This Polish Dill Pickle Soup recipe (Zupa Ogórkowa) is a hearty, creamy soup perfect for enjoying on a crisp autumn day! You can make it with these Zesty Refrigerator Dill Pickles or your favorite store-bought pickles.
Zupa ogórkowa, which means, "cucumber soup" in Polish, is a comforting, pickley soup. Unlike Ukrainian Borscht, which can be served both hot or cold, this soup is served hot, making it a delicious lunch or dinner option on chilly days!
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😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This Polish dill pickle soup recipe is so easy, anyone can make it!
- The ingredients for zupa ogórkowa are inexpensive, and most are common household ingredients.
- This is a great soup for kids, especially if they love pickles!
- This traditional Polish soup is great for using up vegetables before they go bad.
🛒 What You Need For This Recipe
🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Dill Pickles: Homemade or storebought are both fine.
- Pickle brine: You can substitute white distilled vinegar.
- Veggies: Fresh carrot, celery, and a yellow or white onion.
- Potato: I use 1 Yukon gold potato because they're creamy and don't need to be peeled. You can use more than 1 potato if you want, or substitute with russets.
- Sour cream: Feel free to substitute with heavy whipping cream.
- Cornichons (optional): These add a very slight sweetness and depth of flavor to the soup. If you choose to omit them, you may want to add a pinch or two of sugar to the soup.
- Dill Havarti: You can also use plain Havarti, queso quesadilla, or any of your favorite creamy-melting cheeses.
- Chicken broth: If you prefer, you can use vegetable broth.
- Spices: Salt, black pepper, mustard seed, smoked paprika, bay leaf, and dried thyme (fresh is also fine).
- Butter & flour: For making a roux to thicken the soup.
- Cold smoked salmon: I like to top each serving with a bit of smoked salmon, but you can omit or top with bacon, ham, chicken, or jammy boiled eggs.
*A full list of ingredients can be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post!
🥒 How To Make Zupa Ogórkowa
Step 1: Dice 1 Yukon gold potato and add to pot along with water and ½ tablespoon salt. Boil for 20 minutes, then strain and set aside. While potato is boiling, chop carrots, celery, and half an onion and add to a large pot or Dutch oven along with salt, pepper, smoked paprika, thyme, and a bay leaf.
Step 2: Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and 2 tablespoon unsalted butter to the pot, then sauté vegetables over low-medium heat for about 5 minutes or until celery and onion begin turning translucent. Add minced garlic and toast for 30 seconds, then add diced potatoes to the pot, along with 2 tablespoon flour. Stir to create a roux.
Step 3: Add chopped dill pickles, cornichons, chicken broth, dill pickle juice, mustard seeds, and fresh dill to the pot, then cover and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. Grate havarti cheese and add to the pot along with sour cream and stir until cheese is melted and ingredients are combined.
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Step 4: Plate and top each serving with a scoop of sour cream, more fresh dill, and 1 ounce of cold smoked salmon.
🍲 More Tasty Soups To Try
Looking for more cozy, comforting soups? Try these delicious & hearty recipes!
- Mexican Bean Soup
- Lemon Coriander Soup With Chicken
- Meatball Soup
- Chili Poblano Soup (Crema De Poblano)
- Tom Kha Gai
- Creamy Potato Leek Soup With Bacon
- Roasted Pumpkin Soup
- Creamy Turkey Soup
🤷🏻♀️ FAQs
Polish dill pickles are typically made with spices like mustard seeds, garlic, and peppercorns, which gives them a more complex flavor than regular dill pickles. They are also often made with a stronger vinegar and fermented in wooden barrels which gives them more of a sour taste.
Gherkins are pickles made with young cucumbers, which are much smaller than normal pickles. Cornichons are a type of gherkin that tastes sweet and are flavored with tarragon.
👩🏻🍳 Pro Tips
- You can serve this Polish dill pickle soup recipe alongside a slice of lightly toasted sourdough bread for an even more filling meal.
- Store leftovers Zupa Ogórkowa in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- If you plan on freezing some of the soup, I recommend doing so before you add sour cream and cheese since dairy based soups don't freeze well!
🍽 Related Recipes
If you enjoy this Zupa Ogórkowa recipe, you may like these related recipes!
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📖 Recipe
Zupa Ogórkowa (Polish Dill Pickle Soup)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Yukon gold potato
- 1 tablespoon iodized salt (divided)
- 2 carrots
- 2 celery stalks
- ½ medium yellow onion
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 tablespoon flour
- 1 cup dill pickles
- ¼ cup cornichons (optional)
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup pickle brine
- 1 tablespoon mustard seeds
- ¼ cup fresh dill
- 1 cup dill havarti
- 1 cup sour cream
- 4 oz cold smoked salmon
Instructions
- Dice 1 Yokon gold potato and add to pot along with water and ½ tablespoon salt. Boil for 20 minutes, then strain and set aside. While potato is boiling, chop carrots, celery, and half an onion and add to a large pot or dutch oven along with salt, pepper, smoked paprika, thyme, and a bay leaf.
- Add 1 tablespoon olive oil and 2 tablespoon unsalted butter to the pot, then sauté vegetables over low-medium heat for about 5 minutes or until celery and onion begin turning translucent. Add minced garlic and toast for 30 seconds, then add diced potatoes to the pot, along with 2 tablespoon flour. Stir to create a roux.
- Add chopped dill pickles, cornichons, chicken broth, dill pickle juice, mustard seeds, and fresh dill to the pot, then cover and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes. Grate havarti cheese and add to the pot along with sour cream and stir until cheese is melted and ingredients are combined.
- Plate and top each serving with a scoop of sour cream, more fresh dill, and 1 ounce of cold smoked salmon.
Notes
-
- You can serve this dill pickle soup alongside a slice of lightly toasted sourdough bread for an even more filling meal.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- If you plan on freezing some of the soup, I recommend doing so before you add sour cream and cheese since dairy based soups don't freeze well!
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