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Hearty delicious Easy Dill Pickle Soup is a Polish style home cooked soup loaded with potatoes, fresh dill, and tons of creamy flavor!
Sour and creamy don’t seem like they should go together, but when you taste this amazing soup – inspired by Polish pickle soups I’ve had when traveling in Poland – you’ll get why this indulgent soup is one of our family’s favorites! It’s interesting and delicious – and smells amazing when cooking (don’t worry, I actually hate the smell of pickles, but I was drooling over the smell of this amazing soup the whole time I made it.)
Don’t want all the extras in a recipe post? We provide a skip to recipe button in the top left corner, as well as a clickable table of contents, just below, to help make this page easier to navigate.
At Sweet C’s, I add lots of tips in all of my recipes – because I am a home cook without any formal training, and I find I am more confident making dishes when I understand why it works, and what each ingredient means to the flavor of a recipe. My goal is for even the most beginner home cook to feel empowered in the kitchen.
Table of Contents
How to Make Creamy Pickle Soup
First assemble the following ingrdients:
- Extra virgin olive oil (2 tbsp) – Provides a rich, fruity base for sautéing the vegetables and infusing the soup with depth.
- Leek (1) – Adds a mild, onion-like sweetness and earthy flavor to the broth.
- Carrots (1) – Bring natural sweetness and color that balance the tangy brine of the pickles.
- Celery (2) – Contributes a subtle herbal crispness and aromatic backbone to the soup.
- Onion, (1) – Deepens the savory flavor and forms a hearty foundation for the broth.
- Dill pickles (1 jar) – Deliver the signature tangy, briny punch that defines this unique soup.
- Garlic (6 cloves) – Infuses the broth with pungent, savory notes that enhance every layer of flavor.
- Potatoes (3 large) – Add body and creaminess, making the soup hearty and comforting.
- Dried marjoram (1 tbsp) – Lends a subtle woodsy, citrusy aroma that complements the pickles.
- Salt and pepper – Balance and sharpen the flavors, highlighting the tang and savoriness.
- Chicken stock (8 cups) – Creates a robust, savory base that ties together the vegetables and pickles.
- Heavy cream (¼ cup) – Softens the acidity of the pickles with a touch of richness and silkiness.
- Fresh dill (2 tbsp) – Brightens the soup with a fragrant, grassy freshness that enhances the pickle flavor.
Brown Veggies
Heat oil then add the leeks, carrots, celery, and onion. Cook till lightly browned. Add the garlic and diced pickles. Stir.
Season and Finish
Add the marjoram, potatoes, salt and pepper and stir. Add in the jar juice and boil till potatoes are soft, mash some and stir well. Turn off the stove and stir in cream to thicken, top with fresh dill.
Tips and Tricks for Pickle Soup
This soup is simple and easy to make, but we’ve added some modifications, tips, and tricks to make it perfect every time.
Instant Pot Modification
If you’d like to make this dill pickle recipe in an Instant Pot, please follow these steps:
- Add all ingredients to the pot except heavy cream.
- Put the lid on the pot and set the steam release knob to seal.
- Press the Pressure Cook/Manual button or dial, then the + or – button or dial to choose 5 minutes, on high pressure.
- When the cook time is finished, let the pot release naturally for 10 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, turn the steam release knob to the vent position, until fully released.
- With an immersion blender or potato masher, smush potatoes. There should be lumps, but some should be blended.
- Whisk in cream, whisk vigorously to combine.
- Set instant pot to simmer and cook on medium to bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
- When soup has boiled and thickened, turn off heat and serve.
- Garnish with fresh sliced pickles and fresh dill.
How To Store Dill Pickle Soup – Store soup in an airtight container for up to four days. Store in an airtight container or plastic bag for up to four months. Store in a plastic bag, and lay flat in freezer until frozen. This will help soup freeze in a thin even layer that thaws evenly.
How To Reheat Dill Pickle Soup – Reheating this dill pickle soup from the refrigerator or the freezer is a snap – and unlike many recipes, tastes great from the microwave as well as the stovetop. Let soup thaw fully before reheating – simply place in the refrigerator overnight to thaw.
In the microwave: In a microwave safe bowl, heat for one minute, then stir. Heat for additional 1-2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds, until piping hot. Serve topped with 1 sliced dill pickle, or dill pickle chips and a bit of fresh dill.
On the stovetop– In a small pot, add 2tbsp water or stock to bottom of pan, stirring soup in slowly. Bring to a boil, then top with 1 sliced dill pickle and a bit of fresh dill.
FAQs
When soup has thickened and potatoes are soft, soup is done.
Sausage or ground beef is a great hearty addition to this soup!
This soup can be stored for up to four days in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
This soup can be frozen for up to four months.
What To Serve With Dill Pickle Soup
A creamy and sour soup can be a bit tricky to pair perfectly – but no worries, I have a few excellent recipes to go alongside this dill pickle soup recipe – including an artisan style bread bowl you can hollow out and serve it in!
To Try The Keto Version – My Easy Keto Dill Pickle Soup – click here.
If you’d like to try your hand at making your own pickles, try this super simple Easy Fridge Pickles recipe, too!
You can find our complete side dish recipe archives here.
Inspired by Travel to Poland
This pickle soup is based off many of the pickle and rye soups my husband and I have tried in Poland – pickle soup is one of his favorite things to eat when we visit Poland.
To see more from some of our travels around Poland, check out some of our favorite trips and Polish recipe inspiration here:
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Easy Dill Pickle Soup Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil or butter
- 1 leek, just the white and light green parts, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 jar dill pickles, diced (save one to slice into thin rounds to garnish, as pictured)
- 6 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 3 large potatoes, peeled and diced into 1″ chunks
- 1 tbsp dried marjoram
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 8 cups chicken stock
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh dill
- optional: pork or chicken bones
Instructions
On The Stovetop:
- In a large dutch oven or heavy stock pot, heat oil or butter and heat on medium high until shiny/melted – about 35 seconds.
- Add leek, carrots, celery, and onion.
- Cook until softened and lightly browned, about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning.
- Add garlic and continue to brown vegetables until garlic is soft and fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Add diced pickles, stir. Set pickle juice aside – do not drain.
- Add marjoram, potatoes, salt and pepper, stir.
- Add in pickle jar juice and stock and bring to a boil.
- Optional: for traditional Polish flavor, add chicken or pork bones to soup while boiling (remove before serving, this is just for additional hearty flavor).
- Let soup boil until slightly reduced and potatoes are soft.
- Lightly mash potatoes in soup with back of a spoon or a potato masher, there should still be chunks – but we want slightly smashed boiled potatoes for a lovely thick soup.
- Stir well to mix.
- Turn stove off.
- Stir in cream, whisking to combine as it is added.
- Return heat to pan and bring back to boil.
- Reduce heat and let thicken, about five minutes.
- Serve with thin slices of pickle and fresh minced dill.
In the Instant Pot:
- Add all ingredients to the pot except heavy cream.
- Put the lid on the pot and set the steam release knob to seal.
- Press the Pressure Cook/Manual button or dial, then the + or – button or dial to choose 5 minutes, on high pressure.
- When the cook time is finished, let the pot release naturally for 10 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, turn the steam release knob to the vent position, until fully released.
- With an immersion blender or potato masher, smush potatoes. There should be lumps, but some should be blended.
- Whisk in cream, whisk vigorously to combine.
- Set instant pot to simmer and cook on medium to bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
- When soup has boiled and thickened, turn off heat and serve.
- Garnish with fresh sliced pickles and fresh dill.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
