BEST Cream of Celery Soup
This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosure policy.
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.
Save This Recipe
Enter your email address and we’ll send it straight to your inbox!
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!
Really Really good and easy to follow. the flavors are outstanding.
Make the effort and use the immersion blender at the end.
I made this today at 6xās the amount. I found that 3 teaspoons of minced garlic was plenty for the entire pot. I also omitted the sugar completely, and white onions (no yellow were to be had at the store) and the soup seemed to be sweet enough without the sugar. I did have to add a liberal dose of celery seed to punch up the flavour even though the celery I used was beautifully aromatic and tasty on its own. This is a fantastic recipe and will make this every fall from now on. šš»šš»
Oh I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Elaina, and appreciate the feedback, thank you!
I really like this soup, it’s very easy to make it,it’s not expensive and complicated and it’s healthy.
Last time I did made it with chicken broth base,but this time I add cream, it’s more ticker but still us very good.
I would like to say thank you for this recipe.:):)
I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Nela, thank you very much! <3
Can this soup be frozen for future use?
Hi Amy, I haven’t personally tried freezing it but have had multiple readers report that it freezes well.
I made this for lunch and it’s delicious! Instead of sugar I did use a small carrot, for fear of it being too sweet for my taste. And, like a previous reviewer, I used my immersion blender. It was great!
That’s terrific, Cheryl, thank you so much, I’m happy you enjoyed it!
I substituted a Vidalia sweet onion for the yellow onion and omitted the sugar. At the end, I used my immersion blender to make it smooth and it was so creamy and perfect! Thanks!
Fantastic, Lynn, thank you so much for the feedback!
This was really good but i made just a couple of adjustments, added 1/2 c more milk cuz the chicken flavor was coming through to much and i added about 1 tsp of celery seed. I also pureed half of the soup so it wasnt so chunky. Didnt want the rest of the celery just laying around so I pureed the rest of the celery, hearts and all with another 1/3 c milk(my soup was really thick) and put through a sieve, it gave it even more of a celery flavor and added a nice light green color.
That’s great, Carey, I’m so glad you enjoyed it and were able to adjust it to your full liking, thanks for the feedback!
This soup was really delicious. The rain was pouring down outside with thunder and lightning which made us want comfort food. It really delivered. Thank you
I’m so glad, Jennifer, thank you! <3