Dill Pickle Soup

This vegan and gluten free dill pickle and potato soup is next level comfort food! It's creamy, rich, packed with vegetables and a unique recipe perfect for any pickle lover.

This vegan dill pickle soup is life changing.

Hyperbole?

Maybe. But also maybe not.

Seriously, my dear readers, I was pretty skeptical when my mom first proposed the idea of pickle soup, but I was blown away by how much I loved it. Even my notoriously picky husband was wowed. That's the ultimate approval!

When you really think about it, the idea isn't all that crazy. It's not like we just took a bunch of pickles, threw them in a blender and called it soup. There are plenty of other ingredients (like potatoes) to tame the flavor and add creaminess and flavor.

Dill pickles add the perfect amount of tanginess, acidity and freshness that really makes this soup stand out. Our whole family is obsessed with pickles (especially my dad), so we devoured a double batch embarrassingly quickly. Highly suggest giving this a try!

Dill Pickle Soup Ingredients

This soup is a bit unusual, as it involves making a quick batch of easy mashed potatoes and then stirring those into the rest of the soup. The soup is not pureed, but we vastly preferred the texture when the potatoes are mashed instead of cubed, which is the reason for the extra step.

This allows for a creamy, thick base that's impossible to replicate with just broth. Plus, you can multi-task and make the potatoes while you get the rest of the soup going.

With that in mind, here's what you'll need for each part of the recipe:

Potatoes

• Yukon Gold Potatoes: our favorite choice for a creamy soup. Russets are a bit too starchy and red potatoes are not a great choice for mashing. We usually peel them, but it's up to you. Cube and boil in salted water until tender.
• Vegan Sour Cream: there are tons of great vegan sour cream alternatives out there, made with anything from almonds to tofu. We've had success with just about all of them, so choose whatever you can find.
• Vegan Cream Alternative: we often use this plain vegan creamer in savory recipes, but there are a few other heavy cream alternatives on the market that will also work well. Whatever you choose, make sure that it's unsweetened and unflavored!
• Dill: fresh or dried both work. Of course we always prefer fresh, but it's not always realistic.

Boil your potatoes in salted water until tender, then drain, mash and stir in the sour cream, cream and dill. While the potatoes are boiling, get started on the rest of the soup...

Soup base

• Olive oil or butter: either works. We usually go for olive oil.
• Onion: finely diced yellow or white onion works best. You can also sub with 1 ½ cups diced leeks.
• Carrot: finely diced carrot adds so much to this soup! You could also add celery if desired.
• Kosher Dill pickles: any variety will do, but the higher quality, the better. We have a soft spot for anything from Bubbies – their kosher dills are the BEST. They also have a dill pickle relish that's insanely good.
• Pickle juice from aforementioned pickles. Adds the perfect amount of acidity.
• Vegetable Broth: we used regular. If you use low sodium, you may want to increase salt slightly.
• Salt, pepper and optional hot sauce: a dash of tabasco or another vinegar-based hot sauce adds the perfect finishing touch, IMHO.

The final product is a creamy, yet not fully puréed soup that's absolutely packed with flavor!

How to store & freeze

Let the soup cool completely to room temperature before transferring to an airtight container. Refrigerate for 4-6 days or freeze for up to 6 months.

When you're ready to use it, let the soup defrost overnight in the refrigerator. Gently simmer over low heat until completely defrosted. You may need to add more vegetable broth to loosen it up.

Serving suggestions

Serve alongside a refreshing salad, like this roasted beet kale salad or this Greek chickpea salad. Or, go super simple with lightly dressed greens. I love tossing arugula in some olive oil, lemon juice or red wine vinegar, salt and pepper. Simple and delicious!

Alternatively, get extra cozy with homemade bread. We have our eye on this homemade sourdough from Bella at Ful-Filled!

More creamy vegan soup recipes

• Lemon Rice Soup
• Creamy Cauliflower Potato Soup
• Coconut Curry Squash Soup
• Red Lentil Soup
• Creamy Broccoli Potato Soup
• Roasted Beet Soup

If you make this vegan and gluten free dill pickle soup recipe, we’d love for you to leave a comment and rating below! We also love to see your creations on Instagram – tag us at @crowded_kitchen so we can see what you’ve been cooking.

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