Vegan Celeriac Soup

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Nothing’s better than a bowl of beautifully creamy vegan celeriac soup on a chilly day. It’s budget-friendly, easy, and luxurious but not at all heavy.

It’s also healthy, vegan – no cream needed – and low-carb.

Close-up of a dark bowl full of silky vegan celeriac soup served with croutons.

But what is celeriac? Celeriac, also known as celery root, is an underrated and relatively unknown swollen root vegetable member of the celery family. Despite its name, it is not the root of celery stalk: celery is grown for its edible leaves and stalks, celeriac is grown for its roots. 

And don’t let the gnarly bits put you off.

Celeriac has a potato-like texture and delicate flavor, somewhere between sweet earth and hazelnuts that make it versatile and perfect for heavenly creamy soups like this.

Serve this vegan celeriac soup with crispy panini rolls, golden croutons or warm focaccia. And if you have leftover soup, it tastes even better on the second day!

List of the ingredients

  • Celeriac
  • Potato
  • Leeks
  • Onion
  • Garlic
  • Vegetable broth
  • Herbs
  • Olive oil or extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt & pepper
Top view of the ingredients to make this vegan celeriac soup.

How to make vegan celeriac soup

  • Sauté onion, garlic, leeks in olive oil for about 5 minutes.
  • Add the cubed celeriac and potato, stir for 3-5 minutes.
  • Pour in the broth, salt, pepper, herbs, and cook until tender.
  • Blend until super smooth, and ENJOY!
Top view of a dark bowl full of creamy vegan celeriac soup served with croutons and garnished with chives.

Recipe notes

Vegan Celeriac soup ingredients

Celeriac: this root is often available year-round, but is at its best in the cooler months of fall, winter, and early spring. Look for celery roots that feel firm and heavy for their size without any soft spots.

Potato: any kind, potato adds extra body and texture.

Leeks, onion, garlic: saute’ in olive oil to create the flavour base of this soup.

Herbs: bay leaf and Herbs de Provence (which is a mix containing thyme, Marjoran, rosemary, oregano, savory, basil, tarragon). But you can use just use between 1/4 and 1/2 teaspoon of dried thyme to taste.

Broth: I use low-sodium vegetable broth for this recipe, but any other vegetable broth or hot water works fine instead of broth.

Salt & pepper: make sure you adjust the seasoning to taste before serving.

More about celeriac…

Despite its gnarly bits, celeriac isn’t actually that hard to work with: using a sharp knife, top, and tail the celeriac, then remove the tough skin.

To peel it, cut down the side, close to the skin, trying not to remove too much flesh. Don’t peel celeriac to store it, it will turn brown quickly. However, to prevent oxidation, you can immerse the pieces into a bowl of water with a squeeze of lemon juice.

Celeriac soup leftovers

It keeps well in the fridge for up to 3 days. It’s also freezable: divide among airtight containers (leaving 1-inch space at the top), and freeze up to 2 months.

Close-up of a spoon digging into a bowl of creamy vegan celeriac soup.
Recipe update: originally published in February 2019, the recipe has been modified and updated with new photos.

Vegan soup recipes you’ll love!

If you make this terrific vegan celeriac soup, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, or tag a photo #theclevermeal on Instagram. I would love to hear from you! x

Vegan Celeriac Soup

This vegan celeriac soup is so easy to make on the stovetop, it’s nice and creamy (without using any cream!), and it’s always so cozy and comforting and delicious.
Recipe yields 4 bowls or generous 6 cups of soup.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: Soup
Cuisine: vegan
Keyword: vegan celeriac soup
Servings: 4
Author: Katia

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium-sized onion, peeled and chopped
  • 2 small leeks, sliced (green tops removed)
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 (1.5 lb/675 grams) celeriac, peeled and cubed (peeled weight)
  • 1 (½ lb/225 grams) medium potato, peeled and cubed
  • 1 teaspoon French herb seasoning
  • 6 cups liter 1.4 vegetable broth
  • 1 teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste
  • teaspoon ground black pepper, plus more to taste
  • 1 bay leaf

To serve

  • extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling (optional)
  • croutons
  • Chopped chives

Instructions

  • In a large pot heat gently 1 Tbsp of olive oil over medium-low heat. Add garlic, onion, leeks and cook, stirring often, for about 5 minutes.
  • Add the celeriac, potato, dried herbs, and stir for other 5 minutes.
  • Pour in the broth, salt, pepper, bay leaf, bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover with a lid and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the celeriac is completely tender. Turn the heat off, remove the bay leaf, and let it cool slightly.
  • Transfer the soup to a high-speed blender (Note: blend the soup in batches, and be careful, it's still hot so you'll need to remove cap in the lid and cover the open hole with a folded tea towel!). Blend until smooth, return to the pot. You can also get it silky-smooth with the use of an immersion blender.
  • Once the soup is back to the pot, season to taste with extra sea salt and black pepper if needed, and serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, fresh chives and croutons.

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