Peanut Soup

Peanut soup is a Southern classic that sounds unusual until you taste it. Peanut butter dissolved into chicken broth with sautéed onions and celery creates a velvety, savory soup that’s nothing like a peanut butter sandwich. It’s rich, earthy, and deeply satisfying.

The flour-coated vegetables are the thickening base. Sautéing onions and celery in butter, then sprinkling flour over them and cooking for a minute builds a quick roux that gives the soup body. When the stock and peanut butter go in, everything simmers into a cohesive, creamy base that purees into silk.

The lemon juice at the end is a small addition that makes a big difference. Peanut butter is rich and flat on its own. A squeeze of lemon cuts through that heaviness and brightens every spoonful.

Pro Tips

• Cool the soup for 15 minutes before blending. Hot liquid in a blender can blow the lid off. Blend in batches and hold the lid down with a towel.
• This is a great make-ahead soup. The flavor actually deepens overnight in the fridge. Reheat gently over medium heat.
• Finish each bowl with a swirl of cream, not stirred in. The cream adds richness in streaks rather than being homogenized throughout.

Variations

• Spicy peanut soup: Add a diced jalapeño with the onions and a pinch of cayenne for a West African-inspired version with heat.
• Coconut peanut soup: Replace the cream with coconut milk and add a splash of lime juice instead of lemon for a Thai-leaning twist.