Creamy Zucchini Dill Soup (Easy Zucchini Soup Recipe)

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This zucchini dill soup (courgette dill soup if you’re in the UK or Australia) is creamy, fresh, and one of the easiest summer zucchini soup recipes you can make. One pot, no stock, no fuss. And it’s just as good hot or cold.

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Unlike many creamy zucchini soup recipes that rely on curry powder or heavy stock for flavour, this one uses fresh dill instead. The European way to make a mild vegetable taste like something. Without the dill it just tastes like mashed zucchini.

With dill, the soup has a brighter, fresher flavour and turns the colour a deeper shade of green than a plain zucchini soup. You can adjust how much dill you use, but in my experience everyone likes it.

Why Dill?

I love cooking with dill. Growing up with Latvian parents and a Latvian grandmother, pretty much everything I ate had dill in it, especially in the summer, when dill grows so abundantly. So putting dill in this soup comes pretty naturally for me. My vecmāmiņa would have just called this zupa ar dilliem, soup with dill. If you’re curious about Baltic cooking, The Baltic Table has more.

In France it would simply be soupe de courgette. (You can read more about how the French approach simple home cooking over at The French Table). No fuss, no fancy name. My grandmother probably would have added sour cream, which is fine, but my French husband always insists on cream, so I did that for this recipe. Plus a squeeze of lemon, to brighten things up a bit.

A lot of zucchini soup recipes reach for curry or chilli to add flavour. This one doesn’t. Fresh dill is the European answer to the same problem, flavour without heat. If you’ve ever made a plain creamy zucchini soup and found it a bit flat, this is the version that fixes that. Every time I serve this, someone asks what’s in it. People really like it.

Ingredients

Full quantities in the recipe card below.

• Zucchini – Called courgette in the UK and Australia. Smaller ones are sweeter but larger ones blend just as well. Don’t peel them. The skin blends smooth and adds color.
• Fresh dill – Be generous 😉
• Cream – Heavy cream. Crème fraîche also works and adds a faint tang.
• Onion and garlic – One onion, two cloves.
• Lemon juice – Optional, but makes a noticeable difference
• Olive oil – For sautéing.
• Water – One litre, about 4 cups, no stock needed. Zucchini is delicate and a strong stock can overpower it. Water lets the vegetable and the dill shine.

Substitutions

• Cream – Crème fraîche adds a slight tang that works well with the dill. Sour cream works too. It’s actually closer to what a Latvian grandmother would use.
• Dill – Dill dries well and the flavor holds up, but it shifts, more grassy than fresh. It works fine, but fresh is noticeably better. If using dried, about 1 to 1.5 tablespoons added during cooking rather than at the end.
• Zucchini – Yellow summer squash works almost identically. The color will be paler.
• Water – A light vegetable stock is fine. Avoid anything too strong or salty.

How to Make This Zucchini Dill Soup Recipe

1. Soften the aromatics. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.

2. Add the zucchini, dill stems, and water. Roughly chop the zucchini and add it to the pot. Pull the feathery fronds off your dill and set them aside, then throw the stems straight in with the zucchini. They have just as much flavor and blend completely smooth. Pour over the water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the zucchini is completely tender.

3. Blend until smooth. Remove from the heat and blend directly in the pot with an immersion blender (stick blender). If using a stand blender, let the soup cool slightly first and work in batches. Hot liquid expands fast. Fill it no more than halfway and hold the lid down with a folded tea towel.

4. Add the cream and dill fronds. Stir in the cream and the fresh dill fronds. Add the lemon juice if using. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Reheat gently if needed. Don’t boil after the cream goes in. Ladle into bowls. Garnish with a sprig of dill or a small spoonful of crème fraîche.

Zucchini Soup no Cream – the Lighter Milk Version

When I don’t have cream, or just want something a bit lighter, I make it this way. Still creamy and full of flavor. Not thin or watery. The zucchini and dill come through just as clearly.

After sautéing the onion and garlic, add the zucchini and sprinkle over 1 tablespoon of plain flour. Cook for a couple of minutes, stirring, until the flour disappears into the vegetables and loses its raw white color. Add just enough water to cover, simmer until tender, blend, then stir in 150 ml of whole milk and the dill. As long as you sprinkle the flour rather than dumping it in all at once, you won’t get lumps.

What to Serve With It

• An open-faced sandwich, like these easy cottage cheese avocado toasts or quick salmon cream cheese toasts. This makes it very much a Baltic/Nordic-style lunch.
• Dark rye bread. A thick slice of Latvian rye bread works well here. The slight sourness is good with the dill.
• A simple salad. This French grated carrot salad with roasted seeds makes a good light lunch alongside it.
• As a starter. In smaller portions before a classic French quiche Lorraine or quick and easy lemon pepper chicken drumsticks.

FAQ

What to Make Next

• Baltic Asparagus Dill Soup – the spring version of this soup.
• Pumpkin and Cauliflower Soup – when the zucchini season is over and the weather turns, this is what comes next.
• Creamy Cauliflower, Potato and Leek Soup – a velvety, hearty soup.
• French Grated Carrot Salad with Roasted Seeds – a good lunch partner for this soup and a good example of what a simple European side can be.
• Creamy Quiche Lorraine – serve this soup as a starter before a simple quiche for a more substantial meal.

Zucchini Soup with Dill Recipe Card

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Creamy Zucchini Dill Soup (Courgette Dill Soup)

Marissa

A creamy zucchini dill soup, also known as courgette dill soup, made with fresh dill added after blending, so it stays bright and fragrant. Ready in 30 minutes, no stock needed. See notes for a lighter milk version.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Soup

Cuisine Baltic, French

Servings 4 servings

Calories 226 kcal

Equipment

• 1 Soup Pot
• 1 stick blender or blender

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium onion roughly chopped
• 2 cloves garlic roughly chopped
• 2 1/2 lbs 1.2 kg or 5 medium zucchini, roughly chopped
• Dill stems from 1 bunch fronds reserved
• 4 cups – 1 liter water
• 1/2 cup heavy cream 120 ml
• 3 –4 tablespoons fresh dill fronds roughly chopped, plus more to taste
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice optional but recommended
• Salt to taste
• Black Pepper

Instructions

 

• Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 more minute.
• Add the zucchini, dill stems, and water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the zucchini is completely tender.
• Remove from heat. Blend until smooth using an immersion blender (stick blender), or transfer in batches to a stand blender.
• Stir in the cream, fresh dill fronds, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Reheat gently if needed. Do not boil.
• Serve garnished with fresh dill and a drizzle of olive oil or a small spoonful of crème fraîche.

Notes

• Dill stems: pull the fronds off and set aside. Add the stems in step 2 with the zucchini. They blend completely smooth.
• Add the dill fronds after blending, not before. Keeps the flavor bright and the color green.
• Be generous with the dill. Taste and add more if needed.
• Don’t peel the zucchini. The skin blends smooth.
• Sour cream or crème fraîche can replace heavy cream.
• Freezes well without the cream. Add it fresh when reheating.
• Leftovers keep refrigerated for up to 4 days in an airtight container.

• Lighter milk version: after sautéing the aromatics, add the zucchini and sprinkle over 1 tablespoon of plain flour. Cook for 2 minutes until absorbed. Add just enough water to cover, simmer until tender, blend, then stir in 150 ml whole milk and the dill fronds.

Nutrition

Serving: 1servingCalories: 226kcalCarbohydrates: 13gProtein: 5gFat: 19gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 34mgSodium: 45mgPotassium: 824mgFiber: 3gSugar: 9gVitamin A: 1063IUVitamin C: 56mgCalcium: 83mgIron: 1mg

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