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.
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
- 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.
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.
Marilyn E says
Delicious. I used red onion & cilantro because I didn’t have a white onion or parsley. Turned out great. Devoured 2 bowls off the top. Will definitely make this again.
Erren's Kitchen says
Hi Marilyn, your variations sound amazing! Glad you enjoyed it!
Gloria curtin says
Need more basic measurement is it one full stalk of celery, cup, same for potatoes what kind amount by cup or #. Can I use left over mashed amount.
Erren's Kitchen says
Hi Gloria, the ingredients are listed in lbs or you can switch at the top of the recipe to use grams. Once you begin to make the soup, as long as the stock covers the vegetables in the pan the soup will work out fine. Good luck
Jessica says
Can I make this in my instapot?
Erren Hart says
You can! Just saute on saute mode and cook soup mode for 25 minutes.
Chérie says
do you think this recipe freezes nively . I would like to make a double batch since i have so much celery. thanks .
Erren's Kitchen says
Hi Cherie, yes this should freeze fine, cool to room temperature then put in a sealed container and freeze 🙂
Sandra says
Great side to have around! I de-stringed my celery with a peeler and subbed cauliflower for broccoli. I needed to add garlic powder during the puree for flavor.
Erren's Kitchen says
That sounds amazing Sandra! So glad you enjoyed it 🙂
KC says
Really easy recipe. I had leftover celery, so didn’t have quite what the recipe called for, but I added nearly a head of cauliflower. It was my first time using my hand blender, which I loved! I could even see adding some crispy bacon to the top for a little crunch.
Erren's Kitchen says
Sounds amazing! Love the idea of a crispy bacon topping 🙂
Ron says
Another satisfied reader here!
Needed celery for another recipe the other day – and then stuck with most of a big bunch of the stuff – so I made this.
Really subtle, gorgeous soup – comes across as restaurant quality rather than something simply quickly whipped up at home!
Love the ‘cheat’ where adding some potato ends up with a really creamy texture – sans cream!
My go-to pumpkin soup recipe is the same – cook some potato along with the pumpkin/butternut squash – and the result is so rich and creamy that everyone is sure is has dairy in it. This is great for vegans – or anyone at all really! – creamy, rich texture that tastes so good! Thank you!!
Erren's Kitchen says
Thank you for your lovely comments, yes it is such a gem of a recipe. Your pumpkin soup sounds divine! So glad you enjoyed my recipe 🙂
Janice says
This soup is absolutely one of the best I have made. It is so creamy, without the cream. I added a few gluten free pretzels on top to serve 🙂 WINNER
Erren's Kitchen says
I’m so glad you liked it! And, wow, what a great idea with the pretzels 🙂
Maureen Sylvestet says
My favorite soup!! Love it!!
Erren Hart says
Hi Maureen, So glad to hear it! I love this soup too!
joseph says
This recipe is easy. and excellent. Thank you for sharing.
If I may, a must-do is to peel the celery.
I used ⅔ +/- head of cauliflower i/o potato (absenting starch and dropping calories). It worked quite well.
Just before serving I stirred in 2-3 Tablespoons of coconut milk, thus adding a touch of fat and a few calories. This addition changed an excellent soup to an absolutely outstanding soup with a mild and creamy texture coupled with a silkiness that romanced the palate.
At serving, lite-sour cream or plain greek yogurt was offered, ie., as a dollop. it was now well beyond more than just right.
This is a regular for home and for guest.
Thank you. Thank you.
Erren's Kitchen says
I am so glad you enjoyed this, I love your adjustments!