Creamy Celery Root Bisque (Printable Version)

Velvety French bisque featuring celery root, potato, and cream. Perfect elegant starter in under an hour.

# What You'll Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 1 large celery root (about 1.5 lb), peeled and diced
02 - 1 medium Yukon Gold potato, peeled and diced
03 - 1 medium leek, white and light green parts only, sliced
04 - 1 small yellow onion, chopped
05 - 2 garlic cloves, minced

→ Liquids

06 - 4 cups vegetable broth
07 - 1 cup whole milk or unsweetened plant-based milk
08 - 1/2 cup heavy cream or non-dairy cream

→ Fats & Seasoning

09 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter or olive oil
10 - 1 bay leaf
11 - 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
12 - Salt, to taste

→ Garnish

13 - Chopped fresh chives or parsley
14 - Cream drizzle, optional

# How to Prepare:

01 - In a large pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add leek, onion, and garlic. Sauté until softened but not browned, approximately 5 minutes.
02 - Add diced celery root and potato to the pot. Sauté for an additional 3 minutes to enhance flavor development.
03 - Pour in the vegetable broth and add the bay leaf. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer covered for 25 minutes until vegetables are very tender.
04 - Remove and discard the bay leaf. Using an immersion blender, purée the soup until completely smooth, or transfer in batches to a countertop blender.
05 - Stir in the milk and cream. Heat gently without boiling, and season with salt and white pepper to taste.
06 - Ladle into warm bowls and garnish with chopped chives, parsley, and a cream drizzle if desired.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • This soup tastes like restaurant elegance without the fuss or the price tag.
  • It comes together in under an hour and actually improves if you make it a day ahead, making it perfect for when you want to look effortless.
  • The celery root flavor is subtle and sophisticated, not earthy or intimidating—it converts people who think they don't like vegetables.
02 -
  • Never let the soup boil after you add the cream or milk—it'll separate and look curdled, which is frustrating when you've done everything else right; gentle heat is genuinely the key to elegance here.
  • An immersion blender is worth its weight in gold for this recipe because it lets you blend directly in the pot without the mess and risk of transferring hot liquid, but if you don't have one, a regular blender works perfectly fine as long as you're patient with batches.
03 -
  • If your soup ever looks thin or watery, you can thicken it by whisking a little cornstarch slurry (cornstarch mixed with cold water) into the simmering soup—but honestly, if you've cooked the celery root and potato until they're truly tender, you shouldn't need this.
  • The secret that changed everything for me was warming the bowls before ladling—it sounds like a small thing, but it keeps the soup at the perfect eating temperature for longer and signals to everyone at the table that they're about to have something genuinely special.
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