A classy, comforting dish, Jerusalem artichoke soup is a deliciously creamy winter warmer. It’s perfect for a hearty evening dinner when the temperatures start to drop, or even as a scrumptious lunch all year round.
But what is a Jerusalem artichoke and how do you make this sumptuous soup? Let’s go deeper and discover a little more about this terrific little tuber.
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Jerusalem artichoke soup recipe
So why are they called “Jerusalem” artichokes when they come from North America? Well, one theory is that the name comes from the Italian for sunflower – “girasole”, owing to the close resemblance between the two.
And how come they’re called Jerusalem “artichokes”, when they aren’t actually artichokes? Well, the most likely answer is probably the most simple. Because, when cooked, they taste very similar to artichokes.
No great mystery then!
So how do they taste? Well, they have a sweet and nutty flavour with a very savoury undertone, a little like oyster. Think of the nicest potato you’ve ever tasted! When you mix them with chicken stock (or vegetable stock), onion, garlic and cream, you have a soup that tastes incredible.
When pureed, Jerusalem artichokes take on a smooth velvety cream texture, which makes them ideal in soup recipes. With a dash of cream added, you have a classy soup fit for a fine dining restaurant.
They also go great with a variety of herbs and spices. That’s why, when it comes to Jerusalem artichoke recipes, soup is a winner!
From rosemary, sage, parsley, thyme and bay, to cardamom, nutmeg, turmeric, salt and cumin, so many different flavours go hand and hand with the taste of Jerusalem artichoke soup.
Recipes including salads, risottos and pastas are great. It also blends well with citrus – try slicing them thinly and grating a little lemon zest on top in a mixed salad. Heaven!
Is Jerusalem artichoke soup good for you?
These super tubers are highly nutritious and have a variety of health boosting elements. Let’s take a look beneath the surface to find out just how beneficial they are for your health.
These tasty tubers are an excellent source of protein. In fact, they contain more protein than most root vegetables, which makes them a great addition to a vegan or vegetarian diet. They also contain essential amino acids, which are good for body in so many ways.
As well as being high in protein, they are also contain lots of potassium. One serving contains 643 mg of potassium. Potassium is an essential part of a balanced diet, and can help reduce heart disease.
They can also help to lower blood pressure and prevent hypertension, two big health problems that affect many people around the world. Not only that, but eating this hearty root veg will decrease blood cholesterol and aid weight loss, as the high levels of probiotics in these tubers change the way your body metabolises fat.
Aside from this, they also contain lots of thiamin, a good amount niacin and plenty of healthy carbohydrates, promoting a good blood sugar balance, as a well as a healthy gut biome.
All in all, it’s safe to say that this incredible root vegetable is a superfood!
How to store Jerusalem artichokes
Jerusalem may have been around since ancient times, but its root vegetable namesake doesn’t quite have the same staying power. Store them in a cool dark place, wrapped in a paper bag. They should last a week or two.
You could even keep them in the veg compartment of the fridge for up to two weeks. Just wrap them in paper towels to absorb the moisture then seal them in an airtight bag.
This root veg is not famed for its staying power but should keep for a couple of weeks in the veg locker of a fridge, and inside a paper bag left in a cool, dark place for a little longer. Don’t wash them if you want them to keep.
You can store Jerusalem artichoke soup in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. If you want to keep it for longer, you can freeze it for up to 2 months (don’t forget to label the date).
Other soup recipes
Need some more soup for the soul? Check out these divine recipes.
- Hawaiian oxtail soup
- Soup maker mushroom soup
- Slimming world butternut squash soup
- Swede soup
- Zucchini and leek soup
- Sweet potato and red pepper soup
- Lebanese lentil soup
Jerusalem Artichoke Soup
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Make the most of this unique root vegetable by making Jerusalem Artichoke Soup. It is sweet, nutty and earthy and is best served with a bit of cream.
Ingredients
- 30ml (2 tbsp) olive oil
- 1 onion, peeled and chopped
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 900g (2 lbs) Jerusalem artichokes, peeled and sliced
- 900ml (1½ pints) vegetable stock
- 60ml (2 fl oz) cream [optional]
- 30g (1 oz) chives, washed and roughly chopped
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan; add the onion and garlic and gently sauté.
- When the onion has softened after about 5 minutes, add the Jerusalem artichokes and stock and stir well.
- Bring the contents to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer gently for 20 minutes or until the butternut is soft.
- Blend the soup with a hand-held blender or in a jug blender.
- Add the cream, season to taste and serve in four bowls and sprinkle with the herbs.
Notes
- If you’re on Weight Watchers, simply omit the oil and use low-fat cooking spray instead, which will turn the soup into 0 ProPoints!
- If you’re not vegan, you can halve the oil and add 15ml (1 tbsp) butter instead.
- If you’re on a low-fat diet, leave out the oil and butter and use low-fat cooking spray.
- Category: Soup
- Method: Boil
- Cuisine: British
Keywords: Jerusalem artichoke soup, vegan Jerusalem artichoke soup, vegan soup recipe, sunchoke soup, sunchoke recipe, Jerusalem artichoke recipe
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Rosa says
Your post made me smile…
That soup looks amazing! I am a big fan of that refined tasting root vegetable.
Cheers,
Rosa
Rosa says
Your post made me smile…
That soup looks amazing! I am a big fan of that refined tasting root vegetable.
Cheers,
Rosa
Sarah Maison Cupcake says
I am worried my son will be one of these teenagers who farts loudly and frequently thinking it’s hilarious. He’s already started doing it now!!
I don’t see Jerusalem artichokes on sale that often and it’s a long time since I tried them (which I believe was just once anyway). So I can’t comment what effect they have on me. I do have the ‘smelly wee’ gene after eating asparagus though if that’s any indication.
mjskit says
When I saw the name of the post I immediately thought “Eating this would be a fart fest!” 🙂 Glad to read that I’m not the only one. Funny, funny story! It’s very healthy to laugh at ourselves. 🙂 Your soup does look absolutely delicious! I love Jerusalem artichokes, but haven’t made them in ages due to the aforementioned reason. I think it’s time to change that. This soup would be worth it!
Peggy says
This is so coincidental! We just had a sunchoke soup as our soup of the day at work (we garnished it with a country ham and gruyere fritter = awesome!) and it was my first experience with it! Now I’m just seeing it all over the place!
Michelle says
But it IS funny! Robyn does it at the dinner table and proudly announces it to just in case anyone missed it.
I’ve got the gene too!
Michelle says
It usually works like that, doesn’t it? Once you become aware of something you’ll see it everywhere you go!
Michelle says
Thanks, Rosa!
Michelle says
Thanks! Surely it will be safe to eat if you prepare and eat the soup if you know you won’t be going anywhere for a few days?
wizzy says
I don’t get Jerusalem artichokes in my country but we have a root vegetable that is very similar even with the unfortunate side effects. Never thought to make a soup with them. I look forward to trying them now this way.
Amy (Savory Moments) says
What a great idea for a dip. I’ve only used Jerusalem artichokes once, but have wanted to try them again. They are a unique food.
Michelle says
I’m sure you get much more exotic and interesting produce in your country than in dreary old England. 😉 The joke is most things can be turned into soup – gotta try them one by one!
Michelle says
I’m sure you get much more exotic and interesting produce in your country than in dreary old England. 😉 The joke is most things can be turned into soup – gotta try them one by one!
Michelle says
This is actually a soup but they can easily be turned into a dip too, jerusalem artichokes really are that versatile!
Natalie says
I need this soup in my life, especially now because I am sick !!
Michelle says
Hope you’re better by now, Natalie! It’s very nutritious a will definitely give you a boost.
Michelle says
Hope you’re better by now, Natalie! It’s very nutritious a will definitely give you a boost.
[email protected]'s Recipes says
I just had to LOL…“fartichokes”….. the soup looks very tasty!
★★★★★
issie says
Loved this recipe on fartichokes, it reminded me about the time my friend and me went to the local market one morning, we left our husband building a roof, once at the market there was stalls & stalls selling Artichokes, neither of us had cooked these before and as it was a cold day thought soup for lunch with fresh french baguettes (we live in France) well we made the soup all sat down to eat it over lunch,my friends husband never eats veg! And I mean never !! So we told him it was chicken soup. They both said how nice it was, went back on the roof, we sat outside having a cuppa and knitting, as the afternoon went on they were laughing and laughing, mind you we were by then, when one came rushing down the ladder ran to the loo and was in there a while, came out looking very embarrassed and back on the roof,10 mind later my hubby came rushing down just the same. Along came our french neighbor who asked why was there so much laughter coming over the wall so we explained, she said week that’s why we french call them *fartichokes*we did told the men that night, my friends husband said that’s why I don’t eat veg !
★★★★★
issie says
Loved this recipe on fartichokes, it reminded me about the time my friend and me went to the local market one morning, we left our husband building a roof, once at the market there was stalls & stalls selling Artichokes, neither of us had cooked these before and as it was a cold day thought soup for lunch with fresh french baguettes (we live in France) well we made the soup all sat down to eat it over lunch,my friends husband never eats veg! And I mean never !! So we told him it was chicken soup. They both said how nice it was, went back on the roof, we sat outside having a cuppa and knitting, as the afternoon went on they were laughing and laughing, mind you we were by then, when one came rushing down the ladder ran to the loo and was in there a while, came out looking very embarrassed and back on the roof,10 mind later my hubby came rushing down just the same. Along came our french neighbor who asked why was there so much laughter coming over the wall so we explained, she said week that’s why we french call them *fartichokes*we did told the men that night, my friends husband said that’s why I don’t eat veg !
★★★★★
marilyn lieberman says
THANK YOU!!! A hundred times over – I thought it was just me – here’s a funny store the first time i ate them we had black beans as a side dish – need I say more. My tummy blew up like a ballon and for two full days I had lost control of my shut off valve . I didn’t leave the house because I was so afraid of being the loud horn in the room. And the thing is I absolutely love the flavor of those babies. You know once you plant them in your garden they multiply like weeds. Presently i have 5 lbs in ref ridge and that was only from a few plants. I still have 50 plants to harvest !! Thank goodness my dogs love them and they get no side effects 🙂
marilyn lieberman says
THANK YOU!!! A hundred times over – I thought it was just me – here’s a funny store the first time i ate them we had black beans as a side dish – need I say more. My tummy blew up like a ballon and for two full days I had lost control of my shut off valve . I didn’t leave the house because I was so afraid of being the loud horn in the room. And the thing is I absolutely love the flavor of those babies. You know once you plant them in your garden they multiply like weeds. Presently i have 5 lbs in ref ridge and that was only from a few plants. I still have 50 plants to harvest !! Thank goodness my dogs love them and they get no side effects 🙂
michelle says
Hah, here’s one solution. In case of emergency enter a room with men in it and let go, then give them dirty looks. Didn’t you know that women don’t fart? 😉 Wow, I envy your bounty!
★★★★★
Tara says
Pretty decent soup. I added a splash of lemon juice and some sage as extras. Good way to use up the artichokes!
★★★★
Desicart says
Very nice recipe. We have to try. So easy, flavorful and delicious.