Dill Pickle and Brat Soup, made in the crock pot, or not. This soup is a delicious surprise, with smokey brats, tangy dill pickles, and tender potatoes all in a light sour cream broth. If you love pickles, this is for you!
The first time I saw dill pickle soup it was on Pinterest, and I filed it away in my mind as something I *might* want to try sometime. Just like a lot of you, I’m sure, it’s not something I’d ever had before and it seemed a bit, well… odd. But somewhere in the back of my mind I was intrigued by the combination of creamy soup and tart, vinegar-y dill pickles. When I spotted a recipe that included ham, that finally convinced me to give it a go.
Turns out I LOVE dill pickle soup ~ especially with the brats I added to give it a more satisfying substance and balance out the briney pickle flavor. I give this two thumbs up and hope you try it. We actually made 3 batches of this soup over the course of a few weeks and everybody went wild for it. It’s a great conversation piece for parties, and a lot more delicious than you might imagine. If you love this idea, you’re definitely going to want to check out my DILL PICKLE POTATO SALAD, it’s always a huge hit!
Dill Pickle and Brat Soup is quick and easy to make ~ after you’ve sauteed the onions and carrots, almost everything else just gets dumped right in. You can do it on the stove or in the crock pot, and either way you’ll add the sour cream at the end.
The flavor of the brats infuses beautifully into the soup, so I highly recommend using them. You could also substitute sausage, ham, hot dogs, or maybe even bacon, although I haven’t tried that.
TIP: Grilling the brats first gives an extra layer of smokey flavor that really works in this soup. Crank up the grill pan nice and hot for some good color.
*This soup was inspired by my friend Cathy of Noble Pig, her soup went viral and was even featured on The Chew! My recipe was adapted from the Polish dill pickle and smoked ham soup on Salt and Lavender.
Dill Pickle and Brat Soup
Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- extra virgin olive oil
- 1 carrot grated
- 1 cup finely chopped dill pickles
- 3 large red potatoes skins on, cut in 1/2 inch dice
- 32 ounce carton chicken broth
- 1/2 cup pickle juice
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup fresh dill chopped
- 3 cooked brats grilled and sliced (you may want to cut each slice in half, for smaller pieces)
- 3/4 cup sour cream
- 3 tablespoons flour
- Salt & pepper to taste
garnish
- fresh dill
- thinly sliced pickles
Instructions
- Coat the bottom of a heavy pan with olive oil and saute the onion and carrot for about 5 minutes, or until the onion has softened.
- Add the rest of the ingredients, up to but not including the sour cream, and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender but not mushy.
- Mix the flour and sour cream together until completely combined, and stir in to the soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and cook for a further few minutes.
- Serve garnished with sprigs of dill and thinly sliced pickles.
- CROCK POT METHOD: Put everything in the crock pot up to, but not including the sour cream, etc. Let it cook on low for 4 hours. Stir in the sour cream and flour mixture, and cook for another hour until smooth and slightly thickened.
notes:
- Use any type of brats for this, but cooked ones are easiest. If yours are raw, cook them up before adding to the soup. Mine were actually bacon and cheddar brats from Neuskes, which I had in the freezer from Christmas. They come already cooked, so I just popped them in a grill pan to give them a little color, and sliced them up. They gave the soup an extra flavor boost.
- For a variation you might try adding some shredded sharp cheddar cheese at the very end, just before serving.
40 Comments
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen
February 2, 2017 at 12:34 pmThis soup has my name written all over it Sue! Sounds absolutely delicious!
Cathy
February 1, 2017 at 4:48 pmI just made this tonight with a couple of variations. We have some in the Caribbean called bread fruit, and we had some frozen, so I used that rather than potato’s. They are very similar. Also, I did not have sour cream, so I used plain yogurt. We loved it, and my husband asked me to make sure and keep the recipe. I knew it would be a winner in our house!
cakespy
January 31, 2017 at 3:49 amCOMFORT FOOD COMFORT FOOD COMFORT FOOD!!! I love everything about this recipe. My sweetie turned me on to the deliciousness of brats (never tried one before a couple years ago!) and I love the idea of acidic dill pickles balancing out the richness. Awesome recipe!
Sue
January 31, 2017 at 7:28 amYou said it! And it’s so true, there’s something about the combination of the brats with the pickles that REALLY works.
Laura | Tutti Dolci
January 30, 2017 at 2:13 pmI love that you grilled the brats first to add some smoky character to this soup. This looks like so cozy and hearty, perfect for game day too!
Michele
January 30, 2017 at 1:06 pmI’ve had a dill pickle dip that sounded just as umm “interesting” as this recipe and it was DELICIOUS!!! I suggest you Google a recipe! I will give this a try but think I’ll use kielbasa from a good Polish deli instead of brats.
Susan
January 30, 2017 at 11:30 amI read the title of this and thought, “yuck!”, shared it with my husband and he thinks it sounds wonderful. I’m working on coming around, and have saved the recipe. Since I’ve eaten fried dill pickles, there’s no reason not to try this.
Sue
January 30, 2017 at 12:11 pmHaha, I appreciate your honesty, I’m sure a lot of people have that first reaction!
Cathy
January 30, 2017 at 11:01 amThis caught my eye immediately. My husband and I were shopping a few days ago and he found a large bottle of pickles like we used to buy at Costco. Our local store must be trying to do something similar here on our little island. I will have to make this on day this week, just need to buy some brats, I’m already craving this!
Sue
January 30, 2017 at 12:16 pmWe couldn’t stop making it, it’s almost addictive, so the big jar may come in handy!
Karen @ Seasonal Cravings
January 30, 2017 at 10:06 amWhat a great idea to add pickles! I have a pickle loving family so they will love this one!
[email protected]'s Recipes
January 30, 2017 at 9:08 amI have never had a soup like this…it looks hearty, comforting and very tasty.
Tricia @ Saving room for dessert
January 30, 2017 at 4:13 amYou must have had my husband in mind when you made this recipe! It is the most perfect bowl of deliciousness for my pickle loving guy. I must admit I’m intrigued and will have to make this to see for myself 🙂 Thanks for stirring up the flavors today Sue!