Sunchoke Soup

This creamy, hearty soup is made with sunchokes, also known as Jerusalem artichoke. These starchy tubers make a satisfying soup when paired with onions, garlic, celery, and stock. Great as leftovers!

By
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.
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Updated May 26, 2022
Elise Bauer
Jerusalem Artichoke Soup
Elise Bauer

When I was a kid, my mother often used to add sliced raw Jerusalem artichokes to our salads. I have no idea why. She doesn't do it any more, and hasn't for years.

At the time, I just thought they were weird looking and didn't taste like much. Nothing at all like the real artichokes that we kids fought over at the dinner table. My childhood mind decided that they didn't grow very good artichokes in Jerusalem.

Why Are Sunchokes Called Jerusalem Artichokes?

Hah! Well, mystery solved.

Turns out Jerusalem artichokes are neither artichokes, nor are they from Jerusalem.

They're tubers, native of North America, and the plant is related to and resembles sunflowers. (In fact, these days they are often called sunchokes.)

"Jerusalem" is thought to have evolved from the Italian name for the plant, "girasole," for sunflower.

Why "artichoke"? If my mom had only cooked them, then that part of the mystery would have been solved for me. Cooked, they taste surprisingly like artichokes. Yum!

A traditional and wonderfully easy way to prepare these chokes is as a soup. If you like the taste of artichokes, I urge you to try your hand at making this soup with Jerusalem artichokes. This is lick-the-bowl good.

Jerusalem Artichoke Soup
Elise Bauer

A Word to the Wise

Sunchokes are known for... well, how can I say it politely... causing flatulence, especially when raw. In fact, Hank calls them "fartichokes". (He grows them in his garden; he should know.) He tells me that slow cooking them, like this soup preparation, greatly reduces the problem.

Eh hem, although I'm sure I'm risking telling you Too Much Information, I had no particular gaseous issue with this soup. Thank goodness, because I can't wait to make it again.

Sunchokes
Elise Bauer

How To Prepare Sunchokes

Sunchokes can be boiled, braised, roasted, steamed, sautéed, or even eaten raw. You don't need to peel them; you can just scrub them clean and cook them. However, if you wish, you can peel them first.

If you wish to neutralize the inulin in Jersalem artichokes (it's the chemical that causes the bloating or gas that everyone is talking about), you can boil them in water with added lemon juice or vinegar. The acid hydrolyzes the inulin and turns it into sugars.

How To Store Leftover Soup

Cooked sunchokes will only keep for a couple of days in the fridge. The same goes for the leftover soup. Although this soup doesn't contain any dairy, it's best not to freeze the soup or keep it too long, since Jerusalem artichokes have a tendency to oxidize and discolor when exposed to air.

More Soup Recipes to Try!

From the Editors Of Simply Recipes

Sunchoke Soup

Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 50 mins
Total Time 65 mins
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • 1 cup chopped onion

  • 2 stalks celery, chopped

  • 2 large cloves garlic, chopped

  • Kosher salt, to taste

  • 2 pounds sunchokes, peeled and cut into chunks

  • 1 quart chicken stock (use vegetable stock for vegetarian option, and gluten-free stock if cooking gluten-free)

  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method

  1. Sauté the onions, celery, then garlic:

    Heat the butter in a soup pot over medium-high heat until melted. Add the onions and celery and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Do not brown them. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Sprinkle with salt.

  2. Add the sunchokes and stock:

    Add the sunchokes and your choice of stock to the pot and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer, covered, until the sunchokes begin to break down, 45 minutes to an hour.

  3. Purée the soup and serve:

    Using an immersion blender or upright blender, purée the soup. If using an upright blender, fill the blender bowl up only to a third of capacity at a time, if the soup is hot. Hold down the lid while blending. Alternatively, you can push the soup through the finest grate on a food mill, or push it through a sturdy sieve. Add more salt to taste.

    Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper before serving.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
333 Calories
9g Fat
55g Carbs
12g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories 333
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 9g 11%
Saturated Fat 4g 22%
Cholesterol 22mg 7%
Sodium 517mg 22%
Total Carbohydrate 55g 20%
Dietary Fiber 5g 17%
Total Sugars 29g
Protein 12g
Vitamin C 14mg 68%
Calcium 65mg 5%
Iron 8mg 47%
Potassium 1381mg 29%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.