Cream of Celery Leaves Soup
Cream of Celery Leaves Soup makes the perfect starter for an elegant spring dinner party, brunch or luncheon. It’s an easy and tasty way to use celery leaves and tender tops to reduce kitchen waste!
“Wish I could give this one TEN stars. It is deeee-licious! … This is just too good to be real!”
Why This Recipe is a Keeper!
After watching the late Anthony Bourdain’s movie, Wasted, on a plane ride back from Europe several years ago, my eyes were opened to how much food we waste as a nation. Frankly, it made me pretty uncomfortable.
We compost all our vegetable trimmings, but I decided to take a closer look at what we were tossing that was still edible and usable. Celery leaves were one of those things.
Celery is a workhorse in the culinary world for everything from potato salad to stuffing to soups and stews. That means the potential for lots of celery leaves and tender tops that can be used in numerous ways all year long–like this creamy celery leaf soup!
This Cream of Celery Leaves Soup recipe is:
- So delicious! Check out the reviews!
- Easy!
- Make-ahead!
Can You Eat Celery Leaves?
You absolutely can eat celery leaves. A leafy head of celery is a bonus because celery leaves are an unsung hero of the culinary world. They are delicious and this celery leaves recipe proves it! Celery leaves are packed with intense celery flavor without the stringiness of the stalk. Another bonus–they’re super nutritious! Celery leaves are rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, according to LiveStrong.com.
How to Make Cream of Celery Soup:
Recipe Ingredients:
Here’s everything you’ll need to make this Cream of Celery Leaves soup recipe, along with how to prep the ingredients. See the recipe card below for the exact quantities.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions:
- Butter and Olive Oil: Using both butter and olive oil together creates a flavorful base for sauteeing the scallion, celery leaves and garlic. Oil on its own lacks flavor and butter on its own can burn quickly. I always use unsalted butter in cooking so I can adjust the salt level to taste.
- Scallions: Scallions, also known as green onions or spring onions, are young onions. They consist of a white base that has not yet formed into a bulb, as well as long green stalks that often resemble chives when very young and thin. Both the white and green parts are edible and can be consumed cooked or raw. The delicate flavor of scallions won’t overpower the celery as using a mature onion would.
- Celery Leaves and Tender Tops: I highly recommend sticking to using only the leaves and tender tops. The stalks can be somewhat stringy unless you strip the strings off.
- Russet Potatoes: Russet potatoes help to thicken the soup.
- Chicken Broth: Substitute vegetable broth to make this soup vegetarian.
- Heavy Cream: Heavy cream adds a luxurious touch. You can cut the amount in half if you’re concerned about the fat and calories.
Step-By-Step Instructions:
- Gather and prep all the ingredients.
- Heat butter and oil over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven or other soup pot.
- Add the scallions. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until the scallions wilt.
- Add the garlic and celery leaves. Cook for 6 to 7 minutes or until leaves wilt and reduce in volume.
- Add the potato and give it a stir.
- Add the chicken broth. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes or until potato and other vegetables are very tender.
- Remove from the heat and add the cream.
- Puree with an immersion blender or carefully in batches in a food processor.
- Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
- Voila! A beautiful soup perfect for any spring occasion that’s beautiful, creamy, luxurious and so delicious!
- Garnish with a few fresh celery leaves.
Cream of Celery Leaves Soup is the perfect way to put an abundance of celery leaves to use and reduce kitchen and food waste!
Chef Tips and Tricks:
- Be sure to store your celery and celery leaves in aluminum foil which helps the celery to breathe. Using plastic wrap will accelerate spoilage.
- Definitely use scallions in this celery leaf recipe. The delicate flavor of scallions won’t overpower the celery as using a mature onion would. A leek or two is also a good option.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Fresh celery leaves can be used like any herb. Therefore, you can:
>>Use them in stock.
>>Use to flavor soups and stews.
>>Make a celery leaf pesto.
>>Add them to salads.
>>Use them in place of parsley either in the recipe or as a garnish.
>>Add them to a green smoothie.
>>Make this celery leaves recipe!
To store celery and the celery leaves so that they last up to a month, wrap them in aluminum foil. Do not store them in a plastic bag or plastic wrap. You’ll be amazed a vegetable can last so long in your refrigerator when stored this way. Keep the leaves attached to the stalk as long as possible.
Yes, you absolutely can! It can be made 1 to 2 days ahead of time. Cool the soup down completely and refrigerate until you wish to serve it. Then reheat it on the stovetop in a saucepan or the pot you cooked it in.
Storage:
- Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.
Serve with:
- Puff Pastry Vegetable Tart Recipe
- Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Tart with Thyme
- Chicken Divan Recipe with Asparagus
- Chicken Spinach and Artichoke Puff Pastry Parcels
- French Lentil Salad
- Salade Nicoise
More great recipes to reduce kitchen and food waste!
- Carrot Top Salsa Verde
- Radish Greens Pesto
- Hot Bacon Dressing with Radish Greens
- Whole Grain Croutons with Thyme Rosemary and Parmesan
Get all my soup and stew recipes at: Soup and Stew Recipes – From A Chef’s Kitchen
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Cream of Celery Leaves Soup
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Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2-3 bunches thick scallions - white and light green parts only, coarsely chopped (approximately 1 1/2 cups)
- 3 cloves garlic - chopped
- 4 cups celery leaves - tender tops and hearts, packed (from about 2 large heads, 2 cups after being chopped)
- 1 large Russet potato or 2 medium Russets - peeled and cubed (approximately 2 cups)
- 4 cups vegetable broth - or chicken broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper - to taste
Instructions
- Heat butter and oil over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven or other soup pot.
- Add the scallions. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the scallions wilt.
- Add the garlic and celery leaves. Cook for 6-7 minutes or until leaves wilt and reduce in volume.
- Add the potato and chicken broth. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until potato and other vegetables are very tender.
- Remove from heat and add the cream.
- Puree with an immersion blender or in batches in a food processor.
- Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
Notes
Nutrition
These are estimated values generated from a nutritional database using unbranded products. Please do your own research with the products you’re using if you have a serious health issue or are following a specific diet.
I adapted this for extra protein and it was still delicious! Subbed out the potato for a can of white canellini beans and 100g of crumbled tofu. I also used 1/2cup coconut milk instead of cream and 1/2 a red + 1/2 brown onion + handful of chives instead of shallots. It turned out beautiful!!
Hi, Sarah, Thanks so very much and I love your adaptations! Beans and tofu are a great way to add some protein and thickness. Thanks again and so happy you enjoyed!
Could I substitute dehydrated celery leaves and what would the quantity be?
Hi, Sandra, Thanks so much for your question. I really am not sure because I’ve not tried it. If they’re your own dehydrated celery leaves, it would probably be okay because they’d still taste better than commercial. If you were to compare them to dried herbs, the ratio is typically 2:1, two parts fresh to one part dried because dried has a more concentrated flavor. Hope that helps! Let me know how it goes!
Absolutely love this soup recipe. I grow my own celery and am forever grateful for this recipe. The tops are always so fragrant and I add them to salads. Use some leaves to decorate serving platters. Now I have an even better way to use them. I did not grow scallions but have a large patch of chives so I used chives. Also I dehydrate some of my veggies so I used dehydrated potatoes. Turned out beautiful. Blended with my Immersion blender and came out perfect.
Thank you so much for this recipe.
Hi, Patricia, Thank you so very much and so happy you love this recipe!! I love that you’re using your own homegrown celery, too. Thanks again!!
Thank you for this delicious recipe. I’ve made it 3 weeks in a row. I feel so good after eating it. I added fresh dill and a zucchini this time. Also, left the potato skin on and added soy milk at the end. So creamy and good. This is my favourite soup 🙂
Hi, June, Thanks so very much and so happy you love this recipe! Those sound like some great additions. Thanks again!
I make this every summer when I have tender celery in the garden. It’s a gem!
Hi, Gina, Thanks so very much and so happy you love this recipe!
Used to like Campbell’s cream of celery, but no more…..either my tastes changed or their recipe did. My celery was from the farmers’ market and the leaves were seriously dark green….never quite puréed like in your picture, but this soup is very tasty and a keeper! Thanks!
Hi, Joanne, Thanks so much and happy you enjoyed! Someone else mentioned it not getting smooth. At times, I’ve had celery that seems to be a bit more fibrous. That’s the only thing that I can think of that would cause it to not get smooth. Thanks again and very happy to replace Campbell’s! 🙂
Wish I could give this one TEN stars. It is deeee-licious! I didn’t have a potato, so I substituted powdered potato and added a little extra chicken broth. I think this is one of the best dishes I have ever made. I made a half recipe because I didn’t have that many celery leaves, but it worked beautifully. This is just too good to be real!
Hi, Barbara, Wow! Thanks so very much and so happy you love this recipe!! The leaves really do have a lovely taste; I wish they were more readily available. Thanks again!
I have been making this soup since I first saw the most lovely fresh celery at the market. I freeze the extra leaves and am able to make a second batch. It is one of the most delicious simple-to-make soups in my recipe file now.
Hi, Doreen, Thanks so very much! I absolutely love hearing that! Celery leaves are so underutilized; they have such a lovely flavor. I wish they wouldn’t cut the majority of them off when they ship them to the market. Thanks again!
Yummy recipe! I used leeks instead of scallions- that’s what I had on hand. Also used half and half instead of heavy cream. Nice flavor!
Hi, Kim, Thanks so very much and so happy you enjoyed! Yes, you can definitely lighten it up a little with half and half; glad it worked so well for you. Thanks again!
I wonder if it work to use coconut cream or coconut milk if you’re trying to keep it dairy free.
Hi, Bella, Thanks so much! You most likely could, but I still always taste the coconut. What about hemp milk? I use it for a personal chef client and love how creamy it is. Thanks again and hope you enjoy!
Try Violife Original Cream Cheese- so delicious and Vegan option.
Thanks so much, Julie!
I either needed to simmer everything for wayyy longer or I need to invest in a better blender, but my Ninja blender couldn’t get the soup perfectly smooth; the texture was lumpy and stringy from the celery and turnip (I had some so I swapped for the potato). If yours ends up this way, just strain it through a fine mesh strainer! I added parmesan cheese like another person recommended and some paprika to warm it up, and it was very “green” tasting but very good!
Thrilled to find this recipe as I didn’t want to throw out all the beautiful celery leaves in my garden! Speaking of not wasting though, I highly suggest leaving the potatoes unpeeled! I used red potatoes, left the skins on and chopped them up. Less work, less food waste, more nutritious, and it was absolutely delicious! I also used green onions as I didn’t have scallions, I will be saving the tops of those for future meals too :-). Thanks for a wonderful recipe, I will be saving this and making yearly to use up those celery leaves when I harvest :-).
Hi, Dana, Thanks so very much, so glad you enjoyed and this recipe was the solution for you. Also, love your idea about not peeling the potatoes–especially if you’re using a red, yellow or white waxy potato. Thanks again so much!
Thanks for this recipe… am excited to try it as I was searching for a way to use up the celery tops & leaves that I have… and I’ve got loads of scallions as well (which I’d planted from the grocery store scallions to keep them growing). Though I also need to use up the celery itself too, so may include some of the actual celery ribs to see how that works out. One question though: I’m planning to try to adapt this recipe to make in the Instant Pot… any suggestions on that front?? Thanks again!
Thanks so much for your question. In looking at other IP recipes for cream soup, I would follow the stovetop instructions to the point of adding the potato, lock the lid, set to high for 7 minutes then natural release. Add the cream and puree. Because this soup is pureed, I think you’re pretty safe any way you do it. Thanks again and hope you enjoy!
Thank you so much for looking into it and getting back to me. I’ll be making it very soon, so I’ll try my best to remember to report back with an update on how it turned out…(also in case it helps for anyone else who might be thinking to make it in the IP as well!) Thanks once again… cheers! 🙂