Canned cream of mushroom soup can't compare to this homemade version. It's rich, creamy, and deeply savory. We always go back for seconds!
Before I met Jack, I associated cream of mushroom soup with green bean casserole. I thought of it as an ingredient, not a dish on its own. In fact, soup aside, I wasn’t a big fan of mushrooms in general. But Jack may be the world’s #1 mushroom lover, and as I tried the mushroom pastas and sandwiches he loved, I discovered how delicious mushrooms could be. Prepared the right way, they become rich and savory, with an intense umami flavor.
Now, I’m a total mushroom convert, and this homemade cream of mushroom soup is one of our favorite dishes to share on cold nights. It’s far too good to hide in any casserole, so make a batch to enjoy on its own! If you have extras, freeze them for later, but fair warning: in our house, this cream of mushroom soup never lasts long.
Cream of Mushroom Soup Recipe Ingredients
This cream of mushroom soup recipe is rich, creamy, and deeply savory, but it’s not entirely traditional. Instead of asking you to stir in cream to achieve its luscious texture, I sneak a secret veggie ingredient into the soup: cauliflower. When you puree the soup, the cauliflower will make it amazingly smooth and creamy. You won’t miss the dairy one bit!
Here’s what else you’ll need to make this recipe:
- Mushrooms, of course! I like to use creminis here, though white button mushrooms would work fine too.
- Extra-virgin olive oil – For richness.
- Leeks, celery, and garlic – They add savory depth of flavor.
- White wine, tamari, and balsamic vinegar – They add tang and enhance the mushrooms’ umami flavor.
- Dijon mustard – For extra tang and peppery bite.
- Thyme – It adds freshness to this rich, savory soup.
- Vegetable broth – Use store-bought, or make your own.
- And salt and pepper – To make all the flavors pop!
Find the complete recipe with measurements below.
Cream of Mushroom Soup Serving Suggestions
If you want to take this cream of mushroom soup over the top, don’t skip the garnishes! Crunchy toppings like homemade croutons, roasted or sautéed mushrooms, and toasted pine nuts offer a delectable contrast to its smooth, luscious texture. I also like to add a sprinkle of herbs or microgreens for something fresh and a drizzle of coconut milk or olive oil for extra richness.
We often savor this rich, creamy soup as a meal on its own, but if you’re looking for something to pair with it, you can’t go wrong with a salad. It would be lovely with my citrus salad, pear salad, beet salad, or arugula salad on the side. Round out the menu with homemade focaccia or crusty bread.
Enjoy!
More Favorite Soup Recipes
If you love this creamy mushroom soup, try one of these favorite soup recipes next:
- Butternut Squash Soup
- Best Lentil Soup
- Carrot Ginger Soup
- Many-Veggie Vegetable Soup
- Asparagus Soup
- Potato Leek Soup
- Creamy Cauliflower Soup
- Or any of these 33 Best Soup Recipes!
Cream of Mushroom Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 2 medium leeks, white and light green parts, chopped (2 cups)
- 2 celery stalks, diced
- 16 ounces cremini mushrooms, chopped
- 2 tablespoons tamari
- ¼ cup dry white wine
- 2 large garlic cloves, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 pound cauliflower, broken into florets (5 cups)
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Topping options:
- Drizzles of full-fat coconut milk
- Sautéed Mushrooms
- Croutons
- Toasted pine nuts
- Microgreens or tender thyme leaves
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the leeks, celery, and ¼ teaspoon salt and cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the mushrooms and cook until soft, 8 to 10 minutes more.
- Stir in the tamari, wine, garlic, and thyme and cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until the wine has evaporated. Add the broth and the cauliflower.
- Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, or until the cauliflower is very soft. Transfer to a blender, add the mustard and vinegar, and blend until smooth. If your soup is too thick, add a little bit of water to the blender to reach a creamy consistency. Season to taste and serve with desired toppings.
I made this for lunch this week and REALLY love it. It’s perfectly flavored and hearty. Highly recommend this recipe!
Hi Stacey, I’m so glad you love the soup!
Delicious. I added .
oat milk to final s
Does anyone know if what you can substitute for white wine? Thank you!
Hi Tiffany, you can leave it out and add 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar instead.
This mushroom soup looks amazing! We’re going to try it this weekend.
This soup was delicious! I had almost all of the ingredients in my fridge when I stumbled upon this recipe. I saved some of the sauteed mushrooms for toppings, then also made some croutons to top the soup. I used my immersion blender to blend it. Super easy and very tasty.
So glad you loved it!
I don’t particularly want to “wrastle” with chopping up a whole head of cauliflower and I am cooking only for myself. Could I substitute frozen cauliflower rice instead of a fresh head of cauliflower?
My husband and I LOVE this recipe. I have made it a number of times already. Thank you!
I’m so glad you loved it!
I expected this soup to be a lot creamier than it was. After blending it was quite bitty looking and not the most enticing. I also wasn’t a big fan if the vinegar inside it.
Made EXACTLY per the recipe, including weighing those items listed by weight. The flavor was WONDERFUL. My only disappointment was that it was a darker brown and therefore didn’t look creamy at all. Next time I might add a potato to see if the color improved. I garnished it with homemade sourdough garlic croutons and it was superb! Many thanks!!!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it! You could also mix more of the coconut milk (for garnish) into the actual soup or try some white beans in place of some of the cauliflower.
Great idea to add some white beansand that would also boost the protein. Afraid I just don’t care for coconut milk, so I will pass on that but will indeed try the white beans. As I said in my original comment, the flavor was WONDERFUL.
This looks and sounds so delicious. I also spent most of my life not really liking or understanding how amazing mushrooms could be, but I guess I wasn’t trying the right things. I think anyone would enjoy this soup.
Delicious! Thank you! The coconut cream on top is amazing. I never would have thought to top mushroom soup with it. So good.
I’ve loved all of your recipes that I made so far, but the Cream of Mushroom Soup is not what I hoped. The cauliflower, which was cooked long enough, did not blend as smooth as I wanted and gave the soup a strange look. It tasted ok (had to change and adjust seasonings) but it doesn’t look like a smooth creamy soup. I’ve done this method before so I’m not sure what happened. I also use Coconut milk to make it creamy and a little arrowroot if it needs thickening.
Hi Cindy, if the mixture was too thick to blend really creamy, you could try adding some more liquid.
I had the same experience. I was disappointed.
Can you make a large batch and freeze this, so it’s available to use when a recipe calls for cream of mushroom soup? Thanks.
Hi Paula, I wouldn’t sub this in recipes that call for canned cream of mushroom soup, it’s pretty different.
There are so many good and easy recipes for cream of mushroom concentrate (think unhealthy Campbell’s) and homemade is truly a game-changer, flavor-wise and for good ingredients. I haven’t tried freezing mine yet, but the originator of the recipe in this link has frozen his soup without issues when used in recipes. https://keviniscooking.com/homemade-condensed-cream-of-mushroom-soup/
can you do this in a slow cooker? Maybe two hours? Has any tried?
Hi Gigi, I’m not sure, I haven’t tried.
This sounds delicious!! What could I substitute for the wine? Or can I just omit it?
Hi Laura, you can just omit it.
Just made this on this very cold winter day and it was delicious 😋 thank you
Any idea if this would work out in the instant pot? I want to double the recipe but the instant pot is the only pot I have that would be big enough!
Hi Alex, I haven’t tried this one in the instant pot. Let me kn
… I was going to say, let me know how it goes if you give it a try.
I would simply sauté mushrooms and other veggies. then add cauliflower, and then pressure cook for about 10 minutes. Then use the immersion blender. I use this method for all of my soups. Using butternut squash, cauliflower and sweet potatoes. It always comes out great.
Hi Emily, it’s hard to say without trying, it would really change everything including the flavor. Another creamy element like white beans might work.
Here’s a broccoli soup that I love: https://www.loveandlemons.com/vegan-broccoli-soup/
And here are tons of our other soup recipes, maybe there’s another one without cauliflower that catches your eye?: https://www.loveandlemons.com/soup-recipes/
Can you make it ahead and save it?
Yep!
This recipe is super yummy – I love nothing more than a good healthy soup recipe! I added a can of cannellini beans to bulk up the protein and then threw in spinach for even more vitamins. Then blended it all together. It was great and very filling 😊.