Brimming with chunky vegetables, barley, split peas, lentils and soft strips of shredded boiling beef (short ribs), my Scotch Broth Soup Recipe is the best you’ll ever cook and eat! And I don’t make that claim lightly!
Scotch Broth Soup is the best Scottish soup recipe to exist (apologies to Lentil and Ham Hough soup…).
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It’s my absolute favourite of all the soup recipes I’ve shared on this website. You can find them all here in my Soup Category page.
Why you'll love Scotch Broth Soup
Scotch Broth should stick to your ribs! And by that I mean it should be hearty, nourishing and stave off hunger for hours with its utterly thick and chunky consistency.
Serve with fresh, buttered bread (spread that butter thick enough so you can see your teeth marks on it) and you’re in for a treat!
My Gran always makes her Scotch Broth soup recipe with boiling beef, which is why this is the meat that features in my version. Traditionally, it would be a fatty cut of lamb; like lamb shoulder or cheap bone-in lamb, like lamb ribs.
However, I yield more meat from boiling beef, versus the traditional option, which is another reason to opt for beef. Who doesn’t want extra protein and meat in their soup?!
What is Scotch Broth Mixture?
Scottish Broth Mixture is a blend of:
- Pearl Barley 60%
- Yellow Split Peas 20%
- Red Split Lentils 15%
- Green Split Peas 5%
I use Great Scot Scotch Broth Mix which you can pick up in most UK supermarkets. But if you need to make your own, then you can find the appropriate ratios above.
How Is Scotch Broth Traditionally Made?
Much like any cuisine that has been around a while, Scotch Broth Soup has many variations and versions that are all similar, but different.
Ingredients that you will commonly see feature in Scotch Broth Soup recipes are:
- Lamb (or Mutton) or Beef
- Dried Pulses (see above description of Scotch Broth Mix)
- Carrots, Swede (Rutabaga or Neeps), Turnip, Onion, Potato, Leeks, Cabbage, Kale
I have highlighted the ingredients above which I use in my recipe.
Since lamb meat is the traditional option, lamb stock is the obvious stock option. Thus, I give a nod to tradition by using lamb stock, whilst using my Gran's recipe featuring short ribs (boiling beef).
Ingredients
- Beef: using a bone-in cut of meat improves the flavour, so I would personally opt for short rib of beef or lamb ribs.
- Dried Pulses: blend of pearl barley, green split peas, red lentils and yellow split peas
- Vegetables and Herbs: Carrot, Onion, Swede, Leek, Potatoes, Bay Leaves and Parsley (parsley is a delicate herb and should therefore be added within the last 5 minutes of cooking or just before serving. Roughly chop and add back into the Scotch Broth soup at the end with the shredded short rib meat for a vibrant, fresh and herby note on the palate. I use Flat Leaf Parsley but curly parsley is what my Papa used)
- Lamb Stock: a nod to Scottish tradition, as I genuinely do love the flavour of lamb, so I opt to use lamb stock cubes. You can use beef to align with the choice of boiling beef or simply use vegetable stock.
Method for Scotch Broth Soup
Measure dried broth mix and leave to soak overnight in cold water.
If you have forgotten to soak it overnight and want to make your soup now, I would recommend boiling the broth mix for approx. 20 minutes to soften it before adding it to the soup at the recommended stage. Soaking it overnight ensures the pulses aren't crunchy in the Scotch Broth.
Add a little oil to a large soup pot and allow to heat up whilst you coat 1 kg boiling beef (short ribs) with some salt and pepper. Place boiling beef into a large soup pot and brown off on all sides.
Then add lamb stock to the pot and allow to simmer on medium heat for 1-2 hours, skimming any skim/fat off the top of the soup as needed.
Top Tip: you can also blot the top of the soup with kitchen paper before to remove any residual fat droplets.
Whilst the beef is simmering, prepare the vegetables: grate carrots, grate swede, finely chop onion, finely slice leek, peel and cube potatoes. I like to use a food processor to reduce the time it takes to prepare the vegetables.
After the beef has been simmering for 1 hour and you've removed the fat, add the prepared vegetables into the soup pot with the drained broth mixture and bay leaves
Bring to boil, and then turn down to a simmer - allow to simmer for 1- 1.5 hours. Finally, remove boiling beef from pot (allow to cool) and also remove bay leaves too. Once the beef has cooled, remove fat and shred the meat before the shredded meat adding back into the pot of soup along with parsley.
Storage + Preparation
How long does Scotch Broth keep in the fridge? It will last approximately 4-5 days in an airtight container.
Can you freeze Scotch Broth? The soup can be frozen for up to 3 months. The exact duration will be dictated by what temperature your freezer is and also where in the freezer you store it.
Re-Heating: the soup can be re-heated from frozen, or either after defrosting in the fridge or directly from the fridge either in the microwave or in a pot on the hob/stovetop. Heat until piping hot throughout before serving.
Other Soup Recipes You Might Like:
Celeriac and Apple with Nutmeg Soup
Roasted Tomato and Basil (this is especially popular with my toddler)
Cullen Skink (Scottish Smoked Haddock Soup)
If you have any questions please leave a comment below! Or I would really appreciate it if you left me a review (scroll down to the bottom).
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Scotch Broth (Scottish Soup Recipe)
Ingredients
- 120 g dried broth mix
- 1.2 kg boiling beef (short ribs) or lamb ribs
- 3.5 litre water
- 4 cubes lamb stock cubes or beef or vegetable
- ½ swede grated
- 2 carrots grated
- 2 onion finely chopped
- 1 leek finely sliced
- 2 potato (medium) peeled and chopped into cubes
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 handful parsley roughly chopped
Instructions
- Measure 120 g dried broth mix and leave to soak overnight in cold water (see Notes)
- Add a little oil to a large soup pot and allow to heat up whilst you coat 1.2 kg boiling beef (short ribs) with some salt and pepper
- Place boiling beef into a large soup pot and brown off on all sides before adding 4 cubes lamb stock cubes dissolved in 3.5 litre water
- Simmer on medium heat for 2 hours (See Notes), skimming any skim/fat off the top of the soup as needed. You can also blot the top of the soup with kitchen paper before the next step, to remove any residual fat droplets.
- Whilst the beef is simmering, prepare the vegetables: grate 2 carrots, grate ½ swede, finely chop 2 onion, finely slice 1 leek, peel and cube 2 potato (medium).
- After 2 hours, add the prepared vegetables into the soup pot with the drained broth mixture and 2 bay leaves
- Bring to boil, and then turn down to a simmer - allow to cook for 1.5 hours
- Finally, remove boiling beef and bay leaves from pot
- Once the beef has cooled, remove fat and shred the meat before adding the shredded meat back into the pot of soup along with 1 handful parsley (roughly chopped)
- Season to taste & serve with fresh bread ☺️
Ann reynolds says
My family loved this!
Laura MacKenzie says
A Scotch Broth Recipe That is Worth the Time!
This recipe delivers an incredibly authentic and nostalgic experience. The depth of flavor achieved is truly spectacular and takes the broth far beyond a simple weeknight soup.
What Made It Delicious
The use of Boiling Beef made all the difference.
Dorothy says
Thank you for sharing this recipe, just like my gran used to make! Delicious
Johnny says
My family loved this!
Amanda Gourlay says
Delicious, will definitely save to make this again!
Laura says
A Scotch Broth Recipe That is Worth the Time!
This recipe delivers an incredibly authentic and nostalgic experience. The depth of flavor achieved is truly spectacular and takes the broth far beyond a simple weeknight soup.
What Made It Delicious
The use of Boiling Beef made all the difference. It requires time, but the richness and savory "backbone" it gives the stock is absolutely worth the effort and is what gives this broth its authentic, gelatinous body. The meat, once shredded back in, was beautifully tender.