Celery Soup
5.0
(108)
Active Time
25 minutes
Total Time
25 minutes
Celery stalks often play a supporting (albeit crucial) role in comforting soups and holiday sides, but their sharp herbal flavor takes center stage in this cream of celery soup recipe. To coax the most flavor out of the veg, sauté the chopped celery with a potato and onion in plenty of butter until soft and tender. (No need for a perfect dice here—you’ll blend the veggies together in the end.) From there, simply add the chicken broth—or make it vegetarian, by swapping in vegetable stock or bouillon—and simmer until the potatoes have cooked through, about 10 minutes more. Fresh dill plays up the herbal quality of the celery, while a swirl of heavy cream (cashew cream works if you want to go vegan) contributes body and heft. Blending the creamy vegetable soup in a high-powered blender (such as a Vitamix) will yield the most velvety texture, but you may have to work in batches; you could also use an immersion blender to blend right in the soup pot. (Working with a less-powerful machine? Strain the soup though a fine-mesh strainer after blending.)
Requiring minimal cook time and even less prep time, this quick-cooking celery soup would make an excellent dinner party starter or simple weeknight dinner. Plus, it’s flexible as can be: Feel free to swap onion for leeks or dill for tarragon. Swirl in a dollop of sour cream or chili oil. Is your celery missing its leaves? Fresh parsley works just as well for the garnish. Ladle your soup into bowls and top however you wish, even if that’s just a dusting of freshly ground black pepper.
Ingredients
4 servings
Preparation
Step 1
Combine 1 bunch celery, coarsely chopped, 1 large Yukon Gold potato, peeled, coarsely chopped, 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped, and ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter in a medium saucepan; season with kosher salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, 8–10 minutes.
Step 2
Pour in 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring occasionally, until potato is fork-tender, 8–10 minutes.
Step 3
Transfer celery mixture to a blender; add ¼ cup chopped dill. Blend on low speed until puréed, then increase speed to medium-high and blend until smooth. Strain soup through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl. Add ½ cup heavy cream and stir to combine.
Step 4
Divide soup among bowls. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, top with celery leaves, and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.
Editor's note: Head this way for more of our favorite soups and stews, including roasted sweet potato soup, dairy-free lentil soup, and tomato soup with brown butter croutons →
Leave a Review
Reviews (108)
Back to TopAmazing!!! I was making this bc I had celery for my mom who had her bottom teeth removed n couldn’t chew anything. 1st recipe I clicked on google search. Im not a fan of celery at all, but felt my mon would appreciate it. Tell you she loved it, so dud my 7 yr granddaughter n her parents n Me too! I’m astonished so much soo, Im making another batch bc after straining it, there wasnt much. I sent some for a friend out of surgery, left for my mom n a lil butbto daughters house n granddaughter ate most of it. I took another bunch of celery n said Ill make snother batch n come bk so you can hace for dinner…. I followed instructions but I added 1 n 1/2 cartot n 1/4 of red pepper, & 3-4 vloves of garlic. I guess do it wont be soo green n used 1/2 1/2 I had on hand. AMAZING!!! 2nd batch exactly the same but adding a few leaks, should be great too…
Xenia
Fl
2/13/2024
Really delicious. I used half and half instead of heavy cream since it's what I had on hand, and actually liked it better before adding the dairy. Used homemade poultry stock, which added so much depth. A really wonderful soup for a crisp Fall day.
jkeva
Shenandoah, VA
10/7/2023
How many cups is a head of celery? I want to pick it from the garden and don't know how much I need.
Anonymous
8/7/2022
This recipe is excellent. I did make some changes. I used cabbage instead of celery, turnips instead of potatoes, jalapeno peppers instead of onions, cilantro instead of dill, yogurt instead of cream, corn oil instead of olive oil, beef broth instead of chicken broth, paprika instead of salt and coconut oil instead of butter. My wife loved it!
Carl
Chicago
11/5/2021
I made this light soup with garden celery picked in late October, after I planted June 10. I tasted delicious and was slightly granular. Added some tarragon mainly because I wanted a unique spice. What's a waxy potato? heavy cream adds thickness and creamy texture. After pulse processing for 10 seconds it tasted terrific to me and my wife. I will make another batch tomorrow and freeze it. I could have made celery soup in September!
Johnny chef
PA
10/29/2021
This was the best soup ever! I had to use a peeled sweet potato instead of waxy potato and it was so so good. I also did not use the heavy cream. Thank you for this recipe!
Kim Dubil
TN
10/15/2021
I had a large bunch of organic dark green celery with a lot of dark green leaves on it from the farmers market. It was too tough for salad so I looked up celery soup and found this recipe. Used half the butter and left the cream out. I tasted it and felt it was fine without the cream. I ground 1/2 cup of cashews and then pureed them with the soup. I did not strain feeling that it was a waste of good food and less work. Delicious.
loveart
8/6/2021
I’ve made a lot of celery soup; it’s just the go to after a receipt calls for 2 stalks of celery and there is the the rest of the bag left over. It was excellent my fav. I made a few adjustments; I added a little garlic in with the celery, potatoes, & onion. I used 4 cups of chicken broth instead of 3 it’s a whole fatten and I like broth. I cooked it more like 15-20 minutes after adding the broth to make sure the celery was nice and soft. Instead of a blender and straining I used an immersion blender.
bad_ash@mac.com
Naples, FL
7/10/2021
I doubled the recipe but after straining it, ended up with less than I'd expected. The straining is very difficult because the puree is so dense and much of the good stuff was lost. I will reheat it tomorrow and then add the cream, but I'm hopeful it will prove a little tastier then and not require last minute doctoring!
msmettler
San Francisco
4/9/2021
We love this, so quick and easy. I add a good dash of white pepper, but otherwise make it as written. M y 83 year old dad loves it so much he eats the leftovers for breakfast. Thanks for a great recipe.
Moggy
North Carolina
3/26/2021
We love this soup hot or cold. We always serve it with celery leaves in the center, a dollop of sour cream, really good olive oil and a sprinkle of cayenne! My neighbors love it, my grandchildren love it and I am making it today for St. Patrick's Day!
foodie from pocatello
Poky and Portola
3/17/2021
The best my husband thought it tasted like Thanksgiving!
Grandma Cea
N California
11/16/2020
I made the celery soup several times already. It is excellent.
Anonymous
Florida
11/10/2020
I made the celery soup... with some modifications. So good! 1 1/2 tbs of butter 1/4 c half&half 1/4 c heavy cream Veggie broth Still rich and creamy and yummy!!
Kimcj
PA
4/18/2020
I'm not a big fan of celery soup, but I had a large bunch of celery to use up. This recipe is amazing. The soup came out phenomenal. I didn't have waxy potatoes, so I used peeled russet potatoes instead. I also used 1/2 and 1/2 instead of heavy cream. I paired it with rosemary bread for a fantastic light lunch.
Kenny Gee
Jamestown, NC
3/22/2020
See Related Recipes and Cooking Tips
The Secret History of Celery
How the crunchy stalks went from Victorian centerpiece to ubiquitous football snack. Find the story of celery's rise to fame here.23 Celery Recipes That Prove There's Much More to It Than Ants on a Log
Not that there's anything wrong with a simple snack.7 Unexpected Ways To Eat Celery
Give celery a chance to play a lead role in your kitchen and you'll never look back.Modern Inspiration From a Vintage Cookbook
What's old is new again.
