The Wonderfully Delicious Sass of Dill Pickle Soup

Quick! Dig out the dill pickle jar hiding in the back of your fridge.

I confess — I am an obsessed lover of pickles. And so years ago when I stumbled upon a restaurant that was famous for their dill pickle soup — I was all in.

The unusual soup was creamy, slightly sour, and had a wonderful texture. I couldn’t wait to try making it at home. Because as much as I loved this soup — they charged $10 for an itty bitty bowl and I’m the kind of soup lover who needs a bowl the size of my head. Maybe you know how I feel.

And so the experimentation began. I’ve tried many varieties and brands and discovered I like a firmer pickle vs a mushy one. And I always make sure to buy a jar of snappy, garlic pickles made in the USA, or Canada or Poland. (The Polish really are rockstars with pickles. So make sure to read the back of the jar.)

When I made my first batch of dill pickle soup and offered it to a friend who claimed to love pickles— she acted strangely. She was being a fickle pickle friend.

Like I had offered her eye of newt from my cauldron.

Her eyebrows went up and she took the most ridiculously small amount on her spoon. I know I rolled my eyes at her.

And then her face lit up and I said, “Told you!” and I offered her a bowl the size of her head too. So if you’re having doubt about eating pickle soup — don’t worry — there’s hope for you yet.

The heat mellows the sourness from the pickles and don’t fall off your chair— but you even add whipping cream to this recipe. You read it here first. Plus pickles are healthy and good for you. So you will feel even more virtuous for cleaning out your fridge.

Dill pickles aren’t just for your pastrami sandwich or any other sandwich and always doomed to be “on the side”. Well — I believe dill pickles deserve to be the star. And they certainly shine in this soup.

This is easy to make, quick and delicious and definitely serve it with a thick gorgeous hunk of homemade bread.

But be prepared for the strange looks from your friends and family when you tell them what kind of soup you’re serving. If I were you — I’d tell them after.

Dill Pickle Soup

Serves 4. And it is easy to double the recipe.

2 liters of vegetable stock

2 sticks of celery diced small

2 medium peeled potatoes — diced small

2 medium carrots, shredded on a grater (smallish bits vs long strips)

8 medium dill pickles, shredded on a grater (smallish bits vs long strips)

1/2 cup whipping cream

salt and pepper to taste

Freshly chopped dillweed (but don’t spend $5 to get it)

Step 1: Saute celery in butter until translucent.

Step 2: Add vegetable stock with potato and carrot and simmer about 20 minutes until vegetables are fork-tender. DO NOT BOIL.

Step 3: Add dill pickle shreds. Stir in 1 tablespoon flour into a little water and stir into the soup. Return it back to a gentle simmer for five minutes until it slightly thickens. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Step 4: Just before serving, add whipping cream and warm gently. Finish the soup with fresh chopped dill (if you have it.)

Author’s Note: As you get braver you may want to add about 1/2 cup of the dill pickle brine to the soup if you’d like it to be a little sourer. But let’s start you out gently so you don’t have pickle face.

Thanks for reading! I have loads of food essays (delicious recipes too) and thoughtful and quirky simpler living essays waiting for you. (Well over 100 of them!) And this story caught the attention of NBC News In New York!