A comforting bowl of Creamy Celery Soup; silky, flavorful and full of good for you things!
Make this with all the add-ins; or modify it to be Vegan, low fat or as you like.
Winters are packed with comfort foods. From stews and comforting one pot meals, we love them all. I like to make some piping hot Dhanshak, pasta recipes like Pumpkin Sauce Pasta, Creamy Red Sauce Pasta and Stuffed Shells. Plus, Air Fryer Pot Pie is great for a meal.
Apart from these comfort recipes, soups start to take center stage on the menu. Tom Yum Soup, Manchow Soup and Pumpkin Soup are super popular. They are on rotation on our dinner menu along with favorites like mushroom soup and creamy tomato soup.
And when we talk about soups, it is actually wonderful how we can possibly convert any vegetable to a delicious soup. I have seen bottle gourd soup, soups made from dal and even a soup made from bread. They all come together so wonderfully and such a great way to use any vegetable you have at hand.
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What is Celery Soup
As the name suggests, this creamy celery soup is made with celery. Though a lot of folks might despise it by the name itself; I promise it is delicious.
Not only is this a great way to use a whole bunch of celery in one go, it is actually delicious enough that kids and adults will enjoy.
It is a soup made chiefly with celery stems; the other ingredients are simply to complement the flavors.
Why this recipe works
- It is super easy to make.
- We only need a handful of ingredients to make this creamy celery soup.
- It is easy to make the soup Vegan.
- The recipe is naturally gluten-free and nut-free.
- It is packed with celery and all its benefits.
- We only need a pan and a blender to bring this together.
- The recipe is great as a make ahead recipe and works well for meal prep.
- It is amazing for kids and adults alike.
- The soup is great as is or with some crunchy toppings.
- This one freezes wonderfully too.
Making Celery Soup without Potatoes
A lot of celery soups call for a large amount of potatoes be added to it. While this is a great way to tackle the water content by adding a starch, we do not necessarily need potatoes.
Potatoes are calorie dense and if you are making that should be light in calories, skip the potatoes. Then again, you do not necessarily have to add a lot of sour cream or dairy cream to the recipe.
Thought this recipe is lighter, flowy and thinner, it tastes just as great! It And when paired with some crusty bread, it makes the perfect meal!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Celery: This is the most important ingredient here. Pick a bunch that is bright green with fresh leaves. Dull, hardy celery with wilted leaves is too old for the desired freshness in the soup.
- Onions: The pungency of onions is perfect with the flavors of celery. I would strongly recommend using it. Both white and red onions work equally well for the recipe.
- Aromatics: Apart from onions, I add some garlic and ginger. Together these are perfect for the flavor in the soup. Besides, when we sauté them in oil or butter, they become even more amazing.
- Spinach: An optional ingredient; I like to add some baby or regular spinach for color. It gives the soup a brighter green than with just celery. Leave it out or substitute with kale or other greens if you desire.
- Spices: I use minimal spices in this celery soup. Just a pinch of salt and pepper is great. Add some dries oregano, bay leaves or even chili flakes if you like.
- Oil or Butter: I like to sauté all the ingredients before cooking. Oil is great for a Vegan option, butter works best for a vegetarian version. I often mix both of them for some flavor while still watching calories.
- Water or Stock: The aromatics and celery all have super deep flavors. So the soup is great to make with water or vegetable stock. I generally use water but this homemade vegetable stock works just as fine.
- Toppings: A swirl of whipping cream at the end is super. If making a Vegan soup, skip it. Plus, I like to add some pepper powder and fried celery leaves on top. They give a great texture and have the best celery flavor.
See the recipe card for detailed ingredient information, measurements and nutrition.
How to make this recipe
1- Wash the celery really well and remove all the dust. Trim the ends and chop into small pieces. Set aside. Heat oil and add some butter in a pan.
2- Once the butter starts to melt, add minced garlic and ginger. Mix well and sauté for 2-3 minutes; till the raw flavor vanishes.
3- The add the onions and sauté for a couple of minutes, till they are cooked.
4- Next goes in the chopped celery.
5- Add the salt and pepper and mix everything well.
6- Let it cook till the celery starts to become bright green.
7- Then add the water or vegetable stock and mix well.
8- Cover and cook for 8-10 minutes, till the celery is soft.
9- Remove from flame and let the soup mix cool for 5-7 minutes. Then add in spinach leaves.
10- Mix the spinach well and let the soup cool further.
11- Transfer everything to a high speed blender.
12- Blend till smooth on full power.
13- Transfer back to the pan through a fine mesh strainer.
14- Heat the soup through.
15- To make the fried celery leaves; heat oil in a small pan till it is super hot. Wash and completely dry the leaves. Fry a leaf in the pan to check if it crisps up. If it does, fry the remaining leaves and transfer to a kitchen towel. If not, heat the oil further and fry the leaves.
16- Transfer the creamy celery soup to bowls and top it with the fried celery leaves, whipping cream and pepper powder. Serve warm.
Expert Tips and Notes
- Pick fresh celery; as that is what will give the best flavor and bright color. Old celery tends to be dull and hardy. This is not flavorful too.
- Moreover, chop the celery thin to avoid the fibers. Moreover, straining it helps remove any any leftover fibers.
- Add spinach once the soup has cooled a little. Adding it while cooking or in hot soup will make the spinach dark green and not give us the bright color. And the leaves do cook well in the remaining heat of the soup.
- I like to use a high speed blender to make this soup instead of an immersion blender or a smaller blender. It processes the soup finer than these. Run it at full power to make a creamy blend.
- To make the soup Vegan, leave the butter out and swirl some coconut cream instead of regular cream.
- A lot of recipes call for potatoes. Add them if you like but I generally leave them out as the soup tastes great even without them.
- As the soup is silky smooth, it is amazing to top it off with some crunch. If you do not want fried celery leaves, try some hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, croutons or cracked black pepper.
Serving Suggestions
This silky and creamy celery soup is perfect for any meal. I generally like to pair it with some bread like this No-knead Pumpkin Walnut Bread, Sourdough Focaccia or Stromboli.
Moreover, enjoy it with this Air Fryer Pot Pie, Bruschetta and Tortellini in Cream Sauce. Together these are a perfect meal for any weeknight or even for brunch.
Moreover, the soup is great to make ahead. Simply make the soup completely and refrigerate once cool. When ready to serve, heat though and serve with your favorite toppings.
Recipe FAQs
Though celery has a high water content, it is also packed with numerous vitamins and minerals including potassium and calcium. Plus, celery helps fights inflammation, lowers cholesterol and lowers blood pressure. So it is great for you!
The main reason for stringy soup is is the celery is not sliced thin or it is old and has tough strings. In either case, blend well and pass through a fine mesh strainer. The resultant soup will be string free.
Not really. Only celery tends to give a pale green color when cooked and so adding some fresh spinach helps make the soup bright green. However, it is optional.
Pick a fresh and bright looking bunch. If the leaves are still green and attached to the stalk, it means the celery is fresh. Also, pick a punch that feels heavy and is fuller than a one with few and scanty stalks.
More Delicious Soup Recipes
Love this recipe? Please leave a star rating in the recipe card below & if you REALLY like it, consider a review in the comments whilst you are there, thanks!
Creamy Celery Soup
Ingredients
For the Toppings
- ¼ cup whipping cream (optional)
- ½ cup oil (optional)
- 8-10 celery leaves (optional)
Instructions
- Wash the celery really well and remove all the dust. Trim the ends and chop into small pieces. Set aside. Heat oil and add some butter in a pan.1 tablespoon oil, 1 teaspoon butter
- Once the butter starts to melt, add minced garlic and ginger. Mix well and sauté for 2-3 minutes; till the raw flavor vanishes.3 cloves garlic, 1 inch ginger
- The add the onions and sauté for a couple of minutes, till they are cooked.½ medium onion
- Next goes in the chopped celery.6-7 stalks celery
- Add the salt and pepper and mix everything well.1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper powder
- Let it cook till the celery starts to become bright green.
- Then add the water or vegetable stock and mix well.2 cups water
- Cover and cook for 8-10 minutes, till the celery is soft.
- Remove from flame and let the soup mix cool for 5-7 minutes. Then add in spinach leaves.¾ cup spinach leaves
- Mix the spinach well and let the soup cool further.
- Transfer everything to a high speed blender.
- Blend till smooth on full power.
- Transfer back to the pan through a fine mesh strainer.
- Heat the soup through.
- To make the fried celery leaves; heat oil in a small pan till it is super hot. Wash and completely dry the leaves. Fry a leaf in the pan to check if it crisps up. If it does, fry the remaining leaves and transfer to a kitchen towel. If not, heat the oil further and fry the leaves.½ cup oil, 8-10 celery leaves
- Transfer the creamy celery soup to bowls and top it with the fried celery leaves, whipping cream and pepper powder. Serve warm.¼ cup whipping cream
Video
Notes
- Pick fresh celery; as that is what will give the best flavor and bright color. Old celery tends to be dull and hardy. This is not flavorful too.
- Moreover, chop the celery thin to avoid the fibers. Moreover, straining it helps remove any any leftover fibers.
- Add spinach once the soup has cooled a little. Adding it while cooking or in hot soup will make the spinach dark green and not give us the bright color. And the leaves do cook well in the remaining heat of the soup.
- I like to use a high speed blender to make this soup instead of an immersion blender or a smaller blender. It processes the soup finer than these. Run it at full power to make a creamy blend.
- To make the soup Vegan, leave the butter out and swirl some coconut cream instead of regular cream.
- A lot of recipes call for potatoes. Add them if you like but I generally leave them out as the soup tastes great even without them.
- As the soup is silky smooth, it is amazing to top it off with some crunch. If you do not want fried celery leaves, try some hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, croutons or cracked black pepper.
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