November 7, 2019
Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup
Delicate woodsy mushrooms are the star in this rich, luscious, and flavorful vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup. 
Mushroom Soup for the soul
The days are getting shorter (seriously, though, it feels like it’s midnight at 6 o’clock, wtf daylight savings), and The Holidays are steadily creeping up. You need a soup in your rolodex of soup recipes that is comforting and simple. Something that isn’t too laborious in the kitchen, but instead kind of calming and meditative – you know, a recipe that you can just vibe out to with a glass of wine and your favorite playlist. A recipe that makes you feel good to eat it. Makes you feel good to share it. A recipe that warms you up from the inside, out.
This. This vegan cream of mushroom soup is that recipe.
Serve it for dinner tonight, for lunch tomorrow, or as a starter for your next Holiday dinner. Whatever the occasion, this recipe is sure to be a crowd pleaser.
Grab a glass of wine, put on some Frank Ocean, and let’s get to cookin’ the best vegan cream of mushroom soup!
How to make the best vegan cream of mushroom soup
By now, you guys already know how much I love soup. I mean, it’s pretty magnificent, isn’t it? I can’t quite put my finger on it, but for me, solace is always found in a bowl of soup … especially this time of the year! It’s steamy, it’s hot, and best of all, it’s easy to make – and when made just right, soup can highlight your favorite flavors. Think Pozole Verde or Herby Chick’n & Dumpling Soup. When you’re a mushroom lover like me, then it it doesn’t get much better than a big ass pot of mushroom soup. Here are some tips to making the best vegan cream of mushroom soup:
- Use a good broth. Look, I’m not usually an ingredients snob, but because we’re using minimal ingredients in this dish, you need the best of the best – starting with the broth. I made a quick, rich, umami packed broth with dried shiitake mushrooms. They give this vegan cream of mushroom soup depth and tremendous flavor. You can find dried shiitake mushrooms in the Asian section of most grocery stores or at specialty Asian stores. If you can’t find dried shiitakes, opt for another variety of dried mushrooms. If your pressed for time, your favorite vegetable stock will do!
- Use quality mushrooms. Mushrooms take the lead role in this star dish, so pick good ones! I like oyster and king oyster mushrooms for their meaty, woodsy, and slightly sweet flavor, but I think Crimini and/or Shiitake mushrooms would work beautifully in this dish as well! You can also opt to mix and match your mushrooms. White button mushrooms are fine, too. Just make sure they’re firm with a fresh and smooth appearance.
- Make your own cashew cream. I’ve made this recipe many, many times. I’ve used a variety of non-dairy milks and I’ve found that nothing makes this soup quite as luscious as making your own cashew cream. Cashew cream is almost always the secret ingredient to a delicious, creamy soup. You can thank me later.Pro Tip: if you don’t have a high speed blender, soak your cashews in water overnight. Additionally, you can do a quick soak method by soaking them in hot water for 20-30 minutes.
More Easy Soup recipes to keep you cozy all winter long
As mentioned above, I can always find comfort and peace in a bowl of soup. These are some of my favorite soups that hit the spot every single time.
- The rich broth and flavorful “meat” balls in my Sopa de Albóndigas is by far one of the most popular recipes on the blog – and for good reason! You need to try it yourself to believe just how good it is.
- My Thai Noodle Soup with Sesame Crusted Tofu is infused with ginger, lemongrass, and thai chilis. It’s bursting with all the flavors that make for the best slurpable noodle soup.
- Get all in your winter feels with a bowl of my Chorizo and Pumpkin Chili. It’s hearty, kinda spicy, kinda sweet, and jam-packed with all my favorite fall & winter flavors! The best part? It’s gluten free, ready in about 30 minutes, AND freezer-friendly. You need this unique chili in your life!
Mushroom soup for the win!
If this vegan Cream Mushroom Soup were a movie, trust when I say it’d come home with an Oscar for best picture. THIS SOUP IS A WINNER. I think it would be the perfect starter for Thanksgiving and Christmas! It’ll get your palettes going, but won’t leave you feeling full. Think of it as *insert chef’s kiss here* the pièce de résistance of your Holiday menu. The next time you’ve got a pot of this vegan cream of mushroom soup simmering away, share it with me by posting a picture or video on Instagram and tagging me at @eat_figs_not_pigs and #eatfigsnotpigs. You guys already know how much I love seeing your recreations of my recipes! Til next timel, friends!
XOXO
- 1 oz dried shiitake mushrooms
- 4 tsp vegan chicken broth, such as Better Than Bouillon*
- 6 TBS vegan butter, divided
- 2 LBS fresh mushrooms of choice*
- 2 cups white onion, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 tsp fresh thyme
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1 cup filtered water
- 3 TBS all purpose flour
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 3 TBS good cooking sherry
- Add dried shiitake mushrooms to a large bowl. Set aside.
- In a pot on medium high heat, add 4 cups of water and dissolve 4 teaspoons of bouillon into the water. Mix well and increase heat to high, bringing the broth to a boil. Remove from heat and cover the mushrooms with the hot broth. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or foil and soak the dried shiitakes in the broth for 20 minutes. Strain the liquid and set aside. Finely chop the rehydrated shiitake mushrooms and set aside as well.
- In a large heavy saucepan on medium high heat, add 3 tablespoons butter. Once the butter is melted, add fresh and rehydrated mushrooms, onion, garlic, thyme. Season with smoked paprika and give it a good mix. Add the broth and simmer the mushrooms in the broth until they're tender, about 15 minutes.
- While the mushrooms are simmering, combine cashews and filtered water in a high speed blender. Pulse until it's creamy and smooth with no clumps. Set cashew cream aside in a small bowl.
- Once the mushrooms are tender, use a slotted spoon to transfer the mushrooms (save some sliced mushrooms and set aside as a garnish if you'd like), onions, and garlic to a blender. Leave the broth on a low simmer. Pulse the mushroom mixture, leaving some chunks of vegetables. Set aside.
- In a separate large pot on low heat, melt the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter. Once the butter is melted, whisk in the flour until smooth and there are no clumps. Add the cashew cream, continuing to whisk on low until smooth. Slowly add in reserved simmering broth one cup at a time, continuing to whisk. Once all the broth is added, Stir in the mushrooms and increase heat to medium high. Simmer until soup has thickened, about 10-15 minutes, whisking occasionally. Adjust seasonings to taste. Off the heat, add the cooking sherry. Serve soup hot with saved mushrooms slices and fresh thyme.
- ENJOY!
*For this particular recipe, I recommend oyster mushrooms, king oyster mushrooms, cremini mushrooms - or a combination of each.
This looks so tasty!! Could I use this to make green bean casserole or would the soup be too thin? Can’t wait to try!
Hey Ashley!!! I think you could use this to make green bean casserole!!! Personally, I don’t think it’d be too thin at all. You may to do a couple test runs … if it’s too thin the first time you could make the roux with more 1-2 TBS more flour! Hope this helps and if you try it, let me know how it turns out ????
Thanks for this wonderful content. It was very insightful and enjoyable. You have amazing pictures. I have bookmarked your website and will be checking from time to time for more contents.
Igbudu, thank you so much!!! I hope you love all the recipes you try! Can’t wait to hear what you think.