This easy recipe for Creamy Celery Soup has no cream, making it a low-fat, vegan version of cream of celery soup that’s healthy & delicious.
This celery soup is really tasty. I have friends who love it, even if they’re not usually fans of celery. The best part is that it’s a healthier take on creamy soups. It’s smooth and thick, just like the creamy soups we all love, but it has 90% fewer calories!
I’ve discovered a method to create wonderfully creamy soups without using any cream, significantly reducing the calorie count. The secret? Incorporating potatoes makes a thicker soup while also creating a creamy consistency. I love this method so much, I’ve used it to create my Creamy Broccoli Soup, Cauliflower Saffron Soup and my Easy Carrot Soup.
Want to make this recipe in a slow cooker? See the recipe card for instructions.
Why This Recipe Works
- Using a generous amount of celery that cooks in the stock, along with fresh aromatics and herbs, creates a full-bodied celery flavor without needing a lot of complicated ingredients.
- Using potatoes to thicken the soup gives it more substance and a smoother, silkier texture.
- Pureeing the celery soup with the potato results in a creamy soup without the added fat.
Ingredient Notes
- Celery: To avoid stringy celery, use the more tender celery stalks that are closer to the middle of the head. Lighter-colored celery is less likely to have though strings.
- Oil: Choose a light, healthy oil, such as olive or canola oil, that won’t overpower the soup’s flavors.
- Onion: We prefer a yellow onion for its mild sweetness, but you can also use white, red, or even shallots to create your own flavor profile.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic is preferred for its superior flavor, but it can be substituted with garlic powder or prechopped garlic if you prefer.
- Chicken or Vegetable Stock: Opt for low-sodium versions to control the soup’s saltiness. It’s found in the soup aisle.
- Potatoes: Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes are ideal for their starchy quality, contributing to the soup’s creaminess.
- Parsley: Fresh parsley adds a burst of freshness. You can also experiment with other fresh herbs to create your own unique flavors.
- Salt and Pepper: We prefer kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, but you can use whatever you have on hand.
Celery Buying Guide
Opt for celery that’s light-colored and crisp, with stalks that are firm and tightly packed.
Ensure you buy celery with leaves attached, as they’re full of flavor. The leaves themselves should be a vibrant, pale green without any wilting or browning, indicating freshness and quality.
Prepping Celery For The Smoothest Soup
Some celery stalks can be quite stringy, and these tough bits can make your soup’s texture less smooth.
To test if your celery is stringy (which can be unpleasant for some), break it in half by hand before chopping. If you see the strings sticking out of the break (see photo below).
To de-string the celery, first wash it, then use a vegetable peeler to shave off the strings from the back of each stalk. Alternatively, you can break the celery into pieces and yank out the stringy ribs that become visible. For a clearer demonstration, you can find this helpful video on YouTube that provides a step-by-step guide.
Erren’s Top Tips
- Prep Your Celery: Use a vegetable peeler to remove the strings from the celery to ensure a smoother soup.
- Chop Evenly: Cut the celery and potatoes into similar-sized pieces so they cook at the same rate. The potatoes can be cut into quarters as they cook faster than celery.
- Simmer Gently: Cook the soup on low heat after it reaches boiling to allow the flavors to meld without overcooking the vegetables.
- Blend Well: Use an immersion blender for a creamy texture. If you don’t have one, a regular blender works, too; just be careful with the hot liquid.
- Taste as You Go: Season with salt and pepper during cooking, but always taste before adding more – you can always add, but you can’t take away!
- Reserve Some Liquid: Set aside some of the cooking stock before blending. You can add it back if the soup is too thick.
- Save Some Celery: Keep a few spoonfuls of the cooked celery to add texture to the soup after blending.
Storage & Freezing Instructions
To store leftovers: Cool your celery soup for about 30 minutes then place it in airtight containers, and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
To Freeze: For longer storage, freeze the soup in freezer-safe containers, leaving some space at the top, for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat on the stove, adding water or stock if it’s too thick.
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Let’s Make Creamy Celery Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion chopped
- 3 garlic cloves peeled and crushed
- 2 lbs fresh celery cleaned and chopped (see post for removing strings)
- 1 qt chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 lb potatoes peeled the potato and cut it into quarters
- a good handful of fresh parsley roughly chopped, including stems
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Stovetop
- Chop the celery into roughly the same-sized pieces, about an inch – 1.5 inches, Don’t worry about precision as the soup is going to be puréed anyway. You just want it to cook evenly.
- In a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until soft.
- Add the garlic and cook another minute before adding the celery, stock, potato, and parsley. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil.
- Cover, lower the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes or until the celery and potatoes are soft enough that they can easily be pureed (But don’t let them get too mushy).
- Remove the soup from heat. If necessary, using a ladle, remove enough stock so that the celery is just covered. Set any reserved stock aside.
- Remove some of the chopped celery with a slotted spoon (1-2 spoonfuls) and set aside.
- Purée the soup with a stick blender in the pot – adding the reserved stock little by little until the soup reaches the desired consistency.
- Add the reserved celery, mix to combine and serve hot.
Slow Cooker
- (Optional) Sauté the onions, garlic, and celery in butter in a skillet over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer to the slow cooker.
- Add the potatoes, stock, salt, and pepper to the slow cooker. Stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on low for 6–7 hours or high for 3–4 hours, until the vegetables are tender.
- Remove the soup from heat. If necessary, using a ladle, remove enough stock so that the celery is just covered. Set any reserved stock aside.
- Remove some of the chopped celery with a slotted spoon (1-2 spoonfuls) and set aside.
- Purée the soup with a stick blender in the pot – adding the reserved stock little by little until the soup reaches the desired consistency.
- Add the reserved celery, mix to combine and serve hot.
Tips + Notes
- If you don’t have a stick blender, a food processor or blender would work just as well to puree the soup.
- To avoid stringy celery, use the more tender celery stalks that are closer to the middle of the head. Lighter colored celery is less likely to have though strings.
- To test if your celery is stringy (which for some can be unpleasant), before cutting the celery, break it in half by hand. If you see the strings sticking out of the break (see photo above), peel the celery to remove the strings.
- To remove the strings from the celery, clean and peel the back of the stalk with a vegetable peeler (for more detailed instructions, you can see this video on YouTube) or just by snapping your celery into sections and pulling out the exposed, stringy ribs.
Nutrition Information:
Update Notes: This recipe was originally posted in 2014 but published again in 2018 to include step-by-step directions, nutritional information, new photos, and a video.
sylvia says
can’t wait to make this. have an abundance of celery. we juice it but daughter gave us 3 box fulls she ordered by accident (it want) organic. We will make use of it and neighbors too. Love the ideas to use other veggies to.
This is a wonderful idea as we don’t want the added cream and absolutely love potatoes. thank you so much
Erren's Kitchen says
We hope you enjoy it!!❤️
Christy Clay says
Creamy Celery Soup – Erren’s Kitchen
No Cream Creamy Celery Soup
I decided to use what I had in my kitchen to make this a one pot recipe and I’m glad I did. I used powered versions of the fresh seasoning veggies that the recipe called for and it worked out great.
Below are my adjustments and measurements:
3 cloves garlic = 2 1/2 tbls garlic powder
1 large onion = 2 1/2 tbls onion powder
1 handful parsley = 2 tbls parsley flakes
1 tbls ground pepper
1 1/2 tsp salt(add to taste)
2 tbls olive oil
2 tbls olive oil butter
2 long celery stalks- cut as recipe directs
10 baby cut carrots- sliced same size as celery(optional)
6 to 8 small peeled potatoes- I boiled separately until tender enough to peel and slice easily(discard water)
4 cups water- used to make the veggie broth(omitted the sautéing)instead I added the carrots, potatoes and celery together with seasoning and oils and let boil(adding the potatoes back in at the last ten minutes of cooking time)for the time suggested or until tender to your preference.
For those who don’t have a blender, it’s just as tasty and filling unblended.📸😋

Erren's Kitchen says
Your adaptation of the Creamy Celery Soup sounds fantastic! Using powdered versions of the fresh seasonings is such a clever idea. Love the addition of carrots and your method of boiling the potatoes separately. It’s great to know it’s delicious even without blending. Thanks for sharing your creative twist on this recipe! 🍲👩🍳
Chris Gilbey says
Great recipe! I made it with cauliflower instead of potatoes – really beautiful…
Erren's Kitchen says
That’s wonderful to hear! Substituting cauliflower for potatoes is a great idea if you’re looking to reduce the carb content in the soup or add a unique twist to the recipe. It’s fantastic that you enjoyed the result. Cauliflower can bring a lovely creamy texture and a subtle nutty flavor to the soup. Thank you for sharing your positive experience, and I hope you continue to enjoy this creamy celery soup with cauliflower in the future.
Jackie says
This recipe is delicious and so simple! I added a little French Provençal sea salt. Thank you for a wonderful dinner. 😊
Erren's Kitchen says
I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed the recipe! Adding French Provençal sea salt sounds like a great way to enhance the flavors. You’re very welcome!
Nina marie says
What ahhhhhh tasty treat🤗
Erren Hart says
Hearing that you enjoyed the recipe makes all the hard work worthwhile. Thank you for sharing your positive experience.
Dawn says
This recipe was fantastic. My first try and it was perfect. We had 6lbs of celery so I decided to try this recipe.
Everyone loved it even my husband who isn’t a soup person. Thanks
Erren Hart says
I’m thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the celery soup recipe! It’s great to hear that it turned out perfectly, especially considering the abundance of celery you had. It’s always a pleasure when a recipe can win over even those who aren’t typically fans of soup. Thank you for giving it a try, and I hope you continue to explore new and delicious recipes in your culinary adventures!
Linda Martin says
I have made this recipe with celery, broccoli, cauliflower, broccoli and cauliflower, and asparagus. My husband has really enjoyed each variation I’ve made. When I made it with asparagus I used 1 lb and just cut a 1 inch piece off the end of each spear. Using just one pound of asparagus still gave it a nice flavour. Thanks for the recipe it is now my go to creamy no cream vegetable soup
Erren Hart says
Thank you so much for trying out the recipe and for sharing your feedback, Linda! I’m glad you’ve adapted the recipe to different vegetables and that your husband has enjoyed each variation you’ve made. I make it with all kinds of vegetables too. We’re working on an asparagus version to post later this month! I’m so happy this recipe has become your go-to creamy no, cream vegetable soup! I hope you’ll continue to enjoy it and try out some of my other recipes. Thanks again for your support and for taking the time to comment!
Leslie says
This recipe turned out to be perfectly what I was looking for! love it
second time I made it I added a few chopped carrots to sweeten it a touch and loved that too
thanks for the recipe!!
Erren Hart says
Thanks for trying out our Celery Soup recipe Leslie and for leaving such a positive review. We’re so happy you enjoyed it! Adding carrots to the soup is a great idea. We’ll have to try that next time we make it. Thanks for sharing your suggestion!
Julia says
surprisingly nice! and my 2 year old enjoyed it so great recommendation there 🙂 I added walnuts on top for some extra protein which was a great combination
Erren Hart says
Thank you for the great feedback, Julia! I’m glad you and your 2-year-old enjoyed the recipe, and I appreciate you letting me know!