This easy celeriac soup recipe is smooth, creamy and quietly elegant, with a nutty, earthy flavour and a velvety finish. Ready in under 30 minutes, it's low-carb, naturally thickened with potato, and built from a short list of everyday ingredients.
Celeriac soup turns one knobbly root vegetable into a bowl of smooth, comforting flavour with a gentle nutty depth. The method is simple: soften onion and celery in butter, simmer with cubed celeriac and potato in vegetable stock, then blend until silky.
It takes well under half an hour from chopping board to bowl, and the starchy potato does the work of cream, so there's no dairy beyond a knob of butter. It's cheap, naturally low-carb, freezer-friendly, and easy to adjust to whatever thickness you like.
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Ingredients for This Easy Celeriac Soup
- Celeriac root – Cooks down to a creamy, mild base with a nutty, celery-like flavour that carries the whole soup.
- Celery ribs – Add a fresh, green vegetal note that lifts the earthiness of the celeriac.
- Yellow onion – Softened in butter for a gentle sweetness and a savoury flavour base.
- Starchy potato – Thickens the soup naturally and gives it a rich, velvety body without any cream.
- Vegetable stock – Homemade, cube or concentrate all work; it brings savoury depth and ties the vegetables together.
- Unsalted butter – Adds a soft richness and a comforting mouthfeel; unsalted keeps you in control of seasoning.
- Salt and pepper – Added at the end so you can season to taste, which matters most if your stock is already salty.
- Croutons – Scattered on top for crunch and contrast against the smooth soup.
How to Make Celeriac Soup
This recipe is beautifully simple and forgiving—even beginner cooks will ace it.
- Step 1: Wash and peel the celeriac, potato and onion. Cube the celeriac and potato, dice the onion, and chop the celery ribs. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat, then add the onion and cook for three to four minutes until soft.
- Step 2: Add the chopped celery and stir it through the onion and butter. Cook for another two minutes to draw out the fresh, aromatic flavour.
- Step 3: Add the celeriac and potato cubes and mix them through the other vegetables. Pour in enough vegetable stock to cover everything with one to two centimetres extra on top. Simmer gently for about 15 minutes, until the vegetables are fork-tender.
- Step 4: Blend until completely smooth, either straight in the pot with a stick blender or in a food processor. Add a splash more stock if you want it thinner. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then serve hot with croutons.
Hint: Don’t cover the pot tightly while simmering—trapped steam can make the potatoes soggy and dilute flavours.
How to Serve and Store Celeriac Soup
Serve this celeriac soup hot, with a handful of croutons and a scattering of fresh parsley. A swirl of crème fraîche or a few drops of truffle oil makes it feel like a dinner party starter, while a poached egg on top turns it into a light meal. It also pairs beautifully with warm sourdough and good butter on the side.
To store, cool the soup and keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. It freezes well for up to two months, ideally in single portions so you can defrost only what you need. Reheat gently on the hob, stirring in a splash of water or stock to loosen it back to the texture you want. Avoid boiling hard on reheating, as a fast boil can dull the fresh flavour.
More Easy Soup Recipes You Might Enjoy
If you've enjoyed this one, here are a few more soups from the blog worth a try.
For another smooth, comforting bowl, my Spiced Carrot Soup — a warming blend of sweet carrots and gentle spice.
When you want something heartier, try the Chunky Lentil Soup — a filling, budget-friendly bowl packed with vegetables and protein.
If you like a soup with bacon running through it, have a look at Easy Pea Soup with Bacon and Vegetables — bright, savoury and ready in good time.
For a rich, roasted option, there's The Best Creamy Roasted Root Vegetable Soup — deeply flavoured with roasted garlic and a swirl of cream.
What This Easy Celeriac Soup Costs to Make Around the World
This is a genuinely cheap soup to put on the table, and celeriac is the only slightly unusual ingredient.
- In the UK, a whole celeriac runs about £1.55–£1.70 at Asda, Tesco or Sainsbury's, and with a potato, an onion, celery and stock the whole pot comes to roughly £3.20, or around 80p per serving for four.
- In Ireland, celeriac is widely stocked at Tesco, SuperValu and Dunnes, and a full batch lands near €4.20, working out around €1.05 a serving. I
- n the USA, celeriac (known as celery root) is found at most large grocery chains and Whole Foods, with a whole soup costing roughly $5.50, or about $1.40 per bowl.
- In Australia, celeriac is available at Woolworths and Coles, and a pot comes to around AU$7.50, near AU$1.90 a serving.
- In France, where céleri-rave is a kitchen staple sold in every supermarket and market, the whole dish costs about €3.80, or roughly €0.95 per serving.
Wherever you make it, this celeriac soup stays firmly in budget territory.
Top Tips and Notes for the Best Celeriac Soup
- Peel celeriac generously and don't be precious about it. The skin is thick, knobbly and traps soil, so a vegetable peeler often isn't enough — a small sharp knife works better for slicing the rough outer layer away. Any grey or hollow patches inside should be cut out too. Starting with clean, evenly cut flesh keeps the finished soup smooth and free of stringy bits.
- Cut the celeriac and potato to a similar size so they cook evenly. If the celeriac is in large chunks and the potato is small, one will be soft while the other is still firm, and you'll either undercook or overcook to compensate. Aim for cubes roughly two to three centimetres across. Even pieces mean everything reaches fork-tender at the same time, which is exactly what you want before blending.
- Soften the onion properly before moving on. Rushing this step over high heat browns the onion and gives the soup a slightly harsh, caught flavour rather than the gentle sweetness you're after. Keep the heat at medium and let the onion turn soft and translucent over those three to four minutes. This calm, slow start sets the savoury base for the whole pot.
- Don't drown the vegetables in stock. The instruction to cover by one to two centimetres is deliberate, because too much liquid gives you a thin, watery soup that loses the nutty celeriac flavour. You can always loosen the soup after blending if it's too thick, but you can't easily concentrate it back once it's diluted. Start cautious, then adjust at the end.
- Keep the lid off, or only partly on, while simmering. Trapped steam from a tightly sealed pot can make the potato go gluey and dilute the flavour as condensation drips back in. A gentle, mostly open simmer lets the soup reduce slightly and concentrate. This small habit makes a noticeable difference to the final taste and texture.
- Blend longer than you think you need to. Celeriac and potato can hide tiny lumps that only smooth out with an extra thirty seconds of blending. For a truly silky, restaurant-style finish, keep the stick blender moving around the whole pot, or blitz in batches in a jug blender. The reward is that glossy, velvety texture that makes this soup feel special.
- Hold back some stock for adjusting at the end. Different celeriac and potato will release different amounts of starch, so the thickness varies from batch to batch. By keeping a little warm stock aside, you can thin the soup to your exact preference after blending without watering down the seasoning. Add it a splash at a time until it pours the way you like.
- Season at the very end, especially with stock cubes. Stock cubes and concentrates are often quite salty, so seasoning early risks an over-salted pot you can't fix. Taste the finished, blended soup first, then add salt and pepper gradually. A good grind of black pepper in particular brings out the earthy, nutty notes of the celeriac.
Celeriac Soup Recipe FAQ
What does celeriac taste like in this soup?
Celeriac has a mild, savoury flavour somewhere between celery and a nutty potato, without the stringiness of celery stalks. When cooked and blended it turns soft, creamy and gently earthy, which is why it makes such a smooth soup. The celery ribs in this recipe echo and lift that flavour rather than competing with it.
Can I make this celeriac soup vegan?
Yes, this soup is very easy to make vegan with one swap. Use a plant-based butter or a splash of olive oil in place of the dairy butter, and make sure your vegetable stock is vegan-friendly. The potato still provides all the creaminess, so you lose nothing in texture by leaving out the dairy.
Do I need to add cream to celeriac soup?
No cream is needed at all, and that's part of the appeal of this recipe. The starchy potato breaks down during simmering and blending to give the soup a naturally rich, velvety body. If you really want extra indulgence you can stir in a spoonful of cream or crème fraîche at the end, but it's genuinely optional.
How do I know when the celeriac is cooked through?
The celeriac and potato are ready when a fork or knife slides into the cubes with no resistance, just as it would with boiled potato. This usually takes around 15 minutes of gentle simmering, though larger cubes may need a few minutes more. Properly tender vegetables are essential for a smooth blend, so give them an extra few minutes if they still feel firm.
Can I use frozen celeriac instead of fresh?
You can, although fresh celeriac gives the best flavour and texture. If you're using frozen cubes, there's no need to peel or chop, so you can add them straight to the pot at the simmering stage. Bear in mind frozen celeriac can release a little more water, so go easy on the stock and adjust at the end.
Why is my celeriac soup bitter or too strong?
A slightly bitter or overpowering soup usually comes from too much celery, or from celery leaves rather than ribs. Stick to the ribs and the suggested amount, and balance it with the potato and onion as written. If it still tastes too sharp, a small knob of butter or a splash of cream at the end softens the edge nicely.
What can I use instead of a stick blender?
If you don't have a stick blender, a regular jug blender or food processor works perfectly well. Let the soup cool slightly first, then blend in batches, never filling the jug more than two-thirds full to avoid hot splashes. Return everything to the pot to reheat and season once it's smooth.
Is celeriac soup good for a low-carb diet?
Celeriac is a popular low-carb swap because it has noticeably fewer carbohydrates than potato while still giving a creamy result. This recipe does include one potato for thickening, but you can reduce or omit it for an even lower-carb version, accepting a slightly thinner texture. The bulk of the soup's body comes from the celeriac itself.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
- Easy Pea Soup with Bacon and Vegetables
- The Best Creamy Roasted Root Vegetable Soup with Roasted Garlic
- The Best Roasted Carrot and Ginger Soup Recipe
- Russian Chicken Soup Recipe
Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with Celeriac soup:
- Pasta Salad with Dill Vinaigrette - Easy Summer Recipe
- Easy Summer Pasta Salad with Creamy Mayo-Yogurt Dressing
- Poached Pear Salad with Blue Cheese Dressing
- Roasted Courgette and Aubergine Salad with Lemon Dressing
Celeriac Soup Recipe
Celeriac soup is a creamy, low-carb bowl made from nutty celeriac, naturally thickened with potato and finished with butter and stock. Smooth, comforting and warming, it's ready in under 30 minutes from a handful of simple ingredients.
Ingredients
- 1 celeriac root (about 800 g / 1¾ lb once peeled)
- 3–4 celery ribs
- 1 yellow onion
- 1 large starchy potato
- 600 ml (2½ cups) vegetable stock (homemade, cube or concentrate)
- 1 knob unsalted butter (about 15 g / 1 tbsp)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Croutons, to serve
Instructions
- Wash and peel the celeriac, potato and onion. Cube the celeriac and potato, dice the onion and chop the celery ribs.
- Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 3–4 minutes, until soft.
- Add the chopped celery and stir it through the onion and butter. Cook for a further 2 minutes.
- Add the celeriac and potato. Pour in the vegetable stock until the vegetables are just covered, with 1–2 cm of liquid on top.
- Simmer gently for about 15 minutes, until the vegetables are fork-tender.
- Blend until smooth using a stick blender or jug blender, adding more stock if needed to reach your preferred thickness. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve hot with croutons.
Notes
- The potato is what makes this soup creamy, so there's no need for any dairy beyond the butter.
- Use a good-quality stock, as it carries much of the flavour in such a simple recipe.
- Adjust the thickness at the end by adding warm stock a splash at a time after blending.
- Freeze in individual portions for quick, easy lunches on busy days.
- A clove of garlic, a few thyme sprigs or a grating of nutmeg all work beautifully if you want to vary the flavour.
