Eating beets is arguably a better choice.

Are canned beets as healthy as fresh beets? ›

With only a few exceptions, canned beetroots have about the same nutritional value as fresh beetroots. Fresh beetroots have double the phosphorus, potassium and folate, but 1 cup of sliced, canned beetroots has 14 percent of the recommended daily intake of folate and 4 percent of phosphorus and potassium.

What flavors complement beets? ›

Search for beetroot pairings

We see that other root vegetables share their earthy aromas with the beetroot. Also ingredients like dark chocolate, nuts, coffee or roasted onions have earthy flavors and pair well with beetroot.

What vegetable is equivalent to beets? ›

Parsnips

Parsnips are a unique root vegetable with a sweet and nutty flavor that can be used as an alternative to beets. They are perfect for adding natural sweetness to your dishes without the use of sugar.

How do you make beets not taste like dirt? ›

Do You Think Beets Taste Like Dirt?
  1. 3 Ways to Cook Beets So They Don't Taste Like Dirt:
  2. Pair them with bright, fresh flavors- By adding vinegar, lemon juice, fresh herbs, tangy cheese or yogurt to your dish, you will help balance the flavor.
Jan 4, 2023

Do beets go bad in the fridge? ›

Store beets in a plastic bag in the refrigerator at or below 41 °F for 7 to 10 days. Beets may be frozen for up to ten months. For best quality and nutritive value, preserve only what your family can consume in 12 months. Select deep, uniformly red, tender, young beets, no more than 3 inches across.

How to tell when beets are bad? ›

Signs of Spoilage

Beets that are starting to spoil often become soft and may develop limp or mushy areas.

When should you throw out beets? ›

The beets will not spoil if left at cool room temperature for a few days, but they do best when refrigerated for up to 10 days. If they turn soft, discard them.

How do you make beets last longer in the fridge? ›

How to Store Beets
  1. Cut. Cut the greens off the tops of fresh beets, leaving 2 inches of stem.
  2. Seal unwashed beets in a Glad® Zipper 2-in-1 Gallon Bag.
  3. Squeeze. Squeeze as much air as possible out of the bag.
  4. Place in the crisper drawer of the refrigerator.

References

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