Mary Berry Celery Soup Recipe

Celery soup is consistently underestimated. Most people think of celery as a supporting character — an aromatic background note in a soffritto or a casserole, something to add depth to other flavours rather than a flavour in its own right.

Made into a soup with care, celery reveals a clean, slightly herbal, very gently anise-like character that is completely its own and genuinely lovely.

This is a light, pale, elegant soup — not a thick, heavy purée. The celery flavour is delicate and the soup reflects that. It is seasoned carefully, finished with a little cream, and served with a garnish that acknowledges its pale, refined character — a swirl of cream, a few celery leaves, a light dusting of celery salt.

It is also one of the fastest soups on this site — the celery cooks quickly and the whole thing is ready in under thirty-five minutes.

Ingredients for Mary Berry Celery Soup

For the Soup

• 40g unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion, roughly chopped
• 1 large head of celery — approximately 700g — all stalks, trimmed and roughly chopped (reserve the pale inner leaves for garnish)
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 medium potato (about 175g), peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 litre good quality vegetable or chicken stock
• 150ml double cream
• Juice of ½ lemon
• Salt and freshly ground white pepper
• A pinch of celery salt (optional — deepens the celery flavour)

To Serve

• A swirl of double cream or crème fraîche
• Reserved pale celery leaves
• A pinch of celery salt
• A drizzle of good quality olive oil
• Crusty bread

How to Make Mary Berry Celery Soup

Step 1 — Soften the Base

Melt the butter with the olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook for eight minutes until completely soft — no colour. Add the garlic and cook for one more minute.

Step 2 — Add the Celery and Potato

Add all the roughly chopped celery to the pan. Stir to coat in the butter and oil. Cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally, until the celery has softened slightly and smells fragrant.

Add the roughly chopped potato. Stir to combine.

Step 3 — Add the Stock and Simmer

Pour in the stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for fifteen to eighteen minutes until both the celery and the potato are completely tender. The celery should have no resistance at all when pressed with the back of a spoon.

Step 4 — Blend Until Silky

Remove from the heat and blend until completely smooth — two full minutes with a stick blender or in batches in a standard blender. Celery has some fibrous strands that need thorough blending. For the most elegant result, pass the blended soup through a fine sieve — this removes any remaining fibres and gives an exceptionally smooth finish.

Step 5 — Finish and Season

Return to the hob over a gentle heat. Stir in the double cream and lemon juice. Warm through — do not boil. Add a pinch of celery salt if using. Taste and season very carefully with salt and white pepper. Celery soup is delicate — it needs precise seasoning rather than heavy-handed salting.

Step 6 — Serve

Ladle into warm bowls. Swirl cream or crème fraîche over the surface. Place a few pale celery leaves in the centre. Add a pinch of celery salt and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve with crusty bread.

My Top Tips For Perfect Celery Soup

Use the whole head of celery — including the pale inner stalks. The pale inner stalks and their attached leaves have a more delicate, more fragrant flavour than the darker outer stalks. Include all the stalks but save the pale inner leaves specifically for the garnish — they are beautiful.

Cook the celery until completely tender before blending. Celery that is even slightly undercooked gives a slightly fibrous, slightly sharp result when blended. Fifteen to eighteen minutes of gentle simmering gives completely tender celery that blends to a smooth, clean-flavoured soup.

Pass through a sieve for the most elegant finish. Celery is more fibrous than most soup vegetables and leaves tiny strands even after thorough blending. A fine sieve pressed through with the back of a spoon gives a completely smooth, restaurant-quality result in three minutes.

Season with restraint. Celery soup is a delicate soup. It needs careful, considered seasoning — enough to bring out the celery flavour, not so much that the salt dominates. Taste several times and adjust gradually.

Celery salt deepens the celery flavour significantly. A pinch of celery salt added to the finished soup — not as a substitute for regular salt — intensifies the celery character in a way that regular salt does not. It is worth having a small jar for this recipe.

Serving Suggestions

As an elegant, light starter — its pale colour looks beautiful in white bowls. As a simple weekday lunch with good bread. As part of a soup-based supper alongside good cheese and chutney.

How to Store Celery Soup

In the fridge: Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat gently — do not boil. Add a splash of stock if it has thickened.

In the freezer: Freeze before adding cream for up to 3 months. Add cream fresh when reheating.

Mary Berry Celery Soup Recipe

Mary Berry's celery soup is light, elegantly flavoured, and silky smooth — one of the most underrated soups in British cooking.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Total Time 45 minutes mins

Servings: 4 Portions

Course: Soup

Cuisine: British

Calories: 195

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• Soup:
• 40 g unsalted butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large onion roughly chopped
• 1 large head of celery about 700g, all stalks roughly chopped — reserve pale inner leaves for garnish
• 2 garlic cloves crushed
• 1 medium potato about 175g, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 litre vegetable or chicken stock
• 150 ml double cream
• Juice of ½ lemon
• Salt and white pepper
• Pinch of celery salt optional
• To Serve:
• Double cream or crème fraîche
• Reserved pale celery leaves
• Celery salt
• Good quality olive oil
• Crusty bread

CHECK THIS RECIPE  Mary Berry Sweet Potato Soup Recipe

Method

 

1. Melt butter with oil over medium heat. Cook onion 8 minutes — no colour. Add garlic — 1 minute.
2. Add chopped celery — cook 5 minutes until beginning to soften. Add potato — stir.
3. Add stock. Bring to boil — simmer 15–18 minutes until celery and potato are completely tender.
4. Blend completely smooth — 2 full minutes. Pass through a fine sieve for the most elegant finish.
5. Return to gentle heat. Add cream and lemon juice. Warm through — do not boil. Add celery salt if using. Season carefully with salt and white pepper.
6. Ladle into warm bowls. Swirl cream. Add pale celery leaves. Pinch of celery salt. Drizzle of olive oil. Serve with crusty bread.

Notes

Use the whole head of celery including pale inner stalks — they are the most fragrant.

Cook celery until completely tender before blending — undercooked gives fibrous results.

Pass through a fine sieve — removes remaining fibres for an elegant finish.

Season with restraint — celery soup is delicate and needs careful, gradual seasoning.

Celery salt deepens the celery flavour significantly — worth adding.

Freeze before adding cream for up to 3 months.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I add blue cheese to celery soup?

Yes — Stilton crumbled into the blended soup off the heat gives a celery and Stilton combination that is rich, bold, and excellent. Reduce the salt significantly as Stilton is very salty.

Can I use celeriac instead of celery?

Celeriac gives a more intense, slightly earthier celery flavour and a more substantial soup. Use 500g of peeled, diced celeriac in place of the celery head. The method is identical.

Can I make this vegan?

Yes — use olive oil instead of butter, vegetable stock, and oat cream instead of double cream.

Why is my celery soup bitter?

The outer stalks of celery can be slightly bitter — particularly if the celery was not fresh. Use the freshest possible celery and include the pale inner stalks which are sweeter. If slightly bitter, add an extra teaspoon of caster sugar to the finished soup.

Can I add other vegetables?

Yes — leek added with the onion gives additional sweetness and body. Parsnip in place of some of the potato gives a slightly more complex, slightly sweeter result.