A white bowl of pickle soup with diced potato and shredded pickle, with a spoon on a linen napkin

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Zupa Ogorkowa (Polish Dill Pickle Soup)

Name: Zupa Ogorkowa (Polish Dill Pickle Soup)
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Polish
Ingredients: 250 g pork shoulder or loin (about 9 oz, chopped small; optional); 2 tbsp butter; 2 stalks celery (halved lengthwise, then finely chopped); 1/2 yellow onion (chopped semi-finely); 2 cloves garlic (minced, about 1 tsp); 1/2 tsp fine sea salt (plus more to taste); 1/2 tsp black pepper (plus more to taste, freshly ground); 1 1/2 L water (about 6 cups); 1/4 tsp Maggi seasoning (a few drops); 3 allspice berries (whole); 2 bay leaves; 2 carrots (cut in half); 300 g potato (1 large, peeled and cut into small cubes); 400 g ogorki kiszone (14 oz, salt-brined fermented pickles, coarsely shredded); 120 ml pickle brine (1/2 cup, from the jar, plus more to taste); 2 bouillon cubes; 1 tbsp Vegeta (or other vegetable seasoning blend); 1 tsp white vinegar; 2 tbsp fresh dill (chopped)

Prep 20 min Cook 40 min Total 1 hr Servings 6

By Lukasz Jagiello

Published Sep 19, 2026 · Updated Oct 28, 2026

Recipe

About this recipe

A tangy, savory soup of shredded salt-brined pickles with potatoes, carrots, celery, allspice, bay and fresh dill, plus optional browned pork. Shredding the pickles spreads their sour taste through every spoonful. Adding the pickle brine a little at a time lets you match the sharpness of each jar. It tastes better the next day and freezes fairly well. Ready in about 1 hour.

Tip: This soup needs pickles fermented in salt brine, not the kind packed in vinegar. The brine is what carries the soup's flavor. Shred the pickles instead of dicing them so they spread evenly through the broth. Add the brine a little at a time, tasting as you go, since jars vary a lot in salt and sourness.

Equipment used in this recipe

box graterView on Amazon
Shreds a block of cheese fast and evenly, without the mess of pre-shredded bags.

Techniques in this recipe

Notes & swaps

Use ogorki kiszone, the salt-brined fermented kind sold in Polish and Eastern European shops, not ogorki konserwowe packed in vinegar. Vinegar pickles make the soup harsh and one-note, and the brine is what carries the flavor here.
Add the brine in stages and taste between each. Jars vary a lot in salt and sourness, so a fixed amount is a starting point rather than a rule.
Shred the pickles coarsely rather than dicing them. The shreds distribute through the broth so every spoonful tastes of pickle instead of leaving you to find them.
The pork is optional. Leaving it out and using vegetable bouillon makes a good meatless version, though it will be lighter in body.
Make ahead: this is better the next day, once the sourness settles into the broth. Cool and refrigerate, then reheat gently.
Storage: refrigerate up to 4 days. It freezes reasonably well, though the potatoes soften on thawing.
Fresh dill is best at the end, but dried dill works as a swap. Use 2 tsp dried in place of 2 tbsp fresh, and add it with the bouillon cubes rather than at the finish so it has time to soften.
No Vegeta? Use 1 tbsp of another vegetable seasoning blend, or 2 tsp salt with 1 tsp each dried parsley and celery leaf.
For a richer, more traditional finish, temper 120 ml sour cream with a ladle of the hot soup, then stir it back into the pot off the heat. Never add cold sour cream straight to a simmering acidic soup, as it will curdle.
Serve with dark rye bread. A boiled egg halved into the bowl is a common addition in Polish homes.