Are you a pickle nut like me? Then you need to make this soup, like right now. I did not know dill pickle soup existed until my family went to a restaurant called The Fountain on Locust for my sister’s birthday a few months back. It’s one of their specialties. Thick and creamy from the potatoes, with lots of saltiness from the pickles, and the fresh tang of dill — it was clearly a dish I needed to add to my repertoire. I finally got around to making it. I like my version even more. ;)
(If you’re in St. Louis and looking for a fun restaurant, definitely check The Fountain on Locust out. It’s a soda fountain with neat art deco decor, a million delicious drinks, and a gluten-free menu.)
- 1 1/2 pounds starchy or all-purpose potatoes (4 medium sized), peeled and cubed
- 1/2 medium onion, diced
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1-2 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth or water
- 1/2 cup pickle brine
- 8 ounces dill pickle spears (7-8 spears), diced
- 1/2 ounce fresh dill (1/2 cup), de-stemmed and coarsely chopped
- Heat a medium-sized pot with a lid over medium heat. Film the pan with oil. Once hot, add the onions. Cook for 4-5 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic, cook until fragrant, around 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Add the potatoes, broth, and pickle brine. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until potatoes are tender, 10-15 minutes.
- Transfer soup to a blender (or use an immersion blender) to blend until smooth. If using a standing blender, remove the middle piece from the lid and cover with a towel to allow steam to escape while blending.
- Return pureed soup to the pot. Add in pickles and dill. Cook until heated through, about 5 minutes, and serve. Garnish with extra pickles or dill if desired.
(Serves 4)
Remember that the pickles and brine are pretty salty, so you don’t want to use a really salty broth. I actually used these vegan boullion cubes at half strength.
When blending the soup, you want to stop when it is just pureed. The soup can end up kind of gummy if you blend it for too long.
I’m also sharing this recipe in Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Hearth and Soul Hop, Gluten-Free Wednesdays, Whole Food Wednesdays, Full Plate Thursdays, and Wellness Weekends.
as a Polish girl, I grew up on this soup!…i have not had this since i was younger–now i am 40–thanks for the trip down memory lane…i have to make this for my girls
I didn’t know it was a Polish thing until I did some online searching and every recipe listed it as “Polish dill pickle soup.”
Oh, this soup sounds like just the thing for my salty cravings. Yum. And I’ll definitely stop by The Fountain on Locust when I’m visiting St. Louis in a couple of weeks!
Hope you enjoy it!
Wow – as a self professed pickle addict I am totally intrigued by this soup! I have never seen anything like it. I definitely will be trying this! It looks amazing.
I was super excited when I first saw it. I don’t think I’d ever seen a recipe that involved pickles before.
I am so excited to try this! Of everything we ate in St. Louis, this was my favorite. Off to buy potatoes…
Awesome, another vote of confidence for The Fountain on Locust.
You can make soup out of pickles? I kind of feel like this is a secret that’s been kept from me. I won’t take it personally.
Me too.
How fun Kalinda. I’ve never had a Dill Pickle soup before, but you’ve got me interested in trying! It looks beautiful and delicious.
I’m hosting Whole Food Wednesdays at Beyond The Peel. The page will be going up tonight but this is the link if you’d like to come over and share.
http://www.beyondthepeel.net/2012/01/whole-food-wednesdays-curried-lentil-soup.html
Thanks France, I’ll check it out.
Your soup look lovely, Kalinda! I never even knew such a thing existed as dill pickle soup, and I’m very intrigued at the idea. Mostly because I love dill pickles…I made some homemade recently and they were super crunchy…I’ll have to make them again and try them with this soup :)
Super crunchy is the best. That’s one of the great parts about the soup, the pickles aren’t really cooked so they stay crunchy.
Hi Kalinda, I saw this recipe over on France’s site, Beyond the Peel, and my heart is still racing :). I absolutely love the fresh dill and pickles (how great is that!), and I know my whole family will adore this too! I may sub sweet potato (just because I’m odd that way) but cannot way to try your gorgeous soup! Thank you for the inspiration.
I can’t get an idea in my head of what sweet potatoes and pickles would taste like. Guess I’ll to try it out. And I’d love to hear how it goes if you give it a try.
I’ve never heard of dill pickle soup. It sounds delicious! I had fried pickles for the first time a couple of years ago and became addicted immediately. I have this feeling that this soup could be another addiction. :) I found you through Miz Helen’s.
I think I’ve had fried pickles once, but yeah, it’s pickles so they’re great.
Hi Kalinda,
This is my kind of soup, I can’t wait to get into the pickle jar and make this awesome soup. Thank you so much for sharing with our 1st Anniversary Party at Full Plate Thursday. Have a great week end and come back soon!
Miz Helen
Wishing you many more years!
Hi Kalinda, Thanks for stopping by and sharing this recipe with us at WFW. Your post was very popular! Have a great weekend.
Woohoo!
The Fountain sounds like such a cool restaurant, and I just love the idea of this Dill Pickle Soup! Dill Pickles are not easily available in England, so I really look forward to them when I visit Canada and the US. Thank you for sharing this unique and delicious sounding recipe with the Hearth and Soul Hop!
I did not know that about dill pickles. I guess you can always make your own. (That probably sounds like a lot of trouble to some, but if you really like pickles, it’s not really that hard.)
I have been all over pickles lately and this looks like a wonderfully creamy soup with the vinegary tang from the pickles.. Looks wonderful!!
Yes, the creaminess and the tanginess together are great.
What a fascinating soup! I bet this is so refreshing and delicious. Thanks for sharing this recipe with the Hearth and Soul Hop.
I have never had dill pickle soup, but your photos and the fact that it contains potatoes makes me sure I would enjoy it.
I live close to Hamtramck, and Dill Pickle Soup is a delicacy at many of the restaurants there. This recipe lives up to that quite well (although I did add a dollop of sour cream when I served it). Thank you for this easy recipe!!
Thank you! I’ll have to try the sour cream the next time I make it.