This divine Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup hugs you with warmth and deliciousness. This is a super simple, eight-ingredient recipe, and you can make it gluten-free and oil-free.
If you've been missing the delicious, creamy flavor of a cream of mushroom soup since you went dairy-free, here's the recipe to satisfy that craving and more besides: my vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup.
This really is comfort food in a bowl. It's thick and creamy and rich and fragrant and it gives you that perfect warm and gooey feeling you need, say, after the worst possible day at work when the only thing that can comfort you is imagining the look on your boss's face when you hand in your resignation.
But before you rush in to do that, try this soup instead, and you might just start picturing yourself signing copies of your bestseller on 101 ways to deftly handle the boss from hell and get a promotion. Problem solved. 😉
How to make the best vegan cream of mushroom soup
Here's what I do: I make a roux of flour, much as you'd do with a traditional cream of mushroom soup, and then I add in some creamy cashew milk.
The most important part to remember with this recipe, as you would with any, really, is to build in layers of flavor to ensure that you end up with an awesome dish. And to keep the flavors close to the real stuff. Cashew cream or milk makes the best substitute for dairy cream in this recipe, because it tastes the closest, and it also doesn't add a strong flavor that wouldn't be in the original recipe like, say, coconut milk would. You can use almond milk too, and it would be fine, although I really prefer the cashew.
If you are nut-free, I'd recommend using an unsweetened soy milk or any nondairy milk that's thick and not too watery.
This recipe is simple as they come, with just eight ingredients, besides the salt and pepper: mushrooms, a smidgen of oil, onions, garlic, flour, sage or thyme, a good vegetable stock and nutmeg. And if you want to picture your boss turning green with envy over your perfect abs when you're throwing your resignation at him or her, you can make this recipe free of oil (although it won't be free of healthy fats) by sauteeing your onions and mushrooms in vegetable stock.
What do you serve with the vegan cream of mushroom soup?
This recipe doesn't need much to make it a meal to remember, but serving a crusty French bread on the side won't hurt at all. And a green salad would take it over the top.
If you make this recipe, I want to hear, of course. Leave me a comment below or tag @HolyCowVegan on Instagram. You can also follow me on Pinterest to keep up with my latest recipes, or subscribe to my free email updates.
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Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup Recipe
Recipe card
Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil (or 2 tablespoon vegetable stock for an oil-free version)
- 1 medium white or yellow onion (cut into a very fine dice)
- 1 large clove garlic (minced)
- ½ pound cremini mushrooms or button mushrooms (sliced thinly or chopped)
- 1 teaspoon thyme or sage
- 3 tablespoon unbleached all purpose flour (for a gluten-free version, use 2 tablespoon rice flour)
- 3-4 cups vegetable stock
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
- ¼ cup cashews
Instructions
- Blend the cashews with 1 cup of the vegetable stock and set aside.
- In a saucepan, heat the oil or vegetable stock. Add the onions and garlic along with a pinch of salt and ground black pepper. Saute, stirring frequently, until the onions turn translucent but do not brown. It is important that you cut the onions really fine so they just melt into the soup.
- Add the mushrooms. At this stage you can add a splosh of white wine for more flavor, if you wish. Saute the mushrooms over medium-high heat until they are tender, about 5-8 minutes.
- Add the thyme or sage, stir to mix, and then add the all purpose flour or rice flour. Mix well and let the flour cook for a couple of minutes, stirring frequently to let it cook evenly.
- Add a cup of the vegetable stock, stirring vigorously as you do so to avoid any lumps from forming. You can also use a whisk to mix at this stage. Add one more cup of stock, continuing to stir, and when it comes to a boil, stir in the blended cashew milk.
- Once the soup comes to a boil, you can thin out with more stock to get it to the consistency you like. Check for seasoning and add more salt and pepper as needed. You can also add a tablespoon of soy sauce for more flavor, unless you want to be soy-free.
- When the soup comes to a boil, stir, and turn off. Serve hot.
Nutrition Information
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Hannah says
I had to made this to use in a casserole for my son and I wanted to share my nut-free modification because it came out really good! I had about 1/2 cup of the aldi dairy free heavy cream that I mixed with a half cup of veggie broth, then I also added in about 5 tbsp of coconut milk (thick stuff from a can) a little at a time until it reached the thickness I wanted. Followed all the rest of the instructions just as written. Turned out delicious!
Elizabeth says
AMAZING! This is by far my most favorite vegan recipe that has been converted from a traditional recipe. No added oil is a plus! It is so delicious and so simple. I have made it several times and served it to non-vegan/vegetarian friends and they never knew the difference. They loved it! Your recipes never fail to be a hit. Thank you!
Charisse says
Recipe was delicious a huge hit
STACY says
CAN YOU USE ALMOND MILK IN PLACE OF CASHEWS?
Vaishali Honawar says
Yes but the soup won’t be as thick and creamy.
Lorna McLeod says
LOVE this recipe it was easy to make and delicious
Kelly b says
This was…perfect. I haven’t been able to make cream of mushroom recipes (dairy) in many years, and now I can. Thank you so much!!
Alina says
Are there any other flours I could use instead of the rice flour?
Thank you.
Vaishali says
You can use all purpose flour.
Vanessa says
I used gluten free all purpose with the xantham gum included.
Lucy Eisenmann says
I made this with broth made with Better Than Bouillon Mushroom Base, and boy, was it delicious! I did throw in some xanthan gum to thicken it up a bit at the end.
Katherine says
I use this for my green bean casserole every Thanksgiving, and the omnivores love it. Thank you!!!
Vaishali says
Awesome! ❤️
Patrice says
I made this recipe. But my soup doesn't look like the photo. Mine is not white! I used vegetable broth.
Vaishali says
The soup won't be pure white, and it's likely the broth you used could have altered the color.
Anonymous says
Made to use in vegan green bean casserole. Tasted really good by itself so I know it’s a winner!
Lisa Ross says
Delicious! I mad this today.
Beth says
Just made this soup. It comes together very fast and is soooo good! The only modifications I made were I added celery by mistake! Because when making soup ya gotta chop celery! Instead of cashew cream I blended half cup unsweetened soy milk, half cup vegan broth and medium peeled, baked, potato for creaminess. Turned out fabulous!
Tamla Michelle says
Can you freeze this?
Vaishali says
Yes, it should freeze fine in a freezer-safe container for up to three months.
Elizabeth says
Interesting substitutes for the cashews. Thank you for the ideas. I have family members who are allergic to cashews.
Christina says
This was very tasty, thank you for the recipe. I did have trouble getting the cashews to completely blend, however, and I am now reading some instructions for cashew milk that say to pre-soak the cashews, so I will try this next time. Thank you!
Rox says
3rd time making this and it does not disappoint! Great recipe
Vaishali says
Yay!! ❤️