BEST Cream of Celery Soup
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Leave the canned stuff on the shelf because NOTHING compares to homemade! This homemade cream of celery soup recipe is made from scratch, is easy to make, and the flavor will absolutely “wow” you!
Homemade Cream of Celery Soup
This homemade Cream of Celery Soup is fantastic as a stand-alone soup or used in any recipe calling for canned condensed cream of celery soup. Made from scratch and utterly delicious!
Most of us appreciate and enjoy the luxury of convenience from time to time, but we all know there is NO comparison between store-bought canned “cream of” soups and homemade. No comparison in flavor. No comparison in the purity and healthiness of the ingredients. And I would never even consider eating the canned stuff as an actual soup. Mixing it together with a bunch of other ingredients as part of a recipe is one thing (and still only something I have done on very rare occasions while turning a blind eye to the ingredients list), but mixing it with milk, heating it up and eating it plain? *gag* I still can’t fathom how my husband thinks that canned cream of chicken soup tastes good. Again, a very rare indulgence, but still. Ugh! I asked Todd if it’s okay if I reveal this fact about him to the world. His response, [laughing] “Sure, go right ahead, I’m not ashamed of that!” *sigh*
This cream of celery soup is sublime. I whipped it up to use as the base for a Creamy Cabbage & Kielbasa Soup I was developing for dinner that evening (oh so good and recipe to come!) but it was so good that I was really tempted to eat it plain and just make something else for dinner.
For best results, be sure to use good quality celery that’s very fresh and full of flavor. When it comes to celery, organic really is best. Non-organic commercial celery usually just tastes like a crunchy stalk of water with a “hint” of celery. So get the good stuff from your local farmer’s market. And there have been many times when I’ve been surprised to find the organic celery selling for the same price as, or not much more than, non-organic.
This recipe also provides an excellent base for many other “cream of” vegetables soups. Substitute mushrooms, asparagus, broccoli, etc, for the celery.
Cream of Celery Soup Recipe
Let’s get started!
Very finely dice the onion and celery and mince the garlic.
Melt the butter in a Dutch oven and cook the onion, celery and garlic over medium-high heat until soft and translucent, 5-7 minutes.
Stir in the flour and cook for another minute.
Add the broth and milk. For even richer results substitute cream for some of the milk.
Stir immediately to prevent the flour from clumping. Increase the heat and bring the mixture to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium, add the remaining ingredients, and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add salt to taste.
The end result is a perfectly delicious cream of celery soup you can enjoy on its own or use in place of bought condensed soup for any recipe calling for it.
Enjoy!
Be sure to also try my Cream of Mushroom Soup!
What’s the Best Dutch Oven to Use?
For this recipe, while you can use any heavy stock pot I like to use a Dutch oven because it seals in the flavors and heats evenly, ensuring consistent cooking results. I love this 6-quart, budget-friendly option from Lodge, which you can get on Amazon for around $80. Or, if you’re looking for a worthy splurge, I also have this one from Le Creuset, which sells for around $300.
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BEST Cream of Celery Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 small yellow onion ,finely chopped (about 1 cup)
- 2 cups very finely chopped good quality flavorful celery (about 5 large ribs, organic recommended for optimal flavor).
- 1 large clove garlic ,minced
- 1/3 cup all-purpose unbleached flour
- 1 1/2 cups good quality chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk (or use 3/4 cup milk and 3/4 cup cream for even tastier results)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a Dutch oven or heavy stock pot over medium-high heat and cook the onions, celery and garlic until soft and translucent, 5-7 minutes. Add the flour and cook for another minute. Add the chicken broth and milk/cream and stir until the mixture is smooth. Increase the heat and bring it to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium, add the remaining ingredients, and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes. Add salt to taste.This soup will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet April 3, 2014
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
Is the nutrition information for 1 serving, and if so, how much is considered a single serving
Hi Angelala, yes, it’s per serving and this recipe makes a total of 4 servings.
Delicious but altered the recipe a bit; added a slice of bacon with the butter, heaping tablespoons of diced garlic, used powdered potato flakes instead of flour since I have to use them up, and more or less tripled the ingredients; used an immersion blender to puree soup, served with dollops of sour cream and dusting of Parmesan cheese; forgot to add a habanero tho, to give it a kick; only takes one of those for a large pot of anything to be hotly seasoned. I keep a few of those in the freezer.
Fantastic, Robert, and you’ll never hear me argue against bacon or cheese! :) Thanks so much for the feedback!
So good and easy to make
My whole family votes 5 stars, and so easy! I partially immersion blended it at the end. Thanks!
Fantastic, thank you so much Yvonne!
I was so tired of wasting celery after only needing one stalk and the rest would end up in the garbage. It always bothered me wasting it, but I could only stand to eat raw celery for a short time.This time I went searching for a recipe and found yours.
This is delicious and easy to make. Like someone else said, I will never by a store bought can again. I wished I would have found this recipe sooner! Thank you!
Oh I’m so glad, Cheryl, thank you! <3 I agree, celery so commonly goes to waste in many households and this really is a great way to use it up. And I've had multiple readers report that the soup freezes well, just FYI.
I fully agree. Even the bunny-rabbits in the back got tired of the left-over stalks.
Delicious soup. THANKS!
High Desert Bob
Lol! Awesome, thanks so much Bob, I’m happy you enjoyed it!
I wish I read up on flour in soup . It made the soup pasty tasting . If I omitted that from the soup I think it would have been lovely Thank you for the learning experience though
Hi Robin, using flour to thicken creamy soups is standard. Cooking the flour with the vegetables before adding the liquid eliminates the flour flavor.
You are right Kimberley. You would never buy store bought again. I put the onion, celery and garlic in the food processor to chop. Then into the pot and it happens like magic. Thank you
Thank you so much, Jennifer, I’m thrilled that you enjoyed it! <3
Surprisingly delicious!! Was simply looking for something to do with an excess of celery so tried this recipe. Loved it! I made it exactly per the recipe (with the cream) and it was perfect in taste and consistency for us.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, thank you Leslie!