Dill pickle soup is a Polish cuisine staple designed to use up ingredients from the winter cellar. (This recipe is part of my From the Motherland series, where I pay homage to my Eastern European heritage.)
As some of you know, I was born in Ukraine and grew up eating primarily traditional Ukrainian food. Then when I met my partner – a fellow immigrant to the States but from Poland – I started learning about Polish cuisine.
There is a lot of overlap in the two – like varenyky/pierogi, cabbage rolls, and boiled potatoes with every meal, for example – but one of the things I really appreciate about Polish cuisine are their soups. There are some truly excellent options in this category (many of which have sour cream in them, hence the excellence) and dill pickle soup (zupa ogórkowa) is one of our favorites.
Its complex flavor had me thinking it must be challenging to make, but as I recently came to learn, it’s actually ridiculously simple.
About This Soup
Although I am not a food historian, this soup was undoubtedly designed to use up ingredients that could survive a winter in the cellar: potatoes, carrots, onions, and pickles. A great example of Eastern European peasant cooking. (Similar to Ukrainian vinegret.) For the record, Russians and Ukrainians make pickle soup, too – rassolnik – which has pearled barley in it.
Now, pickle soup is not a vegetable soup with some pickles in it. This is very pickle-forward and the primary flavor is pickles, with dill and black pepper playing supporting background roles.
Like all traditional recipes, every family has their own version and this one is mine. While some include a meat-based stock or kielbasa in the soup, mine’s completely vegan. I use coconut milk for the creamy element, but if you wanna keep the soup authentic, just use sour cream in the same proportion.
Key Ingredients + Substitutions
- Carrots + Onion: Create the sweet-savory base flavor of the soup.
- Potatoes: Russet (Idaho) potatoes are typical for this soup, but Yukon Gold or white potatoes are also fine.
- Dill Pickles: Look for Polish/Ukrainian pickles in an Eastern European market, if you have access to one. Otherwise, any dill pickles whose flavor you like will do.
- Pickle Brine: That salty liquid from the pickle jar is a key flavoring here.
- Broth: You can use pretty much any broth you want here. (You can even make your own from vegetable scraps!) Alternatively, use Yondu or Better Than Bouillon diluted in water.
- Sour Cream or Coconut Milk: Traditional Polish pickle soup has sour cream stirred through it at the end of cooking. For my dairy-free version, I use canned full-fat unsweetened coconut milk (the Thai variety). It adds a similar richness, and no, the coconut flavor does not overpower the soup. It’s a one-to-one swap.
- Dill: The most common herb in Eastern European cooking. Adds a grassy freshness.
How to Make Polish Pickle Soup
Find complete instructions with ingredient amounts in the recipe card below.
Step 1: Make the Base
In a medium pot, cook the onions and carrots with oil, salt, and pepper until the onions are translucent and the carrots are soft, 8 to 10 minutes. The goal here is to sweat the vegetables, not brown them. If they are browning, turn the heat down.
Step 2: Simmer the Soup
Next, add the potatoes, broth, pickles, and coconut milk (if using sour cream, don’t add it yet). Cover with a lid and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low and simmer gently, covered with a lid, until the potatoes are fork-tender, 25 to 30 minutes.
Step 3: Finish the Soup
Turn the heat off, and add the pickle brine, dill, and lots of black pepper. If using sour cream, add it now.
How to Serve Pickle Soup
I love to eat this topped with an extra heap of dill, plus crusty bread on the side.
Notes on Leftovers
The leftovers of this soup keep well, so you can certainly make it in advance. Store the soup in an airtight container in the fridge and eat within 4 days.
More Eastern European Recipes…
- Vegetarian Golubtsi (Cabbage Rolls)
- Vinegret (Beet Salad)
- Varenyky (Ukrainian Potato Dumplings)
- Vegetarian Borscht
Let me know if you try this recipe! Give it a rating below and leave a comment, and don’t forget to tag your creation with @thenewbaguette on Instagram.
The Full Recipe
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Polish Pickle Soup
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 4–6 servings 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Eastern European
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Dill pickle soup is a Polish cuisine staple designed to use up ingredients from the winter cellar.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 medium carrots (about 8 ounces), peeled and grated (2 cups grated)* [see note below]
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 large Russet potatoes (about 1 pound), peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 10 small Polish pickles, grated (about 1 packed cup)*
- 4 cups broth*
- 3/4 cup full-fat unsweetened coconut milk OR sour cream*
- 1/3 cup dill pickle brine from the jar
- 1/4 cup minced fresh dill
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the carrots and onions, plus 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Cook until the onions are translucent and the carrots are soft, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes. Don’t let the vegetables brown; if they are browning, reduce the heat.
- Next, add the potatoes, grated pickles, broth, and coconut milk (if using sour cream, add it in the next step instead). Cover with a lid and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat to low, and simmer gently with the lid on until the potatoes are fork-tender, 25 to 30 minutes.
- Turn the heat off and add the pickle brine, dill, lots of black pepper, and sour cream (if using). Taste and adjust the seasonings, if needed. Serve hot.
Notes
- To speed up the grating process, I use a food processor fitted with the shredding attachment to prep the carrots and pickles.
- Look for Polish/Ukrainian pickles in an Eastern European market, if you have access to one. Otherwise, any dill pickles whose flavor you like will do.
- You can use pretty much any broth you want here. (You can also make your own from vegetable scraps!) Alternatively, use Yondu or Better Than Bouillon diluted in water.
- Traditional Polish pickle soup has sour cream stirred through it at the end of cooking. For my dairy-free version, I use canned full-fat unsweetened coconut milk (the Thai variety).
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6 of the recipe
- Calories: 168
- Sodium: 820 mg
- Fat: 6.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 26 g
- Fiber: 5 g
- Protein: 2.9 g
Tami says
This soup is outstanding, Alex! Surprised how easy it was to make.
Alexandra Shytsman says
So glad you liked it!