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This is the best cream of celery soup recipe and ridiculously better than anything from a can! Fresh, crisp celery gets transformed into a silky-smooth, ultra-creamy soup using simple pantry staples like butter, flour, chicken broth, and heavy cream. It’s the perfect base for your favorite casseroles, or honestly? It’s so delicious you’ll want to eat it straight from the pot with a crusty piece of bread. Plus, it’s naturally low carb and easily adaptable for dairy-free, gluten-free, vegetarian, or vegan diets.
See recipe card below for full list of measurements, ingredients, and instructions.
Why This Recipe is So Good
- Homemade cream of celery soup is a delicious, easy, healthier alternative to the canned versions. It uses pantry staples like all-purpose flour, chicken broth, and heavy cream, plus fresh produce and simple seasonings. You control the amount of salt you use, too!
- This recipe is naturally low carb. You can easily make it dairy free, gluten free, vegetarian, and/or vegan if you’d like! Perfect for an all-inclusive dinner.
- If you’re a fan of freezer meals, cream of celery soup recipes freeze really well. Just let it cool completely, transfer it to a freezer-safe container, and freeze it up to 4 months. If you’re storing it in a sealable freezer bag, lay the bag flat in the freezer until the soup is solid. After that you can store it upright without it taking up space.
- It’s incredibly versatile – use it as a creamy base for casseroles, stir it into rice dishes, or enjoy it as a standalone soup with some crusty bread. This is that perfect “secret weapon” recipe that makes everything taste amazing without any extra effort. It works beautifully in classic recipes like green bean casserole or chicken and rice bake.
What You Need to Know Before You Start
- ​​Look for crisp, firm celery stalks with bright green leaves. Those sad, limp stalks that taste like crunchy water won’t cut it here. If your celery is starting to go soft, this recipe is actually a perfect way to use it up before it goes bad completely.
- Cooking the celery, onion, and garlic in butter until they’re soft and fragrant (about 5-7 minutes) is what develops that deep, savory flavor, so don’t skip this step. You want the vegetables tender but not browned – keep that heat at medium-high and stir occasionally. If things start to brown, just lower the heat a touch.
- Some people love a completely smooth, velvety soup, while others prefer a bit of texture with small celery pieces. Use an immersion blender right in the pot for easy cleanup, or transfer to a regular blender in batches (be super careful with hot liquids – leave the vent open and cover with a towel to avoid explosions). For a rustic version, skip blending altogether and enjoy it chunky.
- If the cream of celery soup is too thick for you after blending, add a little more broth to thin it out. If it’s too thin, let it simmer a little longer to reduce more of the liquid. And by the way, you can also use vegetable broth instead, make your own in the Instant Pot, or for added nutrients, try making a bone broth!
Recipe Variations
Cream of Broccoli Soup: Swap the celery for 3 cups of chopped broccoli florets. You’ll want to simmer them a bit longer (about 10-12 minutes) until they’re very tender before blending.
Add Cheese: Stir in ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan or sharp cheddar cheese after blending. The cheese adds incredible depth and a subtle tang that pairs beautifully with the celery.
Boost the Herbs: A teaspoon of fresh thyme leaves or ½ teaspoon dried dill takes this soup to the next level. Add them when you sauté the vegetables for maximum flavor infusion.
Make it Lighter: Use whole milk or even 2% milk instead of heavy cream. The soup won’t be quite as rich, but it’ll still be creamy and satisfying with fewer calories and less fat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Start by sautéing chopped celery, onion, and garlic in butter until soft and fragrant. Whisk in flour to create a roux, then gradually add chicken broth while whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Stir in heavy cream and let it simmer until thickened. Finally, blend until smooth (or leave it chunky if you prefer). The whole process takes about 30 minutes from start to finish!
Use it as a creamy base in casseroles (like green bean casserole or tuna noodle casserole), stir it into rice dishes or pasta, mix it with chicken for a quick skillet dinner, or use it to make creamy sauces for pork chops or chicken breasts. Of course, you can also enjoy it as a standalone soup with garlic bread or a sliced baguette – it’s that good!
Totally! Celery leaves are totally edible and add extra flavor. Just chop them roughly and toss them in with the celery stalks when you’re sautéing. They’ll blend right in and add a subtle, herbaceous note.
The soup should coat the back of a spoon when it’s done. If you draw your finger through the soup on the spoon and it leaves a clear line, you’re good to go. Remember, it will thicken more as it cools, so aim for slightly thinner than you want the final result to be.
This soup actually tastes even better the next day after the flavors have had time to meld, so yes! Make it up to 3 days ahead and store it in the fridge. Just reheat gently on the stovetop and thin with a splash of broth if needed.
This homemade version works perfectly as a 1:1 substitute. Use about 2 cups of this soup in place of one 10.5-ounce can of condensed soup. If your casserole seems too thin, just simmer the soup a bit longer before adding it to thicken it up more.
Lumps usually happen when the flour isn’t whisked in properly or the broth is added too quickly. If you catch lumps early, whisk vigorously to break them up. For stubborn lumps, use an immersion blender to smooth everything out. You can also strain the soup through a fine-mesh sieve if needed.
More Creamy Soup Recipes
- Marry Me Chicken Soup
- Creamy Boursin Chicken Soup
- Creamy Crockpot Potato Soup
- Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta Soup
- Healthy Creamy Clam Chowder (Whole30, Paleo, Dairy Free)
- Creamy Keto Taco Soup
- Seafood Soup
- Instant Pot Butternut Squash Soup
- Instant Pot Tomato Soup
- Vegan Broccoli Cheddar Soup
- Manhattan Clam Chowder
- Cajun Shrimp Bisque
- Non-Perishable Foods List
- Japanese Curry Fries
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions or variations listed are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
Best Cream of Celery Soup
Equipment
- dutch oven or large, heavy-bottomed pot
- immersion blender or standard blender, see Notes
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium onion diced
- 7 ribs celery diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour see Notes
- 3 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
- ½ cup heavy cream
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- chives chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- In dutch oven, melt butter over medium-high heat, then add onion, celery, and garlic. Cook 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft.
- Add flour and stir to distribute. Cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Pour in chicken broth and stir. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
- Remove pot from heat and let cool slightly. Use immersion blender to blend soup in pot until mixture is smooth. Alternately, blend soup in regular blender until completely smooth – see Notes. Once mixture is smooth, return pot to heat and pour in heavy cream. Stir and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes.
- Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Portion soup into serving bowls and garnish with chopped chives. Serve warm.
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- Fill the blender no more than halfway. You may have to blend your ingredients in a few batches.
- After pouring the liquid into the blender, let it sit a few minutes to cool slightly before blending.
- Before blending, remove the center cap from the blender lid and cover the hole with a dish towel instead. This will keep pressure from building up inside the blender. Keep your hand on the lid to hold it down while blending.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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DELICIOUS! I doubled it bc I had SO MUCH celery! This is a fantastic recipe full of possibilities! I added a bit of parm, a dash of hot sauce, garnish with bacon bits, YUM! Super easy to freeze and use later as a side or main dish.
Ooh, your additions sound delish! Thanks so much for sharing, Kelly!
I had some celery that was about to go bad so made this soup it’s so yummy! I added some navy beans at the end for some protein and a handful of diced tomato for a pop of color. Eating from it for the week!
Ooh, yum! We’re so glad you enjoyed it, Jenny!