If you’ve ever pulled a can of condensed cream of celery soup from the pantry to make casseroles, creamy chicken dishes, or rice bakes, you’re going to love this from-scratch version.
In just minutes and with simple, whole-food ingredients, this homemade cream of celery soup recipe gives you rich, creamy flavor without the preservatives and mystery ingredients found in the canned variety. Whether you’re serving it as a comforting bowl of soup or using it as a base in your favorite recipes, this easy real-food alternative will quickly become a kitchen staple.
Follow this tutorial to swap unhealthy ingredients for healthy ones. Once you realize how easy it is to make this creamy soup from scratch, you will never buy soup in a can again!
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Quick Look at This Recipe
- ✅ Recipe Name: Cream of Celery Soup
- 🕒 Ready In: ~5 minutes
- 👪 Yield: 1.5 cups
- 🍽 Calories: 314 (per cup)
- 🥄 Tools: A pot, whisk and measuring utensils (plus knife and cutting board for celery).
- ❄️ Freezer Friendly: Yes – I like to freeze in straight-sided Mason jars (leave about an inch headspace to allow for expansion).
- 📖 Dietary Info: While this recipe isn’t vegetarian or gluten-free, you can follow the ingredient substitutions to make it both gluten-free or vegetarian.
- ⭐ Why You’ll Love It: Delicious, fewer ingredients than the store-bought version, and takes less than 10 minutes to make! (That’s faster than running to the store for a can of soup!)
- 👩🍳 Pro Tip: Keep chopped celery in the freezer to make this recipe in less than five minutes!
Why This Recipe Works
After I had a health scare, I started taking a critical look at what I was feeding my family and made a serious commitment to avoid GMOs and eat real food. Turns out that ditching processed food and cooking from scratch is so much easier than you might think!
- Basic Ingredients – This homemade cream of celery soup relies on simple, real-food pantry staples you likely already have on hand, making it easy to replace canned condensed soups without extra planning or specialty ingredients.
- Customizable – Once you understand this base method, you can easily adapt it to create other interchangeable “cream of” soups, including cream of mushroom, cream of broccoli and cheddar, cream of chicken, cream of onion, cream of potato, cream of bacon, or even a gluten-free cream of anything soup, depending on what ingredients you have available.
- Versatile – This soup can be served as a comforting bowl on its own or used in casseroles, rice dishes, noodle recipes, and as a base for other soups, giving you the same convenience as store-bought versions without preservatives or questionable ingredients.
- Real-Food Focused – Made from scratch with whole ingredients, this recipe lets you ditch processed soups while still keeping your cooking fast, practical, and family-friendly.
All of these soups are delicious bowls of comfort served with a fresh slice of no-knead artisan bread or a crusty homemade sourdough boule.
Recipe Variations
As mentioned above, cream of celery soup is delicious just as it is, but it’s also incredibly versatile, with several different options.
| Variation | Suggestion |
| Additional Seasonings | This soup’s basic seasonings make it versatile for a variety of recipes. However, if you want to customize the seasoning, try adding garlic, thyme, sage, nutmeg, or cayenne pepper. |
| Additional Vegetables | Cream of celery soup is the perfect base for making cream of anything vegetable soup. Before serving, add other cooked vegetables you have on hand, such as potatoes, broccoli, carrots, peas, mushrooms, leeks, kale, or onions. Chop the vegetables if you prefer the texture, or puree them with an immersion blender for a smooth bisque-like mouthfeel. |
| Make it a Main Dish | Cream of celery soup works great as a side, but lacks protein in order to qualify as a main dish. Before serving, add diced cooked chicken, turkey, or ham to balance the nutrition. |
| Other Additions | Go beyond saltine crackers and serve your soup with a sprinkle of grated cheese, seasoned croutons, a dollop of sour cream, crumbled bacon or chives. |
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Key Ingredients
- Celery – Fresh, crisp celery will yield the best flavor. Wash the celery well and dice it into small pieces. (Pro Tip: If your celery is looking past its prime, chop it and toss it in the freezer, then grab a handful whenever you need to make homemade chicken broth or this cream of celery soup.)
- Oil – I love using butter for the additional flavor it adds, but you can use any oil, such as olive, avocado or coconut oil.
- Flour – All-purpose flour works best. If you need a gluten-free cream of soup version, I’ve got you covered.
- Broth – For a truly exceptional soup, you can use chicken stock, vegetable broth, or homemade bone broth.
- Milk or Cream – Heavy cream can make this cream of celery soup recipe even smoother and richer. If you’re dairy-free, swap out the milk for full-fat non-dairy milk, such as unsweetened coconut milk, cashew cream, or a mixture of the two.
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How to Make Cream of Celery Soup
Step 1: Melt butter (or other fat) in a large pot over medium-high heat.
Step 2: Add the celery, and saute to soften and release the flavor.
Step 3: Stir in the flour and cook, whisking constantly to make a paste and to ensure the butter doesn’t brown or burn.
Step 4: Slowly add the chicken broth and whisk smooth.
Step 5: Add milk or cream to the celery mixture and simmer over medium-low heat for just a couple of minutes, stirring occasionally. (Do not allow it to boil.) If the mixture is too thick, add more liquid. Remember, it will get thicker as it cools.
Step 6: Now reduce the heat and add salt and pepper to taste.
Remove from heat and let it cool slightly before serving using in your recipe.
FAQ’s
What goes in cream of celery soup?
The base recipe for cream of soups is the same, with a fat source (such as butter), flour, broth, cream (or milk) and salt and pepper. Celery is the star ingredient that makes it cream of celery soup.
How can I transform the texture of cream of celery soup?
To make the soup smooth, you can use an immersion blender to puree it. For added texture, add croutons or chopped nuts.
What are some tips for storing and reheating cream of celery soup?
Cool the soup, then refrigerate or freeze it. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge and then heat until hot.
Did you make this cream of celery recipe? If so, please leave a star rating ⭐ and your comments in the recipe card below. Then, snap a photo of your soup (or how you used it) and tag me on social media @melissaknorris so I can see!
Cream of Celery Soup
Equipment
- Measuring Utensils
- Soup Pot
- Sharp Knife
- Cutting Board
- Whisk
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Celery Diced
- 3 Tablespoons Butter Substitute olive oil or coconut oil
- 3-4 Tablespoons Flour
- 1/2 cup Chicken Broth
- 1/2 cup Milk Substitute heavy cream or half and half
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- Dash of Pepper
Instructions
- Melt butter (or other fat) in a large pot over medium-high heat.
- Add the celery, and saute’ to soften and release the flavor.
- Stir in the flour to make a thick paste, whisking constantly so that the butter doesn’t brown or burn.
- Slowly add the chicken broth and whisk smooth.
- Add milk or cream to the celery mixture and simmer over medium-low heat for just a couple of minutes, stirring occasionally. (Do not allow it to boil.) If the mixture is too thick, add more liquid. Remember, it will get thicker as it cools.
- Now reduce heat and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Remove from heat and let it cool slightly before serving.
Notes
- For gluten-free options, use cornstarch or xanthan gum instead of flour.
- For dairy-free options, use all chicken broth or substitute full-fat canned coconut milk (unsweetened).
I was searching for what to do with celery and came on this recipe. Very easy and so delicious! I used a lot of pepper, could have used a little less to bring out other flavors but wow!
Thank you! I am so glad I found this — I am trying to remove the unhealthy oils from our diets as much as possible and want to try this for my family-favorite broccoli casserole.
In order to get the right consistency for the recipe (which calls for 1 can of the condensed soup), would you recommend I half the broth and milk in the recipe?
Had to throw it away…what a waste of great ingredients. Has to be a typo…I ended up with flour soup…9 to 12 TABLESPOONS for the 3x recipe? Unbelievable.
Yes if you’re tripling the recipe that would be the approximate flour in order to get it thick, but you triple all the rest of the ingredients…
Hi Kim,
I would try it half broth and milk and then adjust if you prefer it more one way than the other
This soup is the PERFECT substitute for casseroles! It’s quick, easy and SO delicious (also the perfect thing to make when my celery is at the end of it’s life!).