This is not the first time I have published a recipe featuring celery root. I have a lovely soup in Kitchen Matters with spinach, broccoli and celery root.  Celery root is a non-starchy vegetable with a light celery flavor.  It looks super ugly and intimidating, but once you peel away the outside, the inside is white and easy to cut, much like a potato. Watch my reel on Instagram for a video on how to peel it.  It’s easier than it looks.  I’m posting this Celery Root Puree this week in anticipation of Easter and Passover since it is light, spring-like and would complement any traditional holiday entree.

Why you’ll love this recipe

• It’s creamy
• Lighter than regular mashed potatoes
• Dairy-free
• So easy!

Celery Puree Ingredients

• Olive oil: Traditional mashed potatoes call for butter, and you can definitely use butter here, but the olive oil is fruity and goes well with the sauteed shallots and garlic too.
• Shallot: so mild and sweet, shallots also tenderize very quickly.
• Garlic: cooking garlic sweetens the harshness and gives a little backbone to this puree.
• Celery root: has a milder flavor than celery and is non-starchy making this puree mineral-rich, but lower in carbohydrates (think flatten that blood sugar curve!)
• Yukon gold potatoes: you know these are my favorite potatoes. They’re buttery and have the perfect starch content for this puree.  I take the skin off for a silky smooth puree even though I know I am discarding some nutrition. Feel free to leave it on if you don’t mind a coarser mash.

How to Make Celery Root Puree

1. In a large saucepan, combine the olive oil and shallots. Cook over medium-low heat until softened, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until soft, about 1 minute. Add the celery root, potato, water to cover, and salt. Bring to a boil, cover, lower to a simmer and cook over medium-low heat until the celery root is very tender, 15 to 20 minutes.
2. Scoop out a cup of the cooking liquid and reserve; drain the cooked vegetables. Puree the celery root mixture in a food processor or blender until completely smooth, adding a bit of cooking liquid, if necessary (I added 1 Tbsp). If you want this to be a little richer, you can add a Tablespoon or 2 of unsalted butter to the food processor instead of the cooking liquid. Taste for seasoning and add a little extra salt if needed. Once I added a little truffle salt and that was delicious! Serve right away or return to the saucepan and keep warm until ready to use. I have also reheated it the next day in a saucepan over gentle heat.

Tips for Making Celery Root Puree

• Peel potatoes for a super smooth puree
• Scrub celery root really well before working with it as it tends to have a lot of dirt
• If cutting your vegetables in advance, submerge potatoes and celery root in water to prevent them from oxidizing.
• Save cooking liquid just in case you need to thin out consistency
• Or add a tablespoon or two of unsalted butter to the food processor instead of the cooking liquid for a richer puree
• Garnish with fresh herbs (I used chives) before serving for a beautiful presentation

Substitutions for Celery Root Puree

• Cauliflower – you can check out this recipe for my Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes
• Broccoli – this recipe is also delicious for a Puree of Broccoli
• Olive oil – you can swap in a plant butter or regular butter
• Shallots – swap in standard yellow onion, just use an equivalent amount
• Potatoes – you can try a peeled white sweet potato which would be sweeter but probably delicious (just different!)

If you give this recipe a try, snap a pic and tag @pamelasalzman so I can see your beautiful creations. I also really appreciate readers taking the time to leave a rating and review! Lastly, subscribe for free to my site for the latest recipes and updates.

For more delicious recipes, check out my monthly online cooking classes.