How to Cook Beef Liver with Carrots & Onions | Ukrainian Style (VIDEO)

A Taste of Memory: My Mother’s Liver with Carrots & Onions

An incredibly nutrient dense and delicious dish: liver with carrots and onions topped with butter that is added at the end of the cooking, and then gently sprinkled with chopped herbs.

Some recipes are more than food — they're memories. Today's recipe on Innichka Chef, is the dish that reminds me of my mom and keeps me closest to my mom, who recently passed away. Last week I published Ukrainian Dill & Garlic Potatoes – Simple, Humble, Delicious, her favorite thing to eat, the dish that could always make her smile.

But today, I’m sharing another: How to Cook Beef Liver — the flavor of my childhood, and one of the meals my mother cooked best.

Have you subscribed to my cooking channel? Go and click here to be the first to see my new videos and THANK YOU so much for subscribing. It means a lot to me!

Why I love eating liver, carrots and onions?

Growing up, I remember the smell of onions sizzling in a pan, the sweetness of carrots softening in the pan, and the rich, comforting taste of tender liver. It was hearty, nourishing, and full of love. My mom never needed fancy ingredients — garlic, onion, a little sunflower oil or butter — she made magic out of simplicity.

For many people, liver is an “old-fashioned” food, but for us, it was powerful. Packed with iron, vitamins, and protein, it gave us strength. My mother’s hands turned this humble organ meat into a dish that was unforgettable.

Sharing this recipe is not just about teaching you how to cook liver. It’s about passing on a memory, keeping my mother’s spirit alive in every bite, and showing that food can hold history, healing, and heart.

If my potato recipe was a hug on a plate, this one is a story — a memory that I carry, and now share with you.

Why you should Cook Beef Liver with Onions & Carrots | Ukrainian Style

✅ Cultural connection – Many people search for “authentic recipes” from family traditions. If you share that this was your mom’s favorite dish, it gives the recipe a warm, nostalgic story.

✅ Nutritional interest – Liver is rich in iron and vitamins, and there’s a growing group of people looking for nutrient-dense, old-world foods.

✅ Budget-friendly appeal – In today’s economy, recipes with affordable cuts like liver often gain traction.

✅ Unique factor – While chicken and beef recipes are everywhere, liver with carrots and onions stands out as comforting, rustic, and authentic.

Why is liver good for you?

Around the globe all traditional cultures prize organ meats. Because unlike muscle meat, organ meats are extremely rich in fat-soluble vitamins A and D, as well as essential fatty acids, important very - long-chain super unsaturated fatty acids and the whole gamut of macro trace minerals.

Liver isn’t just food — it’s history, tradition, and one of the most nutrient-dense ingredients on earth. From ancient Chinese rituals that listed it among the Eight Delicacies, to modern athletes who praise its mysterious “anti-fatigue factor,” liver has always been celebrated as sacred and powerful. Read this professional athlete story.

Packed with protein, vitamin A, B12, iron, copper, and CoQ10, it’s no wonder liver was prized by warriors, healers, and cooks throughout history. In this video/blog, we’ll explore the fascinating lore of liver, its unmatched health benefits, and a simple recipe you can try at home.

From Weston A. Price Foundation

“Quite simply, it contains more nutrients, gram for gram, than any other food. In summary, liver provides:

• An excellent source of high-quality protein

• Nature’s most concentrated source of vitamin A

• All the B vitamins in abundance, particularly vitamin B12

• One of our best sources of folic acid

• A highly usable form of iron

• Trace elements such as copper, zinc and chromium; liver is our best source of copper

• An unidentified anti-fatigue factor

• CoQ10, a nutrient that is especially important for cardio-vascular function

• A good source of purines, nitrogen-containing compounds that serve as precursors for DNA and RNA”

  
  

Similar recipes with liver

How to make Pate (goat)

How to Make Homemade Sausage Patties with Organ Meat | Healthy & Flavorful Recipe

Traditional Ukrainian Dumplings (Vareniki) with Chicken Liver

Is Liver Dangerous, and What Liver is Best to Eat?

When it comes to liver, the source matters so much. The very best is from animals that lived a natural life outdoors in a pasture — cows, lamb, buffalo, hogs, chickens, ducks, or geese. If I can’t find that, I go for organic chicken, beef, or calf’s liver. At the supermarket, calf’s liver is usually the better choice, since calves start life in a pasture. Beef liver can be a bit more tricky, and I personally skip conventional chicken and pork liver.

And about vitamin A — don’t be afraid of it when it comes from real food. The warnings you hear are mostly about synthetic vitamin A, not the natural kind you get from liver. In fact, natural vitamin A is powerful for our health. Only in huge amounts could it cause problems. (That’s why no one should eat polar bear liver — it has way, way too much vitamin A!). 💛LOL.

For me, liver is not just food — it’s memory. My mama’s liver with carrots and onions was the dish that made me fall in love with cooking. Every bite takes me back to her kitchen.

So, why soak liver in kefir, buttermilk or milk?

The main reason is to soften and mellow the flavor. Liver naturally has a metallic or bitter taste due to the high level of iron, especially if it comes from older animals or if it’s been sitting a few days. Kefir helps draw out some of the blood and impurities, resulting in a milder, cleaner flavor and a more pleasant texture.

It also makes the liver more tender. Kefir’s gentle acidity helps break down tough connective tissues in the liver. After just 30 minutes to an hour of soaking, you’ll notice a difference—less chewiness and more melt-in-your-mouth satisfaction.

Let’s Cook Together!

Visit Innichka Chef to explore step-by-step recipes, video guides, and even more Ukrainian cuisine inspiration. Bring a taste of Ukraine to your kitchen!

Let's do it...

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Total time: 55 minutes

Author: Inna of innichkachef.com 

Yield: About 6 servings

Ingredients:

2 lb. beef liver

1 lb. carrots

2 onions

1/2 cup chopped herbs (dill, parsley)

1/2 cup avocado oil or animal fat such beef tallow, lard

2-4 tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons Celtic salt

2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper

8-10 bay leaves

3/4 cup all purpose unbleached flour

1 cup dairy kefir, buttermilk (or milk)

2 tablespoons butter

Directions:

• Prepare the liver: Clean from the liver skin then cut into slices (I didn't have to do it).

• Soak the liver: Soak liver in kefir or buttermilk to remove the extra metallic irony taste and tenderize it. Leave for 30-60 minutes.

• Prepare the veggies: Peel and chop carrots and onions.

• Cook veggies and liver and lay in layers: In a cast iron pan add avocado oil, let it warm up, then add onions and season with salt and pepper, letting it cook for a few minutes. Stir once in a while for a few minutes. Now place onions into a heavy bottom pot or Dutch oven. Then to the same cast iron pan, add more oil and add carrots, season with salt and pepper and cook carrots for a few minutes until a nice brown color on both sides, then pour into the pot with the layer of onions.  Add more oil again to the pan. Now, drain each slice of liver from the kefir, and dredge into a bowl with flour, coat on each side and add into the pan with oil, cooking for 1 minute no longer on each side. DO NOT OVERCOOK LIVER! Place cooked liver on top of the layer of carrots, then season with salt and pepper. By not seasoning right away, it produces more tender liver. As a result of waiting to season, all juices remain in the liver during the sautéing process.

• Add bay leaves all over the liver.

• Repeat the process: repeat the process with cooking and layering again the onions, carrots and liver. Add bay leaves again.

• Finish up the dish: Pour a little bit of water about 1-2 cups of water all over the pot around the liver. Cover and cook on very low heat for 5 minutes, no longer than that, then add butter and cook for 1 minute or until the butter melts. Turn off the heat and sprinkle with herbs. Serve immediately. ENJOY!

  I hope you'll make this recipe soon. If you do, please tag me #innichka_chef on Instagram, Facebook, Patreon or Pinterest.