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.
Related recipes
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.
Michelle
Awesome soup. I added brown lentils because I was hungry! 😃
Vaishali
Sounds great. 😊 so happy you loved it.
Ashley Cramer
This soup is amazing! I'm not vegan, but my daughters are. I generally don't like their version of recipes as well as the "normal" version, but not so with this soup. This is now my go-to recipe for cream of mushroom soup whether they are going to be home for dinner or not!
Maggie's mom
Adopt complete compassion and follow your daughter's footsteps!!!
Vaishali
Ashley, that is so great to hear. Thanks for letting me know.
A
Can I check if the recipe calls for fresh or dried thyme/sage and if there are any other herb substitutes I could use.
Vaishali
Hi, this recipe uses dried herbs. You can sub with fresh herbs--use 1 tbsp of fresh herbs. You can use rosemary or marjoram.
Ken Schelberg
Vaishali,
Unbelievable recipe. We LOVED IT! Thanks so much. BTW, I used roasted cashews and it came out great. I just wish I made a double batch.
Anonymous
Where it says 1/4 cup cashews, does that mean cashew milk or raw cashews?
Vaishali
Raw cashews!
Cindy
Apparently I’m allergic to cashews. Can I use canned white beans puréed instead?
Vaishali
Yes but you can expect a change in flavor and will also need more liquid.
Frankie
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
So happy you liked it, Frankie!
Lyn
Absolutely perfect! From start to finish quick and easy and sooo delicious. My husband is practically drinking it right now.
Vaishali
Lyn, happy to hear you and your husband loved the soup. 🙂
Eliane
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
So happy you enjoyed it, Elaine!
Nicki
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
So happy to hear, Nicki!
Cody
Can you tell me how much volume this recipe makes? I'm planning on using this as a part of another recipe
Cathy
This was absolutely delicious! To make it extra creamy, I blended it at the end. I will absolutely be making this again!
Cathy
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
Awesome, so happy you made it Cathy!
Jo
Can this soup be frozen?
Vaishali
Yes, in a freezer safe container. Thaw and reheat before serving.
Judy
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
So happy you loved it!
Meredith
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
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
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
Hi T, so great to hear! 🙂 Thanks for letting me know.