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
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 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.
Carla Tejada
Super simple and super super delicious ( added miso as other readers have commented)
This will be a "go to" for sure
SunnyMaddie
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!
Sandy
lovely receipe. I have one question. You have added thyme twice. Any reasons.What is the good time to add this herb.
Vaishali
Hi Sandy, my error. I've corrected it.
Sandy
want to make it. Any alternative for white flour or rice flour? can I add corn flour or besan?
Vaishali
Cornstarch is fine, but use less, prob half.
Patricia Gausnell
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.
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Do you soak the cashews before blending them with the vegetable stock?
Vaishali
You don't have to if you're using a high powered blender, but if not, soak for 30 minutes.
SomeFool
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
Easy and delightful. Doubled the batch on my first go around. Left overs are lunch today with a salad. Thanks so much.
John
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
This is by far the best mushroom soup I have ever tasted... yum!!!!!
Arlene
What is the approximate sodium content?
Vaishali
Hi Arlene, I don't recommend the salt amounts because this is really a matter of individual taste.