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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Cindy says
Apparently I’m allergic to cashews. Can I use canned white beans puréed instead?
Vaishali says
Yes but you can expect a change in flavor and will also need more liquid.
Frankie says
This is a really nice recipe, I doubled the recipe and switched out the cashew milk and added a can of coconut milk. We all really enjoyed it.
Vaishali says
So happy you liked it, Frankie!
Lyn says
Absolutely perfect! From start to finish quick and easy and sooo delicious. My husband is practically drinking it right now.
Vaishali says
Lyn, happy to hear you and your husband loved the soup. 🙂
Eliane says
I was nervous trying a non dairy version but this was Delish!!! Definitely making this a staple in our house. Super easy and tastes great. I recommend the addition of soy (or tamari if gluten free)
Vaishali says
So happy you enjoyed it, Elaine!
Nicki says
I am absolutely FLOORED at how delicious this soup was!! It has quickly become a new staple, and I’ve added potatoes, celery and broccoli to it for a heartier meal! The *only* thing I added was some mushroom powder for some extra umami flavor, but otherwise followed the recipe to a T. Delicious!
Vaishali says
So happy to hear, Nicki!
Cody says
Can you tell me how much volume this recipe makes? I'm planning on using this as a part of another recipe
Cathy says
This was absolutely delicious! To make it extra creamy, I blended it at the end. I will absolutely be making this again!
Cathy says
This soup was absolutely delicious! To make it extra creamy, I blended it all together in the end. I will absolutely make this again!
Vaishali says
Awesome, so happy you made it Cathy!
Jo says
Can this soup be frozen?
Vaishali says
Yes, in a freezer safe container. Thaw and reheat before serving.
Judy says
I made this for a backpacking trip - will dehydrate it - I doubled the recipe, used rosemary and marjoram instead of thyme and added almost an entire bottle of hot sauce - OH YUMMM!
Vaishali says
So happy you loved it!
Meredith says
This recipe was so easy and delicious! I was lazy and just used cashew milk I already had in the fridge and it’s still creamy and smooth. I shared it with so many people bc I was so impressed!
Krista says
Since going vegan, I've missed mushroom soup a lot. I've tried so many recipes but the consistancy just wasn't what I wanted. Your recipe was just right - smooth and silky. I took the first spoonful and was in heaven! This recipe produced a richly flavoured soup that had a decadent mouthfeel. Guys, try this recipe - it's great!
T says
I didn’t comment this back then, but this recipe saved my 2020 Thanksgiving dinner lol. This was the first T-giving away from my family. Making all my mothers recipes vegan. And totally blanked on the cream of mushroom needed for the cornbread stuffing. This was super easy. I had all the ingredients on hand. And it’s freaking DELICIOUS. Can’t wait to use this to re-create my moms tuna noodle casserole. Thanks for the recipe!
Vaishali says
Hi T, so great to hear! 🙂 Thanks for letting me know.
Aquaria says
I have a rather severe nut allergy (ugh), so cashew consumption won't happen. How would this work using store-bought oat milk?
Vaishali says
It should work fine with oat milk! The cashew cream makes it creamier, but if you can't have that oat milk is a decent substitute.
Anonymous says
use hemp seeds instead! cashew allergy here too
Gail says
This was delicious! I love cream of mushroom soup, but as I've gotten older, my body doesn't tolerate a lot of milk or cream. The cashew milk was devine, and I hardly taste the difference! The only alteration I made to the soup was I added some collagen protein powder which makes it not vegan, but my priority was finding a healthier soup without dairy. I will be adding this recipe to my rotation, and I plan on trying one of your curry recipes later this week! 🙂
Lynn says
This was excellent. Thank you. I used to die when my mom would serve the canned version of this as a kid. As an adult and when I used to eat dairy, I could be dare to make a homemade version because of was so traumatized by the canned stuff. The vegan version, however, is entirely delightful and nothing like the gaggy dairy version or canned version. Thanks for helping me give this soup a chance, and a place on my regular menu!
Singing Vegan says
I’m feeling under the weather today and cream of mushroom soup was one of my childhood comfort foods. When I searched for a vegan version, yours was the first that caught my eye.I used tarragon for the herb and it was perfect! Thanks so much for the recipe..
Stefanie says
Hi! This sounds amazing. I have all the ingredients ready to go. However, is the sage and thyme fresh or dried? Thanks!
Vaishali says
Dry!
Sandra says
I must admit that I added a few extras to my soup but the cashew idea is great. All your other Indian recipes look great and I will be making many of them in future.
Amanda says
Amazing recipe!! I used a regular blender to make the cashew cream. Just added the cashews into a glass measuring cup, added 1 tsp of veggie broth powder and 1 cup of boiling water. Covered and let sit for five minutes before putting the cashews and broth in the blender. This is a recipe worth saving! In the future, I’ve now got my cream of mushroom soup to make green bean casserole during the holidays! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! I’m a terrible vegan cook but this recipe gave me hope!!
Vaishali says
That's so great to hear.
Tricia says
This recipe looks yummy but where is the cashew milk? It calls for 1/4 cup of cashews...
Vaishali says
Step 1.
Tricia says
Thank you. Do you soak the cashew nuts overnight and then purée as when you make vegan cashew ricotta?
Vaishali says
If you have a high powered blender you don't even need to soak. Otherwise a 30-minute soak should do just fine.
Lilia says
Very tasty! My family loved it! I creamed it all and it was amazing! Thank you.
Sally says
Just made this and it was absolutely delicious!! I added gluten free soy and a little more then a slosh of wine also doubled the cashew amount. Taste so good!!!
Vaishali says
Awesome!
Jake says
This was fantastic. I reduced it a bunch to use it as a base for green bean casserole. I had fresh thyme, sage, and rosemary from cooking earlier in the week so I added a little of each. My first time using cashews as a creamer and it exceed my expectations. Thank you!
Sean says
I used this recipe as a jumping off point and it came out amazing. A couple of modifications that I think make it a bit better.
1. Use more mushrooms. I doubled the amount.
2. Use a variety of different mushrooms. I used baby bella, white, shitake and crimini
3. I skipped the cashews and added hemp milk instead. The "milk" is only to make it creamier and I have family members with nut allergies, so I prefer not to cook with nuts.
4, Finally instead of vegetable stock, I had some mushroom base and made a mushroom stock instead. The best part of that is it allowed me to have some left over mushroom stock that I use as "au jus" for a portabello mushroom vegetarian French dip with vegan provolone cheese.
I will also say I love this recipe if you have mushrooms that are not still white and beginning to darken.
melissa kane says
Had mushrooms in the fridge, looked for a mushroom recipe on your site (one of my favorite recipe resources!) and just made this. Didn't alter it in any way (except to double it) and it was perfect.
Thanks again for another spot on recipe!
Vaishali says
Melissa, so happy to hear!
Chris says
Hi. I’m a little confused because the text mentions cashew milk, but the recipe calls for cashews. ?
Vaishali says
See step 1 where you blend the cashews.
Laurie says
I don’t have any cashews on hand. Can I sub unsalted macadamia nuts?
Vaishali says
Sure.
CHRISTOPHER CARTER says
While it smells and tastes AMAZING, I was disappointed that I didn't achieve a thicker, creamy texture like in the photo.
Should I have added more flour?
Vaishali says
Hi Christopher, let it cook a little longer, and it should thicken. Or add more cashews.
Stephen says
Just made this with 3 different mushrooms I foraged from mother nature they blow the dish away. I changed one more thing instead of a splash of white wine I used apple cider vinegar. It was the best so thick and creamy it was like a dream got another bowl left for tomorrow can't wait ????❤️??
Anizah Fong says
Thanks heaps for this recipe! It was delishhh... made it with oat flour and it was yummm. Thanks once again!
Vaishali says
So great to hear!
clare says
This soup was excellent! We have made it twice in a week! We subbed
1 cup oat milk for the cashews and blitzed it as we prefer a smooth soup but the texture was good unblitzed too.
Carla Tejada says
Super simple and super super delicious ( added miso as other readers have commented)
This will be a "go to" for sure
SunnyMaddie says
What an amazing aroma!! My dogs were all at attention even though this is vegan and not for them. Made it for the first time and it is such a hit that it’s definitely a favorite recipe already. I made substitutions per my pantry like a splash of rice wine vinegar, 2 Tbsp coconut flour, nondairy heavy cream, oh and baby portabellas. Absolutely delicious, thank you!