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!
Super easy to make, my husband won’t eat celery but he loves this soup, perfect for a cold day. I use half milk and cream and blend it till its smother and creamy ……. Thanks for the recipe
Wonderful, Lorraine, thank you so much for the feedback!
I’m allergic to chicken what other broth can you use instead of chicken?
Hi Virginia, you can use vegetable broth instead.
I made this and added two gloves of garlic instead of one. Also added two small Yukon potatoes cut up into small chunks. Used the milk and cream and added fresh chopped parsley on top. Delicious!
I found it flat … ended up sautéing WAY more celery to the point of caramelization, pureed that and added to the soup .. WAY better !!! Also added celery salt. Did the half milk half cream thing too :O)
I Love creamy soups. My family, not so much. Can I freeze the extra portions?
Hi Pamela, I’ve had several readers report that this froze well.
Can I do this in my crock pot
Just made this out of curiosity, and it turned out great! Never tried celery soup before, so I was nervous it would be bland, but once you start to cook the celery, onions and garlic, the aroma really starts to smell delicious.
The only thing I did differently was blend the soup with an immersion blender after putting in the chicken stock but before adding the half-and-half. Highly recommend doing this! It lends to a better texture I think.
Fantastic, Patrick, thanks so much for the feedback!
My husband who hates celery raved how good this was and wanted to know when I was going to make it again! Easy to make and super delicious. I wanted to give it 5 stars.
Now that’s a compliment indeed if it converted your husband! That’s fantastic, T Hudson, thank you so much!
Hello, what can I substitute for the milk/cream?
Hi Rania, you can use any dairy alternative of your choice (eg, almond milk, rice milk, cashew milk, etc).
My first attempt! It was very good. I needed more pepper and I would have preferred a smoother soup. But it was very good. I bet it would be best if it was part of a casserole. Hey, I had 2 bowls so you can tell that I really liked it!@
Awesome, Pat, thanks for the feedback!
I did make it with milk and heavy cream . I added some pepper jack cheese to it and it’s amazing 😋
I just made this and it will now be my go to for celery soup! I added more celery and a dash of cayenne pepper.
Wonderful, Regenna, thank you!
This is delicious! Made as is, no changes. So good. Will definitely make again, thank you!
Thanks so much, JM!
I can’t wait to try this. This may sound silly, but when you say you can use cream instead of milk, do you mean whipping cream?
Hi Bobbie, yes, you can use heavy cream or half and half instead of milk.
This is delicious! Thank you. Made as is, love it. I really like that it’s a smaller recipe, doesn’t make a ton. Very good. Will def make again!
Fantastic, thank you so much, JM!
Can the soup be pureed? I prefer a smooth soup. Regardless, going to try it today…it’s snowing here so thought it would be a good idea! Thanks!!!
Yes it can, Joanne!