Chunky vegetable soup to warm ya up? Sounds good, huh? This celery root soup (or celeriac soup) is jam-packed with celery root and other hearty root veggies, like potato, carrot, and leek. It’s seriously delicious and just what you want on a cold winter day.
Hi friends!
Bringing you a hearty vegetable soup recipe today and I couldn’t be happier!
There’s definitely nothing fancy here. Not even close.
I’d even go ahead and say this one is pretty rustic.
Who says something has to be fancy to taste good?
Certainly not me!
Once you give this celery root soup a try, you’ll be hooked. Promise.
Ingredients for Celery Root Soup
- Celery root (of course), plus other root veggies, like potato, carrot, and leek
- Garlic
- Veggie broth
- Salt, pepper, and thyme
- Olive oil
- Cashews & nutritional yeast (or your favourite dairy, if you want)
What Is Celery Root?
Celery root or celeriac is a hearty root veggie that’s almost like a cross between turnip and parsnip/celery.
Though the name has “root” in it, it’s definitely not the root of celery. Nope, it’s something entirely unique on its own and deserves to shine!
You can find it along other root veggies, like beets, turnips, parsnips, and so forth right in your local grocery store or farmers’ market.
Friends, please don’t judge this veggie by how it looks.
This ain’t the prettiest veggie in the world.
One may say kinda ugly.
What this vegetable lacks in appearance, it makes up for in the flavour department. It’s also quite versatile! Celery root is lovely in soups and stews, mashed, pureed, and roasted.
The exterior and interior looks somewhat like a turnip, but it has a lot of celery/parsnip vibes in the smell and taste.
To prepare, you clean up, cut off the knobby bits, peel, and carefully cut into chunks. Basically, prepare it like you would a turnip or some beets.
You should definitely consider adding this veggie to your menu soon and, if ya do, I’d love to hear how you enjoy it!
I couldn’t stop smelling my hands after I had cut into in. I know, I’m an odd one.
Cashew Cream
Replace dairy in this creamy veggie soup with cashew cream. It’s seriously amazing how some cashews can turn into a creamy dairy free (but dairy-like) replacement!
Tip: Want creamy vegetable soup without using cashew cream? No worries! Simply stir in a little half-and-half or heavy cream instead.
And, don’t worry. This isn’t going to taste overly nutty. Cashew cream has a pretty neutral flavour.
How To Make This Root Vegetable Soup
Full details are in the recipe card below, but here are the basics:
- In a large pot, heat olive oil and cook leek, carrot, and garlic.
- Add celery root, potatoes, salt, pepper, and thyme. Stir. Pour in veggie broth.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until veggies have softened.
- Remove a couple of cups of soup from the pot, place in a heatproof container, blend the removed soup (with an immersion blender), and add back to the pot.
- Add cashew cream to the pot, stirring in.
- Now the delicious celery root soup is ready! Time to serve and enjoy!
Can I Blend the Whole Batch?
Yes!
I happen to enjoy the texture of leaving some veggies chunky, but you do what makes your belly happy!
Soup Topping Ideas
- Homemade croutons
- Chopped fresh thyme leaves
- Shredded cheese or dollop of goat cheese
- Sliced green onion or chives
- Drizzle of cream or yogurt
- Crushed crackers
Tips and Variations
- Want even more celery root flavour? Replace the potato with more celery root!
- If you have more or less of a particular veggie, no worries! Use what you have on hand.
- Don’t have leek? Use white or yellow onion instead.
- Nutritional yeast is used in the cashew cream. It thickens a little and and adds somewhat of a slight cheesy flavour. Prefer to omit? That’s okay! And, if you use dairy (as mentioned below), omit.
- If you’d rather not use cashew cream, that’s fine. You can stir in about ½ cup of half-and-half or heavy cream at the end of cook time instead.
More Delicious Veggie Soups
If you make this veggie soup, be sure to leave a comment below!
Celery Root Soup (With Other Root Veggies)
Ingredients
Cashew Cream
- ½ cup unsalted cashews
- 2 cups water
- ½ cup low sodium vegetable broth
- 1 to 1.5 tablespoons nutritional yeast
Celery Root Soup
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small leek, cut in half lengthwise and sliced thinly into half moons (white, light green and tender darker green parts only, not the tougher dark green part), about 1.5 cups. Rinse well and drain before using as leek can contain debris/dirt between the layers.
- 1 large carrot, peeled and cut small (about 1 cup)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 pounds celery root, peeled and cut into small cubes (about 7 cups)
- 1 pound potatoes (white or yellow), peeled and cut into small cubes (about 3 cups)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme, or 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 5 to 6 cups low sodium vegetable broth
- Croutons, garnish to taste (optional)
Instructions
Cashew Cream
- Place cashews in a small pot with about 2 cups of water and bring to a simmer. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes to soften cashews. Drain and rinse.
- Place cashews, nutritional yeast, and vegetable broth in a high-powered blender.
- Cover and blend until smooth and not grainy. Time may vary depending on how powerful your blender is. I don't add any salt, but you could if you prefer. Set aside.Note: If you want things thicker, use less broth.
Celery Root Soup
- Heat olive oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Then add leek, carrot, and garlic. Cook, stirring often, for about 5 minutes.
- Add celery root, potatoes, salt, black pepper, and thyme. Stir. Pour in vegetable broth (I use 6 cups, but use 5 if you want a thicker consistency).
- Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat (to about medium-low) to maintain a simmer. Cover and cook for 25 to 30 minutes or until veggies are tender.
- Remove two cups of soup, place into a heatproof container, and carefully blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Stir back into the soup.
- Stir in the cashew cream. Note: If you want to use dairy instead of cashew cream, stir in ½ cup or so of half-and-half or heavy cream.
- To serve, divide the soup into bowls and garnish (as desired) with any of your favourite soup toppings (croutons are delicious). Enjoy!
A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.
© Girl Heart Food Inc. Photographs and content are copyright protected.
Tried this recipe?
If you do make this recipe, thank you!! It would mean so much if you could leave a comment below. Love to know how you enjoyed it, and it helps other readers too!
Trish Brown says
This soup was delicious! I substituted a head of cauliflower for the potatoes and roast the celeriac, cauliflower and garlic before adding to the broth mixture. So enjoyed it!
Dawn | Girl Heart Food says
Thank you very much, Trish!! I’m so happy you enjoyed it!!
Cait says
🙂 thanks for the recipe –
I couldn’t locate a celery root at this time so I used a rutabaga (a BIG one) and a couple parsnips to kind of match the flavor profile. (I hope, I’ve never had a celery root before hence how I made my way here). And I stuck with everything else except the yeast.. which I used a little soy sauce.
My husband made a soda bread, so we dipped that into the soup.. tasted real good with the raisins.
❤️
Amanda says
Best soup I’ve made in a long time! I substituted parsnips for potatoes, heavy cream instead of the cashew cream, and poultry seasoning for the thyme. Just because that’s what I had. I also added kale. Still amazing!
Dawn | Girl Heart Food says
Thank you very much, Amanda!! So happy you enjoyed!! I bet the addition of kale was so yummy!
Wanda says
Hello Dawn, I made your celeriac soup for my husband and myself for a change-up. This recipe was absolutely delicious and now our favourite soup. I substituted cream in place of the cashew cream because I’m allergic to nuts. I told my mother-in-law about the soup and she was intrigued. She came for a visit so luckily found some celeriac and made some for her to try. It is now her favourite soup. I also used sweet potatoes because I can’t nightshade vegetables. Like the idea of using parsnips and cauliflower as made by a previous comment. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Dawn | Girl Heart Food says
Hi Wanda! That’s wonderful, I’m so happy that you and your family enjoyed the recipe. Thank you very much!!
Stephanie says
Delicious! I used skim milk to make it lower calorie. Looking forward to lunches this week! Thanks!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
Thank you Stephanie! So happy you enjoyed! This soup definitely makes for a yummy lunch! 🙂
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop says
It really is kinda ugly – in a cute kind of way! 🙂 I’ve never even tried celery root but this soup looks amazing! There’s nothing better than a warm bowl of soup of a cold snowy day.
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
Lol!! I hear ya. 😉 Thanks Kathy! I think so too!
David @ Spiced says
You weren’t lying! Celery root really is quite ugly. I’ve seen them in the store before, but I’ve never tried cooking with one. Now you’ve got me wanting to try it out! We are hunkered down in full-fledged soup mode here right now, and this one sounds really unique…and delicious! Thanks for sharing, Dawn. Hope you have a great weekend ahead!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
Lol! Hope you do give it a try soon – they’re quite delish!! Thanks David! Have a lovely weekend 🙂
Katherine | Love In My Oven says
I’ve never used celery root in my cooking, Dawn! What have I been missing out on all this time!? This soup sounds so nourishing and delicious. I love the cashew cream! Gotta have the croutons! Happy weekend my friend!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
Lol! For sure. 😉 Thank you Katherine! It’s one of our faves! Happy weekend to you too!
Marissa Stevens says
When I saw this on IG, I was so excited to come and get the recipe. We love celery root (cooked and raw) and I’m always looking for new ways to enjoy it. SO excited to try this! Have a wonderful weekend, lovely! xo
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
Thank you Marissa! So happy to hear that! Hope you love it! Have a wonderful weekend too. 🙂 XOXO
Leanne says
I’ve never cooked with celery root, which is surprising because I enjoy all root vegetables! Love that this soup is packed with flavour and veggies, but uses minimal ingredients. Definitely a must for cold winter evenings!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
Definitely! Thanks Leanne! Happy weekend to ya 🙂
Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen says
You’re so right Dawn! This soup would totally hit the spot on a cold, wintry day! So comforting. I’ll be adding it to my soup menu soon! Pinned!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
For sure! Thanks Mary Ann! Enjoy 🙂
Alexandra @ It's Not Complicated Recipes says
An ingredient I love eating and cooking with – so I am loving the sound of this soup, Dawn! Wish I was warming up with a lovely bowl of it right now. Will be trying soon!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
Yay! Thanks Alexandra! Enjoy, my friend 🙂
annie@ciaochowbambina says
Now that the snow has finally arrived, this is the meal that tops the list! Warm and comforting soup! And I’d never say to croutons! Looks wonderful, my friend! xoxo
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
Woo hoo! Hope you enjoy! Thanks Annie (and stay warm). 🙂 XOXO
Jennifer @ Seasons and Suppers says
It’s the season of root vegetables and this soup is a perfect way to use them! It looks delicious and I love those crispy croutons on top 🙂
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
For sure! They really add something special. 🙂 Thanks Jennifer!
Matt - Total Feasts says
This looks like such a warming soup, and I really like celeriac! Perfect for the weather!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
Me too! Thanks Matt 🙂
Kelsie | the itsy-bitsy kitchen says
I love celery root! But I always thought it really was the root of the celery plant–haha! Thank you for educating me! This sounds SO good and so warming for chilly January evenings! Have a great weekend, Dawn!
Dawn - Girl Heart Food says
Lol! Nope! I can see why you’d think that, though! Thanks Kelsie! Same to you, my friend 🙂