Creamy, rich, and satisfying, this Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup tastes amazing, is gluten-free, and is surprisingly only 173 calories per cup! So, serve this healthy soup with Sourdough Bread or by itself, and watch it disappear!
The first time I had this soup was when I was visiting my daughter, Nena, in San Diego. The girl who couldn't boil water while she lived at home, has turned into an amazing cook, and I couldn't be prouder!
I coaxed Nena to part with her Cream of Mushroom Soup recipe and she was kind enough to allow me to share it with you guys too!
Nena used some exotic mushrooms in her recipe, but since it's currently winter in Montana, they only had Baby Bella mushrooms at our local grocery stores. However, I will be making this soup regularly when mushrooms start popping up on our property. I'm especially excited to try it with morel and saffron mushrooms.
Nena's Cream of Mushroom Soup wasn't gluten-free or vegan. I adjusted the recipe slightly by using cashew milk instead of half and half. I also replaced the chicken broth with vegetable broth and used cornstarch to thicken the soup instead of all-purpose flour. This Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup recipe tastes almost as good as the full-fat version, but with half the calories.
Why This Recipe Works
Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup is a million (yes, a million) times better than canned condensed cream of mushroom soup. You can't really even compare the two.
The soup is so rich and makes for a filling lunch or a light dinner. It also reheats well, so you can refrigerate the leftovers and savor them over a few days.
Use this Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup recipe instead of condensed cream of mushroom soup to make one amazing Vegan Green Bean Casserole. The flavor will blow your mind and you'll never use canned cream of mushroom soup again!
What You Need For This Recipe
Recipe Ingredients and Substitutions
- Mushrooms: Choose a variety of mushrooms for a more complex flavor, but white button mushrooms will also work if that's all you can find.
- Milk: Use cashew milk, soy milk, coconut milk, or almond milk. If you are not vegan, you can use cream, half and half, whole milk, or a combination of any of them.
- Cooking Broth: Using vegetable broth or stock helps to make this a vegan cream of mushroom soup recipe. However, chicken or beef broth can be substituted to make traditional cream of mushroom soup.
- Herbs: Add your favorite dried or fresh herbs. You can't go wrong with thyme, oregano, or sage.
- Thickener: This recipe calls for cornstarch to make this a gluten-free Cream of Mushroom Soup recipe. You can substitute arrowroot flour or use all-purpose flour to make a roux for a non-gluten-free version.
How to Make Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup
STEP 1: Add 2 tablespoons of avocado oil to a Dutch oven and caramelize the chopped onions over low to medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes. Add all but 1 cup of sliced mushrooms to the pot and sauté for an additional 5 to 10 minutes. During the last minute, add minced garlic cloves.
STEP 2: Deglaze the pot with white wine or cooking sherry. In a large measuring cup, whisk cornstarch into cold vegetable broth until smooth. Add salt, white pepper, and thyme; whisk to combine.
STEP 3: Pour broth mixture into the pot and stir. Simmer over low to medium heat for 10 minutes until the thyme softens and the soup thickens. During this time, saute one cup of sliced mushrooms in a separate pan with the remaining tablespoon of oil.
STEP 4: Pour cashew milk into the mushroom soup. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth, or slightly chunky. Season the soup with Worcestershire sauce and Tabasco. Stir the sauteed mushrooms into the soup, or add some to each bowl as a garnish.
Recipe FAQs
Cream of mushrooms soup goes great with sourdough bread, Jalapeño Cheddar Sourdough, or any crusty bread for that matter. Grilled chicken, shrimp skewers, or crabcakes would also pair wonderfully with Cream of Mushroom Soup.
Preparing dairy-free cream of mushroom soup couldn't be simpler with all the wonderful non-dairy options available these days. Just replace the amount of milk, cream, or half and half called for in the recipe with an equal amount of cashew milk, almond milk, soy milk, or coconut milk.
Cream of Mushroom Soup can be thickened in a variety of ways. The most common way to thicken the soup is by making a roux with a combination of all-purpose flour and butter.
To make gluten-free cream of mushroom soup, simply replace the all-purpose flour used to thicken the soup with cornstarch, rice flour, or arrowroot powder.
Pro Tips
- Experiment with a variety of mushrooms including oysters, chestnuts, chanterelles, portabellas, Cremini mushrooms, or wild foraged mushrooms.
- To clean the mushrooms, plunge them into a bowl of cold water and gently toss them around in the water until they are clean. It's so much easier than wiping them with a wet paper towel
- For a more filling meal, serve the soup over baked potatoes. Add shredded cheese for those not following a vegan diet.
- Soups that contain dairy do not freeze well and end up with a grainy texture once reheated. However, since this Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup has cashew milk, you can freeze the leftovers. You may want to make a double batch; one to eat and one to freeze for later.
- If you have any leftover soup, it can be stored in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for up to one week.
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup (Gluten-Free)
Equipment
- Cutting Board
- Sharp Knife
- Dutch oven
- Whisk
- skillet
- Wooden Spoon
- Immersion Blender
Ingredients
- 1 medium yellow onion (chopped)
- 3 tablespoon avocado oil (divided)
- 1 lb mushrooms
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- ¼ cup white wine (or cooking sherry)
- 3½ cups vegetable broth (2 cans)
- 5 tablespoon cornstarch
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper (or black pepper)
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme (or 1 tbs fresh thyme)
- 1 cup cashew milk (unflavored)
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoon tabasco
Instructions
- Add 2 tablespoons of avocado oil to a Dutch oven and caramelize the chopped onions over low to medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes. Add all but 1 cup of sliced mushrooms to the pot and sauté for an additional 5 to 10 minutes. During the last minute, add minced garlic cloves.
- Deglaze the pot with white wine or cooking sherry. In a large measuring cup, whisk cornstarch into cold vegetable broth until smooth. Add salt, white pepper, and thyme; whisk to combine.
- Pour broth mixture into the pot and stir. Simmer over low to medium heat for 10 minutes until the thyme softens and the soup thickens. During this time, saute one cup of sliced mushrooms in a separate pan with the remaining tablespoon of oil.
- Pour cashew milk into the mushroom soup. Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until smooth, or slightly chunky. Season the soup with Worcestershire sauce and tabasco. Stir the sauteed mushrooms into the soup, or add some to each bowl as a garnish.
Notes
- Experiment with a variety of mushrooms including oysters, chestnuts, chanterelles, portabellas, Cremini mushrooms, or wild foraged mushrooms.
- To clean the mushrooms, plunge them into a bowl of cold water and gently toss them around in the water until they are clean. It's so much easier than wiping them with a wet paper towel
- For a more filling meal, serve the soup over baked potatoes. Add shredded cheese for those not following a vegan diet.
- Soups that contain dairy do not freeze well and end up with a grainy texture once reheated. However, since this Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup has cashew milk, you can freeze the leftovers. You may want to make a double batch; one to eat and one to freeze for later.
- If you have any leftover soup, it can be stored in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for up to one week.
Terry Smith says
Thanks, Hilda for this recipe. My daughter, Andrea loves Cream of Mushroom Soup. Unfortunately, she has developed allergies to dairy, gluten, and corn. This recipe should make her very happy, I’ll pass it on.
P.S. What can she use instead of cornstarch? Gluten free flour? Terry
Hilda Sterner says
I hope Andrea likes the soup. Cornstarch is gluten-free, but check under the ingredients/substitutions section where I share other options as welL!