If you are like my husband and I, and when looking for a quick snack open your fridge and grab a pickle from a jar to nosh on, then this soup was meant for you to enjoy. Its for the fellow pickle lovers and you probably clicked on this for a reason!
This is my take on the classic Polish standard soup “Zupa Ogórkowa”. Aka, polish dill pickle soup. Potatoes and carrots, and parsnips simmer in broth until tender, then grated fermented pickles and a good pour of their brine go in at the end. You end up with a sour yet savory broth that tastes just perfect in my opinion. In Poland it’s a regular humble home soup that is great for a cold day. It’s also very easy to make vegan, a plus around here! I finish mine with a dollop of vegan sour cream on top and skip the traditional flour roux, so it stays gluten free too. The potatoes thicken it plenty on their own, especially if you blend a part of it in the pot near the end (very satisfying, highly recommend!).
The key to this soup is, clearly, the pickles. Because of that, you want to make sure you buy the good kind — you know what I’m talking about too as a pickle connoisseur. The refridgerator section holds the key to the best pickles, with a brine that is a little bit cloudy is just right. Shelf-stable pickles with vinegar will technically work, but the soup comes out sharp and flat. You’ll end up adding brine by the spoonful chasing a flavor that never shows up if you do use that kind. Grate your refridgerator pickles on the big holes of a box grater or finely dice up, and save whatever juice runs onto the cutting board. That goes def needs in the pot too.
For the spices, I used bay leaves, one whole clove, and a few black peppercorns, but the original traditional version of this soup calls for allspice berries actually. Allspice as a whole is the traditional choice, so use it if it’s in your cabinet. It wasn’t in mine, and the clove and peppercorns gave it that same warm background note. Just fish the clove out before serving; biting into one is a choice nobody makes on purpose. A tea infuser makes this easy if you have one.
To serve, add a spoonful of vegan sour cream and plenty of fresh dill, then swirl it in as you eat. For a creamier, more traditional bowl, you can stir sour cream into the whole pot. Just temper it with a ladle of hot broth first so it doesn’t split. (Which can happen even with plant based kinds, just not as common!)
This soup is even better the next day, once the pickle flavor has had time to settle in. It keeps for about five days in the fridge, so one pot covers a good chunk of the week’s lunches. It will also freeze up well for the most part, so feel free to freeze any leftovers you haven’t eaten, too!
Polish Dill Pickle Soup (Zupa Ogórkowa)
Equipment
- Large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot (5 to 6 quart)
- Box grater
- Chef’s knife
- Cutting board
- Wooden spoon
- Ladle
- Measuring cups and spoons
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil 30ml / 27g
- 1 medium yellow onion diced (1 cup / 150g)
- 2 medium carrots coarsely grated (1 cup / 110g)
- 1 medium parsnip or parsley root coarsely grated (¾ cup / 85g)
- 2 garlic cloves minced (2 tsp / 6g)
- 1½ lb Yukon Gold potatoes peeled and cut into ½-inch cubes (~4 cups / 680g)
- 6 cups vegetable broth 1.4L / 1420g
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 whole allspice berries or ¼ tsp / 0.5g ground allspice, or 1 whole clove + 5 black peppercorns
- 6 medium fermented dill pickles coarsely grated (2 cups / 400g)
- 1 cup pickle brine to taste (240ml /240g)
- ¼ cup fresh dill chopped, plus more for serving (10g)
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper 0.6g
- ½ tsp fine sea salt adjusted to taste after the brine goes in (3g)
- ½ cup vegan sour cream for topping (120g)
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion with a pinch of salt and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent.
- Add the grated carrot and parsnip. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes until they start to soften. Stir in the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
- Add the potatoes, vegetable broth, bay leaves, and allspice. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 to 18 minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender.
- While the potatoes cook, grate the pickles on the large holes of a box grater. You can also finely dice them if needed. Save every drop of the liquid that collects on the board and add it to the brine.
- Once the potatoes are tender, add the grated pickles to the pot. Simmer for 10 minutes so the pickles soften and flavor the broth.
- Stir in ½ cup of the pickle brine. Taste, then add more brine until it’s as sour as you like. Season with black pepper. Taste again before adding any salt, since the pickles and brine bring plenty.
- Remove the bay leaves and allspice berries. For a thicker soup, you can immersion blend some of it should you prefer. Stir in the chopped dill.
- Ladle into bowls and top each with a dollop of vegan sour cream and more fresh dill. Then, enjoy!
Notes
Pickles: Use brine-fermented pickles from the refrigerated section, that is key. They’re what give this soup its flavor. Shelf-stable vinegar pickles will work, but the soup comes out sharper and less complex. Use less brine (more like a 1/3 cup) if you go that route.
Parsnip / Parsley root: Parsley root is traditional but hard to find, if ever in the US. Parsnip is the closest swap, and ½ cup grated celery root also works! Additional Cooking Tips
Add the pickles after the potatoes are tender. Acid slows down how fast potatoes soften, so if they go in together, you’ll be waiting a long time for firm potatoes to cook.
Hold off on salt until the end. The amount you need depends on how salty your pickles and brine are, and that varies a lot by brand.
Need it thicker without blending? Whisk 1 tbsp cornstarch into 2 tbsp cold water and stir it into the simmering soup. This keeps it gluten free, unlike the traditional flour roux. Keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. It tastes even better the next day. Freezes for up to 3 months, but the potatoes can turn a little grainy once thawed.
If you stirred sour cream into the pot, don’t freeze it, and reheat it gently without boiling so it doesn’t split. Add the sour cream topping when serving, not before storing.