Easy Creamy Artichoke Soup (Gluten-free & Dairy-free)
May 7, 2011 tagged Dairy-free, Egg-free, Gluten-free 
Artichokes are popping up in the grocery store and making my mouth water. Typically we stuff and steam them. Not this time. Instead I went with this easy creamy artichoke soup.
I like to serve fresh, local whole foods to my family whenever possible. Our grocery store had the cutest baby artichokes. Probably not local ones but they were fresh—well, you know, as fresh as a veggie that’s trucked and maybe flown from some far off location can be. Off with the stems and outer leaves, halved and quartered into the pot they went. A bit of this and that later and the soup was done.
Ummm, it was kind of bitter. And, although bitter greens are a favorite this was just not the artichoke soup of my dreams. It’s like that sometimes. A recipe is born in your mind. You can see yourself collecting the ingredients, cooking them up, and then tasting this wonderful concoction. Or not.
Undaunted I went back to the store and picked up some frozen artichokes and started over. This time things turned out differently.
Flavored with artichokes, a hint of garlic and fresh lemon then thickened with potatoes and hemp milk this soup was flavorful and creamy. And, like most good soups it was even better the next day.
Easy Creamy Artichoke Soup
Saute over medium heat:
1 shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
Add to the pot and stir:
32 ounces chicken broth or water (or a combination)
2 packages (9 ounces each) frozen artichoke hearts
4 or 5 small thin skinned creamer potatoes, thinly sliced
½ teaspoon celery seeds
1 teaspoon dried cilantro
Bring the soup to a boil and lower the heat. Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the artichokes and potatoes are soft.
Cool. Blend with an immersion or regular blender until smooth. Strain (optional).
Add:
Salt
Pepper (white)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ cup hemp milk (or any other dairy or non-dairy milk)
Heat and serve garnished with a sprig or sprinkling of cilantro.
More soups to try:
Gluten-Free Gigi - Roasted Butternut Squash Soup with Red Pepper Puree
Shirley from Gluten-Free Easily - Veronica’s Pumpkin Soup
BlenderGirl’s Healthy Blender Recipes - Fiesta Verde Soup
Reader Comments (14)
Wow Nancy, I don't think I've ever heard of artichoke soup, but this looks absolutely delish! I will have to try it this spring. ;-)
I'm a fan of ANYTHING artichoke! And you're so right, Nancy, the ones in the grocery stores are gorgeous right now. :-) Interesting that the fresh ones made for a bitter soup. I don't like the baby ones as much though; they taste different to me. Anyway, beautiful soup. I'll definitely make this recipe soon. Thanks for the link love, too. ;-)
Have a wonderful Mother's Day!
Shirley
What a shame the first soup wasn't all you wanted, but I am sooo impressed that you didn't give up! I'm glad you enjoyed it!
That's strange that the fresh ones didn't work out as well as the frozen ones, but actually now you can make this soup anytime. You don't have to wait for spring since frozen artichokes are readily available year-round.
Sylvie - My guess is they weren't as "fresh" as I thought they were. I might try again with truly fresh artichokes. -Nancy
SOOO random, literally 15 minutes ago when I was driving home for lunch I thought "artichoke soup sounds good, but I've never had it, why am I craving this. I must find a recipe!" Voila! Can't wait to make it!
Julia - it must be a karma thing! -Nancy
Lovely soup; I am recently obsessed with artichokes...had 3 tnite with my dinner and can't get enough of them...this soup is going to be perfect to make later this week! Fabulous recipe; thank you for sharing. Love your gluten-free blog; keep up the great work.
How funny that the fresh ones were bitter. I will totally try this tonight though. I have a whole bag of frozen ones in my freezer right now and was trying to think of something more creative to do with them. This would be a perfect treat. And since it is really starting to heat up here, I think I could even serve it chilled.
I've never had artichoke before and have been a little hesitant to try it as I had no idea what to do with it! What a great starting recipe!
I love artichoke and this makes a great summer soup! I have tried your pizza recipe before and it turned out great. Will definitely give this a shot.
Thanks Nancy!
What a perfect (and simple) soup for spring/summer! Sounds and looks great!
Yum! I made something similar once with a couple can of artichoke hearts I found in my pantry and had no idea where they came from. It was delish but I like the idea of using the frozen ones better. Thanks for the reminder of how lovely artichoke soup can be.
mmmm this looks good, very clever how youve made it creamy without loads of nuts. Love artichokes so much, great recipe!
Teenie Foodie
Mmmmm looks so good. I love artichokes and they are something that has never bothered my allergies.
Awww, it seems so much yummy but why I have not heard about this before. Thanks for sharing this soup recipe with us.