Vegan Cream of Celery Soup

This vegan cream of celery soup is gluten free, dairy free, and can be made soy free too.  It’s hearty, creamy, and pure vegan comfort food!  Using a few simple ingredients that you probably already have in your kitchen; this easy soup is a family favorite!  Rich creamy comfort food like mom used to make… only made vegan!

What you will need to make gluten-free vegan cream of celery soup…

• Broth – I like to use the Not Chick’n broth cubes because my family likes that flavor, but any vegetable broth will work.
• Celery – Because it’s cream of celery soup.
• Garlic powder – for flavor
• Nutritional Yeast – For a savory slightly cheesy flavor (optional)
• Salt and Pepper – to season the soup.
• Turmeric – For color and nutritional benefits.
• Plant-Based Milk – Any PLAIN flavored plant-based milk will make it creamy. You also may want to use unsweetened milk if you don’t want it too sweet.  I find that the organic West Soy brand soy milk works great for soups and other savory recipes because it is not overly sweet.  Best of all, they sell it at the Dollar Tree for a dollar!
• Fat – Any neutral flavored oil or vegan margarine will work to make a vegan roux.
• Flour – Regular all-purpose flour will work well, or if you need it to be gluten-free, I find the gluten-free flour mix from Trader Joe’s works the best for making a gluten-free roux.  You can also omit the roux method and make your soup fat free and gluten free by using corn or potato starch to thicken it.
• 2 soup pots – One for making the broth and 1 for making the roux.
• A ladle – for scooping up the broth.
• Whisk – for stirring the roux.

How do I make vegan cream of celery soup?

1. Heat the broth and some spices in a soup pot.
2. Add chopped celery to the pot and simmer.
3. Once the celery is soft, add the plant-based milk of choice.

Thicken the soup by making a roux.

1. Heat oil or soy margarine in a separate soup pot.
2. Add flour to the oil and stir the mixture with a whisk until smooth.  It will start to bubble and thicken slightly and look like the picture below.
3. Skim off ladles full of the broth out of your soup, leaving large pieces of celery behind.
4. Add the hot broth from the celery soup one ladle at a time, stirring well between each scoop.
5. Add the remaining soup with the celery once most of the broth has been incorporated into the roux.

Tips for thickening your cream soups with a roux:

• When you first add the broth to the oil and flour mixture, it will become very thick at first and look like a paste. (Like the picture below).  Don’t worry, it will thin out and be the right consistency once you add all the broth.
• Be sure to stir it well between each ladle of broth to keep it smooth.
• Use a spoon to scrape the bottom corners of the pan to make sure to get any of the roux that has stuck to the corners.

How do I make a gluten-free roux?

You can make a roux using gluten-free flour instead of wheat flour.  Just be sure to use a gluten-free flour mix that does not contain sorghum flour.  When I have tried it using any mixes with sorghum flour, it has had a weird slimy texture.  I usually use the general gluten-free flour mix from Trader Joe’s and it works well for me every time.

How do I make the cream of celery soup fat-free?

If you want this soup to be fat-free, simply thicken it with cornstarch (or potato starch) and water.  (Use ¼ cup cornstarch dissolved in ½ cup cold water and then add it to the hot broth at the end once all other ingredients have been added.  Then heat it until it bubbles and thickens). This is still a delicious soup made this way, just not quite as rich and creamy as the roux method.

I haven’t found a person yet who doesn’t love this soup!  It tastes great the next day too, so make a big pot and enjoy it in lunches too!

Serve it with some vegan Caesar salad or gluten-free vegan breadsticks and make it a meal!

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VEGAN CREAM OF CELERY SOUP

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

15 mins

Total Time

20 mins

 

A gluten-free and vegan creamy soup.  Tastes like a classic cream of celery soup but without allergens. 

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American, gluten free, vegan

Servings: 10 cups

Calories: 81 kcal

Author: Monica | The Hidden Veggies

Ingredients

• 6 cups water
• 2 cubes Not Chick'n Broth Or other veggie bullion or use vegetable broth instead of water
• 4 cups celery chopped (2 large celery hearts)
• 1/4 tsp turmeric
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 1/2 cup plain soy milk or other plain plant based milk

For the roux:

• 1/4 cup vegan margarine or oil
• 1/2 cup white flour or GF flour mix without sorghum flour

Instructions

1. Bring the water or broth and spices (turmeric, garlic, salt, nutritional yeast)  to a slow boil in a medium sized soup pot.

2. Add the chopped celery and simmer at a slow boil for about 8 minutes until celery is tender.  

3. Add the plant-based milk of choice and turn heat to low to just keep warm.

To make the roux:

1. Heat the margarine or oil over medium-low heat and sprinkle in the flour.

2. Stir with a whisk until it mixes completely and starts to bubble.

3. Add celery soup one ladle at a time and stir well with the whisk between each ladle full.  (Carefully try to scoop out the broth leaving the chunks of celery in the original pot until most of the broth has been added and the thicken broth is smooth and creamy).

4. Continue to ladle a small amount of the soup into the roux stirring well between each scoop until all of the soup is now in the pot with the roux.

5. Serve hot.

Recipe Notes

• To make this fat free you can also use 1/4 cup of corn starch mixed with 1/2 cup of cold water and add it to the soup at the end of cooking. 
• The roux method is a little labor intensive, but well worth it for what it does for the richness and taste of the soup.
• Do not try this with gluten-free flour mixes that contain sorghum flour.  For some reason, it gets a slimy consistency. 

Nutrition Facts

VEGAN CREAM OF CELERY SOUP

Amount Per Serving (1 cup)

Calories 81 Calories from Fat 36

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 4g 6%

Saturated Fat 1g 5%

Sodium 356mg 15%

Potassium 185mg 5%

Total Carbohydrates 7g 2%

Dietary Fiber 1g 4%

Protein 2g 4%

Vitamin A 9.5%

Vitamin C 1.5%

Calcium 6.6%

Iron 3.6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.