This vegan mushroom soup is deliciously creamy and hearty, with lots of veggies and hearty whole grains!
Here’s an ultra cozy and deliciously hearty soup: Vegan mushroom soup! You won’t believe how creamy it is… without the use of dairy! Just like our fan-favorite Wild Rice Soup, we’ve harnessed the magic of cashews to create a deliciously creamy base. Add spices, lots of veggies, and whole grains, and it’s the perfect canvas for showcasing deliciously flavorful mushrooms. Ready to cook?
things at better vegan mushroom soup
This vegan mushroom soup is inspired by our popular Wild Rice Soup – but it’s even quicker to make! Both soups use the same trick: soaked cashew nuts. Soaking and blending these powerhouse nuts creates a deliciously creamy sauce that works just like dairy (try our cashew cream). Here you can mix them straight into a soup for a rich, creamy body. Here’s what you need to know:
- Soak the cashews while you prepare the soup. You don’t have to think ahead at all! There’s just about enough time to make the soup…unless you don’t have a good blender.
- A powerful blender is useful. We have a high speed blender and it works like magic with the cashews. If you don’t have a good blender, you may want to soak your cashews overnight to ensure they are soft enough to blend.
- Prepare the soup, then mix the cashews with 2 cups of it. Yes, that’s right: take the veggies, the broth, whatever’s in your pot! Mix it with the cashews and it becomes beautifully creamy… like magic!
Be sure to find pearl barley, not hulled!
Here’s a trick to making this vegan mushroom soup! Seek pearl barley not in the store peeled barley. Many packages don’t carry this mention, so how can you tell the difference? And what’s the difference anyway?
- pearl barley just removed the shell. It is darker in color than pearl barley and has a tougher texture when cooked. Cooking potted barley takes about 50 to 55 minutes.
- pearl barley is lighter in color; it has removed the outer shell and bran layer. This makes it much faster to cook, although it loses some of the nutritional value of those components. Depending on the brand, it takes 15 to 30 minutes to cook pearl barley.
- At the end of the line: Essentially, the difference between pearl barley and potted barley is like white rice and brown rice.
- How do I know if this isn’t stated on the packaging? Check the color: the pearl is light and the decorated one is medium brown. Then check the cooking instructions on the back: the cooking time should indicate what variety it is.
Or you can use farro!
If you prefer, you can use farro instead! Farro is an ancient whole grain with a rubbery texture very similar to barley. It cooks faster than potted barley, making it a favorite in our house. It is also not gluten free as it is made from wheat. But it’s very tasty and one of our favorite whole grains to cook with.
Other ways to use farro? Make Herb Farro, Mushroom Parmesan Farro, Instant Farro, or Farro and Brussels Sprout Soup.
Gluten-free muesli in a vegan mushroom soup
Would you also like to turn this vegan mushroom soup into a gluten-free soup? The grains in this soup aren’t gluten-free, but they’re easy to make with the following options:
- White Rice: Replace barley and cook until soft, about 15 minutes
- Brown rice: Bake it ahead! It absorbs too much liquid to cook in the soup. Add to step 4 below and simmer for 15 minutes.
Are there cashew substitutes?
Do you have a nut allergy? Unfortunately, cashews really do work magic when it comes to creaming the body in vegan soups. We don’t have a good substitute here (unless you want to try dairy!). However, one option to consider is canned kidney beans. They don’t need to be soaked, just replaced with the walnuts during the final mixing step. It won’t have anywhere near the richness and sweetness of cashews, but the beans do have a thickening power.
What to serve with vegan mushroom soup
Want to make this vegan soup a complete meal? While cooking, prepare one of these vegan side dishes:
This Vegan Mushroom Soup Recipe is…
Vegetarian, vegan, plant-based and dairy-free. For gluten-free rice, use white or brown rice.
The description
This vegan mushroom soup is deliciously creamy and hearty, with lots of veggies and hearty whole grains!
- ¾ cup unsalted cashew nuts
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 3 celery ribs
- 2 medium carrots
- 1 Shredded Mushrooms: Cremini* (aka Baby Bella) or a mix of Baby Bella and Shiitake
- 3 Garlic cloves
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 8 cups vegetable soup
- 1 cup dry pearl barley or farro (make sure it’s pearled*), or white rice for gluten-free**
- 1 teaspoon every Garlic powder and dried thyme
- 1 tbsp every dried oregano and dried dill
- 1½ teaspoons kosher salt +¼ tsp
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp Soy sauce (or smoked shoyu) or more salt to taste
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- Place the cashews in a bowl and cover with water. Let them soak while you prepare the recipe.
- Chop the onion. Thinly slice the celery. Peel and cut carrots. Clean the mushrooms and cut into small pieces (remove the hard stalks from shiitake mushrooms). Chop the garlic.
- Pour olive oil into a Dutch oven or saucepan. Add the onion, celery, and carrot and sauté, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and ¼ teaspoon salt and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for 2 minutes.
- Add vegetable broth, barley, garlic powder, thyme, oregano, dill, kosher salt and black pepper. Bring to a boil. Cover the pot and simmer until the barley or farro is tender, about 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Using a liquid measuring cup, carefully add 2 cups of hot soup (including the broth, vegetables, and barley) to a blender. Drain the cashews and add to the blender along with the cornstarch and soy sauce. Blend on high for about 1 minute until creamy. Then pour the cream mixture back into the soup and simmer over low heat until thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Enjoy hot. Keep refrigerated for 3 days.
Remarks
* Pearl barley cooks in about 20 minutes, potted barley cooks in about 50-55 minutes. In hulled barley, only the outer husk is removed, while in pearl barley, the outer husk and bran layer are also removed, similar to the difference between white rice and brown rice. Check the wrapper cook time to see the difference if the wrapper is not marked.
**For gluten-free dishes, substitute white rice for barley. You can also substitute the brown rice, but cook it separately and add it to the soup. In any case, you can reduce the cooking time in step 4 to about 15 minutes.
- Category: Soup
- Method: Cook
- Kitchen: Soup
- Diet: vegan
Keywords: Vegan mushroom soup
