This creamy Celeriac Soup Recipe is one of those quietly impressive dishes that feels luxurious without being complicated. Silky smooth, deeply savoury, finished with nutty brown butter and crisp sage, it's the kind of winter soup you make once and then crave every year when the cold weather hits. If you've got a whole celeriac knocking about and no idea what to do with it, this is honestly the best way to start.
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Celeraic: Underused and Underrated?
Also known as celery root, celeriac is a knobbly root vegetable with pale white flesh and a gently savoury, slightly nutty flavour. It tastes like a softer, sweeter cousin of celery stalks, and once cooked, it turns beautifully creamy which makes it ideal for soup. Nutritionally, it's rich in vitamin C, contains useful amounts of vitamin B, and is naturally lower in carbs than potato soup, which makes it a great lighter alternative.
In the UK, it's most often used for celeriac remoulade or mashed into a cosy celeriac purée, but turning it into creamy celeriac soup is one of my favourite ways to let its flavour really shine. If this is your first time cooking with celeriac, soup is the most forgiving and confidence-building route in.
Ingredient Notes
- Whole celeriac: Choose one that feels heavy for its size with firm white flesh inside. Peel generously to remove the tough outer skin before chopping into diced celeriac.
- Large onion & garlic: These build the base flavour.
- Butter + olive oil: A bit of olive oil prevents the butter from burning while you soften the vegetables.
- Vegetable broth or chicken stock: Use a good quality stock. This is the backbone of the soup.
- Milk or single cream (optional): Adds richness and a silkier finish.
- Bay leaf/ fresh thyme: Optional, but brilliant for subtle herbal depth.
- Hazelnuts, sage & butter: These create the nutty topping that transforms the soup from simple to dinner-party worthy.
Non-essential extras like lemon juice, chilli oil or fresh parsley are purely for finishing and balance.
Find ingredient quantities, detailed instructions and nutritional information in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Step-By-Step Method
1. Soften the base. In a large saucepan or large pot, melt butter with a little olive oil over medium heat. Add onion with a pinch of salt and cook for 5-6 minutes until soft but not browned.
2. Build the flavour. Add garlic and cook for a couple of minutes. Stir in the diced celeriac and let it cook gently for 5-6 minutes, allowing it to take on a little colour.
3. Simmer the soup. Add the stock, bay leaf or bouquet garni, bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to low heat and simmer for 20-25 minutes until fully tender.
4. Blend until smooth. Use an immersion blender, stick blender, hand blender, or high-speed blender to create a smooth soup. Add milk, cream or crème fraîche if using. Adjust with lemon juice and seasoning.
5. Brown the butter topping. In a small pan, melt butter until golden and nutty, fry sage briefly, then toast the hazelnuts in the butter.
6. Serve. Ladle the hot soup into bowls, spoon over the nutty butter, and finish with sage and herbs.
Recipe Tips
- Use a sharp knife to safely cut the tough white part of the celeriac.
- Let the soup simmer gently rather than boiling hard for the best way to preserve flavour.
- Always blend a little longer than you think for that ultra creamy texture.
- For vegan celeriac soup, simply skip the butter and cream and use olive oil throughout.
- If the soup thickens too much as it cools, thin with warm stock when reheating.
Serving Suggestions
This soup absolutely loves good bread. Think thick slices of toasted crusty bread, sourdough, or garlic flatbread for dipping.
For toppings, you can go classic with the chilli oil and herbs, or lean into texture with roasted hazelnuts, sunflower seeds or crispy shallots. A dollop of crème fraîche adds silkiness, while fresh parsley or fresh thyme keeps everything tasting fresh.
It also works beautifully as a starter for roast chicken, festive dinners, or any comforting cold-weather spread.
Storage & Reheating
Let the soup cool completely before storing in an airtight container. It will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days and freezes very well for up to 3 months. Reheat gently over low heat in a large saucepan, stirring often.
The texture may thicken slightly after freezing, so add a splash of stock or water when reheating.
Recipe FAQs
You'll need some form of high speed blender for a proper smooth finish. An immersion blender, or standard countertop blender will all work.
No, not strongly. It's milder and nuttier than celery stalks, especially once cooked and blended.
You can add one potato for thickness, but keeping it as a pure celeriac soup recipe lets the flavour shine.
More Creamy Soup Recipes
If this one hit the spot, you'll love exploring more comforting, seasonal soup recipes next.
Celeriac Soup With Brown Butter, Sage & Hazelnuts
Equipment
- Stick Blender or Liquidiser
Ingredients
For The Soup:
- 1 celeriac peeled and diced, about 550g prepped weight
- 1 large onion diced
- 2 garlic cloves sliced
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 600-700 ml (2½-2⅔ cups) vegetable stock or chicken stock
- 50 ml (¼ cup) double cream/ heavy cream optional but lovely
For The Brown Butter + Sage Topping:
- 60 g (4 tablespoon) butter
- 10-12 fresh sage leaves
- 40 g (⅓ cup) hazelnuts roughly chopped
- a pinch of flaky salt
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 6-8 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
- Stir in the diced celeriac. Cook for 3-4 minutes to let it take on a little colour - it builds flavour.
- Pour in the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce to a gentle simmer and cook for 20-25 minutes, or until the celeriac is completely soft.
- Use a stick blender or stand blender to purée the soup until smooth.
- Stir in the milk/cream (if using). Taste and season with salt and pepper.
- In a small pan, melt the 60 g butter over medium heat.
- Let it bubble, foam, and turn golden brown - it should smell nutty.
- Add the sage leaves and fry until crisp (about 10-15 seconds).
- Remove them and set aside.
- Add the hazelnuts to the brown butter and toast for 1-2 minutes.
- Finish with a tiny pinch of flaky salt.
- Ladle the soup into bowls.
- Spoon over the hazelnut brown butter.
- Crumble the crisp sage leaves on top.
- Serve with crusty bread or sourdough toast (obviously).
Nutrition
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