Simple Carrot and Celery Soup (Healthy Recipe)

This easy and quick carrot celery soup is cozy, broth-y and so flavorful. Made simply with onion, carrot, celery, garlic and fresh dill: a perfect simple and healthy soup to warm up on a chilly day.

Here is a super delicious and quick cozy soup to try this winter.

We just had a long weekend with tons of snow, which means that the kids were home with snow days. With the weather, we all felt like a vegetable soup to help warm us up. And since I always have carrots and celery in the fridge, then an easy carrot and celery soup it was!

SO simple, but oh so yummy. Similarly to my zucchini potato soup or my lentil barley soup, there is not that much going on in this vegan soup, which I think is the beauty of this recipe. The flavor is focused on the carrots and celery, with some onion-y and garlicky delicious flavors in the background.

The broth takes on all those flavors and is enhanced by the fresh dill. Feel free to swap for other fresh herbs, such as parsley, thyme or cilantro, they would all work well to deepen the flavor of the broth. We loved its brothy consistency, but feel free to make it creamier using an immersion blender like I did in my chunky cauliflower soup.

The mild sweetness from the carrots with the salty and slightly bitter celery is a classic duo and definitely is the highlight of this ultra simple soup. You might want to make it your own by adding more to it (see below for ideas!) or do like me and enjoy its simplicity and light flavor.

Enjoy it for dinner with a side of bread and use the rest for lunch the next day. Leftovers are even better after the flavor intensified overnight, so feel free to make it ahead if you love to meal-prep!

Hope you give a try! ❤️

Why you'll love this recipe

• Quick, easy and only requires simple ingredients
• Healthy, filled with vegetables and low-in-fat
• One-pot recipe
• Perfect sick day broth-y soup that's light and hydrating
• Great for dinner, lunch, meal-prep and to freeze
• Dairy-free, vegan, nut-free and with an easy gluten-free option

Ingredients you'll need

• Carrots: I used 3 large carrots to make this recipe. You can also use colored carrots if you want, although this might change the tint of the broth.
• Celery: pick plump and fresh-looking celery for best results. The flavor can turn more bitter if the veggie is getting old and since the whole soup is focused on this vegetable, fresher is better!
• Onion: sets the base of the soup and brings more flavor.
• Garlic: use a lot of fresh garlic for amazing flavor!
• Fresh dill: so great in this simple soup, although fresh parsley or fresh cilantro would also work well.
• Flour: regular all-purpose flour will help thicken just slightly the broth. The broth will still remain mostly thin, but "silkier" with a little more texture. You could add more flour for a thicker broth as well and use gluten-free flour if needed.
• Vegetable broth: I often simply use water combined with concentrated vegetable broth from the brand Better Than Bouillon, but simply use your favorite. A homemade vegetable broth would be amazing in this recipe and provide more authentic flavor.
• Plant-based milk: optional, but I love to add a little milk at the end of cooking the soup to make the broth richer and a little creamier.

How to make it

This easy soup should be all done within 25-30 minutes. Perfect for when you need a lunch or dinner quickly!

Cook the vegetables

Warm up a large pot with a little oil and then add the onion, carrots, celery and a pinch of salt. Stir and cook for 8-10 minutes or until the vegetables are softer and with some brown bits.

Then, add the garlic and cook for 1-2 more minute stirring often.

Sprinkle the flour over and stir well to coat all the vegetables.

Simmer

Pour the vegetable broth and add the fresh dill, stir (scrape the bottom of the pot to get all the flour) and then cover. Bring to a simmer, turn down the heat and simmer for about 15-20 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.

When done, add the milk, stir well and taste to adjust the salt.

Watch how to make it

Cooking tips

• You could simply gather all ingredients in the pot and then simmer to save some time, but browning the vegetables first brings so much flavor to this rather simple soup, so try not to skip.
• Cut your veggies uniformly on the smaller side for a nice visual but also, to get a little bit of everything in each bite.
• For an oil-free recipe, cook the vegetables with a splash of water to prevent them from sticking.
• This soup as a broth based, but for a creamier consistency without adding cream, then I recommend to use an immersion blender and blend some of it. That way, you can a creamier and thicker broth with still some texture. See how I do it in my vegan cauliflower soup.

Variations to the recipe

This simple recipe is so easy to customize!

Here are a few ideas:

• More veggies: you can add so many more veggies to this soup! Feel-free to experiment with what you have in the fridge. Some good adds-on to include are frozen green peas, kale, cabbage, cauliflower, mushrooms and potatoes. Cook the veggies with the carrot-celery mixture at first to slightly roast them before adding the liquid.
• Indian-style: add some yellow curry powder and a little grated ginger just before adding the broth, it would be amazing in this recipe! Use about ½ teaspoon of each. Would also pair well with the fresh dill!
• More spices and herbs: there is a lot of room to add more spices, such as turmeric, cumin, paprika and garam masala. I think whole cumin seeds would be amazing here too. Also, add some dried herbs such as dill, oregano, basil or parsley instead of fresh dill if that's more convenient (about 1 teaspoon).
• Higher-in-protein: add a can of rinsed and drained beans, such as chickpeas and navy beans, once the soup is done. Just stir them in and warm up for a few minutes before serving. It would add extra protein, but also more fiber and make this soup more substantial and filling.
• Noodled-up: add some macaroni, orzo or any small noodles in this soup (about ⅓ cup dry noodles), especially if you want it to be more filling and to be served as a full meal. You will need to add a little more water or adjust consistency once the soup is done.
• Include grains: rice, quinoa, barley or farro are all great additions for this soup (use about ⅓ cup). You will have to include more liquid to keep the consistency thinner and you might have to simmer for longer depending on the grain.
• Flavor-booster: miso paste (dissolve in some liquid first, see my miso soup video) and soy sauce can deepen the flavor of the broth. A squeeze of lemon juice would also brighten up the soup nicely.

Serving suggestions

We love this soup with a side of crusty bread or homemade wheat buns. You can dip the bread in the soup, so delicious. It works well simply with crackers dipped in hummus for a healthy and filling simple lunch.

For a nice presentation, top the soup with some croutons, sprouts or a swirl of extra vegan milk or cream. Add some ground black pepper over as well and more fresh dill.

Storage tips

Like most soups, this recipe is great for meal-prep as it stores very well. You can even divide leftovers in individual containers to have single-portions all ready to go.

Keep leftovers (cool them down first) in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat using the microwave or the stove.

You can also freeze this soup for up to 3 months, although the texture will change after thawed and the vegetables turn softer. If you are planning on freezing it, then I would recommend on omitting the milk so it can thaw better.

More soup recipes you might like

• Vegan wild rice mushroom soup
• Vegan gnocchi soup
• Vegan zucchini potato soup
• Cabbage miso soup
• Vegan kimchi ramen noodles
• Curried carrot and red lentil soup
• Creamy butternut squash and red pepper soup
• Vegan spinach soup
• Basic miso ramen soup
• Broccoli pea soup
• Dairy-free tomato soup

I hope you like this carrot celery soup recipe as much as we do! If you try it, please leave a comment below and rate the recipe to let me know how it was. Your feedback is so helpful!

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