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!
This soup recipe is delish!! But If you really want to take this to another level, use celery root! Sublime!
Thank you, Dree! I LOVE celery root – agreed, that would make a great addition or substitution.
This soup is delicious!!! I make my own cashew cream which I used in place of the milk products. I’ll use it as a base for other cream soups now. I have never left a review…. but this needs a review!!!
Thanks you so much, Reba, I really appreciate the feedback!
Do I need a Dutch Oven for these 5 star results? I don’t own one :(
Not at all, Cindy :) Whatever you have will work just fine. Happy cooking!
I plan to mAke this today and throw in some small frozen shrimp because I’m not a fan of pure cream of vegetable soups as a stand alone dish unless I’m a patient in the hospital and have no other choice than cream of potatoes or tomatoes. Yuck!!
I do like the simplicity of your recipe and plan to enjoy my creamy soup on this cold Jan day. I plan to substitute Maryland old bay season instead of the salt. . Thanks
My dear wife is out of town and she left fresh celery in the fridge. I googled and tried your recipe. Absolutely delicious!thank you, I am now spoiled.
That’s wonderful, Louis, thank you! You’ll need to surprise your wife with a bowl of it when she gets back :)
Looking for an option to the canned stuff to use in a recipe. What can I say other than delicious. The wife had a small bowl and said 5 stars. Now to use it for the original purpose. Looking forward to adopting this for cream of mushroom, broccoli or whatever I think of. Thanks so much for this recipe Kimberly!
I’m so glad you both enjoyed it, thank you!
Simple ingredients, fabulous taste. As a kid, my favorite soup was the cream of celery in the familiar red and white can. As an adult, I try to eat more healthfully. It was a pleasure to find this. It satisfied a years long craving and has since become part of my repertoire. Sometimes I add potatoes and it tastes like clam chowder without the clams. My husband likes the potatoes, I prefer the cream of celery version. Thank you so much for posting this!
That’s fantastic, Zuzu, I’m so happy to hear that, thank you!
I made cream of mushroom soup using this recipe (replacing celery with Cremini mushrooms) and it was DELICIOUS! The seasoning was perfect. It was buttery and creamy; savory and just a little sweet (from the onions and 1/2 tsp of sugar). I will definitely make this again. Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Fantastic, Faisal, thanks so much for the feedback!
What change in taste/flavor will using regular bleached all purpose flour instead of unbleached be? Thanks much for your recipe.
Hi Frank, no difference whatsoever, use whichever you have on hand. Happy cooking!