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I have been wanting to make dill pickle soup for as long as I can remember, since my mom mentioned to me in passing that she loved a certain dill pickle soup from a diner in central Alberta. This desire was rekindled when I saw a picture from a fellow Albertan food writer about her dill pickle soup this summer.
I was intrigued by people’s response to it. Loved it? Favorite soup? Gross?
Say what?
Yes indeed, dill pickle soup elicits a love or hate reaction from people, there is no in-between.
When Mike ate this – with his nose wrinkled up in disgust at the mere thought of dill pickle soup- he exclaimed after a few bites “This is just like eating dill pickle chips! Oh my God, this is amazing!”.
So if you are a lover of dill pickle chips, this soup is absolutely for you. If you love pickles, you may not love it like Mike did but I think that you should definitely try this soup. Fair warning, this may not be kid friendly.My daughter wouldn’t touch this with a ten foot pole and my son told me “It’s good in small amounts, but then it was overpowering.”
He’s absolutely right; this isn’t something you eat to fill up. You are going to need biscuits or bread with it as it’s a very potent soup. Delicious, but potent.
I riffed on the Western Producer recipe that was posted this summer and made a few tweaks. I didn’t use flour, I didn’t use celery (it’s my least favorite item in soups) and I’ve upped the pickles and juice for a better flavor. Cream always makes a soup better, you use less and it gives the soup a much richer flavor.
The most important thing with this soup is to get the vegetables chopped as small as possible. It’s not supposed to be a chunky soup and even though chunky soups are my absolute favorite, this is definitely not the soup for it. It needs to be creamy with small bits of pickles and vegetables.
So about that celery; I honestly don’t think that flavorwise it needs to be there. Texture-wise I’m completely grossed out even thinking about it but if you are a celery lover and you feel that this soup needs it, then go for it. If I really thought it needed the flavor I would have used some celery seed but in all honesty this was perfect for us. I won’t tweak this recipe, change any amounts ever and that is a rare thing for me to say.
You can make a few changes, like adding cornstarch to thicken at the end (try not to use flour, am I the only one who can taste it in soups sometimes?) and adding more cream if the soup is a little too strong for you. Taste test and add what you need.
I highly suggest pureeing the soup at the end instead of using thickeners and you have a lovely gluten free soup (make sure that your pickles and vegetable broth are gluten free). If you chop your vegetables small enough those potatoes are going to fall apart and thicken the soup for you and that’s the best way flavor-wise.
So.
Who’s on board with trying this soup? Yay or nay? Will you trust me enough to give it a whirl?
Love,
Karlynn
(P.S, if you still need to use up some pickles, try making some Fried Pickles!)
Dill Pickle Soup
- Prep Time
- 15 minutes
- Cook Time
- 8 hours
- Total Time
- 8 hours 15 minutes
- Course
- Soup
- Cuisine
- American
- Servings
- 6
- Calories
- 147
- Author
- Karlynn Johnston
Ingredients
- 6 cups strong vegetable broth
- 1/2 white onion
- 12 baby carrots
- 2 peeled medium to large russet potatoes cut into chunks
- 2 tablespoons dried dill
- 1 cup chopped pickles
- 1 cup pickle juice
- 1 cup half and half warmed
Instructions
- Pour the vegetable broth into a crockpot and set on low.
- Take the potatoes, carrots and onion and using a food processor, grind until the vegetables are in small chunks. Alternatively, chop up your vegetables as small as you can. This soup should be a smooth soup, not chunky.
- Place into the crockpot and add the dill.
- Cook on low for 6-8 hours until the vegetables are tender and falling apart.
- Around half an hour before serving, add in the pickle and the pickle juice. MAKE SURE that your vegetables are cooked or the acid can stop the cooking process (just like it does in pickling!) and you will have hard vegetables. Add in the pickle juice slowly and TO TASTE. You can have different strengths of pickle juice! Add it in until you are happy with the taste.
- Take a hand blender if you have one and blend about 1/3 of the soup before serving. This thickens the soup without flour and I think this adds to the taste; there’s no flour taste in the soup, just pure pickled goodness. I try to avoid flour whenever I can in soups.
- Stir in the WARM half and half cream a few minutes before serving.
- Serve and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
All calories and info are based on a third party calculator and are only an estimate. Actual nutritional info will vary with brands used, your measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
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Stacie Ward says
My kids are going to love you for this recipe!!
The Kitchen Magpie says
That was a one off at a garage sale lol!
Trent Grant says
Melissa Grant
Cyndy-Lou S. Hancock says
My mom use to have a set of those green plates … \U0001f609\U0001f43e
Krystal Ivy says
Leave pickles as is
Jenn Smith says
Lynn White Jeff White
Ashley Meek says
One of my favourites!
EliasRufus says
Karlynn, I would absolutely love to try this dill pickle soup! My wife now knows what to surprise me with one of these coming dinners. She does such a great job in preparing unique and creative meals. I absolutely love that about her. I’ve always preferred pickles over candy bars, so this should fit my taste buds very well. I would assume that the kosher pickles would have a better and stronger taste.
Becky Gleeson says
Laura Roinila you should try this:)
Fisherman420 says
The dill pickle soup at Huckleberry’s in Wetaskiwin got me hooked and was my favorite until I started making my own with your recipe….U use a wee bit of bacon and hamburger as well being a man and all…..Thanks for sharing….Great success!
The Kitchen Magpie says
Only try it if you love dill pickle chips! I think that’s the determining factor lol!
Alyssa Sirr says
I’ve loved some of your other recipes you’ve posted. I’ll try it for sure!
KarenBeckCrossman says
This is definitely one of the most bizarre soups I’ve ever seen…. but I am very very intrigued!!! 🙂
The Kitchen Magpie says
No. I just use a Superstore brand in my soup. Just adjust accordingly at the end taste-wise. Add the juice until it tastes just right for you!
Nicole Ebbesen Rowan says
okay, since it’s a crockpot recipe, I have to go to Sobeys in my jammies. Luckily I don’t know *anyone* in Beaumont. Do you recommend a particular brand of pickles?
The Kitchen Magpie says
Let me know if you try it!
Kimberly J. Stonehouse says
It looks yummy
The Kitchen Magpie says
I’ve never eaten it, so I had no taste comparison! Let me know if it’s close!
David Dickinson says
I will try this and compare it the one at Continental Treat. I will probably like them BOTH!!
LocketUpLady says
KitchenMagpie YUMMMM!!!
KitchenMagpie says
LocketUpLady It was SO good!!
The Kitchen Magpie says
I dunno…your lack of pickle love is telling..(telling of what, I don’t know)
The Kitchen Magpie says
You of all people should be adventurous enough to try this!
Pamela Marriott says
Can we still be friends?
Pamela Marriott says
Sorry. Ewwww
The Kitchen Magpie says
Try less of the juice and add to taste with homemade pickles for sure. Maybe try half a cup to start and if there’s not ebough flavor try adding another half a cup of actual pickles instead of more juice. You may have to play with it a bit!
Arleigh Gladwin Stockwell says
I want to. But I’m afraid. And the pickles I made this summer have a lot of vinegar, I’m not sure the juice would be quite right. I could cut it with something?
newcybersol says
KitchenMagpie Have you tried it at ctfinebistro So so good. I will have to try your recipe cause I love it.
KitchenMagpie says
newcybersol ctfinebistro No, I went off no comparisons LOL! This was my first time ever tasting it or making it!
newcybersol says
KitchenMagpie ctfinebistro Well you must try it…you will love it. They also have a great potato sauerkraut soup. #WantSoupNow
Shelley Jones says
I will for sure. 🙂 You know how long I’ve been waiting for this…lol and when it comes to soup days are like months. Soup is the best food!
The Kitchen Magpie says
It’s only been a few days LOL! You are so funny!! Let me know what you think!
Shelley Jones says
OMG! Finally!!!