The Best Cream Of Mushroom Soup - Jo Cooks (2024)

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Sautéed mushrooms are cooked to perfection with butter, lots of garlic, and a dash of white wine and then turned into a delicious Cream Of Mushroom Soup! Full of earthy mushroom yumminess and finished off with heavy cream it’s based on classic French flavors, yet so simple to make!

Easy Cream Of Mushroom Soup Recipe

First off, in my book mushrooms just make everything better! From comforting dishes like Mushroom Risotto and Creamy Sausage Mushroom Pasta to finger foods like Vegetarian Stuffed Mushrooms and Mushroom and Leek Strudel, I love it all!

But what is it about mushrooms that makes them so darn special!?! Well, let me introduce you to umami! It’s one of the five basic tastes along with sweet, sour, bitter, and salty and is best described as a savory, meaty, crave-able multilayered taste. However, though it’s found in meat it’s not all about meat. Foods like soy sauce, tomatoes, miso, and mushrooms are full of umami too!

And with that being said, the best way to describe this cream of mushroom soup recipe is savory refined flavor in just a matter of minutes. The soup only requires a handful of easy to find ingredients and uses simple French cooking techniques like sautéing with butter, deglazing with wine, and adding heavy cream at the end. These are all easy steps that anyone can do and make all the difference in flavor.

• Olive Oil – I like to use olive oil to sauté the mushrooms, but you can use vegetable oil if you prefer.
• Butter – Always use unsalted butter to control the level of added salt. But if you only have salted then you’ll want to cut back on the amount of salt used to season your soup.
• Onion – Brown onion has a wonderful flavor when sautéed with mushrooms, but any type of onion you have on hand is fine.
• Garlic – You want to use fresh minced garlic. Jarred garlic will work, yet it can sometimes have a bitter taste.
• Mushrooms – I typically use cremini, shiitake, baby bella, or a combination of all three. However, white mushrooms will work too.
• White Wine – An important ingredient in the soup that adds a lovely touch of acid, but you do not need to use expensive wine. A dry white wine like Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, or Pinot Gris.
• Flour – Simple all purpose flour is all you need to help thicken the soup. You can also use a 1-to-1 gluten-free flour if you prefer and it will work just as well or use cornstarch. If using cornstarch make a slurry with equal amounts water and cornstarch.
• Chicken Bouillon – Used as a simple way to add flavor to the soup in place of chicken broth. However, if you are a vegetarian then simply just omit the bullion and add more salt at the end.
• Salt – A touch of salt always brings out the flavors and is the most important seasoning in the culinary world.
• Black Pepper – You can use regular or freshly ground black pepper to your taste.
• Thyme – Goes with the umami flavor of mushrooms beautifully and really makes the soup.
• Vegetable Broth – I use a low sodium variety to control the level of added sodium.
• Heavy Cream – Helps to both create a creamy consistency and thicken the soup.
• Parsley – Used to garnish, fresh chopped parsley adds a nice fresh herb finish.

This recipe is not complicated at all. To the point of once you make this soup you’re going to be wondering why you ever bought mushroom soup in a can!

Sauté The Mushrooms

To begin, you need to get your mushrooms cooking! It is a mushroom soup after all. So first, melt the butter over medium heat in a large Dutch oven. Then add the olive oil soon after so that the butter doesn’t burn. Now, add the chopped onions and minced garlic to the pot and cook for about 3 minutes or until the onions are both soft and translucent.

Next, add the mushrooms to the pot and cook them for about 8 minutes or just until the moisture they have released has evaporated and they have started to lightly brown. Then add the white wine and cook for another minute or until almost all the wine has evaporated. Do keep in mind that when you sauté mushrooms it’s really important that you allow the moisture from the mushrooms and wine the time it needs to evaporate to produce the most flavor.

Create The Roux

Now that your mushrooms have been sautéed to yummy perfection, we need to create the foundation of the soup by using the flour as a thickening agent. It’s an easy technique that is done by sprinkling the flour all over the mushroom mixture in the Dutch oven, then stirring it constantly while letting it cook for another minute. You’re basically making a simple roux here to thicken the soup.

Add The Seasonings And Broth

With the mushrooms sautéed and the base of the soup made, the next step is to crumble the chicken bouillon over the mushroom mixture, add the thyme, and season with some salt and pepper. Then add in the vegetable broth as you stir everything in the pot together.

Cook The Soup

Bring the soup to a boil over medium heat and let it cook for 10 minutes while stirring occasionally. Then taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper to your preference. It’s really important that you stir the soup from time to time so that nothing sticks to the bottom of the pot.

Garnish And Serve

To serve, garnish the cream of mushroom soup with fresh chopped parsley and enjoy! This lovely soup pairs really well with my Air Fryer No Knead Bread, Artisan Bread, or Classic Dinner Rolls.

What Else Can I Add To The Soup?

Cream of mushroom soup is delicious as is, but feel free to add anything you like. You could easily add some spinach and cooked chicken at the end for a heartier soup. Or, even top it with Parmesan cheese. It’s totally up to you, so be as creative as you like.

Can I Make Vegan Cream Of Mushroom Soup?

Yes! Just leave out the chicken bullion, heavy cream, and butter or use substitutions. It’s really easy to use vegan butter in place of regular butter or simply use more olive oil. And the heavy cream can be replaced with a plant-based milk or yogurt. Neither the butter nor the heavy cream is necessary to make this creamy mushroom soup.

Leftovers

Leftover cream of mushroom soup will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months in an airtight container. To reheat, just put it in the microwave for a few minutes on medium power or reheat it in a saucepan. If the soup has been frozen, you can let it thaw out first or reheat it from frozen in the microwave or on the stovetop.

Other Delicious Soups To Try

• Beef Stroganoff Soup
• Italian Meatball Soup
• Tomato Bisque
• Beef Barley Soup
• Zucchini Soup