I often buy celery to use as a base component of recipes, like soup, vegetable stock or grain pilaf. Inevitably, I get a decent amount of limp celery stalks just sitting in my crisper with no real end purpose. I usually take that as my cue to make even more vegetable stock. But why not do something where celery gets a chance to shine a bit? I had some equally non-vibrant greens hanging around and knew that I needed a comforting coconut green soup with celery, lots of spices, and hearty garnishes.
After playing around with test versions of this soup, I finally decided to nail it down after a particularly indulgent weekend. I knew that I needed a bit of a reset day to just eat really colorful and simple things like this vibrantly green and gorgeous soup. We’ve been having some cool and damp nights, so a warm bowl of this loaded up with toppings felt so good.
I think this coconut green soup is open to plenty of interpretation. You could use radish/carrot tops or ramp greens for an onion-y edge. Fennel instead of celery. Maybe purée some soaked cashews or pistachios in the mix. And garnish it however you like to really make it your own! These are my favorite kind of recipes because they’re adaptable and always within reach, no matter what kind of week you’re having.
Some other simple blended soups that you might like: fennel walnut soup with turmeric and leeks, kabocha squash and chestnut soup, and this carrot ginger soup with tahini cream.
Coconut Green Soup with Celery, Kale & Ginger
Ingredients
Soup
- 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
- 2 teaspoons coconut oil
- 1 large shallot, chopped (about ¾ cup diced shallot)
- 1 medium zucchini, chopped
- 1 small bunch of celery, chopped (about 4 cups chopped celery)
- 1 medium apple, peeled, cored and chopped
- 3 inches fresh ginger, peeled and chopped (roughly 2 tablespoons)
- 6 cups vegetable stock
- sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- 4 cups chopped and packed greens (I used kale and a bit of chard)
- 1 14-ounce can full fat coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
For Topping/Garnishing
- cooked brown rice
- cooked lentils or chickpeas
- sliced ripe avocado
- extra coconut milk
- olive oil or chili-infused olive oil
- chopped basil or chives
Equipment
Notes
- I cook a diced zucchini in this soup to make it a little extra bit creamy, but if you have cooked white or navy beans on hand, you could throw 3/4 cup of them into the soup right before you purée it for a similar texture and extra satiation.
Instructions
- Heat a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Add the cumin and coriander seeds to the pot and toast in the dry pot until fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove the spices from the pot and grind them to a powder. Set aside.
- Drop the coconut oil into the pot and let it melt/heat up for 30 seconds. Add the shallots to the pot and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the zucchini, celery, and apple to the pot and stir. Add the ginger, ground cumin and coriander to the pot and stir to distribute the spices among the vegetables.
- Add the vegetable stock to the pot and stir. Season with salt and pepper. Bring the vegetables and broth to a boil and then simmer, stirring here and there, until the zucchini is very tender, about 10 minutes.
- Add the chopped greens and coconut milk to the pot and stir to mix. Keep simmering and stirring until the greens have wilted and are bright green. Remove the vegetables and stock from the heat.
- Purée the soup with a stick blender or in batches using an upright blender. Return the puréed soup to the pot and bring it to a boil. Stir the fresh lime juice into the soup and adjust any other seasoning. Serve coconut green soup hot with any garnishes you like.
Truly loved this recipe. Froze it in portion sizes. Reheated it on the stove with Trader Joe’s Polenta mashed into it and made it super hearty meal. Cannot wait to make it again this week. It’s lends itself well to customization, but I always try the recipe as it’s written the first time and just really wanted to keep eating it. Thank!
Surprisingly amazing…fresh…delicious. Great recipe for veggies and vegans or whole food dedicators. Loved it.
What kind of apples do you recommend for this recipe?
This was great! My family loved it! I followed the advice of others and used 4 c stock instead of the 6 for a thicker soup. I also threw some cannellini beans, used baby kale (bc I had it in the fridge). This was so tasty on its own, but so fun for everyone to layer on their toppings. We did roasted chickpeas, green onions, avocado, roasted mushrooms, it was perfect!
I can’t wait to try this! Could I just throw a lot of it in the soup maker instead?
Thank you for this recipe! It is absolutely delicious! I did add half a jalapeño and part of a sweet potato along with the beans. (Things I had to use up!)
It is definitely in my recipe book! Many thanks!!!
This is SO good. I had a bunch of kale to use up as opposed to celery which was the pt of why Laura creating this recipe lol but let me tell you whatever your reason is to make this soup it just doesnt matter. It’s so flavorful but light and satisfying at the same time. I read some comments before making the recipe and decided to cut back on liquid by 2 cups. Kept that warm on the side however in case I needed it to thin out the soup after pureeing but I didn’t need it. It was perfect! I also reduced the amt of lime juice to 1 tablespoon. I ate it with toasted bread and topped the soup with chickpeas. Thank you Laura for such a wonderful recipe!
This soup was absolutely mindblowing! I made it for a party and it was a huge hit. I added less broth by 1/3rd and tripled the spices, and it was perfect for us! It had such an interesting and surprising flavor profile, I will definitely be making this again.
I could tell this looked good, but I didn’t think it could be THAT good. I’m sick at the moment, fighting off a cold and this soup couldn’t have been better. I included the zucchini and the white beans to make it extra creamy and it was just perfect. I will definitely be making this again!
I have a question — if I want to freeze this soup after I make it, should I hold off on adding the coconut milk till I’m ready to serve it? Thanks.
Hi Donna,
Apologies for the late reply. You could freeze the soup with or without the coconut milk added! It will be fine either way once reheating. Only thing I can think of in. terms of a note with freezing this soup: the green colour will not be as vibrant after freezing and reheating. It will taste just as great though! :)
-L
I made this delish soup tonight. It was bright, healthy and creamy. We loved it. The squeeze of lime and drizzle of some good olive oil, and black pepper on top, is all we needed. We had some hearty toast with coconut butter on the side. I’ll be making this again and again! It’s nutrient dense and so satisfying.
Tried this one for the first time and I must say I absolutely love it!! Will definitely be adding this one to my soup rotation :)
This sounds great, I tend to avoid apples and have noticed them in a couple of your soup recipes. Does it work without or could I substitute it for something else? Thanks
Hi Alice,
In this recipe, you could substitute it with pear or just leave it out altogether!
-L
Oh absolutely love this soup. I made it two weeks ago and it wasn’t quite thick enough so I added an entire cup of cashews and wow did that bring it to nextlevel. I just made it again last night and this time I added a cup of cashews and about Three force cup of pistachios. They really had a lot of bass and richness nobody would ever think this was a vegan non-dairy soup. Out of this world thank you so much for the recipe I made it for my boss and she is blown away!
This was phenomenal! I added the white beans in place of zucchini and I used rainbow chard and a little spinach. Also added turmeric and cayenne. Wonderful alongside homemade bread and butter. Will be making again. Thank you for the recipe!
This was very delicious, but my stick blender really didn’t work. Don’t like the transfer thing, but it was worth it!
I absolutely adore this soup! I have a mast cell disease that makes digestion quite difficult from time to time. Puréed soups are usually a remedy but can be kind of a bummer. This soup though is always comforting and so delicious! Thank you!
We’ve made this twice in as many weeks and I can’t get enough of it. My toddler eats it faster than I’ve seen her eat anything. Ever. Thank you for this recipe, we especially love making it with our backyard chard, kale and zucchini.
Made this soup today w navy beans and their cooking liquid and it was divine! So fresh and flavorful. Thanks Laura!
If I don’t have cumin seeds I can just use cumin powder right? Same amount? Love all your recipes. Your whole site is inspiring!! Xoxo
Yes, the powder is totally fine! Thank you so much :)
-L
This is just lovely! My toddler devoured it – I’ve actually rarely seen him eat something so happily as this – bowl after bowl! I puréed it to very very smooth in my vita mix. Topped with nothing at all – was wonderful exactly as is! A definite keeper and felt very nice on this rainy spring night.
The soup was delicious. I couldn’t get it as smooth as the photos show with an immersion or the blender. I topped it with lime, basil and roasted chickpeas.
Yum! Does this soup store well in the refrigerator? I have all day classes 4 days a week so I’m trying to find a soup I can cook on a Sunday and just heat up and take in a thermos with me the rest of the week!
Yes, it holds over great! The flavour actually increases as it “marinates” in the fridge. The brilliant green will fade a bit as you reheat though, just so you know!
-L
Hello! Can’t wait to make this! If I don’t have whole cumin and coriander seeds on hand, can I substitute 1 tsp ground? Thanks!
Yes of course!
-L
Just made a big batch of this soup and I had to comment. The flavor is so bright with the celery, apples and lime juice. Love the flavor and colour. Thanks for sharing!
Amazing! Made this tonight and it may have been my baby girls favorite meal yet. I topped it with roasted black chickpeas (that we grew) and olive oil. Delicious!
I totally agree that celery is underused and I’ve started cooking with it a lot more. But this soup… this striking soup… well, I never could imagine that something so beautiful could come from celery.
Laura, I love that you gave humble ol’ celery a chance in the spotlight versus being a backup dancer all these years. Well done! Love that crunchy soup topping idea :)
I can’t wait to make this…I know I will love it. Thanks for sharing uses for celery, I too always have them on hand for my stock—love me my stock!
This is delicious! I pressed a little garlic in at the end– I just felt the need.
Also, this soup is great cold (well room temp).
Thanks!
Laura, really amazing soup. I am a celery fiend, which all too often presents the dreaded stacks of celery asses in my refrigerator. It doesn’t get prettier than this, woman. xo
Delicious! I think that cooking your own broth at home is incredible for reducing food waste and making healthier alternatives than the store-bought products! I would love to try this–does the coconut taste really sweet in this soup?
Hey Cassie! I totally agree with you on the broth thing. The coconut milk really just provides a touch of creaminess I find. Once it’s mixed with the spices, the spicy ginger, and all the vegetables, it’s total savoury harmony :)
-L
Oh girl, I hear you on the celery situation and on needing a reset day. I’m totally stealing this.
I know that feeling all too well. We’ve just recently moved across the country and after a few days in the car, and moving into a new kitchen with only a bag of oats and a jar of harissa, my body is craaaaving a big bowl of something green like this soup. I love this in between season where the days are warm and the nights are chillier, salads for lunch for soups and dinner. Happy days. Good luck with the outdoor renos – loving (addicted?) to all the snapchats x
Story of my refrigerator’s life! I rarely, rarely ignore fresh food so long that it goes bad, but pretty often I’ll keep it around till it’s too soggy to eat raw (guess I’m always waiting for some perfect way to use it, which more often than not, doesn’t come to mind). I was just wondering what to do with my zombie celery and this soup looks like just the thing.
I wish you would post calories and nutritional content. Love your site . Told my doctor to check it out and he is hooked!
Hey Gabriele! I appreciate this feedback and your compliments on the site. I don’t usually do the calorie and nutrient counting thing myself, but understand that it’s valuable for plenty of people. Under consideration! ;)
-L
What a beautiful recipe! I love the addition of the apple too. I can’t wait to try it out. Thank you so much for sharing
Oh, this sounds delicious! I can’t wait to try it!!! :) xxx
This made me smile in recognition about the celery!!! This recipe sounds wonderful, and I will try it later…I probably have almost everything at home already too, which is even better. I love your recipes and beautiful photos. One tiny suggestion, and I don’t know how you do it, but when I receive an email telling me there’s a new post, both the sender and the subject line is just The First Mess. It would be great if you could put the title of the post in the subject line instead, so I have an idea what it’s about. I usually look anyway, but just a suggestion, as with other similar mails I often just delete them without reading, as we all get so much mail in our in-boxes these days. Off to print the recipe and celery coconut soup will be on the menu very soon. Thank you.
Thanks so much Cesca! I really appreciate your feedback on the emails. I’m about to switch over the blog’s email service, so hopefully the subject line thing will be easy to change :)
-L
I am totally feeling you on that rainy Ontario spring! Butttttt to be honest I kind of love the cozy factor of it all. Just sipping some tea indoors or splashing around outside in a raincoat are some of my favourite spring activities ;) This soup looks so bright and tasty!
I am so excited to see what is in store for your new deck girl! Loving your snaps of the process too, so fun that you have all that space to play with. And this soup, so clever and comforting. Perfect for lazy veggies and damp, spring nights. And this color, **dreamy** – xo
Love this soup. Love the photos. Love everything about it! I’m feeling you with the whole garden thing. I spent the last week pulling weeds, planting shrubs, etc. and we’ve had a constant supply of pizza in the fridge for snacking. I’m in real need of some wholesome eats. I saw some pics of your new patio on snapchat. Love it. Looks like the ultimate chill zone.
Hey Laura! Wow that soup looks so beautiful. I love celery so much I used to be the same and it’d just sit there but now I eat it every day, as crudité and in green juices. I love its saltiness. It’s so beautiful in soup though isn’t it :)
Hi, if you want to use beans do you delete the zucchini that’s listed in the ingredients list or was the zucchini you added in addition to the one in the ingredients list? Thanks, I LOVE< LOVE< LOVE your site and recipes….
Thanks so much, Monica! I kind of suggest cooked beans in place of the zucchini, but you COULD use both if you want! Just add a little extra vegetable broth if you do :)
-L
Nothing better than a fresh, clean soup after a weekend of takeout ;) And I love that you let the celery shine in this recipe… so often it’s just in the background in a stock. But I love that fresh celery flavor!!
We are having the wettest/rainiest weather right now and this soup is going to happen to fix all of those problems! I don’t know what it was about last week, but I also fell into a hole of pizza/cookies/coffee as a diet, so I felt BLAH after it too. Cheers to resetting!
Since we’re total experts, we should write a book about the pizza cookies and coffee diet! :D
xoxo L