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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!

cream of celery soup recipe best from scratch homemade

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.

cream of celery soup recipe best from scratch homemade

So without further ado, let’s get started!

Cream of Celery Soup Recipe

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.

cooking onions and veggies  cooking veggies

Stir in the flour and cook for another minute.

adding flour

Add the broth and milk.  For even richer results substitute cream for some of the milk.

pouring broth into soup

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.

simmering the ingredients

Add salt to taste.

thickening the soup

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!

cream of celery soup recipe best from scratch homemade

Be sure to also try our Cream of Mushroom Soup!

cream of mushroom soup recipe best homemade from scratch

cream of celery soup recipe best from scratch homemade

BEST Cream of Celery Soup

Leave the canned stuff on the shelf because NOTHING compares to homemade!
4.95 from 250 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Course Soup
Cuisine All, American
Servings 4 servings
Calories 231 kcal

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.
  • If using as a base for other recipes, this soup will keep in the fridge for at least 3-4 days.

Notes

One batch of this soup is roughly the equivalent (in quantity) of 2 cans prepared canned condensed cream of celery soup ("prepared" meaning 2 cans of added milk). Enjoy as a stand-alone soup or use in any recipe calling for prepared canned condensed cream of celery soup.
If you have recipes that call for "undiluted" (no added liquids) canned condensed cream of celery soup you can make a more diluted, concentrated version of this recipe by cutting down on the amount of liquids and flour (by as much as half) and leaving the other ingredient quantities the same. The soup will be thicker, more like a puree, and the flavor will be more concentrated.  Then you can use it as recipes calling for the undiluted canned soup direct.

Nutrition

Calories: 231kcalCarbohydrates: 18gProtein: 6gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 39mgSodium: 790mgPotassium: 379mgFiber: 1gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 730IUVitamin C: 3.8mgCalcium: 137mgIron: 0.8mg
Keyword Cream of Celery Soup
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

 

kimberly killebrew the daring gourmet

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!

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Recipe Rating




4.95 from 250 votes (79 ratings without comment)

635 Comments

  1. Love this soup. It tastes really clean but it’s satisfying too. Is there a gluten free flour that subs OK in this? My sons best friend is coeliac…

    1. Thank you so much, Chris! For the smoothest texture I would recommend cornstarch as a substitute. Omit the flour and then at the very end you’ll dissolve some cornstarch in a little water or broth, stir it into the soup, and simmer for a minute or two until slightly thickened. I would start with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch dissolved in 2-3 tablespoons of water/broth and you can add more if needed.

  2. THUMBS UP! Finally. A recipe for cream soup that is actually creamy. Not watery.
    Along with a good amount of vegetable in it so you can taste the flavor of the
    type of soup. I used 3 cups of whole milk ( needed to use it up ) and a dollop of cream.
    Instead of chicken stock or bouillon I used 2 teaspoons of VEGETA all purpose seasoning
    and the listed pepper, salt and sugar. YUM! The hubs Loved it. ( He didn’t even add any
    salt or pepper at the table which he usually does. ) I will now use this recipe as my
    go-to standard for cream of soups. Anxious to try mushroom, broccoli, carrot, etc.

  3. My goto recipe to use up leftover celery. There’s always celery left over, even when I try to find creative uses for it. Now I have this recipe and whatever is leftover is dedicated to this soup. I’ve made it with only 3 stalks, and with up to 8 stalks – it’s good every time. Even when the celery is limp. This soup reminds me of a country gravy, it’s so delicious and decadent. I do find myself adding more milk to thin it out & stretch it out to feed to more mouths. There’s hardly ever leftovers. Thank you for this game changing recipe!

  4. Second time making to the recipe but added a can of cream corn and shredded jalapeño cheddar as a garnish I wanted to add a pic but sadly not an option

  5. Made is exactly as suggested EXCEPT I omitted the sugar (personal preference). The flavor is SO good and exactly as I had hoped. This is a keeper, thank you!

        1. Only explanation for this comment is you read the recipe incorrectly. .5 of a teaspoon sugar is not going to change the flavour profile of this soup.

  6. Absolutely loved this soup. So simple and the ingredients are all staples in my home. I only changed the recipe a little, by adding 1/4 cup of shredded carrot, just to add some colour.

  7. Really needs pimping unless you are a fan of bland hospital style food. Needs more garlic, celery salt, worchester sauce and even some grated sharp cheddar cheese. Not a great soup.

    1. I made the recipe just a few days ago, and honestly I couldn’t DISAGREE with you more. I went to culinary school, so my normal is to add a little bit of this, and a little bit of that, but I made this recipe exactly as is, and it was delicious. My husband claims he hates celery, and he absolutely loved this.

  8. Simple and delicious! I had a bunch of celery to use up this worked out well! I used really good quality butter and a mix of cream and milk. To make it a full meal I added a can of white kidney beans at the end and it’s perfect.

  9. I would definitely not use any cream. I used 15%, 1c and remaining water. Drowns out the celery flavor. Almost tasted like Campbell’s. I would add nutmeg or thyme or a pinch of tarragon. Personally I found it a bit too basic.