Jerusalem artichoke soup

Jerusalem artichoke soup is a sweet, nutty winter cream soup that turns velvety without a drop of cream. Ours is parve, made with leek, olive oil and a little potato, and topped with thin crisps of the same tubers.

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VeganGluten freeDairy freeParveAllergens:Celery

Updated

Jerusalem artichoke soupIllustration
Time1 hCook 35 min
Pot6 bowls2.1 litres
Per bowl271 kcal4.8 g protein · a 350 ml bowl
Cost of the pot₪36for the pot, about ₪6 a bowl

The story of Jerusalem artichoke soup

The Jerusalem artichoke is neither an artichoke nor from Jerusalem. It is the tuber of a sunflower species native to North America, also called sunchoke. Its taste recalls artichoke hearts, which explains half the name. The other half, Jerusalem, is a riddle with several explanations, none of them certain.

In Israel it is a winter vegetable that appears at the market when the weather turns cold and disappears in spring. In recent years Jerusalem artichoke soup has become one of the most loved winter soups in Israeli homes, alone or with chestnuts, leek and mushrooms. It looks like a restaurant soup, but all it needs is one pot, a stick blender and half an hour.

What makes Jerusalem artichoke soup itself

In this soup the Jerusalem artichoke does most of the work by itself. It has almost no starch, but it is rich in inulin and soluble fibre that give a creamy texture, and its taste is sweet, nutty and delicate, somewhere between artichoke heart and potato. So the soup needs no cream, only leek sweated slowly, good olive oil and a patient blender. Crisps of the same tubers on top give the contrast: crunchy, browned and salty over a smooth, soft soup.

Jerusalem artichoke soup for any number of people

Change the number of people and the bowl size, and every ingredient updates in grams, with the cost, calories and protein per bowl.

Bowl size
Units
2.1litres in the pot
3Pot to use, litres
₪36Cost of the pot
₪6.0per bowl
271kcal per bowl
4.8g protein per bowl
IngredientAmountCost
The Jerusalem artichokes
Jerusalem artichokes, scrubbed well, in 1 cm slices1 kg₪20
Lemon juice, half for the soaking water and half to finish20 ml₪0.4
The base
Olive oil40 ml₪2.1
Leek, white and light green, sliced300 g · 2 pcs₪5.9
Celery stalks, sliced80 g · 2 pcs₪1.6
Garlic cloves, sliced10 g · 2 pcs₪0.4
Fresh thyme leaves2 g₪0.5
Potato, diced200 g · 1 pcs₪1.2
Water1.3 l
Salt10 g₪0.0
White pepper1 g₪0.3
Nutmeg, grated0.3 g₪0.1
Crisps to serve
Jerusalem artichoke, sliced paper thin100 g₪2.0
Olive oil for frying30 ml₪1.6
Coarse salt1 g
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Shelf prices at a large Israeli chain and specialty shops, October 2026. Nutrition from the ingredients in grams, before cooking.

How many calories in Jerusalem artichoke soup? Nutrition facts and calorie calculator

Change the amount of any ingredient, drop one, or pick a lighter version, and the numbers per serving update at once: calories, fat, carbs, protein, sodium and fibre.

Jerusalem artichoke soup has 78 calories per 100 ml. A 350 ml bowl made with our recipe has 271 calories: 4.8 g protein, 11 g fat and 37.7 g carbohydrates. A 250 ml cup has 194 calories.

Lighter

Ingredients, for the whole recipe

  • 1,000 g103 kcal per serving
  • 20 ml1 kcal per serving
  • 40 ml54 kcal per serving
  • 2 pcs31 kcal per serving
  • 2 pcs2 kcal per serving
  • 2 pcs2 kcal per serving
  • 2 g0 kcal per serving
  • 1 pcs26 kcal per serving
  • 10 g0 kcal per serving
  • 1 g0 kcal per serving
  • 0 g0 kcal per serving
  • 100 g10 kcal per serving
  • 30 ml41 kcal per serving
  • 1 g0 kcal per serving

What each add-on adds to Jerusalem artichoke soup

Values for the amount in the row, from the national food database.

Add-onCaloriesProtein, gFat, g
A tablespoon of oil122013.8
A slice of white bread792.50.5
A slice of challah12641.1

How to make Jerusalem artichoke soup

In cook mode the screen stays on, tap a step when it is done, and the timers run next to each step.
  1. Fill a large bowl with cold water and add half the lemon juice. Scrub the tubers with a brush under running water, peel off the knobs that are hard to clean, slice 1 cm thick and drop straight into the water.
  2. Slice the leek and wash the slices in a bowl of water so the sand sinks. Drain.
  3. In a 4 litre pot, heat the olive oil over medium low heat. Sweat the leek and celery for 10 minutes until completely soft, without browning. Add the garlic and thyme for a minute.
  4. Drain the artichoke slices and add them to the pot with the potato. Stir for 3 minutes.
  5. Add the water and salt, bring to a boil and simmer covered over low heat for 25 minutes, until a knife slides into the slices with no resistance.
  6. Crisps: slice the remaining 100 g paper thin, pat dry and fry in olive oil over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes until golden. Drain on paper and sprinkle with coarse salt.
  7. Blend the soup with a stick blender for 2 to 3 minutes until completely smooth. For a silky finish, pass it through a sieve as well.
  8. Season with white pepper, nutmeg and the rest of the lemon juice, and correct the salt. If it is too thick, thin with a little hot water. Serve with the crisps and a drop of olive oil.

The science of Jerusalem artichoke soup

Kitchen science

Why Jerusalem artichoke soup causes gas

Jerusalem artichokes are rich in inulin, a long chain of fructose units that the human digestive system cannot break down. Inulin reaches the large intestine intact, where bacteria ferment it and release gas. It is a property of the vegetable, not a fault in the recipe: the amount varies between tubers and sensitivity varies between people. If the vegetable is new to you, start with a small bowl.

Kitchen science

Does cooking break down the inulin

Inulin breaks down into fructose with acid and heat, but slowly. Half an hour of ordinary simmering, as in this soup, leaves most of it. Very long cooking in an acidic liquid breaks down more, which is why tubers cooked for many hours taste sweeter. No kitchen trick makes it disappear completely.

Kitchen science

Why the tubers brown when cut

The tuber's cells hold phenolic compounds and an enzyme called polyphenol oxidase. Cutting opens the cells, the enzyme meets the phenolics and the oxygen in the air, and brown pigments form. Acid lowers the pH and slows the enzyme, so water with lemon keeps the slices white. Once cooked, the heat has already disabled the enzyme.

Kitchen science

Why it is velvety without cream

Cooking softens the cell walls, and the blender breaks them open, releasing the inulin, pectin and the little starch the tuber has into the liquid. Inulin binds water and gives a smooth, round texture, the property that makes the food industry use it as a fat replacer. A little potato adds starch that steadies the texture.

Jerusalem artichoke soup in every kitchen

With leek

This recipe: leek sweated slowly for a gentle onion sweetness without sharpness, and a pale colour.

With chestnuts

Replace the potato with 200 g of vacuum packed roasted, peeled chestnuts and add them with the water. The soup is darker, sweet and deep, a real holiday soup.

Dairy

Butter instead of olive oil and 150 ml of cream after blending. Richer and rounder, for a dairy meal.

Oven roasted

Roast the slices first at 220 °C for 30 minutes with olive oil, until the edges brown. The soup turns nuttier and darker, and needs only 15 minutes of simmering.

With mushrooms

250 g of mushrooms browned in a pan go into the pot with the water, with another handful on top to serve. Earthier and more savoury.

Common Jerusalem artichoke soup problems and how to fix them

My Jerusalem artichoke soup turned grey

The slices sat in the air before cooking. Drop them straight into lemon water, and a squeeze of lemon at the end brightens a finished soup too. Leftover skin darkens it slightly, so peel for a white soup.

There is sand in the soup

Sand hides in the knobs and between the leek layers. Peel the knobs instead of trying to scrub them, and wash the sliced leek in a bowl of water.

The soup is too sweet

Tubers stored a long time in the cold are sweeter. Balance with salt, white pepper and a little more lemon, and a spoonful of raw tahini adds depth.

The soup is thin and watery

Too much water or too few tubers. Reduce it uncovered for 10 minutes after blending, or simmer another small potato and blend again.

The soup is not smooth

It was not blended long enough. Blend 2 minutes more, or in a stand blender in batches, carefully with the lid. A fine sieve takes care of the rest.

Storing, freezing and reheating

3 days

In the fridge

2 months

In the freezer

2+4

To cool

Bring it from 60 to 21 °C within two hours and down to 5 °C within four more. Split a big pot into shallow boxes.

75 °C

Reheating

Reheat over low heat, stirring. After freezing, blend again with a stick blender for a few seconds, and make the crisps fresh.

Nutrition of Jerusalem artichoke soup

From our recipe, per bowl and per 100 g, next to the national food database.

ServingkcalProtein, gFat, gCarbs, gFibre, g
Our recipe, a 350 ml bowl2714.811.037.74.5
Our recipe, 100 ml781.43.110.81.3

What the ingredients of Jerusalem artichoke soup cost

What each ingredient costs in one pot, and where to buy it.

IngredientPriceIn this potWhere to buy
Jerusalem artichokes, scrubbed well, in 1 cm slices₪20 per kg₪22Greengrocer
Leek, white and light green, sliced₪20 per kg₪5.9Greengrocer
Olive oil₪53 per litre₪3.7Supermarket
Celery stalks, sliced₪6.9 each₪1.6Greengrocer
Potato, diced₪5.9 per kg₪1.2Greengrocer
Fresh thyme leaves₪6.9 each₪0.5Greengrocer
Lemon juice, half for the soaking water and half to finish₪20 per litre₪0.4Supermarket
Garlic cloves, sliced₪34 per kg₪0.3Greengrocer
White pepper₪250 per kg₪0.2Supermarket
Nutmeg, grated₪398 per kg₪0.1Supermarket
Salt₪2.1 per kg₪0Supermarket

Shelf prices at a large Israeli chain and specialty shops, October 2026, VAT included. Vegetable prices change with the season.

Make Jerusalem artichoke soup a meal

Shabbat

Ready Shabbat food

Soup, hamin, mains and sides, with a quantity calculator and prices.

Plan Shabbat
Hosting

Hosting trays

9 trays to go with the soup, with a planner by number of guests.

Tray planner
Events

Catering

A whole menu in grams per guest, with a reheating table.

Menus

What to serve with Jerusalem artichoke soup

Serve in wide bowls with the crisps, a drop of olive oil and a little fresh thyme. Toasted country bread completes it, and a spoonful of hazelnut oil instead of olive oil is lovely.

Jerusalem artichoke soup in large quantities: events, offices and communities

How much of everything by number of guests, at a 350 ml bowl. For institutional pots, catering and community kitchens.

GuestsLitres30 l potsCost of ingredients
258.81₪150
50181₪299
100352₪598
200703₪1,197
5001757₪2,992

Every ingredient for any number of guests is in the calculator above: type the number of people.

Order Jerusalem artichoke soup

A ready pot for Shabbat, an event or the office, ordered ahead.

  • Cooked to order, for Shabbat, an event or the office.
  • Tell us how many people and when, and we send a quote.
  • Delivery in Tel Aviv from ₪35, free over ₪750.
Ask for a quote for Jerusalem artichoke soup

Order Jerusalem artichoke soup for a large event

Large orders in Israel and abroad: events, offices, synagogues, communities and institutions.

  • In Israel: cooked in Tel Aviv and delivered to events in the area, and to large events anywhere in the country on a quote.
  • Abroad: for communities, events and restaurants. Tell us where, how many and when, and we come back with a quote and options.
  • Institutional quantities and a shopping list for any number of guests, in the calculator above.
Ask for a large-order quote

Frequently asked questions

Do you need to peel Jerusalem artichokes for soup?

No. The skin is thin and blends in, so a good scrub with a brush is enough. Peel only the knobs, or everything if you want a very white soup.

Why do Jerusalem artichokes cause gas?

Because of inulin, a long sugar chain the body does not break down, which gut bacteria ferment. It is natural to this vegetable, and sensitivity varies from person to person.

How do you make Jerusalem artichoke and chestnut soup?

Replace the potato with 200 g of roasted, peeled chestnuts, add them with the water and blend everything together. The soup is darker and sweeter.

Can Jerusalem artichoke soup be parve?

Yes, this recipe is parve and vegan: olive oil instead of butter and no cream. The creamy texture comes from the tubers themselves.

When is Jerusalem artichoke season in Israel?

Winter, roughly November to March. Choose firm tubers with no soft spots and no sprouts.

Is a Jerusalem artichoke related to an artichoke?

No. The artichoke is the flower bud of a thistle, and the Jerusalem artichoke is the tuber of a sunflower species. Only the taste of the tuber recalls artichoke hearts.

Can I freeze Jerusalem artichoke soup?

Yes, for up to two months. After thawing, blend again for a few seconds to bring back the smooth texture.

How many calories are in Jerusalem artichoke soup?

A 350 ml bowl of Jerusalem artichoke soup made with our recipe has about 271 calories and 4.8 g of protein. Per 100 ml: 78 calories.

How much does it cost to make Jerusalem artichoke soup at home?

A pot of 6 bowls costs about ₪36 at Israeli shelf prices in October 2026, about ₪6 a bowl. The calculator above works it out for any number of people.

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