• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

My Sequined Life logo

  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Breakfast
    • Breads
    • Snacks
    • Appetizers
    • Dips, Sauces, Spreads, and Spices
    • Drinks
    • Main Dishes
    • Sides
    • Cookies & Bars
    • Cake & Pie
    • Fruit Desserts
    • Sweet Treats
    • Healthier Favorites
    • How-To
    • Seasonal
      • Winter
      • Spring
      • Summer
      • Fall
  • About
  • Contact
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipe Index
  • About
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Home » Main Dishes » Creamy Celery Soup

    Creamy Celery Soup

    Published: Jun 1, 2020 · Modified: Mar 3, 2021 by Alyssa · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Creamy celery soup is a healthy soup option that uses up one whole bunch of celery. It’s easy to make and tastes fancier than the sum of its parts!

    A stoneware pot of creamy celery soup next to a dish towel

    This spring I’ve been doing an every-two-weeks produce delivery service that sends an assortment of imperfect but wholly edible organic fruits and vegetables.

    I love it! It feels like a mini Christmas morning when I get to see what goodies are in the box. Three deliveries in a row now I’ve received a bunch of celery. Since we’re not huge ants on a log eaters and most of our soup repertoire (like Italian sausage soup – yum) only uses a rib or two, we’ve developed a backlog of celery.

    What to make? There’s only one thing I could think of that would use up a lot at once – celery soup. Normally you think of cream of celery soup, but since my version doesn’t use cream, it didn’t seem right.

    This healthy pureed soup is thick and creamy and uses up one whole bunch of celery!

    An overhead shot of the soup ingredients on a marble board

    Soup ingredients and method

    Celery is the star of the show here. One whole bunch gets chopped up and sauteed with an onion, yellow potatoes, and garlic. I’ve always considered celery a pretty basic vegetable, but preparing it this way and with these ingredients really make it taste fancier than you might think possible.

    Once those are golden, pour in a little of the broth and deglaze by scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot and working them into the vegetables. That helps boost the flavor of the soup.

    Add the rest of the broth, some water, and a bay leaf and let everything come to a boil and then simmer for twenty minutes or so, or until the potatoes have softened.

    Next, remove the bay leaf and reserve a ladle or two of the broth liquid in a small bowl.

    Chopped celery, potato, onion, and garlic in a soup pot with a spatula

    It’s time to blend!

    An immersion blender makes this part a breeze, though you can always transfer the soup in batches to a regular blender to blend that way. Just be careful and blend in batches, leaving plenty of empty space in the blender so you don’t burn yourself if it splatters out.

    Why this soup is healthier

    Once this celery soup is pureed and added back to the pot, it’s time to make it creamy. Instead of cream or milk, I’m loving plain Greek yogurt in this soup! It adds a tiny tang that complements the other flavors and doesn’t taste too ‘yogurt-y’ at all.

    To help prevent against the yogurt curdling or otherwise acting weird texture-wise, whisk it with the reserved broth until smooth before whisking it into the pureed soup. That way nothing has a chance to get wonky/grainy.

    A side-by-side image collage of yogurt added to a bowl of broth and the yogurt fully whisked into the bowl of broth

    The last step is to add seasonings and herbs. You can really take this in whatever direction you like. I’ve experimented with a variety of herbs and really like a combination of fresh rosemary and rubbed sage.

    Fresh sage will also work, but I’m (much) less likely to have it on hand. Rubbed sage helps make this maple sausage gnocchi skillet a forever repeat on our dinner menu, and it’s conveniently shelf-stable.

    And there it is! Add a little pepper and more salt (if desired) and you’re ready to serve.

    A bowl of soup with a spoon in it next to a dish towel and an olive oil dispenser

    Recipe notes

    • Tempering the yogurt by whisking it into a bit of reserved broth before adding it to the rest of the soup helps prevent it from becoming grainy or otherwise ‘off’ texture-wise.
    • This soup is pretty forgiving. If you have a bunch of celery missing a rib or two from using in other recipes that’ll be fine.

    Substitution note: On occasions when I’m out of yellow or russet potatoes, I’ve taken to rinsing and draining a 15.5 ounce can of cannellini beans and adding them in place of the potatoes. They provide extra nutrients and blend seamlessly into this soup flavor-wise.

    A stoneware pot of creamy celery soup next to a dish towel

    Creamy Celery Soup

    Creamy celery soup is a healthy soup option that uses up one whole bunch of celery. It's easy to make and tastes fancier than the sum of its parts!
    4.5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Soup
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 43 minutes
    Total Time: 58 minutes
    Servings: 5
    Calories: 204kcal
    Author: Alyssa

    Ingredients

    • 2 tbsp unsalted butter
    • 2 tbsp olive oil
    • 1 medium onion, chopped
    • 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, divided
    • 12 oz yellow potatoes, chopped
    • 1 bunch celery, chopped
    • 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
    • 1 bay leaf
    • 32 oz reduced-sodium chicken broth (4 cups)
    • 16 oz water (2 cups)
    • 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
    • 1/2 tsp finely diced fresh rosemary, or to taste
    • 1/4 tsp rubbed sage, or to taste
    • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper, or to taste
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Add butter and olive oil to a large soup pot set over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add diced onion and sprinkle over top 1/2 tsp kosher salt. Saute for 3-4 minutes, or until the onion is softening and becoming golden.
    • Add the celery and potatoes and season with remaining 1 tsp kosher salt. Saute for 8-9 minutes, then add minced garlic. Saute for 1 additional minute.
    • Pour in a little bit of the chicken broth and scrape up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Add the rest of the chicken broth, the water, and the bay leaf and raise heat to bring everything to a boil.
    • Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes have softened.
    • Once the potatoes have softened, remove the bay leaf and take the pot off the heat. Ladle out some of the liquid and add it to a bowl. Set this aside for now.
    • Puree the soup with an immersion blender, or very carefully transfer the hot soup to a blender to puree until smooth. This may need to be done in batches as to ensure there's enough room to prevent the hot soup from spraying out.
    • Once pureed, set the soup back on the stovetop over low heat. Now add yogurt to the small bowl of portioned-out broth and whisk well, until smooth and combined.
    • Whisk the yogurt/broth mixture into the saucepan of soup. Stir in rosemary, rubbed sage, pepper, and/or whatever herbs and seasonings you like, then serve.

    Notes

    Finely diced fresh sage can be used in place of the rubbed sage if that is what you have on hand. I'd start with 3/4 teaspoon of diced fresh sage and see if you'd like to add more.
    Ground sage is more concentrated in flavor than both fresh and rubbed sage so you would need less. Start with 1/8 teaspoon of ground sage if using.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 204kcal | Carbohydrates: 18.4g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 11.5g | Saturated Fat: 4.1g | Cholesterol: 14mg | Sodium: 827mg | Potassium: 395mg | Fiber: 2.9g | Sugar: 3.8g | Calcium: 117mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @MySequinedLife or tag #MySequinedLife!

    Nutritional information is provided as an estimate. As it can vary due to many factors (brands used, quantities, etc.), we cannot guarantee its accuracy.

    Base recipe loosely adapted from Food Network

    An overhead shot of soup in a ceramic soup bowl with a spoon

    Previous Post: « Slow Cooker Pork Tenderloin with Balsamic Mushroom Sauce
    Next Post: Bisquick Chocolate Chip Cookies »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Pauline says

      January 14, 2021 at 2:37 pm

      Can this soup be frozen after yogurt is put in. How long does it last in the fridge after making.

      Reply
      • Alyssa says

        January 15, 2021 at 2:05 pm

        Hi Pauline, since there’s a small portion of yogurt in here (and it’s not a milk-based soup) I think it would be fine to freeze as-is. To be extra sure you can also freeze it before adding the yogurt, instead mixing it in as you heat the soup up when you’re ready to eat it. It should stay in the fridge for around 3-4 days as long as everything looks/smells fine.

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    Primary Sidebar

    A picture of a woman smiling with a text overlay reading well, hey there Hi! I’m Alyssa and welcome to my food blog. Here you can find a variety of food and drink recipes, running the gamut from better-for-you main dishes to holiday fare, and from lighter bites to some serious desserts. All with the occasional cocktail recipe thrown in for good measure, too. ♥ Learn more →

    As Featured In…

    A collage of publication logos.

    Join the email newsletter to receive five game-changing, reader favorite recipes straight to your inbox.

    Tried and True

    Easter Desserts

    A sliced loaf of lemon yogurt cake on a marble tray.

    Lemon Yogurt Cake

    A slice of sour cream cheesecake

    Sour Cream Cheesecake

    Pound cake served on a marble board with a tea towel in the background

    Vanilla Chai Pound Cake

    Pound cake trifle in a large glass bowl.

    Salted Honey White Chocolate Pound Cake Trifle

    A piece of crumb cake being lifted out of its baking dish by a spatula to serve

    Chocolate Chip Banana Crumb Cake

    Two mini lava cakes on a plate with a bite removed from the front cake to show the filling.

    Mini Chocolate Orange Lava Cakes

    Popular Recipes

    An Instant Pot filled with shredded buffalo chicken with a serving spoon.

    Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken

    Peanut butter cookies on a sheet of parchment paper.

    Healthy Peanut Butter Cookies

    Turkey meatballs piled on a plate with a small bowl of marinara dipping sauce.

    Italian Baked Turkey Meatballs

    A serving bowl of collard greens.

    Southern Instant Pot Collard Greens

    Iced anise cookies lined up on a wire rack.

    Italian Anise Cookies

    Shredded cooked chicken in buffalo sauce in a slow cooker.

    Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • About Me
    • Contact

    Policies

    • Privacy Policy & Disclosure
    • Accessibility Statement

    More

    • Recipe Index
    • Dinner Hall of Fame
    • Instant Pot Recipes
    • Air Fryer Favorites

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2013 - 2021 My Sequined Life