Creamy Whole30 Beet Soup with Meyer Lemon and Herbs

This creamy, Whole30 beet soup is my twist on borscht, a classic Eastern European beet soup. I add tahini to my recipe to give this beet soup a nutty background flavor and creamy texture. Finish it off with a ton of fresh herbs, and you’ve got a delicious, filling soup perfect for any spring dinner.

Tahini is the Secret Ingredient for Creamy Whole30 Soups

I often see coconut milk or coconut cream used as a dairy substitute for creamy Whole30 soups, but both can impart a strong coconut flavor to the dish which isn’t always desirable. Instead, I prefer to use tahini, a sesame seed paste, which has a nutty flavor that blends extremely well into savory dishes. Tahini rounds out the deep, earthy tones of the beets without competing with them to be the dominant flavor. It also has the fat content that’s necessary to give body and texture to this pureed soup. 

Tahini is also a great staple to have in the pantry. It is a versatile ingredient that can be used to make salad dressings, added to smoothies, or even baked into cookies.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Beets

Any beet variety can be used to make this creamy, Whole30 beet soup. However, each beet variety will affect the color of the final dish. The classic red beets result in a beautiful fuchsia colored soup that’s almost too pretty to eat. Golden beets and avalanche beets will result in a light, yellow-brown soup. Maybe not the most appetizing color, but it will still taste delicious! Chioggia beets can be used to make this soup, but I recommend saving those for a dish that shows off the unique, candy-cane coloring. The flavor across all these varieties will be similar.

To make the most of your farmers market purchase, save those tops and make my Farmers Market Celebration Bread! Even though farmers market produce can appear to be more expensive on the face of the purchase, using every piece of the vegetable will greatly extend your value, and you’ll get to use better quality produce. 

Meyer Lemons

I talked a lot about Meyer lemons in my post about winter citrus. Meyer lemons are a cross between a tangerine and a lemon, and are less acidic and more floral than the Eureka lemon. Of course, you could always use any type of lemon you’d like in this recipe. This recipe uses both the juice and the zest, for maximum flavor (and minimal waste).

Herbs

Any and all herbs would work well here; use what you like and have on hand! I used a combination of dill and mint, but you could easily use parsley, tarragon, marjoram, thyme, or even cilantro. 

Tips and Tricks

Beets can be notoriously hard to peel. Often, I see recommendations to roast the beets first, and then the skin can be peeled off easily, but this can be time consuming. Especially if you’re not looking to ultimately eat them roasted.

First, beets can be peeled with a standard vegetable peeler. If you decide to go with this method, I recommend leaving the tops intact before peeling. The tops can be used as a handle while using the peeler, and then they can be cut off (and saved!) after the beets are peeled. This will be easiest with a sharp peeler; I prefer the Y-style peelers for these kinds of jobs. 

The second method is much easier. There’s nothing special about the roasting process that separates the skin from the flesh of the beet; this naturally happens during any cooking process. There’s no need to fully peel the beets prior to adding them to the boiling stock; simply cut them in quarters, leaving the skin on (be sure to wash the beets thoroughly). Just before the soup is pureed, remove the beets, and the skin should separate easily.

Serving Suggestions

Like many soups, my creamy Whole30 beet soup freezes and reheats well on the stove. Simply chop up some herbs, add another drizzle of tahini, and you’re good to go!