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.
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Zupa ogórkowa, which means, "cucumber soup" in Polish, is a comforting, pickle soup. Unlike Ukrainian Borscht, which can be served both hot or cold, Zupa Ogórkowa is served hot, making it a delicious lunch or dinner option on chilly days!
You may have noticed that we've been on a dill pickle kick lately with our dill pickle pizza, dill pickle chopped salad, and now a dill pickle soup! We can't help it, we love anything tangy and sour. So if you're a pickle enthusiast like us, be sure to try this Zupa Ogórkowa recipe. It will not disappoint!
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😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This Polish dill pickle soup recipe is so easy that anyone can make it!
- The ingredients for zupa ogórkowa are inexpensive, and most are common household ingredients.
- This dill pickle soup 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.
🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Dill Pickles: Homemade or store-bought 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 it or top it 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 the 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.
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 soup 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
- Roasted Tomato Pepper Soup
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
Polish dill pickles are typically made with spices like mustard seeds, garlic, and peppercorns, which give 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 is 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 leftover Zupa Ogórkowa in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- If you plan on freezing some of the dill pickle soup, I recommend doing so before you add sour cream and cheese, since dairy-based soups don't freeze well!
🍽 More Soup Recipes
If you enjoy this Zupa Ogórkowa recipe, you may like these related recipes!
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📖 Recipe
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Zupa Ogórkowa (Polish Dill Pickle Soup)
Ingredients
Equipment
Method
- 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.
Nutrition
Notes
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- 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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