Condensed Cream of Celery Soup

The flavor and freshness that this condensed cream of celery soup brings to recipes is unbelievable! It's also dairy free, gluten free, low carb, vegetarian, and vegan friendly. Pretty perfect little green jar of magic, if I do say so myself.

In fact, it's so good that I added some cream and ate a bowl for lunch the first time I made it! The freshness of the celery was balanced perfectly with the cream. It was delightful and light.

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Even Jeff liked it and you should have seen his face when I asked him to try it. Hilarious! He is always so skeptical of foods unknown.

Who knew celery could be so good in soup form!

Frequently Asked Questions

Ingredients & Substitutions

Whenever making a recipe that has so few ingredients, you want to get the best quality you can.

Celery

All celery isn't created equal! This is the main ingredient, so find the freshest celery that you can that has the root end intact and has nice green leaves. You can even use the center, shorter stalks with the leaves. It's a great way to use those up and use the longer stalks for something else.

I can't say that I've ever paid that much attention to buying celery. I grab a bag and go. I shop at Sam's Club quite a bit and lately they have only carried celery stalks that are separated from the root and void of any leaves.

I grabbed a bag and was shocked at how different the soup came out using that batch of celery. It still worked in the Tuna Noodle Casserole recipe that I was testing, but it did not make for a yummy bowl of soup like the previous batch did.

Vegetable Base

I used a Vegetable Base from Minor's mixed into 3 cups of water. Personally, I have never found a better tasting vegetable base; it's simply incredibly. According to the product description, this base is gluten free, great for vegetarians and acceptable for vegans. Please do your own research to determine if this base meets your dietary needs.

Because this is a concentrated or condensed cream of celery soup recipe, I used 4 times more of the base per cup of water than the label suggests. For regular soups, they recommend adding ¾ teaspoon per cup of water. I used 1 Tablespoon per cup of water.

So, if you are using a different base, you will want to increase the amount accordingly. If the directions say to mix 1 teaspoon into 1 cup of water, use 4 tsps instead.

I don't suggest using a liquid form of vegetable stock or chicken stock because the flavor will be too diluted. If you can't find a good concentrated vegetable base locally, you can make your own. I couldn't find a great recipe on the internet, so I guess I'll get to working on that next!

Onion & Garlic

I think the onion and garlic are important in this recipe to build the flavor, but if you can't tolerate them, simply leave them out.

If you don't have fresh onion and garlic, you can try using onion powder and garlic powder instead. I would start with ¼-½ teaspoon of each and increase if needed.

Xanthan Gum

Xanthan gum is used to thicken the concentrate so it has the consistency of condensed soup. It is becoming a very popular thickening agent and the availablity of it is increasing at local grocery stores.

I found it at Walmart near me and I live in the middle of nowhere! You can also find it on Amazon. Here is the link: Xanthan Gum

This is an optional ingredient, so feel free to skip it. You can also make a roux with equal parts flour and butter and cook it for a few minutes before adding to the cream of celery soup. I would start with 1 tablespoon of flour to 1 tablespoon butter.

Another option is cornstarch and water. I would add 2-3 teaspoon of cornstarch (cornflour in the UK) to 1 tablespoon of water and mix it into the cream of celery concentrate and bring to a low boil, stirring constantly, until thickened. If it gets too thick, add a touch of water.

Avocado Oil

The avocado oil is used to combine with the xanthan gum to thicken the soup. If you omit the xanthan gum, omit the oil.

You can use any oil of choice, but I choose avocado oil because it doesn't impart any flavor into the soup. I wouldn't use an olive oil because of the more pronounced flavor.

You can also use melted butter instead of oil.

Uses for Condensed Cream of Celery Soup

You can use this condensed soup in any recipe that calls for the canned version of cream of celery soup.

I made a dairy version of this soup when I made my chicken and dumplings and it is fantastic!

I also used this version in my Tuna Noodle Casserole recipe and it was amazing! The canned soup can't even compare in flavor or freshness. It changed the way I feel about Tuna Noodle Casserole, I used to not like it at all.

Use it as a base for other soups or stews to thicken and add flavor. I bet it would be amazing in this chicken stew recipe!

You can also add some cream or alternative milk and enjoy it as a bowl of soup. It's shockingly delicious! If you use a thinner milk or milk alternative, you might need to thicken it more with xanthan gum mixed with a little oil.

Can I Make This Recipe Without the Ninja Foodi Cold & Hot Blender

Yes, but you will need something that will puree it smooth. You can try an immersion blender after cooking the ingredients as instructed below or allow the cooked mixture to cool and then blend in a high speed blender.

That's why I love using the Cold & Hot Blender, I can dump everything in, push a button and walk away. The blender cooks and blends the ingredients perfectly.

Here are some of the examples of sauce recipes I've made using the blender. I absolutely LOVE it!

Here are my suggestions for various cooking methods if you don't have the Ninja Foodi Cold & Hot Blender.

Condensed Cream of Celery Soup Stovetop Version

Chop all of the vegetables into a small dice and add to a saucepan along with the other ingredients, except the xanthan gum and oil. Bring to a simmer and cover with a lid. Cook until all the vegetables are very soft. This will take anywhere from 15-30 minutes.

I would stay close by and check on it frequently to make sure it isn't getting too low on liquid and stir about every 5 minutes or so. Once the vegetables are soft enough that you can mash them with a fork, turn the heat off.

Use an immersion blender to blend and then add the xanthan gum mixed with oil or butter and blend to combine. Let sit for a few minutes and it will thicken.

If you don't have an immersion blender, you can let the mixture cool and then blend in your blender or even try using a potato ricer. I'm not sure how well that would work, but it's worth a try if you have one and don't have a blender or immersion blender.

Condensed Cream of Celery Soup Pressure Cooker Version

The pressure cooker is another way to make this soup, but there are a few things to keep in mind.

Pressure cookers don't have as much evaporation as other cooking methods because, once the pot seals, no liquid (steam) escapes. However, you do need thin liquid to build the steam to put the pot under pressure.

Depending on the pressure cooker you have, you might be able to reduce the liquid to ½-¾ cup and still build the pressure needed (if you do this, don't decrease the vegetable base). If you want to play it safe, use the full cup and you can either simmer at the end to concentrate it more or use more xanthan gum at the end to thicken it to the desired consistency.

Dice the vegetables into about ½" dice and add to the inner pot. Add the remaining ingredients, except the xanthan gum and oil. Pressure cook on high for 5 minutes and immediately release the pressure.

If you think it's too liquidy, use the sear/sauté function on low medium to simmer the mixture until some of the liquid evaporates.

Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. Add the xanthan gum/oil if needed and blend to combine. Let sit for 5 minutes to thicken.

If you don't have an immersion blender, let the mixture cool and then blend in your blender.

How to Make Condensed Cream of Celery Soup in the Cold & Hot Blender

Cut, Mix, Dump, Push, Done. It's really that simple with the Cold & Hot Blender!

Cut the larger vegetables into 2-3" pieces just to help the blender out a bit since celery is pretty hard and fibrous until it's cooked. Peel the garlic.

Dump the vegetables, vegetable base and water into the blender.

Put the lid on the blender and select Smooth Soup and let it complete the cycle.

If the soup isn't smooth enough, hit the extract button or use the manual high blend until it's smooth.

Mix the xanthan gum with the oil or butter and add to the blender. Hold the pulse button down for 5-10 seconds and let it sit for 5-10 minutes to thicken.

It's ready to use in your favorite recipes or add some cream and have lunch!