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. Ā 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 youāre 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, Iām 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!
Made this soup today per directions. It is delicious! A keeper recipe for sure. The flavors are rich and the soup is hearty. My wife and I LOVE it.
Fabulous! Thank you so much, Jimmy, I’m thrilled you both enjoyed it!
I made this for my 82 year old mother, she was so excited and loved it! I followed the recipe exactly with one exception, I added a pinch of white pepper. Thank you!
I am SO happy that your mother enjoyed it, Diane, thank you for sharing your experience! <3
Well I must thank you for the best cream of celery soup recipe I have ever eaten. I made this tonight and served it with a foot long sub sandwich with coho salmon lettuce and topped with garden fresh picked tomato. It is awesome I did have to substitute the milk for 1 1/4 c whipping cream and 1/4c water as I didnāt have any milk on hand and it still turned out very creamy and fresh. Thanks again really enjoyed this soup tonight and some left over for lunch tomorrow.
Fantastic, RockinRic, I’m so thrilled you enjoyed it, thank you!
This is a very delicious soup. I used leeks instead of onions and put more milk in because I had some I had to use up. It was simply marvellous. I will freeze some although I know it will look kind of curdly when I first thaw it out but as Kimberley says, it warms up nicely on the stove top and becomes creamy once again. Iāll be making this recipe again and again because I love cream of celery soup! Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you so much for the feedback, Doris, I’m thrilled you enjoyed it!
Hello. Has anyone ever canned this soup? It is delicious by the way!!
This was really good but I thought perhaps a little bland so I followed another readers spice suggestions and it came out great. I do think next I might use a little less onion. I thought it was competing with the celery too much. I did make twice the indicated amount so doubled everything which may account for it.
What spices did you add?
Delicious. I added a couple of artichoke hearts and brocolini stems. So hearty, tasty and fulfilling. Thank you.
That sounds yummy, Bev, thanks so much for the feedback and I’m happy you enjoyed it!
I doubled the recipe except for the onion and a little less milk because I like thick soup. Between 4 of us, there is nothing left! This is going into the family cookbook. Incredibly good! Thank you.
Fantastic, Jazz, thank you so much!