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You are here: Home / Soups / Cream of Cilantro Soup

Cream of Cilantro Soup

Douglas Cullen, This blog generates income via ads and affiliate links which earn us a small commission.

Crema de Cilantro

This is a very rich yet delicately flavored cilantro cream soup. Why do we say it’s rich? Because, you use heavy Mexican cream not corn starch to thicken the soup.

The texture is silky, not gummy like soups thickened with corn starch. Raw cilantro has a sharp herbal taste, which many people don’t care for, but when you simmer it the flavor softens and becomes more sophisticated. Serve this soup on a special occasion.

cream of cilantro soup

Cream soups show the influence of French cuisine on Mexican cooking. Throughout the mid to late 1800’s French cuisine and French cooking techniques were popular with the sophisticated elite. This popularity continued well into the late 1900’s. You can find out more about the French influence on Mexican cuisine here.

Let’s Make Some Soup

First, start by gathering all of the ingredients for your soup: cilantro, onion, garlic, cream, and low sodium chicken broth.

ingredients-cream-of-cilantro-soup

Time to Cook

Roughly chop the onions and garlic and fry them in 2 tablespoons of cooking oil until they start to soften and turn translucent.

frying-onion-and-garlic

Add the bunch of cilantro and sauté over medium heat until the cilantro has wilted.

sauteeing-cilantro

Once the cilantro has wilted add 1 cup of water and the black pepper to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes.

sauteeing-cilantro-2

Blend and Strain

Blend the sauteed onions, garlic, and cilantro and cooking liquid with 2 cups of water until smooth, about 1 minute.

Strain the mixture into a mixing bowl. Press firmly on the pulp to extract as much flavor as possible.

Do you prefer rustic style soups? Straining the mixture gives the soup a very smooth texture. Just omit the straining step if prefer rustic-style soup. The taste will be just as good.

straining-cilantro-mixture

Incorporate the Soup Base Into the Cream

Incorporating the blended soup base into the cream is an important step. Allow the cream to come to room temperature and allow the blended soup base to cool for 10 minutes before adding to the cream. You need to introduce the base very slowly into the cream so that it doesn’t form lumps.

Put the cream in a large mixing bowl then start adding a few tablespoons of soup base at a time into the cream and gently stir to incorporate.

incorporating-strained-cilantro-into-cream

Continue adding a few tablespoons of base at a time while continually stirring.

incorporating-strained-cilantro-into-cream-2

Once you have added all of the soup base add 2 cups of water and stir for 30 seconds to ensure that all of the soup base and water are incorporated into the cream and there are no lumps in the cream.

incorporating-strained-cilantro-into-cream-3

Finishing the Soup

Warm 1 cup of chicken broth in a pot but don’t bring the broth to a boil because if the broth is boiling, the cream will clump when you pour the mixture into it. Slowly pour the soup base into the broth.

pouring-cilantro-soup-base-into-chicken-broth

Add all of the soup base to the broth and stir well.

pouring-soup-base-into-broth

Very gently simmer the soup for 15 minutes. Over this time the soup will thicken and become silky. Do not allow it to come to a boil or the soup may clump.

cooking-cream-of-cilantro-soup

Serve and Enjoy

This cilantro cream soup is best served immediately and we recommend serving it as an appetizer because it is so rich. If you serve it as the main course it is just too much of a good thing. Sometimes you really can have too much of a good thing.

One final note: If for some reason your soup has clumps in it even after following the directions to a T. Don’t worry. Strain it one final time before serving and you will have a beautiful silky smooth soup and no one will ever know.

Cilantro Cream Soup

Provecho!

cream of cilantro soup
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3.23 from 18 votes

Cream of Cilantro Soup

A silky, very rich yet delicately flavored Mexican cilantro cream soup great served on a special occasion. Fresh cilantro gives flavor and heavy Mexican cream gives the soup body and richness.
Course Soup
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword cilantro, cream soup, special occasion
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 157kcal
Author Douglas Cullen

Ingredients

  • 1 large bunch cilantro
  • ½ white onion
  • 1 clove garlic
  • ¾ cup Mexican cream not sour cream
  • 1 cup low salt chicken broth
  • 4 cups water
  • ¼ tsp. black pepper
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • 2 tbsp. cooking oil

Instructions

  • Roughly chop the onions and garlic and fry them in 2 tablespoons of cooking oil until they start to soften and turn translucent.
  • Add the bunch of cilantro and sauté over medium heat until the cilantro has wilted.
  • Add 2 cups of water and black pepper to the pan and simmer for 5 minutes.
  • Blend the sauteed onions, garlic, and cilantro and cooking liquid with 2 cups of water until smooth, about 1 minute.
  • Strain the mixture into a mixing bowl. Press firmly on the pulp to extract as much flavor as possible.
  • Allow the cream to come to room temperature and allow the blended cilantro base to cool for 10 minutes before adding to the cream.
  • Add a few tablespoons of soup base into the cream and gently stir to incorporate.
  • Continue adding a few tablespoons of base at a time while continually stirring.
  • Once you have added all of the soup base add 2 cups of water and stir for 30 seconds to ensure that all of the soup base and water are incorporated into the cream and there are no lumps in the cream.
  • Warm 1 cup of chicken broth in a pot but don't bring the broth to a boil because if the broth is boiling the cream will clump when you pour the mixture into it. Slowly pour the soup base into the broth.
  • Very gently simmer the soup for about 15 minutes. Over this time the soup will thicken. Do not allow it to come to a boil or the soup may clump.
  • Serve immediately.

Notes

Substitutions
  • You can substitute ½ teaspoon of chicken bouillon dissolved in 1 cup of warm water for the chicken broth.
Clumpy Soup?
  • If your soup clumps don’t worry. Strain it one final time before serving and you will have a silky smooth soup.

Nutrition

Calories: 157kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 23mg | Sodium: 795mg | Potassium: 71mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 235IU | Vitamin C: 1.2mg | Calcium: 81mg | Iron: 0.1mg

More Mexican Soup Recipes

  • Tortilla Soup
  • Carrot and Zucchini Soup
  • Potato Soup
  • Black Bean Soup
  • Mushroom Soup
  • Chicken Tortilla Soup

More Mexican Soup Recipes

  • Caldo de Camarón
  • Caldo de Pollo con Arroz
  • Lentil Soup
  • Chicken Tortilla Soup

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. elizabeth says

    November 02, 2017 at 5:29 am

    what wine would you pair with this?

    Reply
    • Douglas Cullen says

      November 12, 2017 at 7:59 pm

      I would probably pair a dry white wine. The soup is very rich and a sweeter wine would be too much. Keep in mind though, I’m not much of a wine expert so take my recommendations accordingly. Cheers!

      Reply
    • mk says

      June 19, 2019 at 11:19 am

      Soup is never served with wine.

      Reply
      • AC says

        September 19, 2019 at 11:00 pm

        Maybe at your household, but wine can be served at any time, whenever you like! Don’t listen to the course snobs, eat and drink what you like!

        Reply
  2. Keriann says

    December 30, 2017 at 4:03 pm

    2 stars
    The recipe in the article differs from the recipe at the bottom (in regards to water). I followed the bottom one and have very runny soup..

    Reply
  3. ashley says

    June 11, 2018 at 6:18 pm

    Is this something that can be saved for a day and reheated in case of leftovers? I’m afraid that if it is too rich we wont eat very much but will want more the following day.

    Reply
  4. Jimmy Walker says

    January 01, 2019 at 3:49 pm

    Cream of cilantro soup sounds wonderful, but, unfortunately, I can’t eat dairy products, or I would make this soup. However, I do incorporate a lot of cilantro in my own homemade soup.

    Reply
  5. yuppicide says

    April 28, 2019 at 1:33 pm

    1 star
    Recipe call for 4 cups water. Instructions call for 6 cups water. Step 3 says add 2 cups water, step 4 stays blend stuff with another 2 cups water, then step 9 says to add 2 more cups water.

    However, the pictures above with captions say 1 cup water, then later 2 cups water, then another 2 cups water.

    Which is it 4, 5, or 6 cups of water?

    Author of this recipe refuses to fix it even though someone complained 2 years ago.

    Reply
  6. Lisa says

    August 12, 2019 at 8:05 pm

    1 star
    Water measurements are off. Which is it 4, 5 or 6? Pass on a recipe that can’t get the basics right. No mention of when to add salt either. With only 9 ingredients (2 being salt and pepper) this should be accurate

    Reply
  7. Michaela says

    August 29, 2020 at 9:54 pm

    5 stars
    Yummy

    Reply
  8. Rex Feiertag says

    September 13, 2020 at 1:41 am

    I agree with you

    Reply
  9. RJ says

    December 12, 2020 at 6:19 am

    I think you mean cilantro stem but say cilantro root. Most bunches of cilantro do not come with the cilantro root.

    Reply
  10. Michel Rousselin says

    March 06, 2023 at 5:42 pm

    Great soup, but for fewer servings, the ingredient quantities are reduced , but not in in the instructions.
    Thank you.

    Reply

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Hola, I am Douglas. Let me share my love of Mexican Cuisine with you that developed over 20+ years of living in Mexico.

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D. Cullen Profile Picture

Hola, I am Douglas. Let me share my love of Mexican Cuisine with you that developed over 20+ years of living in Mexico.

More about me →


Most Popular Recipes

  • Classic Salsa Verde
  • Restaurant Style Salsa
  • Traditional Sopa de Fideo
  • Red Pork Pozole
  • Chicken Tinga
  • Agua de Jamaica
  • Tres Leches Cake
  • Beet Salad with Feta Cheese and Citrus Balsamic Viniagrette
  • Red Enchilada Sauce
  • Mole Poblano

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