Dill Pickle Soup is my all-time favorite soup recipe for busy weeknights. It requires merely 30 minutes of your time and provides you with a hearty and satisfying bite. This easy soup is savory and creamy and kids love it too. Perfect for lunch or dinner, especially in cold winter weather.
Also try my Vegan Pickle Soup. Same great taste made without dairy.
There are many reasons why people love dill pickles. They are briny, a little bit sweet, juicy and of course, crunchy. When eaten in moderation, dill pickles can be healthy too.,
Apart from all the above, I love dill pickles because they make an excellent pickle soup that came to us straight from Poland. In addition to delicious Sauerkraut soup, these recipes are one of the best Polish soups you could ever make.
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Just like with Borscht, countries such as Lithuania, Russia, and Ukraine have their own version of this savory soup.
I guess Eastern Europeans are really into pickles, because the amount of recipes using this popular condiment is insane. Russin Beet Salad With Pickles, anyone?
My husband is not much of a soup person (unless it's his favorite Green Borscht), but I love making this Polish Pickle Soup for myself and kids for lunch.
Whenever we're running errands or spending our morning on a playground and lunch time is approaching, I often refer to this soup recipe. Just 30 minutes and the soup is done.
And since it's loaded with delicious dill pickles and it's creamy and thick, my children always devour this soup with a great appetite.
Here's Why This Recipe Works
- simplicity. The soup is made with really simple ingredients that everyone have in their pantry. I bet you have them too;
- fast preparation time. You only need 30 minutes from start to finish to make this amazing soup. Perhaps, you did a meal prep days earlier and you already have veggies chopped, then it'll take you even faster;
- savory bite. Soup is always comforting and satisfying, but when you add pickles and pickle juice, it instantly gets transformed into a flavor powerhouse that you'll want to eat at any time of the year
Ingredients
Here's an overview of the specific ingredients for this recipe. For the exact ingredients and measurements, please scroll to the recipe card below.
Zuppa Ogórkowa is an amazingly yummy and comforting soup that features several key ingredients:
- onion and carrot. Yellow or white onions work best.
- potatoes. You can make this Dill Soup with russet potatoes, yellow or red potatoes
- pickle slices. When you choose dill pickles, make sure they don't contain much vinegar. You can read my specific recommendations below
- a bit of a pickle brine. You can get this from your pickle jar.
- sour cream
- fresh dill
- Combine flour and sour cream
In a small bowl add all purpose flour, sour cream and broth. I used homemade vegetable broth and it's always on a lighter side. Give everything a whisk and set aside.
- Sauté the veggies
Melt butter in large non-stick pan and over medium heat. Add onion and carrot and sauté for 7 minutes stirring occasionally.
Add dill pickles and cook for 3 more minutes.
- Cook potatoes and vegetables together
Add vegetable broth to a large stockpot and bring to a boil. Add potatoes, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10 minutes.
Stir in sautéed vegetables, salt, pepper, sour cream and flour mixture and cook for another 5 minutes or until potatoes are tender when poked with a knife. Remove Polish soup from the heat and serve immediately. You can also garnish with fresh dill for even more dill flavor.
Cook's Tip
If you don't have sour cream, you can use a regular heavy cream and then mix it with some flour. In this case, you might also increase the amount of pickle brine. Just don't add too much. A little goes a long way.
Frequently Asked Question
This soup has a mild acidic taste. It's also slightly thick and creamy. Thanks to the soup's unusual combination of ingredients, I feel like it's a wonderful recipe for colder months.
It will keep you warm, cozy and satisfied.
Simply speaking it's an ultimate comfort food in a bowl.
For this creamy and briny soup I recommend using salty and not sweet dill pickles. If you have a Polish grocery store in the area, get their Polish pickles, and if not - this is what I use.
One of my readers also recommended Bubbies kosher dill pickles found in a refrigerated section of most grocery stores.
A word of advice: for this recipe I don't recommend Trader Joe's dill pickles. They are too vinegary and might ruin the taste of the soup.
Pickle soup is easy to make keto or low carb. Replace the potatoes with chopped cauliflower or celery root. Flour - replace with coconut flour or simply omit it. As for the carrots - you can either omit them or replace with bell pepper.
Serving Suggestions
Polish Cucumber Soup add-ons
If you'd like a more heartier version of this Polish soup, here's what you can add:
- ham
- hot dog links
- Kielbasa
- small meatballs, like my Ikea-style meatballs
- seared ground beef
- fried bacon crumbles
Also, if you want to add some heat, feel free to add a small pinch of Cayenne pepper. ⅛ to ¼ teaspoons should be enough.
Storing Suggestion
This Pickle soup is best when consumed on the same day. However, if you have leftovers, it will last for 1 more day in the refrigerator.
You can also freeze the soup. To ensure maximum freshness, I recommend storing the soup in the airtight freezer-friendly bags.
Properly stored, the soup will last in a freezer for up to 6 months.
To thaw, simply transfer the soup into a pot and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.
Similar Recipes
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Recipe
Dill Pickle Soup
Video
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 medium onion finely minced
- 1 large carrot grated on large holes of box grater
- 1 c dill pickles cut in half lengthwise and then thinly sliced
- 5 c vegetable broth or chicken broth if you want
- 3 medium potato peeled and cubed
- 4 ½ tablespoon sour cream
- 1 ½ tablespoon flour
- 4-5 tablespoon pickle juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 tablespoon fresh dill chopped
Instructions
- In a medium bowl whisk together sour cream, flour and 3 tablespoons of dill pickle juice.
- Heat butter in large non-stick pan (avoid Teflon pans) over medium heat.
- Add onion and carrot and cook until vegetables begin to soften, approximately 7 minutes. Stir in dill pickles and cook for 3 more minutes.
- Meanwhile, add broth to a large stockpot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, add potatoes, reduce heat to medium low and cook for 10 minutes.
- Stir in sautéed vegetables, salt, pepper, sour cream and flour mixture into the pot with potatoes and cook for another 5 minutes or until potatoes are tender when poked with a knife.
- Remove from the heat, and serve immediately garnished with fresh dill.
Notes
Nutrition
If you don’t have a good stock pot in your kitchen, now is the time. This affordable stock pot has 20 quart capacity, durable, with handles that stay cool during cooking. It’s perfect for homemade soups and stews and for when you want to double or triple the recipe to put in your freezer. This Cook N Home Stock Pot has the best reviews and is under $45.
Iryna Bychkiv is the founder and writer of the culinary website Lavender & Macarons, where she shares clean, European-inspired recipes that are delicious, easy to prepare, and made with wholesome ingredients. Iryna loves creating meals that are simple yet healthy and unique, including vegan and vegetarian recipes.
Iryna is also a freelance writer for MSN and Associated Press Wire.
Terri Konecny says
This was delicious. I also added 1l of ground beef and used coconut yogurt instead of sour cream. Didn’t really measure pickle juice because we love pickle flavour. Also didn’t really measure yogurt. Just wanted to make sure it was creamy enough. Lots of pepper and some salt and added couple tbsp of banana pepper. Sooooo good!!
Sharlette says
This was pretty good. Different but good.
Rema says
Very nice! I used fat-free Greek yogurt in place of sour cream and it was delicious.
Maria says
We love this soup! Easy to make , I double it to share 🙂 thank you!
Iryna Bychkiv says
Maria, thank you so much for your comment and 5-star rating! I'm happy you enjoyed this recipe!
Mianne says
Can I let this soup sit in a crock pot to keep warm for a potluck dinner?
Iryna Bychkiv says
Yes, it will be fine.
Mrs. Plant says
Today, I made your Homemade Dill Pickle Soup (POLISH ZUPPA OGÓRKOWA) for lunch. I decided to minimize the steps and use the Instant Pot to see if it would work. I also made it oil-free (NO butter used!) and VEGAN. It was DELICIOUS! Here's what I did...
1) I placed the chopped onions, grated carrots, chopped potatoes, chopped pickles, salt, black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of dried dill in the Instant Pot with 4 (not 5!) cups of vegetable broth. I cooked that on HIGH PRESSURE for 4 minutes with QUICK RELEASE.
2) Then, I whisked together the pickle juice (I used 5 Tablespoons), 5 Tablespoons of my unsweetened soy yogurt instead of sour cream, and 1 1/2 Tablespoons of flour in a small bowl.
3) After releasing the Instant Pot, I stirred in the pickle juice/yogurt/flour mixture.
4) I didn't have any fresh dill to serve it with, but the flavor was delicious without it!
Iryna Bychkiv says
Mrs. Plant, thank you so much for your comment and 5-star rating! I'm so glad you enjoyed this recipe:)
RS says
How much is a cup of pickles?
Iryna Bychkiv says
It's about 23 pickle slices.
Tash says
I cannot even view this page without getting a headache. On my phone the layout is awful. I would like to try this (and other) recipes of yours, but the formatting of this site is atrocious!
Iryna Bychkiv says
Hi Tash! I'm sorry you have a hard time viewing the recipe. Do you want me to send the recipe directly to your email?
TML says
It is really badly designed and so many pop up ads! I searched and found the same recipe in another site that was easier to manage.
Agnes Miazga says
At the beginning of every recipe with adds etc. there will be a "jump to recipe" button located always on the first page before you scroll down. It will take you directly to the recipe.🙂
Mary Mikula says
Made this as written but used chicken stock instead of vegetable. My husband who doesn’t like soup liked it, too.
Iryna Bychkiv says
Mary, thank you so much for your comment and 5-star rating! I'm happy you and your husband enjoyed this recipe:)
Mikkimik says
We love this soup in my house. We are pickle freaks though so we use a bit more pickle juice and we add some shredded chicken to the recipe as well. I boil chicken in chicken broth, with a cup of pickle juice, peppercorn, garlic, and the seasonings listed in the recipe. I remove the chicken, shred it, and set it aside. I use the broth I cooked the chicken in for the soup itself. I add the chicken in when cooking the potatoes. I also like to add very thinly sliced celery when frying up the other vegetables! It’s delicious.
Lacie says
I made this exactly as written and it is delicious! I served it with Turkey Burger (made w/ Maggi Hackbraten seasoning) sliders. So perfect!
Iryna says
Lacie, thank you so much for your comment and a 5-star rating! I'm happy you liked this dill pickle soup recipe:)
Terry Waite says
I make this soup using chicken broth and add browned hamburger. I also add 5-6 tablespoons of the brine from the pickle jar. This has become my favorite soup and I make it almost once a month. Friends who didn't believe how good it is have tasted it and then want the recipe. LOVE IT.
Iryna says
Terry, thank you so much for your comment and 5-star rating! I'm pleased you enjoyed this soup recipe!
Kathy says
Just made this soup - So Delicious 😋 I’ll be making this again for sure.
I had red potatoes from my garden and fresh dill, can’t get any better than that! Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Iryna says
Kathy, thank you so much for your comment and a 5-star rating! I'm glad you enjoyed this soup:)
Tina says
Great recipe! Made today. Didn’t peel my potatoes. And added shredded cheddar cheese to my bowl.
Iryna says
Tina, thank you for sharing! I'm so glad you liked this recipe:)
Roksy says
I followed the recipe, but didn’t have the sour cream. So I added plain activia yogurt full fat. It turned out sooo good. It was also my first time making this recipe Zuppa. Thank you very much for sharing!
Iryna says
Roksy, thank you for your comment and a 5-star rating! I'm so happy you enjoyed this recipe!