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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Sandy says
lovely receipe. I have one question. You have added thyme twice. Any reasons.What is the good time to add this herb.
Vaishali says
Hi Sandy, my error. I've corrected it.
Sandy says
want to make it. Any alternative for white flour or rice flour? can I add corn flour or besan?
Vaishali says
Cornstarch is fine, but use less, prob half.
Patricia Gausnell says
I have made it 3 times. Today I added a splash of red wine vinegar instead of wine and some celery salt and Spike. For the broth I used Bill’s Best Chik’Nish vegetarian seasoning, my go to veggie broth.
N. M. says
Thank you. I really enjoyed this. I did use wine (I had red on hand). I also threw in some white miso and a precut pack of mixed varietal mushrooms in addition to the white and some red pepper flakes. Not to be obnoxious and alter the recipe (I dislike it when people do that sometimes) but those things made it even more fabulous. Just wonderful.
Laurel says
The only thing I did differently was use store bought organic cashew milk and it came out excellent! I made this soup to use as a non dairy base for beef stroganoff because my mom Can not tolerate any dairy except for yogurt. The soup is really tasty & could definitely be a hearty meal all on its own. After the soup was done, I put about 8 small meatballs made a couple days before in the soup to soak up the flavors for a few hours before dinner time, stored in the fridge, then boiled egg noodles when it was time to eat & re-heated the soup in a saucepan. It was scrumptious!
carey says
Hi Laurel! So great you did this for your mom. Bet it was a treat for her!
I’m looking forward to trying the recipe myself.
She probably already knows this, but just in case she doesn’t; if your mom is able to tolerate yogurt, it may be the lactose in milk that is causing your mom issues. Yogurt tends to break lactose down into easier to digest sugars. If she starts to find some yogurts are giving her trouble, it may be because her lactose intolerance is progressing (meaning her body is making less and less lactase enzyme, which tends to be a slow progression for people that become lactose intolerant), and because some yogurts are fermented for longer & have less lactose than others. If her body is still making a little lactase enzyme, she may be able to eat some yogurts now that have a little lactose still in them, but with time, her body may make less, and those might start to give her trouble. If she can find ones like Green Valley Organics that are lactose free, it might help her if that happens. (They also make lactose free sour cream and cream cheese.)
There are great vegan alternatives like this recipe (highly recommended!), and there are also lactose-free dairy products, as well as lactase enzyme pills (like Lactaid.) Trader Joe’s often carries a lactose-free yogurt cheese. With the hanging bags of sliced cheeses.
She may want to watch labels of spice mixes & chocolate candy, because sometimes they will add lactose as an ingredient all on it’s own. Two of my favorite Thai restaurants must use the same yellow curry spice mix that switched their formula to include lactose, because within a short span of time all the sudden the same dish was causing me issues. I tried taking Lactaid pills with it, and that did the trick. Taco seasonings are another one where I’ve seen lactose added (for no good reason other than maybe it’s a cheap sugar?)
Just in case any of that is helpful!
Donna Pressick says
Delicious! Didn’t have any cashews so threw in a potato when I cooked in my IP. Just as creamy as I thought it would be.
Cameron K says
Hello!
I made this a couple days ago for my friend who was bed-ridden after a surgery. She told me that she wanted a good, hearty mushroom soup, and this one looked perfect - she loved it, of course.
Thank you for the recipe!
Cookie says
How long can you freeze this for? I am going to try it soon. I am vegetarian and just had campbells mushroom soup to calm my nervous stomach and learned there was chicken in it GRRRRR. So at least this recipie you know whats in it. Looking forward to making it. How can you make it super thick? I like to almost chew my soups
Evelyn Baron says
I make my own vegan cashew yogurt -- the less water the thicker. I use an instant pot on yoghurt setting for 8 hrs, 1/2 cup soaked cashews to 1/2 cup water with 2 probiotic capsules lemon juice and garlic power and pinch of salt; thick as tzatziki which is how I usually use it -- may solve problem
Madelyn says
Do you soak the cashews before blending them with the vegetable stock?
Vaishali says
You don't have to if you're using a high powered blender, but if not, soak for 30 minutes.
SomeFool says
I forgot the flour part, still turned out wonderfully. I blended the sauteed parts and then sauteed more mushrooms to add into the cream at the end. Delicious!
Stephanie Marder says
Easy and delightful. Doubled the batch on my first go around. Left overs are lunch today with a salad. Thanks so much.
John says
Great and easy enough recipe, Thank you! To the one who has troubles with lumpy roux, the rule is either the stock must be cold or the roux must be cold(baked roux), whisk, whisk, whisk!. P.S. I added tahini and aminos, so good
Dannielle says
This is by far the best mushroom soup I have ever tasted... yum!!!!!
Arlene says
What is the approximate sodium content?
Vaishali says
Hi Arlene, I don't recommend the salt amounts because this is really a matter of individual taste.
Leilani A says
Do I need to use the cashew part? I have a family member with nut allergies.
Vaishali says
Use a quarter cup of coconut milk, in that case, or stir in a couple of tablespoons of vegan butter at the end.
Miranda says
Fantastic soup! Just made this tonight and loved it. This was so flavorful and comforting, and also the perfect texture. I didn’t have any white wine in the house, but it was still crazy delicious and easy to make! I’m excited to make it again with white wine next time. We ate this with some rosemary bread to dip into the soup, which was a stellar combo. Thanks for the great recipe!
Frankie Stollenwerk says
Can this be made with baby bells and crimini mushrooms
Vaishali says
Yes, absolutely. Your soup will have a more robust flavor, but it will taste awesome.
Kathy says
Excellent! I didn't have white wine, but I often do a splash of white wine vinegar in place of. So, I did a splash of white wine vinegar and a small splash of sherry. I also followed your suggestion and added a TBS of Tamari. It added an additional depth of flavor. I found this recipe with green bean casserole in mind, so I will be finding out how it works in that in a few days! Thanks!
Sarah says
Are used olive oil and vegetable stock -no wine, no soy sauce and fresh thyme. And tapioca flour because that’s what I had. It’s amazing
Renee says
I was wondering if this soup can be used in recipes tbe same as condensed cream of mushroom soup? If not, do you have any suggestions to make it useable for casseroles?
Thank you for your help!
Vaishali says
Hi Renee, you absolutely can, in fact I use it mostly for casseroles. Here's one that's on the blog: https://holycowvegan.net/vegan-hash-brown-casserole/
Karen says
Yes, I use it for a broccoli casserole and it is SOOOO mich better than condensed. Adds a rich deliciousness!!!!
Kim says
My husband and I made this for the hash brown recipe. Both are truly amazing recipes, I can't get enough of them! Thank you so much for sharing your wonderful vegan recipes!! Mmm
Vaishali says
Kim, so happy you've enjoyed them! Thanks for letting me know.
Stephanie R Marder says
Amazing. Quick, easy, and delicious, so many different things you can do with this base or just eat it as is. Thank you.
Geegee says
So delicious and easy to make. I made This just for the your vegan hash brown casserole. Tasty flavors throughout. I just wish I had the white wine to add another flavor. Thanks for a great and easy to follow recipe.
Lorrie says
Making this right now. How long would this store in the fridge? So happy I stumbled across your site!!
Vaishali says
2-3 days in fridge, but you could freeze it for much longer, and thaw and reheat before use.
Gina says
Salut!
I made this last weekend and it was so very delicious; perfection! I added 1 tablespoon medium sherry, towards the end, but otherwise followed the recipe exactly. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Vaishali says
That's awesome to hear, Gina. Thanks for letting me know!
Stephanie R Marder says
Another winner! This was easy. I chopped all the ingredients and saw that my herbs were low. Shopped, and came back to the house and wondered if someone had started the soup already. The house smelled wonderful. Cooked it up and I wish I had doubled the batch.
Vaishali says
So happy you liked it, Stephanie! Thanks for letting me know.
Jen says
Super tasty... the best ever. We made it and then 2 days later made a triple batch.
Vaishali says
Awesome, thanks for the feedback!
Joannne says
Hi Vaishali,
OMG! So many good recipes here! I want to make everything! I made this cream of mushroom soup last night. The flavor was good but it didn’t come out as smooth as your picture. I need more practice in making a roux. I will keep trying with this recipe. Thank you!
Vaishali says
Hi Joanne, use a whisk, add part of the liquid, whisk until the lumps of flour are gone, then add the remaining liquid and whisk again. Also make sure you blend your cashew cream really smooth.
RL says
This one was a hit with my whole family!
Vaishali says
So happy you liked it, RL!
Diane says
made soup today with sage, a little wine, liquid aminos, and added a good splash of tahini at the end. Delicious!!
Vaishali says
Sounds awesome! Thanks for the feedback and the tips.
Indhu says
Hi Vaishali. Thanks for the recipe. I have a box of button mushrooms sitting in the fridge and as I wondered what to make with it I found your recipe! I do love cream of mushroom soup and recently I have been imagining (a lot!) handing in my resignation and the reaction to it from my boss :).. So with all boxes checked I am making this recipe.
Vaishali says
Hi Indhu, so happy it checked all the boxes for you! 🙂 Hope you like the recipe.
Evelyn Baron says
When I was vegetarian I was vr proud of my cream of mushroom soup when people came over for dinner; I made mushroom stock from dried porcini mushrooms and fresh thyme, peppercorns a bit of lemon grass and sage -- over the top but it kept forever -- a bit of obligatory mirepoix. Still do that but haven't made creamy soup with a vegan roux before; the great thing about being vegan is one's large pantry and the abiity to substitute and come up with brilliance or disaster. I didn't know unsweetened almond milk had enough fat for a roux so I had a bit of chili oil with a tbsp. of chickpea flour -- I did have soy milk and it worked!!! And my long-ago conceived stock was great and the idiotic thing was that I don't eat yeast bread but had tried Irish soda bread (Happy Pear) which was truly amazing so layered roasted red peppers and eggplant 'steaks' (lemony) hummus and some pickled radish and a bit of cucumber for crunch and my favorite thing watercress -- don't like gadgets but thinking of getting panini press; this and the mushroom soup was a gamble and my 2 friends and I were very happy with it. Tx!!!