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!
I made this soup this afternoon to eat for dinner tonight with hot bread. It’s absolutely delicious! (Had to “taste test” a few times) Thanks so much for this recipe! It’s a keeper.
Thanks, Gail, I’m happy to hear it was a hit! And no shame in “taste testing” – we have to make sure it’s “safe” before feeding our families, right? ;) Thanks for the feedback!
Also – because I canned the soup, I did not use butter … used refined organic coconut oil. FYI
In the canner now! ?
Thanks for the info, Judi, I’m going to pressure can some as well very soon! :)
The Amish use it extensively in their cooking. It’s a very refined cornstarch, does not clump when canned.
Best to you … Canning (pressure) will open all kinds of new and exciting food avenues for you!
Fascinating! Thanks so much for the info, Judy, I’ll look into it!
Love this recipe! Will be making a double batch today, omitting the dairy and using clear jel in place of flour (no gluten and clear jel is recommended for canning) and canning it up. Will simply add the dairy when comes time to use it. Also will do the same with mushrooms. Thank you so very much for taking the time to share your thoughts, Kimberly, and recipes with so many.
Thanks so much, Judi, I’m so glad you enjoyed it! I’ve been starting to pressure can for the first time (previously only water bath conducive things) and would love to know how you do it. I made a batch of chili to pressure can, doing beef stew next, and read that you can’t use flour or cornstarch for thickening. I’ve never heard of clear jel. Thanks again!
Hi Kim, My husband mentioned the other day that he hadn’t had cream of celery soup for a long time. I googled cream of celery soup and found your recipe. I just finished making it this morning. I made it exactly as your recipe and it is absolutely delicious. I gave my hubby a small bowl to taste and he was thrilled with it. I guess Campbell’s is outmatched by your soup. No more cans for us. Thanks for this.
That’s wonderful! I’m thrilled you both enjoyed it so much and really appreciate the feedback, thank you!
I don’t like celery but wanted to make your soup to go in a recipe and I do believe I would have eaten all of your soup if I didn’t have to use it in the other recipe. It was THAT good! I used half the ingredients, 2% milk, and no sugar. It was a bit thick but I could have added more milk to loosen it up some. Come to think of it, I probably forgot to half the flour. haha Oh well. It was good! Thanks for the recipe. Looking forward to making cream of mushroom soup next. Do you have a particular type of mushroom you recommend?
Awesome, Tina, so glad you enjoyed it! I use whatever mushrooms I have on hand – they’re all good. Most often I’ll just use white button or cremini mushrooms, but if you can get hold of a medley of wild mushrooms it will be even more amazing.
Yum! Made this with 2% milk, no fat, low-sodium broth and 1/2 the salt. Still super creamy and delicious (without the extra fat, sodium and calories)! HEALTHY! Thanks for this delicious recipe!
Hi, Tracy, glad it turned out for you! There’s nothing unhealthy about saturated fat or salt though. The FDA has finally come around to acknowledging the myth that saturated fat is linked to heart disease, something they’ve been telling us for decades that simply isn’t true. Check out this article by my husband, Dr. Killebrew: http://www.daringgourmet.com/2015/01/13/dr-killebrew-the-truth-about-full-fat-dairy/. Also a lot of research has come out that salt has little impact on blood pressure. Here’s Dr. Killebrew’s latest article on salt and blood pressure: http://www.daringgourmet.com/2015/04/30/the-truth-about-salt-and-blood-pressure/. There are just so many myths out there about saturated fat and salt that I asked my husband to publish both of these articles (and there will be more to come).
Tried this tonight, and it is delicious! The whole family loved it. Thanks! :)
Wonderful! So glad it was a hit, Ailene, and thank you for the feedback!