This authentic, all-season Polish dill pickle soup (zupa ogorkowa) is a tangy, flavourful, hearty dish made using cucumbers pickled in seasoned brine (vinegar free). It's simple, easy to make and tastes fantastic the next day too! The post includes both vegetarian as well as meat versions.
Polish pickle soup (zupa ogorkowa) is a very popular dish in Poland. It can be made with or without meat. My main recipe is vegetarian but I've included instructions on how to make this soup with chicken in Recipe Notes at the bottom of the page.
Polish dill pickle soup ingredients
This recipe is essentially a basic root vegetable soup with added pickled cucumbers. It's simple, cheap and easy to make!
I used onion, leek, carrot and celeriac (these will add natural sweetness), some potatoes for bulk, and dill pickles along with a bit of brine. The pickles together with the vegetables as well as the stock will create a rich and flavourful dish so there is no need to really use any spices (apart from a bay leaf). But be generous with the pepper.
What type of dill pickles to use
The pickled cucumbers are the star of this soup so you need to make sure you buy the right kind. There are really 2 types of pickled cucumbers - some are pickled in vinegar while others in seasoned natural brine. This soup is made using the latter - read the label carefully and ensure there is NO VINEGAR in the product.
The reason is that cucumbers pickled in natural brine taste quite different from ones pickled in vinegar. So you would get very different soups. While both types of pickles are delicious, this particular soup requires dill pickles in brine. Otherwise it won't taste authentic.
Depending on where you live you might come across Pickled Gherkins or Dill Pickles but these may contain vinegar so to avoid confusion it is best to get 'ogá½¹rki kiszone' from your nearest Polish delicatessen. The ones I got looked like this:
The brine consists of a few spices, salt and water and it's additives free. Despite its simplicity it is full of flavour (if you like sour food you will love this product!).
Step-by-step recipe instructions
Polish dill pickle soup is incredibly easy to make! It does require a bit of chopping and grating but once you've prepped the vegetables it takes minutes to put together.
1.Start by gently frying the onion, leek and bay leaf in a bit of oil in a large pot until softened.
2. Add the carrot, celery, potatoes and dill pickles and cook for 5 more minutes stirring often.
3. Pour in the hot stock, dill pickle brine (add a little to start with and more later if needed), cover and bring to the boil, then simmer for about 50 minutes stirring occasionally.
4. Remove from the heat, stir in the butter (if using) and add more water/pickle brine if needed. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning as needed. Enjoy!
Serving suggestions
Polish dill pickle soup is often thickened with flour and served with sour cream, as are many other soups in Polish cuisine. However, since this particular recipe contains a generous amount of vegetables there was no need to thicken it. You can serve as it is, with sour cream or a splash of single cream/light cream to tone down the sourness. I also like this soup with a little butter (but this is optional).
You can also garnish this pickle soup with fresh parsley or chives and serve with fresh bread.
How to make a meat version of this soup
If you would like to make dill pickle soup with meat I recommend using a couple of chicken thighs, one chicken leg or about 3 chicken drumsticks (without the skin). Simply add the chicken into the pot along with the onion and leek. Then add all the other ingredients as per instructions.
Top tip
I do not recommend using chicken breast as the meat will be very dry after an hour of cooking. Alternatively cook the soup as per instructions and serve with leftover rotisserie chicken.
Top tips and FAQs
- You will need Polish dill pickles in brine (NOT in vinegar) to make this soup. They are available to buy from Polish delicatessens.
- Add a little dill pickle brine to start with. Add more towards the end of cooking, if needed.
- Because dill pickles are so flavourful this simple dish does not need much in the way of spices. Pepper will suffice. The pickles and stock both contain salt so you may not need to add any.
- Refrigerate for up to 4 days.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
What else can you do with dill pickles
In Poland dill pickles are often added to salads (thinly sliced or grated) or served as a condiment with meat dishes. You can add them to sandwiches, burgers, beet salad or potato salad.
You might also like
- Polish Sauerkraut Soup Recipe (Kapusniak)
- Polish Sorrel Soup (Zupa Szczawiowa)
- Vegetarian Borscht Soup (with Beans)
Check out also this collection of over 12 creamy vegan soups.
Keep in touch!
If you make this dill pickle soup recipe I'd love to know how it turned out for you. Let me know in the comments below, thanks!
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Polish Dill Pickle Soup (Ogorkowa Zupa)
Equipment
- Large pot
- Box grater or food processor
Ingredients
- 250 g dill pickles about 4 medium pickles, coarsely grated
- 120 ml dill pickle brine or more, according to taste
- 1 onion finely chopped
- ½ leek finely chopped
- 1 medium carrot peeled, coarsely grated
- 50 g celeriac peeled, coarsely grated
- 3 medium potatoes peeled, cubed
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 940 ml vegetable/chicken stock hot, adjust the amount to your preference
- Pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp butter optional
Instructions
- In a large pot heat up the oil, add the bay leaf, onion and leek, stir and cook over a medium heat for 3-4 minutes until soft.
- Add the celeriac, carrot, potatoes and dill pickles, stir and continue cooking for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Season with pepper, add the stock and pickle brine (a little to start with), stir, cover and bring to the boil then simmer for about 50 minutes (until the potatoes are soft).
- Remove from the heat, add the butter (if using), more water/pickle brine, if needed, stir and serve. See Notes below for making this soup using chicken as well as serving suggestions.
Notes
- You will need Polish dill pickles in brine (NOT in vinegar) to make this soup. They are available to buy from Polish delicatessens.
- Add a little dill pickle brine to start with. Add more towards the end of cooking, if needed.
- Because dill pickles are so flavourful this simple dish does not need much in the way of spices. Pepper will suffice. The pickles and stock both contain salt so you may not need to add any.
- If you would like to make this soup with meat I recommend using a couple of chicken thighs, one chicken leg or about 3 chicken drumsticks (without the skin). Simply add the chicken into the pot along with the onion and leek. Then add all the other ingredients as per instructions.
- I do not recommend using chicken breast as the meat will be very dry after an hour of cooking. Alternatively cook the soup as per instructions and serve with leftover rotisserie chicken.
- You can serve this dill pickle soup as it is, with sour cream or a splash of single cream/light cream to tone down the sourness. I also like this soup with a little butter (but this is optional). Garnish with fresh parsley or chives and serve with fresh bread.
- Refrigerate for up to 4 days.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is automatically generated and should be considered as an estimate.
**A note about baking: If using a fan-assisted oven refer to your appliance's instructions and adjust the temperature accordingly.
My neighborhood Polish deli Tuesday soup special is Ogórkowa. Now with this recipe I can mąkę it anytime and not have to wait for a Tuesday! Delicious!!!
Glad to hear it! Hope you enjoy the recipe:)
I have never heard of a dill pickle soup before but it sounds so good and I love reading new recipes! Happy Fiesta Friday 🙂
Thank you Petra, it is really tasty and easy to make too! Happy FF:)
This looks so interesting and delicious! I have never had a soup with dill pickles in it and I definitely want to make this for the family the next time I head to the grocery store. I've been trying to branch out when it comes to soups and entrees. Thank you for sharing!
Thanks Billy, glad you like it, just make sure you get the right dill pickles (in natural brine, not vinegar). Thanks for stopping by!
I'm such a vingera fiend I reckon I wouold love this!
Thanks Kat, yes, this soup is pretty sour:)
wow Monika..I have never ever had pickle soup and if I could try yours right now I know I would love it!
Thanks Zeba!
Sounds so good and healthy!
Thank you Nancy:)
Since being back in Britain, if I'm feeling homesick for Slavic lands, I just go to my local Polish supermarket, and spend a bit of time perusing the shelves, and listening to people chatting! And then I buy a block of fresh chałwa, a huge bunch of dill, some sauerkraut, veggies, and beans, then come home and make soup!
Not with chałwa though, ha ha!
I'm about to go there now to buy some dill pickles to make this awesome looking soup! Thanks so much for sharing! xx
Thanks Nico, there are so many international shops everywhere now there is virtually nothing we can't get here, which is great! I hope you like the soup, do let me know how it turns out:)
ANytime a non-Polak hears about pickle soup, they are weirded out..and everytime a non-POlak tries pickle soup...they wish they'd been Polish the entire time 😉
Najlepsza zupa! Sprobuje Pani przepis - ciekawy czy lepszy od przepisu mojej Babci i mojej Mamy.
<3
Great! If your babcia and mama made it with meat, as most people do, then it will be different. Hope you like it, smacznego:)
I lived in Poland for a couple of years when I was teaching English and I loved the sourness that you get in some Polish soups but I never had a clue how to recreate it. I didn't use to do much cooking at the time but would love to have a go at it now and bring back some memories. Thanks for sharing with #CookOnceEatTwice
I remember you mentioned you've spent some time in Poland. Glad to hear you liked the food, yes, there are a lot of sour recipes as Polish people love pickling:) most recipes are actually really easy to make, you just have to have the right ingredients - good thing there are Polish shops everywhere!
It's a blast from the past for me Monika! 🙂 I still very vividly remember my grandma's ogorkowa, it was the best and sadly I haven't had it for years now. Really like your veggie version, it looks and sounds delicious!
I know how you feel Jo, I also haven't had it in a long time, but it's great to go back to old flavours once in a while:)
Have never heard of dill pickle soup, but since I LOVE dill pickles, I'm sure I would love this soup. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for stopping by! This soup is very popular in Poland, always has been and it exists in various versions throughout Eastern Europe, and if you like dill pickled I know you'd love them in a soup too. If you make it I'd love to know how it turned out:)
Cant say that I have ever eaten pickle soup or much Polish food for that matter. It sounds really interesting I must try it. Thank you for linking to #CookBlogShare.
Thanks Jacqui, if we ever meet in person I'll make you a Polish dish:)
POlish dishes are the best. Most are so basic and actually come out of poverty...but they beat out so many other "haute" cuisine 😉 Try salata jarzynowa...mizeria...pulpety...szarlotka...sernik wiedenski (which is Polish-not-Polish haha)...oh so many good ones...zupa pomidorowa (with egg yolk to make it cream!)...pierogi with sauerkraut and mushrooms or pierogi with meat...or with fruit and topped with SWEET sour cream...ahhhhhh!!!!!
These are all fine dishes, I totally agree:)