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vegan okroshka

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With summer in full swing, our appetites shift from hearty meals to more refreshing dishes. This vegan okroshka is a great way to beat the heat: it is refreshing, easy to make but tastes delicious and will leave you satisfied. The ideal summer meal!

vegan okroshka in a bowl, there is also a golden spoon, lemon halfs, spring onions, a glas with oat milk and horseradishes as decoration
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What is Okroshka?

You probably have heard or even tasted the Spanish version of cold soup, Gazpacho. Okroshka, originating from Russia, is basically its northern sibling: cooked, cooled and chopped potatoes are mixed with other diced raw veggies and herbs. Then you pour some buttermilk or kefir over the mixture and traditionally would serve it with boiled eggs.

Ingredients

I wanted to make this soup enjoyable for a wider range of people with different dietary preferences, so I made a vegan version. That way it is a “basic” recipe and you can dress it up as you would like to. Serve it with eggs if you eat them (you could also do vegan eggs!), crispy tofu or tempeh or leave as is. Here is a list of all the ingredients you need to make this vegan Okroshka:

hand pouring the "buttermilk" for thevvegan okroshka into the bowl filled with the vegetables. There is also a golden spoon, lemon halfs, spring onions, a glas with oat milk and horseradishes as decoration
  • PLANT MILK: I suggest you use a creamy milk such as soy or pea, especially if you would like this soup to be higher in Protein. A nut based milk, like Cashew would work just as fine. I would not recommend coconut milk, as it is stronger in flavor.
  • PLANT BASED YOGHURT: Using some yogurt as part of the “buttermilk” will result in a creamier texture. Just as with the plant milk, I suggest you use a more “neutral” flavored one, like soy or cashew.
  • DIJON MUSTARD: For a little more spice and savoriness.
  • NUTRITIONAL YEAST: For extra flavor!
  • APPLE CIDER VINEGAR: We will need apple cider vinegar to create a vegan “buttermilk”. You can also use lemon juice instead.
  • POTATOES: What i love about Okroshka is that it calls for potatoes, which makes this soup more filling and satisfying.
  • RADISHES: A pop of color and spice!
  • CUCUMBER: Makes the soup extra refreshing.
  • SPRING ONIONS: Another way to add more flavor!
  • DILL: To be honest, I used to dislike dill so much a few years ago! But over time the flavor grew on me and now I actually really like it. In case you are not friends with dill, you could just leave it out.
  • PARSLEY: Again: more flavor. Both, flat-leaf and curly-leaf parsley work great.

Vegan Okroshka How-to

As already mentioned, I wanted to create a “basic” recipe for a vegan Okroska, everyone can enjoy and then just add the things they like. Serve it with eggs if you eat theam (you could also do vegan eggs!), crispy tofu or tempeh or leave as is.

But the steps are pretty simple:

  1. We start by making the vegan “buttermilk” base: it simply is a mix of the plant-based milk and yogurt blended with the soaked cashews, some nutritional yeast, mustard and a little salt until very creamy.
  2. Then you have to add either apple cider vinegar or lemon juice and let everything sit for around 5 minutes to create that special texture. In case that’s more suitable for you, you can totally use just milk, however the consistency will be slightly less thick then.
  3. The rest is just cooking the potatoes, chopping the veggies and serving it up!

Storage

If you plan on preparing this soup ahead or make a bigger batch, I recommend you to store the “buttermilk” base and the vegetables separately: Blend the ingredients for the buttermilk and store it in a tall jar or glas bottle in the fridge. Cook the potatoes, slice them and the remaining vegetables and keep them in an airtight container in the fridge as well.

The prepared soup will last for about 2-3 days in the fridge. You can also freeze the “buttermilk” base for up to a month.

vegan okroshka in a bowl, there is also a golden spoon, lemon halfs, spring onions, a glas with oat milk and horseradishes as decoration

I hope you enjoy my take on an vegan Okroshka soup! If you do, please let me know by leaving a comment and rating. I am also more than happy to see your creations, so feel free to tag me on instagram or send me a snapshot via direct messages!

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Vegan Okroshka

Okroshka is a cold russian soup made from chopped raw veggies and cooked potatoes and buttermilk or kefir. Since this is a vegan take on the original, it is made with a quick "buttermilk" and makes a perfect meal for hot summer days!
Course Main Dish, Soup
Keyword gluten free, mains, oil free, soup, vegan
Servings 2 people

Ingredients

"buttermilk"

  • 60 g cashews (soaked for at least 4 hours or overnight)
  • 1 1/2 cups plant milk *
  • 1/2 Cup plant based yogurt **
  • 2 Tsp dijon mustard
  • 2 Tsp nutritional yeast
  • pinch of salt
  • 2 1/2-3 Tbsp apple cider vinegar or lemon juice

vegetables

  • 3-4 medium boiled potatoes
  • 4 small to medium radishes
  • 2 small handfuls cucumber
  • 2 spring onions
  • 1 small handful of dill
  • 1 small handful of parsley

Instructions

  • Start by cutting the potatoes into quarters and boil for around 15 minutes until cooked. Rinse under cold water, then peel and cut into strips or chunks.
  • Menawhile, blend together the soaked cashews, plant milk, yogurt, mustard, salt and nutritional yeast until smooth and creamy. Pour into a bowl, add lemon juice or vinegar and let everything sit for around 5-10 minutes.
  • Cut other vegetebales into strips or chunks too (the spring onions into rings), depending on which shape you prefer. Chop the herbs too.
  • Divide the potatoes, vegetables and herbs between two bowls. Then pour half of the ready "buttermilk" into each bowl. Garnish with more herbs, spring onions and horse radish if you want. I suggest to serve the soup with some bread. Enjoy!

Notes

*I suggest you use a creamy milk such as soy or pea, but cashew would work just as fine. If you would like this soup to be higher in protein, you should however opt for one of the first two.
**Using some yogurt as part of the “buttermilk” will make a reamier result. In case you have no plant based yogurt or do not want to use it, you can use just milk too.

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