Vegan Creamy Celeriac Risotto

I’m in love with celeriac. I think it’s hugely underrated because of its (let’s face it, darn ugly) appearance. But we shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, because under its gnarled, twisted exterior, the celeriac tastes really, really good. It has a subtle celery-like flavour and a delicate, sweet, nuttiness. However, the real magic is how it transforms the texture of many dishes, because celeriac becomes beautifully creamy and velvety when cooked. That’s why it’s the perfect ingredient to make a truly rich vegan risotto that’s just as creamy and smooth as any traditional risotto, but without any of the butter or parmesan.

I also used celeriac to make this awesome celeriac soup recipe which is incredibly rich, creamy and smooth too!

I served my vegan celeriac risotto with asparagus because it’s in season right now and it’s so fresh and incredibly flavoursome at this time of year, but it would go brilliantly with loads of other vegetables - try stirring through some wilted spinach, wild garlic leaves, or purple-sprouting broccoli, or try topping your risotto with pea shoots, kale crisps, or even some roasted beetroot for a dash of colour.

Vegan Creamy Celeriac Risotto

Ingredients (serves 4):

• 1/2 cup cashew nuts

• 1 bunch asparagus

• 1 cup frozen green peas

• 1 medium celeriac (approx 600g)

• 2 Tbsp olive oil

• 2 large leeks, finely sliced

• 5 cloves garlic, minced

• 4 Tbsp nutritional yeast

• 1 cup risotto rice (e.g. arborio)

• 100ml white wine

• 2 litres vegan stock

• 1 handful fresh basil leaves

Start by preparing your ingredients: soak your cashew nuts - pour boiling water over them and leave for at least 30 minutes (or you can soak them in cold water for a few hours); blanch the asparagus in boiling water for just 2-3 minutes until it’s tender but still crisp and colourful; chop the stalks ready to add to the risotto and keep the tips to use as a garnish; take out the peas to thaw.

Peel the celeriac (you can slice the skin off with a knife if using a peeler is difficult) and cut roughly into 1-inch chunks. Place in a bowl of cold water to prevent it colouring.

Heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil in a saucepan over a low heat and gently fry one of the leeks and 3 cloves of the garlic for 10 minutes, or until soft. Turn up the heat, add the cubed celeriac and 2 cups of the vegan stock, and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the celeriac is nice and soft.

Tip the contents of the pan (leek, garlic, celeriac and the stock) to a high-speed blender and also add the soaked cashews, nutritional yeast, and season with salt and pepper. Blitz until completely smooth - you’ll stir this celeriac sauce through the rice at the end.

Now heat the other 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan over a low heat. Add the remaining leek and garlic and gently saute for 10 minutes until soft. Turn the heat up to high and add the risotto rice (don’t wash the rice first, it’s best to keep the starches to help create the best creamy texture). Fry the rice for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the white wine and simmer until the wine has nearly completely evaporated.

Now add 1 ladle of the vegan stock. Turn the heat back down to simmer so the rice doesn’t cook too quickly. Keep adding single ladlefuls of stock and stirring frequently, and allowing each ladleful of stock to be absorbed before adding the next. Repeat this process until the rice is al dente - i.e. soft, but with a slight bite.

Now stir through the smooth celeriac mixture, green peas, and chopped asparagus stalks, and cook for a further few minutes. The risotto should have a soupy texture so if it’s too thick then add another ladle of stock.

Garnish with the asparagus tips, fresh basil leaves, and a good crack of black pepper. Eat immediately while the risotto retains its beautiful creamy texture.

---

Vegan Creamy Celeriac Risotto Recipe

• Prep time: 20 minutes
• Cook time: 40 minutes
• Total time: 60 minutes

  Servings: 4

---

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup cashew nuts

• 1 bunch asparagus

• 1 cup frozen green peas

• 1 medium celeriac (approx 600g)

• 2 Tbsp olive oil

• 2 large leeks, finely sliced

• 5 cloves garlic, minced

• 4 Tbsp nutritional yeast

• 1 cup risotto rice (e.g. arborio)

• 100ml white wine

• 2 litres vegan stock

• 1 handful fresh basil leaves

---

Instructions:

1. Start by preparing your ingredients: soak your cashew nuts - pour boiling water over them and leave for at least 30 minutes (or you can soak them in cold water for a few hours); blanch the asparagus in boiling water for just 2-3 minutes until it’s tender but still crisp and colourful; chop the stalks ready to add to the risotto and keep the tips to use as a garnish; take out the peas to thaw.
2. Peel the celeriac (you can slice the skin off with a knife if using a peeler is difficult) and cut roughly into 1-inch chunks. Place in a bowl of cold water to prevent it colouring.
3. Heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil in a saucepan over a low heat and gently fry one of the leeks and 3 cloves of the garlic for 10 minutes, or until soft. Turn up the heat, add the cubed celeriac and 2 cups of the vegan stock, and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the celeriac is nice and soft.
4. Tip the contents of the pan (leek, garlic, celeriac and the stock) to a high-speed blender and also add the soaked cashews, nutritional yeast, and season with salt and pepper. Blitz until completely smooth - you'll stir this celeriac sauce through your rice at the end.
5. Now heat the other 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan over a low heat. Add the remaining leek and garlic and gently saute for 10 minutes until soft. Turn the heat up to high and add the risotto rice (don’t wash the rice first, it’s best to keep the starches to help create the best creamy texture). Fry the rice for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the white wine and simmer until the wine has nearly completely evaporated.
6. Now add 1 ladle of the vegan stock. Turn the heat back down to simmer so the rice doesn’t cook too quickly. Keep adding single ladlefuls of stock and stirring frequently, and allowing each ladleful of stock to be absorbed before adding the next. Repeat this process until the rice is al dente - i.e. soft, but with a slight bite.
7. Now stir through the smooth celeriac mixture, green peas, and chopped asparagus stalks, and cook for a further few minutes. The risotto should have a soupy texture so if it’s too thick then add another ladle of stock.
8. Garnish with the asparagus tips, fresh basil leaves, and a good crack of black pepper. Eat immediately while the risotto retains its beautiful creamy texture.

---

Nutrition:

• Protein: 16.9g (Women: 33.8% / Men: 30.7%)

• Iron: 7.8mg (Women: 52.7% / Men: 89.7%)

• Calories: 510 (Women: 25.5% / Men: 20.4%)

• Sugar: 9.6g (Women: 10.7% / Men: 8.0%)

• Total Fats: 16.3g (Women: 23.3% / Men: 17.2%)

• Saturated Fat: 2.7g (Women: 13.5% / Men: 9.0%)

• Salt: 0.6g (Women: 10.0% / Men: 10.0%)

• Fibre: 10.3g (Women: 34.3% / Men: 34.3%)

  See the Nutrition Info page for more details on % of Dietary Reference Values for men and women.

---

Vegan creamy celeriac soup

The poor old celeriac - it's too often overlooked because it's gnarled, nobbly appearance scares most of us hurrying down the vegetable aisle. But when cooked right, celeriac is actually incredibly tasty, with a celery-like flavour and delicious, slightly nutty undertones. Plus it packs some impressive health benefits, including significant amounts of potassium which helps to regulate blood pressure, plus vitamin K and phosphorus, both important for bone health, and all with only about a third of the calories of potatoes (by the way, celeriac can also be mashed as a much lower calorie and more interestingly flavoured substitute for mashed potatoes).

Cooked in this soup recipe, it gives us a beautifully subtle celery-like flavour, and when blended, the celeriac helps to create an incredibly rich and creamy texture, so you'd never guess it's actually very low in calories, with only 89 calories per portion (before the bread!) It's a proper comfort-food style soup that'll cheer anyone up on a rainy day - we seem to be getting lots of those at the moment so this creamy celeriac soup should definitely come in handy.

If you like this celeriac soup then you’ll love this vegan celeriac risotto recipe - it’s easy to make but makes a really impressive dinner!

Vegan Creamy Celeriac Soup Recipe

Ingredients (makes 6 portions):

• 1 Tbsp rapeseed oil

• 1 white onion, peeled and roughly diced

• 1 leek, washed and sliced

• 1 medium potato, peeled and roughly chopped

• 1 medium celeriac, peeled and roughly chopped

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1L vegetable stock

• Salt and pepper to taste

• Fresh parsley and olive oil to garnish

Method:

In a large pan, heat the rapeseed oil on a medium heat and add the onion, leek, potato, celeriac, and garlic, and fry gently for around 10 minutes until the vegetables start to soften. 

Add the vegetable stock, bring the soup up to a boil, and simmer for a further 20 minutes until the celeriac and potatoes are tender. 

Use a stick blender or tip the soup into a blender in batches and blitz until smooth. Add the salt and pepper to taste before serving up. Then garnish with some fresh parsley leaves and a little drizzle of olive oil. Goes brilliantly mopped up with fresh crusty bread... heaven! 

Nutrition (per serving + 2 slices whole wheat bread):

• Protein: 8.9g (Women: 17.8% / Men: 16.2%)

• Iron: 2.1mg (Women: 14.2% / Men: 24.1%)

• Calories: 227 (Women: 11.4% / Men: 9.1%)

• Sugars: 5.4g (Women: 6.0% / Men: 4.5%)

• Total Fats: 5.0g (Women: 7.1% / Men: 5.3%)

• Saturated Fat: 0.7g (Women: 3.5% / Men: 2.3%)

• Salt: 0.8g (Women: 13.3% / Men: 13.3%)

• Fibre: 5.6g (Women: 18.7% / Men: 18.7%)

See the Nutrition Info page for more details on % of Dietary Reference Values for men and women.