Fantastic as a stand-alone soup or used in any recipe calling for canned condensed cream of celery soup. Clean, pure, 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.
So without further ado, 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.
- ¼ cup butter
- 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
- 2 cups very finely chopped good quality, flavorful celery (about 5 large stalks, organic recommended for optimal flavor).
- 1 large clove garlic, minced
- ⅓ cup all-purpose unbleached flour
- 1½ cups good quality chicken broth
- 1½ cups whole milk (or use ¾ cup milk and ¾ cup cream for even tastier results)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
- Melt the butter in a Dutch oven 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.
- If using as a base for other recipes, this soup will keep in the fridge for at least 3-4 days.
Healthy and amazing soup.. great clicks too!!
Thanks, Hari! I’ve always loved “cream of” soups. But then I just love CREAM period! 🙂
So if I wanted to make this not “prepared” what adjustments would I make?
Hi Jennifer! By “prepared” I just mean that the instructions for making canned cream of [] condensed soups is to add a can of milk. So this recipe is roughly the equivalent of 2 cans prepared soup.
The soup looks delicious!
Thanks so much, bakeaffairs! I love creamy vegetable soups of any kind 🙂
Amazing recipe! just made it yesterday and my husband requested more today! I used half and half instead of milk. Thank you for sharing !
Thanks, Maria, I’m so happy you both enjoyed it!
Thank you for this recipe, I love it!
You’re welcome, Melissa! Thank you for trying it and for your feedback!
Omg..this is so good.. I think I will try this base for carrots to..
Thanks, Bunny! Yes, this works wonderfully with just about any vegetable.
Thank you for the hard work, This saves me having to do it for myself, There are so many recipes that call for canned cream of celery or mushroom soup, and they both have MSG in them which both my husband and I have allergy to. thanks again, Gin Bell
You’re very welcome, Gin Bell! What you said is very true. And all the junk in the canned stuff aside, homemade also just tastes a million times better!
I made this recipe today – I doubled the recipe – my whole family loved it – thanks for sharing this recipe – I already put it in my keeper box!!
That’s wonderful news, thanks so much for making it and for your feedback!
Does this soup freeze well! I’m making double batch and I might have to freeze some!
Janelle, I’m always careful not to recommend something unless I’ve tried it myself and I have not tried freezing this before. It will keep for several days in the fridge though. If you do try freezing it, let us know how it goes!
Yes, I would like to know if it freezes too. Such a healthy (organic celery is important), delicoius recipe would be comforting for sick or those grieving. I like to add whatever needs to be used up. Added some sour cream and plain yogurt. Unbelievably good! Hard to find “cream of” soups without MSG. And organic is expensive and not nearly as good as this!
Is it possible to make, and reheat later? I’ve got guests tonight, and would like to have this as starter, but need to save time……
Sorry I’m only now responding, Unni. Our internet has been down and just started again. By now you will have already made a decision, but yes, it can be reheated.
Thank You so VERY much, Kimberly! You are right…a million times better than canned! Made this yesterday…. delicious! Am looking forward to using the leftovers as some base for potato soup today…IF I can resist eating the rest of it first! SO glad I ‘discovered’ you! Thanks again for saving me from the can! I’m also anxious to try your German recipes…I lived there for several years really liked the food (AND the people AND the country!)
I’m so happy you enjoyed the soup, Shirley, and really appreciate your feedback! I’m happy you found my blog, too, and am thrilled that you’re familiar with and enjoy German food. Welcome on board and I look forward to hearing from you again! Liebe Grüße, Kimberly
Have you ever tried freezing this soup? I have lots of celery left in the garden and was wanting to make cream of celery soup but didn’t know how it would cook up after being froze!
Hi, Leslie! I have not tried freezing it before. If you give that a try, let us know how it went!
Looks like it could be frozen if you made it without the cream or milk, which tends to separate when frozen. I’m going to try it, then add the milk when it is reheated …what do you think?
That sounds like a great plan, Wendy!
Sounds so yummy. I’m going to try stopping at the add broth and freeze. Will let you know how it works.
Thanks, Diana! Enjoy!
I used heavy whipping cream, left out sugar and flour, pureed in my blender. It came out wonderful!
Hi Bette, so glad you enjoyed it, thank you!
Bette – I did the same and it was sooo delicious!
could you use half & half instead of the milk?
You bet, Melly, and it will taste even better that way! 🙂
Yes u can,that is the way we make it, it comes out velvity smooth & tasty,!
thanks! 🙂 we aren’t big milk drinkers but i’m a big coffee drinker and ALWAYS have half & half in my fridge.
My husband needs to be gluten free. Do you have any suggestions for using cornstarch instead of flour? Thanks!
Hi Bridget! Yes, use half the amount of cornstarch and dissolve it in the broth or milk before adding it.
Should have done this……had lumps!
I have just made this soup and it is perfect, even though, in the spirit of being daring, I broke the rules. I used dried garlic and onion rather than fresh. I used 2% milk rather than whole. These are the things I have on hand. Perhaps next time I’ll do it the “right” way (having a Wusthof knife would help in that process ), but the beauty of this recipe is that (a) it is simple, and (b) it can handle my less-than-optimal substitutions.
Exactly, TomR! And in the end all that really matters is that it tastes good! And speaking of the knife, be sure to enter the giveaway on my chicken post for a chance to win it!
How long/well does it keep in the Fridge? I’d love to make a larger batch and had individual servings ready to go. Do you suggest freezing it as is or freezing the broth portion and adding the dairy after reheating it? Thanks!
Hi Lisa, it will keep in the fridge for at least 3 days. And like you noted, you can freeze it without the the milk/cream and then add it later. Happy cooking!
Hi Kimberly. To make mushroom soup, how would I do that using this base?
Do u suggest chicken bouillon or veg broth? Which one yields the most flavour?
Hi Jennifer, you would simply substitute chopped fresh mushrooms in place of the celery and make it exactly the same way. You can use either chicken or vegetable broth, but I would probably go with chicken. And I would definitely use some heavy cream 🙂
I made the cream of celery soup today for my family and it was a huge hit. I used about 1/2 cup milk and 1 cup cream and it was heavenly!! Can’t wait to make it again. And it was super easy. I’ll never eat cream of celery soup out of a can again.
YES!!!! So glad it was hit, Sharen – thanks so much for the feedback!
Delicious! Added 1 chicken bouillon, 2 cups water, skipped the salt and used mostly cooking cream with a little milk. Thick, creamy, easy 🙂 LOVE IT!
Perfect! So glad you enjoyed it, Jennifer, thank you!
Hi Kimberly, trying it with broccoli this time. Do i need to steam the broccoli first or just through them in (from frozen)?
Hi Jennifer, you don’t need to steam it but do thaw and drain it first. Happy cooking!
I like how the soup turned out. It’s very creamy. I froze some for those recipes that require canned. Thank you.
Wonderful, thanks for your feedback, Paula!
Curious if anyone has tried freezing this yet (with or without the milk added). We use Campbell’s Cream of Celery and Cream of Chicken condensed soups in EVERYTHING and I’ve just recently become aware of how many unhealthy and suspicious ingredients are in them….I’d love to make a big batch and keep on the freezer to use as needed.
Definitely, Nicole! Yes, you can freeze it. Freeze it without the milk/cream and then add the milk/creak when you reheat the soup. Happy soup-making!
Thanks for the recipe. I made my version vegan by using garlic infused coconut oil, almond milk, organic veggie stock, carrots, baby bella mushrooms and hemp hearts. I also did not add salt or sugar. Your recipe didn’t need either. Again, thanks for inspiring me to create.
Hi Carol, thanks for your feedback on your veganized version.
I m in luv with ur recipes.. Ur thorough demo pics..god bless u..
Thank you, I really appreciate that! 🙂
Love the recipe. I would like to pressure can some for use later. Any thought or instructions?
Hello and thank you! Unfortunately I have zero experience with pressure canning. If you end up trying it, please let us know how it went.
Hi Kimberly, I had celery left overs from a party over the weekend that was still crisp and fresh, stuffed it with onions and garlic in my food processor, saved tons of chopping time, Oh my goodness! Even my non-celery lovers, loved it! Thank you!
Fabulous!! So glad it was a hit, PeruvianMama, and I appreciate the feedback!
Hi Kimberly, this sounds delicious, but if I wanted to substitute this in a recipe that calls for CONDENSED soup, what changes would I have to make to the recipe? TIA
Sandy
Hi Sandy, no changes necessary. Just use one batch of this recipe and proceed as usual (no additional milk like you would use if using the canned stuff).
Tried this tonight, and it is delicious! The whole family loved it. Thanks! 🙂
Wonderful! So glad it was a hit, Ailene, and thank you for the feedback!
Yum! Made this with 2% milk, no fat, low-sodium broth and 1/2 the salt. Still super creamy and delicious (without the extra fat, sodium and calories)! HEALTHY! Thanks for this delicious recipe!
Hi, Tracy, glad it turned out for you! There’s nothing unhealthy about saturated fat or salt though. The FDA has finally come around to acknowledging the myth that saturated fat is linked to heart disease, something they’ve been telling us for decades that simply isn’t true. Check out this article by my husband, Dr. Killebrew: http://www.daringgourmet.com/2015/01/13/dr-killebrew-the-truth-about-full-fat-dairy/. Also a lot of research has come out that salt has little impact on blood pressure. Here’s Dr. Killebrew’s latest article on salt and blood pressure: http://www.daringgourmet.com/2015/04/30/the-truth-about-salt-and-blood-pressure/. There are just so many myths out there about saturated fat and salt that I asked my husband to publish both of these articles (and there will be more to come).
I don’t like celery but wanted to make your soup to go in a recipe and I do believe I would have eaten all of your soup if I didn’t have to use it in the other recipe. It was THAT good! I used half the ingredients, 2% milk, and no sugar. It was a bit thick but I could have added more milk to loosen it up some. Come to think of it, I probably forgot to half the flour. haha Oh well. It was good! Thanks for the recipe. Looking forward to making cream of mushroom soup next. Do you have a particular type of mushroom you recommend?
Awesome, Tina, so glad you enjoyed it! I use whatever mushrooms I have on hand – they’re all good. Most often I’ll just use white button or cremini mushrooms, but if you can get hold of a medley of wild mushrooms it will be even more amazing.
Hi Kim, My husband mentioned the other day that he hadn’t had cream of celery soup for a long time. I googled cream of celery soup and found your recipe. I just finished making it this morning. I made it exactly as your recipe and it is absolutely delicious. I gave my hubby a small bowl to taste and he was thrilled with it. I guess Campbell’s is outmatched by your soup. No more cans for us. Thanks for this.
That’s wonderful! I’m thrilled you both enjoyed it so much and really appreciate the feedback, thank you!
Love this recipe! Will be making a double batch today, omitting the dairy and using clear jel in place of flour (no gluten and clear jel is recommended for canning) and canning it up. Will simply add the dairy when comes time to use it. Also will do the same with mushrooms. Thank you so very much for taking the time to share your thoughts, Kimberly, and recipes with so many.
Thanks so much, Judi, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I’ve been starting to pressure can for the first time (previously only water bath conducive things) and would love to know how you do it. I made a batch of chili to pressure can, doing beef stew next, and read that you can’t use flour or cornstarch for thickening. I’ve never heard of clear jel. Thanks again!
The Amish use it extensively in their cooking. It’s a very refined cornstarch, does not clump when canned.
Best to you … Canning (pressure) will open all kinds of new and exciting food avenues for you!
Fascinating! Thanks so much for the info, Judy, I’ll look into it!
Also – because I canned the soup, I did not use butter … used refined organic coconut oil. FYI
In the canner now! ?
Thanks for the info, Judi, I’m going to pressure can some as well very soon! 🙂
I made this soup this afternoon to eat for dinner tonight with hot bread. It’s absolutely delicious! (Had to “taste test” a few times) Thanks so much for this recipe! It’s a keeper.
Thanks, Gail, I’m happy to hear it was a hit! And no shame in “taste testing” – we have to make sure it’s “safe” before feeding our families, right? 😉 Thanks for the feedback!
Just made this I added a pinch of dried thyme and pinch celery salt instead of salt as my butter was salted,tasted wonderful!!!!!
Wonderful, Sherri, I’m happy you liked it, thank you!
After planning a family reunion last summer and doing a lot of research to freeze breakfast casseroles I found out that by using canned milk will avoid curdling. I know that many restaurants use canned milk in their cream soups.
Hi Beverly, that’s correct, canned condensed milk won’t curdle. Using whole dairy (whole milk, whole yogurt, cream, etc) is also at lower risk for curdling than low fat versions.
This is excellent. I used about 2 1/2 Tb. cornstarch instead of flour, and homemade vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. My vegetarian and gluten free family members will be so happy, as am I.
Awesome, Laura, I’m so glad you enjoyed this, thank you!
Used this to make a much loved casserole of my grandmother’s for my family Christmas, and since I really try and avoid using a ton of pre made ingredients in recipes, I decided to use this to replace the can of soup and I am so pleased with how much flavor it brings! Thanks for such a great staple recipe 🙂
That’s wonderful, Erin, I’m so glad to hear that, thank you!
I just made this and its really good! I only cook for myself so I made half recipe and loved it. Thank you for the recipe!
Awesome, I’m so glad you liked it, Brenda! We really love this soup too and the basic process is very versatile – use mushrooms instead for a cream of mushroom soup or use broccoli for a cream of broccoli soup, etc. Thanks for the feedback!
I was looking for a simple cream of celery soup and I’m so glad I found your site. It is wonderful! Thank you for sharing and I love the way you post recipes with the pictures! Keep up the great work! ?
Thank you! I’m happy you found my site as well and look forward to seeing you around! 🙂
Thank you so much! I love “cream of…” soups. I just made this recipe but also added carrots. It was so delicious. My kids loved it.
That’s awesome, Sarah, I’m so happy to hear your kids enjoyed it as well, thank you!
What a great recipe. I ended up making it the cream of everything soup. I added carrots, potatoes, scallions, a cup of kidney beans I had in the fridge,some sliced black olives and a 1/4 teaspoon of cayenne! I enjoyed it thoroughly 🙂 Laurie
I like that, Laurie – “Cream of Everything Soup” 🙂 It sounds wonderfully hearty and flavorful, thanks for sharing!
I just made this and I’m eating it now. My inferior-quality celery and broth, this turned out creamy and scrumptious. My habit with soup is to cut a few pieces of cheddar into my hot bowl, which no doubt adds a lot of fat but I don’t care — it’s too satisfying to eat those blobs of melted cheese along with the soup. Anyway, thanks for posting this!
Hi Nina, that’s awesome, so glad you enjoyed this! I couldn’t agree more about the blobs of cheese – bring ’em on! 🙂
I was wondering if anyone has tried using a can of coconut milk instead of milk or cream and if so how it turned out.
This is an amazing soup have made it lots of times for my family and friends and I always get told wow can they have the ingredients so that they can make it. It is a five star soup
I’m so happy to hear that, Yvonne, thanks so much!
Love love love. A few alterations to “simmering” with milk and times, but otherwise, fabulous! 5 stars easy
So glad you enjoyed it, thank you!
I put this together tonite in about 30 minutes,it was excellent.
Wonderful, Douglas, I’m so glad you enjoyed it, thank you!
THE best cream of celery soup EVER! I’ve made this three times already and it’s SO good!
Woohoo, Kate, that’s awesome! Thanks so much for the feedback!
Made this tonight and it was soooo good, I can’t recommend this recipe more highly! Thank you!
Thanks so much, Kate, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Very good soup! I omitted the salt and sugar and it was fantastic! Thanks for the recipe! I just love Cream of Celery soup! 👍🏻😊
So do I, Theresa, and I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed this, thank you!
Absolutely fabulous – will be making again on Monday to start my daughters 1st anniversary dinner.(Yes they are coming to us to celebrate – go figure)
First attempt I nearly didn’t have enough as I couldn’t stop eating it:)
Haha, that’s awesome, Barb! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it and what a great choice for the special upcoming dinner – thank you!
Very tasty! For everyone worried about freezing I’m sure it’s fine. I freeze cream based soups all the time and it’s never been a problem for me.
Awesome, Katie, I’m glad to hear it and thanks for the feedback about freezing!
Kimberly! Oh. My. Gosh! This recipe is AMAZING! We belong to a food co-op and for some reason had gotten so much celery from there that we had zero chance of eating it all before it became mushy. Searching for what to do with it all, I came across this gem of a recipe. I ended up quintupling (!) the recipe & then froze it in quart containers. At this week’s co-op we got a cabbage and I knew what had to be done. Last night was Cabbage & Kielbasa soup and we might have actually died and gone to heaven! I pureed the frozen cream of celery and then followed the C&K recipe and it turned out delightful with no cream-separating issues. Topped with homemade croutons, two (huge) bowls later and I was the happiest I’ve ever been. I’ve promised myself I’ll take an extra walk around the block today so I can do the whole thing again tonight! Thank you for the wonderful recipe!
Yay, that’s awesome, Paula!! I’m super thrilled to hear that and really appreciate the feedback, thanks so much!
Made this recipe today with celery from the garden…..absolutely amazing!
I’m so glad to hear that, Jennifer, thank you! 🙂 And I’m jealous of your homegrown celery – our garden is bursting with a great variety of vegetables but we haven’t been successful with celery!
Hi Kimberly! I love my cream soups also and I think i’m gonna try the celery recipe but sub. mushrooms for the celery cause my mom loves cream of mushroom soup but I use alot of cream of chicken soup in my chicken casserole that I make all the time in the fall and winter months. How would I adjust your celery soup to make it cream of chicken? Would I just sub. the chicken (finely diced) for the celery and of course use chicken broth? Thanks so much in advance for a quick response. Love your site.
Hi Renee, thank you! 🙂 Theoretically the process would be similar if making cream of chicken soup but I haven’t tried it yet myself and I’m sure I would make several alterations to the ingredients and ratios if I were making it. If you give it a go let us know how it turned out!
How did the canning process turn out? Did you omit milk and butter?
Hi Sue, I haven’t tried canning this but perhaps some of our other readers have so we’ll see if anyone chimes in…
Great recipies I will try them all!
Hi Marlene, thank you! I hope you enjoy everything you try – happy cooking! 🙂
I added 1/2 tsp thyme, 1 tsp parsley, 1/2 tsp fish sauce.
OMG! This soup is amazing! After a 40 year relationship, I am officially breaking up with Campbell’s… and I’m not even sad about it!
Haha, that’s hilarious, Charles! Congrats on having the courage to make a clean break of it once and for all 😉 So glad you found something better and thanks for the feedback!
Love this, a big hit with the whole family, even using 2% milk. I’m wondering if you could add a little more info, like portion size and how many the recipe should feed. Our little daughter is Type 1 diabetic and I am always looking for the nutritional info and carb counts whenever trying a new recipe.
Hi Ann-Marie, that’s wonderful, thank you! So this recipe makes roughly the equivalent of 2 cans of prepared condensed soup (meaning 2 cans soup plus the 2 cans of added milk). I looked up the condensed soup cans online and it says one can is 2.5 servings at 1/2 cup per serving. So this recipe would be roughly double that: Five 1/2 cup servings. 1/2 cup sure is a really small serving though 🙂 For nutritional info there are several great sites like caloriecount.com and fitday.com that let you enter in all the ingredients and quantities in any recipe and they give you a complete nutritional breakdown. They’re great resources.
Hi Kim. I have made this amazing soup and it is sooo good. My husband couldn’t believe how different it is from canned soup. I forgot to write down the ingredients so I am back checking them out and have shared this with my friends on Facebook. You don’t need to change anything in this recipe. Perfect just the way it is. Hugs.
That’s wonderful, Mary, and thanks so much for sharing this with your friends! <3
Kim, I just made this and I had to blend it due to the suspicious minds of my children thinking I am feeding them veggies. I sprinkled Parmesan cheese and it is fabulous!! Thanks!
That’s so awesome, Nicole! Your kids sound like mine and I do the same thing 🙂 Thanks so much!
Thank you for the idea!!!
Where I went with it (see parentheses):
• ¼ cup butter (Half a stick)
• 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup) (2 to 1 ratio celery to onions, finely diced)
• 2 cups very finely chopped good quality, flavorful celery (about 5 large stalks, organic recommended for optimal flavor). (Fill to top of 2 cup measuring cup)
• 1 large clove garlic, minced (four, at least)
• ⅓ cup all-purpose unbleached flour (okay)
• 1½ cups good quality chicken broth (2 cups at least – watch how it is cooking)
• 1½ cups whole milk (or use ¾ cup milk and ¾ cup cream for even tastier results) (1-1/2 cups heavy whipping cream)
• 1 teaspoon salt (artisan salt)
• ½ teaspoon sugar (okay)
• ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground pepper to taste
• (1 jalapeño all seeds and veins removed)
• 2 large carrots finely chopped (1 cup)
• (8 oz chopped mushrooms)
• (2 bay leaves)
Instructions
1. Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and cook the onions, celery, carrots, mushrooms and garlic (with bay leaves) until soft and translucent, 5-7 minutes (9 – 10 minutes until moisture is cut in half). 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 (15 minutes is too long). Add salt to taste.
2. AWESOME!!!!!!
Thank you for this recipe!!!!
So glad you enjoyed it, Jim, thank you! By the way, the 15 minute recommended cook time is based on if you’re using milk or a combination of milk and cream. You used all cream which thickens more quickly.
Thank you Kimberly, this was an awesome soup. I switched out the milk and cream for skim milk and it still came out very creamy. Great Recipe!!!
Fantastic, Paul, thanks for the feedback!
I made the soup today, it is awesome! I added some minced carrots yummy. I too will not be using canned soups any more. This is so easy and I usually have all of the ingredients on hand. I like the japaleno idea, however my husband doesn’t so I sprinkled some dry red pepper flakes in my bowl,
Thank you for sharing.
Wonderful, Deb, thanks so much!
Hi. I’m just wondering if you really feel as though organic celery has better flavor than non-organic? I never heard anyone say organic is better flavored than non for any vegetables, etc. just curious, I will pay more attention in the future.
Celery soup, homemade, is one of my very favorites. I like to use about twice as much celery, after it is softened I take out about half and set aside. Then I take a stick blender and liquefy it right in the pan, add about a half cup of black olives, then blend again, then return the chunky celery to the pot, bring up temp and serve. (I also have a recipe for cream of black olive soup which is just fabulous)
Yum. Now I’m hungry. Thanks for your recipe, trying it tomorrow as my neighbor just gave me five “heads” of celery.
Hi Jill, that sounds delicious! I don’t buy most produce organic, generally only the few are the very heavily sprayed with pesticides (eg, kale, peaches, strawberries, etc) and in many cases no, the flavor is not better. When it comes to celery though yes, organic tends to have a more pronounced flavor. The stalks tend to be narrower with a more concentrated flavor. The good part too is that organic is often not much more than non-organic. I’ll often see organic celery for 99 cents a pound compared to 89 cents for regular.
I’ll be making some of this soon to freeze! I love using soup like this in other soups and in casseroles (just a little bit for flavor)! Homemade is so good too!
Exactly, Angie, it’s so good using this as a base for so many things!
I veagniased this recipe last night and it was amazing!! I used earth balance, soy milk and faux chicken broth. It was so good I want to make it again tonight lol
Awesome, Eloïse, I’m so glad!
Just made this soup,was disappointed after all the rave reviews. Follow ed the recipe and it tasted like onion soup. Will use the rest in
Casseroles.
I’m sorry you were disappointed, Pat. Celery varies tremendously in quality and strength of flavor. Did you follow the recommendation to use organic celery?
Yes, I used organic celery. Slender stalks and very crisp.
I don’t know what to say then other than I’m sorry it wasn’t to your liking.
This is so delish. I even used a little non-fat milk instead of whole milk. And I used it as a base for a chicken pot pie because it is so thick and wonderful. My pot was outstanding! Thank you!
Awesome, Carol, thank you! And I’ll bet that pot pie was outstanding indeed!
EZ-PZ and tastes great. I did however need to double the chicken broth because I found it much too thick. I also added a diced chicken breast to include more protein. Excellent, and I will make this again.
Thanks, GC! Alternatively, next time you can simply add less flour if you think it’s too thick.
Good recipe but needs one addition while simmering…a bay keaf.
Has anyone ever tried adding lemon?
Hi Kimberly,
I am just finding you today through a google search for cream of celery soup. I made this recipe today, I doubled it as I had an over abundance of celery and had a big hankerin’ for a good feed of it! This is a fantastic recipe, and will be my go to recipe for cream of anything soup!! Thank you so much for sharing this fantastic recipe! Cheers!
Wonderful, Brenda, I’m so happy to hear that, thank you!
Hi Kimberly, I LOVE cream of celery soup and can eat the canned Campbell’s stuff like it’s gourmet food – but stumbled upon your recipe and yours was SO SO much better! Consider me converted! I’m not a skilled cook, so I love that your recipe was easy to follow (pics are super helpful and amazing!) and even I couldn’t mess it up! I basically ended up eating 90% of my first batch immediately, so going to make me another batch tomorrow and then trying it out with mushrooms after that. Thanks for this fabulous recipe!
Yayyy, I’m thrilled to hear that, Michelle! I’m so glad you enjoyed it and appreciate the feedback, thank you!
I used ciconut milk and I made a paste with cashew nuts instead of flour so it was dairy free and gluten free. It tourned out really good. Thanks for the recipe and hope u didn’t mi d me modifi g it! namaste Bronya
Hi Bronya, that’s awesome! Thanks for your tips on making this dairy and gluten free!
I was raised on cream soups 50’s.I won’t eat can soups anymore after reading on the cans that GMO is used in a lot of ingredients I even wrote them about the use of GMO they answered saying buy there all natural can soups, yea twice the price. Your cream of celery soup sounds delicious! My weekends will be busy making a lot of homemade soups. Thank you!
Thanks, Tracy! Yeah, great response from the manufacturer 🙁 Their loss – we’ll make it ourselves, thank you very much, and it’s not only cheaper, it’s MUCH better tasting! 🙂
Have looked for months and months for this recipe. It is comfort food from my youth. My mother used to make it and this recipe is quite similar in flavor. Unfortunately, she died before I could get this and many other recipes. I did remember, however, that she used half and half instead of milk/cream. Thank you so much for putting me in touch with my lost youth.
Hi David, I’m so glad you found this and hope you enjoy your walk down memory lane. Kind regards, Kimberly
Great recipe! I made it gluten free by using between rice flour instead of all purpose flour.
Fantastic, Felicia, thank you!
Is celery fresh from the garden good for this recipe? I know that garden grown celery can be more bitter tasting.
Hi Katelyn, I would think garden fresh celery would have an advantage because it has much more flavor. I think any bitterness will be tempered through the cooking process and addition of other ingredients.
I just made this recipe exactly as the recipe calls with the exception of adding some chopped celery leaves toward the end of simmer for more celery flavor. it is an excellent replacement for store-bought cream of celery soup. After the third cup flour it was nearly condensed. Could be thinned out with more broth if you cut back on the salt. thank you for this simply awesome recipe!
Fantastic, Alexandra, thank you!
Thank you so much for this recipe! I loathe celery but got a big head of it in my CSA box this week and seemed to remember from childhood that I find cream of celery soup bearable – I was not wrong! Can’t stop going back for sneaky spoonfuls. Still have half a head of the evil vegetable left so I’m going to make a batch without the milk, as others have suggested, for freezing. Can’t wait to try this with some other veggies too – if I love it this much with celery, it’s going to be AMAZING with mushrooms. 🙂
Lol, Lorna! I’m glad you enjoyed this, thank you!
Great recipe! Had some kinda wilty, non-organic, celery i wanted to use up, and used 1% milk as didn’t have any cream, but the result is still very tasty, indeed. Will make again! Thanks! 🙂
Awesome, Jenny, thanks!
Hi made this soup but personally I think there is a mistake in the recipy. It calls for 1/3 cup of flour and this is way too much for this small amount of liquid.
I guess 2 table spoons is more than sufficient
high,made this soup today and if I calculated the flour into ounces correctly as two ounces believe it was too thick.I had to add double the liquid. Please advise
Hi Jan, there’s no mistake. That’s the standard recommendation for the ratio of flour to liquid for thickening: 1.5-2 tablespoons of flour for every cup of liquid.
Hi Lyn, that’s the standard ratio of flour to liquid in order to thicken. I’m not sure what happened either.