This homemade Gluten Free Cream of Celery Soup Recipe, better than canned condensed soup, uses crisp celery, onion, garlic and fresh cream.
Underrated but highly flavorful, this rich and creamy Gluten-Free Cream of Celery Soup is perfect as a meal in itself or with other courses.
I decided to make this soup, when I had an over abundance of celery in my vegetable drawer. And, since I hadn’t made it in quite some time, I thought now’s a good time as any to make a pot of this delectable soup for my family.
Why Celery Soup?
Okay, I admit it: celery is definitely underrated. And, most folks would more than likely pass over this nutritious vegetable for one of the more popular options–especially when thinking of soup.
But if you’ve never tried Cream of Celery Soup, you really should. In fact, celery is very low in calories and carbs, which is a plus for those of us watching our figures. You’ll even love the fact that celery is also a good source of fiber and minimal protein.
Did You Know? Ribs and Stalks – Many folks confuse the parts of celery but here’s a quick and easy way to figure out which is which. A group or head of celery is considered a “stalk” and the individual leafstalks are called “ribs.”
Tips to Make the Best Cream of Celery Soup
Now you might have noticed some differences with this recipe versus other ones on Wisconsin Homemaker. It’s not really earth shattering but if you follow my lead, you’ll find great success with making a rich Cream of Celery Soup.
Here’s how:
1. Chop Celery Finely
For this recipe, I finely chopped the celery instead of using larger chunks. This is because celery has many fibers along the ribs that can be difficult to soften even through long cooking times. So by chopping the celery into small pieces, this makes the vegetable cook quicker and softer.
Cooking Tip: It’s best if you use a food processor for this task. That way, you’ll save time and energy.
2. Use Cooked Potato or Potato Flakes as Gluten Free Thickener
Celery doesn’t offer much volume or thickening power on its own, so you’ll need to do this yourself.
Rather than adding the standard, flour or cornstarch to the soup, I have instead used an old fashioned technique of relying on potatoes, which by the way are gluten-free, to do this task.
You have two options:
Cooked Potatoes
If you have a cooked (or boiled potato), you can remove the skin and mash well before placing it into the soup. A fork or potato ricer does the trick.
Potato Flakes
Since I like to do things efficaciously, I prefer boxed potato flakes which adds the right amount of thickness but without the need for any further cooking. Just use the prescribed amount noted in the recipe below and you’re good to go.
3. Purée with Hand Blender or Stand Blender
This soup needs to be blended one way or another using either a hand blender or stand blender. Because the pieces of celery are so small, using a food processor isn’t recommended. So choose your favorite way to blend and purée the soup to a smooth consistency.
To Make:
Start with one stalk of celery, one half onion (red or white–both work well in this recipe), garlic, heavy whipping cream and potato flakes.
I roughly chopped six cups of celery for this recipe.
It’s best if you pulse the food processor to allow all the celery pieces to get chopped evenly.
Next, measure out approximately 2-3 cups of onion.
Again, you’ll want to pulse the contents to get even results.
Add both chopped celery, onions and minced garlic to the pot.
Then, you’ll add some olive oil and sauté the vegetables for about five minutes.
To this you’ll add five cups of water and simmer for 10 minutes.
Once cooked thus far, add the garlic and onion powder, potato flakes, and finally the heavy whipping cream. Toss in a half cup of chopped parsley, and you’re almost finished. Cook for approximately 10 minutes to cook through.
As mentioned above, you can choose to use a hand blender…
…or a stand blender. My preference is the stand blender which has more power and puréeing capability.
Process the soup in small batches. I like to place the blended soup into a large bowl and then back into the pot the soup goes when I’m completely finished.
Cooking Tip: The soup at this point is very, very hot. So if you do choose to use a stand blender, be sure to fill the blender jar no more than 1/3 full. Place the cover on the blender and top that with a folded towel. That way, should any soup or hot steam be released through the cap in the lid, it won’t scald you.
Once the soup has been processed to a smooth consistency, heat on the stove for another five minutes.
Finally, give the soup a quick taste and add salt and pepper, if needed.
All in all, this recipe takes approximately 35 minutes from start to finish.
Time to ladle the Cream of Celery Soup into bowls. Enjoy!
Love vegetable soups? So do I. Here are some of my favorites:
- Roasted Pumpkin Soup with Root Vegetables
- Traditional Irish Leek and Potato Soup
- Classic Minestrone with Sausage
- Tuscan Sausage, Kale and Potato Soup
- Pasta e Fagioli or Italian Bean Soup
- Cream of Mushroom Soup
And, for more delicious soup and stew recipes, be sure to check out Wisconsin Homemaker’s Recipe Section.
Gluten Free Cream of Celery Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 cups celery rough chopped
- 3 cups onion rough chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 5 cups water or chicken stock
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 cup potato flakes
- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1/2 cup parsley chopped
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
Prep the Vegetables:
- In a food processor, process individually the celery and onions. Place in a large pot or Dutch oven.
For the Soup:
- Add to this minced garlic and olive oil and sauté for 5 minutes.
- Pour in 5 cups of water and simmer the soup for 10 minutes.
- Next add garlic and onion powder and potato flakes. Stir well.
- Simmer for another 5 minutes
- Add heavy whipping cream, butter and parsley. Simmer for another 5 minutes.
Finish the Soup:
- Then use either a hand blender or a stand blender to make the soup smooth. If you use a stand blender, be sure not to fill the jar no more than 1/3 of the capacity. It’s also best if you cover the lid with a folded towel topped by your hand. This is so that the hot liquid won’t escape from the center cap.
- Set the unit to purée or blend. Work in batches. Place blended soup in another pot or large serving bowl until all the contents have been processed.
- Then, return the soup back to the original pot or Dutch oven and heat for a final 5 minutes.
- Serve hot. Enjoy!
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