Soup season is here and this year add this vegan creamy mushroom soup recipe to your rotation. Yes, it’s creamy dairy free!
In this recipe
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Best mushrooms for creamy mushroom soup
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The best way to prepare fresh mushrooms for a soup
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How to make creamy vegan mushroom soup
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Tips to make this soup even better!
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More gorgeous mushroom soup recipes
As the weather cools in the fall and eases into the winter, this soup goes on an almost weekly rotation at our house.
To be honest, its creamy texture (no cream) and deep mushroom aroma enhanced by dried mushrooms seduce me all year round except for the hottest summer days.
Best mushrooms for creamy mushroom soup
The flavor of mushrooms is very prominent in this soup, and it all starts with fresh cremini mushrooms (sometimes called baby bella or baby portobellos).
Cremini mushrooms are simply more mature white button mushrooms that are brown in color and firm in texture; with even longer growing time they become fleshy portobello caps – but all three are the same variety. Because they are more mature than white button mushrooms, they have much more depth of flavor.
A small amount (1 ounce) of dried porcini reconstituted in boiling water really helps intensify the mushroom flavor. The soaking water is diluted in the soup and the drained mushrooms cook in the vegetable broth. If you can’t find any dried mushrooms, simply add another 8 ounces of fresh mushrooms to the mix.
Alternative Mushrooms: Cremini and dried porcini are my favorites in this soup, but you can substitute white button mushrooms or portobellos for them. As mentioned above, if you want to skip the dried mushrooms, add about 8 ounces of fresh mushrooms for that extra flavor boost, and give them enough time on the stovetop to evaporate excess liquid and allow the mushrooms to deep golden brown before you add the broth.
Mushrooms are porous and will absorb water if you rinse them too far in advance, but if you want to cook them in a soup you don’t need to carefully remove the residue, one mushroom at a time!
The quickest and easiest way to prepare them is to toss them around in a large bowl of cold water. Any dirt stuck to it should sink to the bottom of the bowl. Use your hands to place them on a layer of paper towels to drain. Do this just before preparing the soup.
You can slice the mushrooms with a knife, but a food processor is the quickest way to get your soup going. You’ll be pureeing the soup at the end of cooking, so perfectly sliced mushrooms aren’t a requirement!
If you want to learn more about buying and storing mushrooms, cooking and cleaning mushrooms, we have some great resources for you:
- How to buy and store mushrooms
- How to clean and prepare mushrooms for cooking
- A better way to cook mushrooms
And as a bonus, here’s some morel information if you’re interested.
How to make creamy vegan mushroom soup
A high proportion of mushrooms for stewing in this recipe results in a creamy result when the soup is pureed.
A tablespoon of uncooked rice — an old French trick for thickening pureed vegetable soups — also adds body.
This is a handy way to serve up a creamy vegan soup and skip the dairy. You’ll use some of the mushroom steep water and vegetable broth for the soup stock, and they provide more than enough mushroom flavor to make this soup a hit!
Tips to make this soup even better!
- Use a little lemon juice to lighten the final flavor and balance out the pronounced mushroom flavor.
- Make some small croutons to add a little crunch. Sourdough has a lot of flavor, but if you want to make this soup gluten-free, just use your favorite gluten-free bread.
- Finally, add a little color by sprinkling chopped chives on top.
More gorgeous mushroom soup recipes
- Creamy chestnut and mushroom soup
- Vegan Mushroom Barley Soup
- Farro, mushroom and spinach soup
- Wild Mushroom Cream Soup
- Chicken soup with ginger and shiitake mushrooms
Vegan Creamy Mushroom Soup
ingredients
For the croutons
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2 tablespoon olive oil
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2 slices Sour Dough BreadCrusts removed, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
For the soup
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1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms Mushrooms
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2 tablespoon olive oil
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2 lb cut Cremini mushrooms
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2 cloves garlicchopped
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1/2 yellow onionchopped
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1 handful fresh thymetied with kitchen twine
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1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
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1 quarter (4 Cups) vegetable broth
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1/4 teaspoon Saltplus more to taste
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1/8 teaspoon black pepperplus more to taste
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1 tablespoon uncooked white rice
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2 tablespoon lemon juice
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2 tablespoon chopped chivesfor garnish
method
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Prepare croutons:
In a medium sized skillet over medium heat add the oil. Once hot, add the bread cubes and bake, stirring frequently, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Set aside on a plate to garnish the soup later.
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Soaking the dried mushrooms:
Boil a kettle with water. Place the dried porcini mushrooms in a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Soak for 20 minutes.
Place a fine-mesh strainer over a large measuring cup or bowl. Pour the mushrooms over the strainer to strain out the soaking liquid. Reserve the soaking liquid and add additional water to the soaking liquid as needed to prepare 4 cups. Set aside until ready to use.
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Prepare soup:
In a large saucepan over medium heat add the oil. Once the oil is warm and simmering, add the sliced cremini mushrooms.
Cook for 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, to allow some of the liquid to evaporate. Add garlic, onion, thyme, soy sauce and porcini puree. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes or until the mushrooms are a deep golden color.
Add the broth, mushroom soaking liquid, salt, pepper, and rice. Set the heat to medium-low so it is evenly simmering (small bubbles). Cook uncovered for 20 minutes. Remove sprigs of thyme.
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Puree soup:
Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth.
If using a stand mixer, place 1/3 of the soup in the blender, place the lid on the blender but remove the insert cap and cover with a thick, folded towel to prevent steam build-up.
Hold your hand over the towel and blend until smooth. Put the soup back in the pot. Repeat this blending process until the entire soup is pureed.
Stir in the lemon juice. Taste and add more salt, pepper or lemon juice as needed.
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Serve soup:
Pour the soup into bowls and garnish with croutons and chives.
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 209 | calories |
| 10g | Fat |
| 26g | carbohydrates |
| 7g | protein |
