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This easy dill pickle soup recipe is an unexpected yet comforting delight with an irresistibly creamy and tangy broth! It’s a hearty and filling soup with ham, potatoes, and fresh dill.
You may also like my Kielbasa Soup or Cabbage Soup with Bacon and Potatoes next.
Why you’ll love it
Dill pickle soup may seem a little unusual if you haven’t heard of it before. Obviously, you won’t like it if you don’t like pickles. But if you do like pickles, give it a chance! I promise it’s delicious. The savory broth is uniquely tasty, and everyone always wants seconds in my home.
I’ve been making my own simple take on classic Polish soup (zupa ogórkowa) for years now. My Czech mom makes pickle soup and so does our Polish friend, so it’s something that I enjoy often! I hope you find my version as scrumptious as I do for easy winter comfort food.
What you’ll need
- Olive oil – for sautéing
- Onion and garlic – tasty aromatics. I like using sweet (Vidalia) onions.
- Dill pickles and pickle juice – the star of the show! Use your favorite brand, and the pickle juice is simply the juice from the jar of pickles.
- Carrots and red potatoes – vegetable goodness
- Chicken broth – for more savory taste in the broth
- Worcestershire sauce – it’s one of my go-to flavor enhancers
- Fresh dill – for even more flavor and a pop of freshness
- Ham – for a special touch, ham adds a little smoked quality
- Sour cream – for creaminess
- Flour – to thicken the broth
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- I use this Dutch oven for this soup.
- Easily chop up the vegetables and ham with a chef’s knife.
- This ladle is my favorite since it’s sturdy and less messy than others.
How to make dill pickle soup
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
In a large pot, sauté the onions and carrots in the olive oil. Add the pickles, potatoes, broth, pickle juice, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, dill, and ham to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat.
Simmer until the potatoes are tender. In a small bowl, mix the flour into the sour cream until smooth. Add to the soup, and cook for another few minutes. Season with salt & pepper and more fresh dill if you like.
Substitutions and variations
- You could always use crumbled Oven Cooked Bacon in addition to/instead of the ham. Or, try a smoked sausage like Kielbasa.
- To make this a vegetarian dill pickle soup, omit the ham and Worcestershire sauce and add 1 tsp of smoked paprika for that smoky quality. Increase the veggies if desired.
- If unable to find fresh dill, start with 1 tsp dried dill and add more as needed.
What to serve with dill pickle soup
- It’s a filling soup with the ham and potatoes, so you can simply pair it with a slice of fresh crusty bread or a dinner roll. Or go all out with Cheesy Garlic Bread!
- For a salad, serve it along with mixed greens and this Homemade Ranch Dressing. Craving something different? This Creamy Pesto Dressing is a winner, or try this bright Honey Mustard Dressing.
Leftovers and storage
- This pickle soup makes amazing leftovers since the flavors intensify. Store in a covered container in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- Reheat over a low heat slowly until warmed through. Add a splash of chicken broth if needed.
- Freeze for up to 3 months. I like to use containers for individual portions.
If you made this creamy pickle soup recipe, please leave a star rating and review below! I’d love to hear from you. Tag me #saltandlavender on Instagram with your creations.
Dill Pickle Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 1 cup finely chopped dill pickles
- 1 medium carrot peeled & grated
- 3 large red potatoes (skins on) diced
- 2.5 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup pickle juice
- 3 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 handful fresh dill chopped
- 3/4 pounds ham diced
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon flour
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the olive oil, onion, and carrots to a soup pot. Sauté over medium-high heat for 5 minutes.
- Add the remaining ingredients except for the sour cream and flour. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to medium-low. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender.
- Mix the flour into the sour cream until you have a smooth mixture. Stir it into the soup and cook the soup for another 5 minutes. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Garnish with extra fresh dill if desired.
Notes
- This soup can turn out a bit salty for some people (depending on the salt in the pickle juice and ham) so I suggest using low-sodium chicken broth if that’s a concern for you.
- If using dried dill, start with 1 teaspoon and work your way up from there if needed.
- Serves 4-6.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This recipe was originally published on January 9, 2017. It’s been updated with new photos and better instructions but is the same great recipe!
Hi Natasha,
Due to the Stay at Home order, trying to cook from my freezer and pantry. I had Honey Baked Ham left over from New Years and pickles and potatoes. Just made this soup. OMG! So so yummy! Thanks for this great recipe. Stay safe and healthy.
Lynda
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Lynda!! You too! Thanks for leaving me a comment. XO
We love your recipe. I used this recipe in a soup cook-off last year at my work, and it won first place! I use homemade bone broth, and I don’t add salt, so it seems to do the trick to regulate the salt. Thanks for sharing!
Oh wow… I’m happy it won the contest! So glad you enjoy the recipe! 🙂
Had tried pickle soup a couple years ago in a restaurant and enjoyed it. Made this as an experiment. Had some homemade pickles that ended up being much too salty to eat from the jar. So the options were, soup or pig food. Soup WINS!
So happy you liked it!! Haha pig food… yes, I am glad you made the soup. 😀
I have a quart of buttermilk that needs to be used up. Do you think I could substitute it for the sour cream and just add a bit more flour to thicken? Or would that alter the flavor too much?
Hi Annie! I don’t cook with buttermilk too often, so I can’t say for sure, but it seems pretty ingenious to me, so I’d give it a go! 🙂
I’m wondering if I leave this to simmer for a few hours, will it turn out OK?
I’d say a low simmer with lid ajar would work fine. ❤️
A dear family friend made a potato casserole with dill pickles and spicy breakfast sausage. We could never find the recipe, so when I stumbled upon your dill pickle soup recipe it sounded like a soup version of her potatoes. I substituted sausage for the smoked ham and was so excited when I had a spoonful of the soup! It was amazing and tasted just like Elna’s potatoes. Thanks for sharing the recipe!
I’m so pleased you like it, Cindy!! I love the idea of adding sausage into this soup… I will have to try it.
OK, can I just say that looks insanely good? I love everything about this soup 😋
Thanks, Bobbi! You should definitely give it a try. 🙂
I made this with Turkey bone broth and smoked turkey meat ( I work at a restaurant that specializes in everything Turkey) and our garlic dill pickles… It was a big hit .
Love your twist on the recipe! Thanks for letting me know!
So. I have NEVER had Polish food until I made a best friend that is as Polish as Polish can be, living in Chicago. Everytime I go visit, he makes me all the Polish foods- and I come back craving his food lol! So went to Pinterest to get some recipes and found this.
Made it.
Ate it.
Holy Yum.
So then I shared it on my FB with all my very American, west coast friends and they all made it, and shared it. Repeat. You and your soup are near famous over here.
So why am I telling you this long ol story? I am Director of Content for Twin Cities Kids Club (located in MN, 7000 FB followers). We are writing a blog about yummy soups, and would like to mention this. We will link back to this blog and your FB and Instagram- if you need anymore from us please don’t hesitate to email me!
And for real- Thank you for the deliciousness.
Polish food is delicious, isn’t it?! So glad you liked this soup. And that you told all your friends haha. 🙂 Happy new year!!
Excellent! Made this with half homemade dills/juice and half Bick’s Garlic Dills/juice and simmered broth with ham bone.
Yay!! Thanks for leaving a comment.