Easy Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup

This easy vegan cream of mushroom soup is rich, savory, and packed with mushroom flavor, plus 14g protein per serving! Made with simple ingredients and ready in just 30 minutes. Perfect with crusty bread for dipping! (gluten-free, soy-free with easy nut-free option)

This recipe was originally posted March 6, 2013. It has been updated with modified recipe, pictures and video.

This cream of mushroom soup is a recipe that my friend Somer McCowan shared on my site over 10 years ago. Somer passed away from cancer months ago, and I’ve been thinking about her a lot, which got me thinking about this soup .

I tweaked Somer’s recipe a little bit, reducing the cashews, and changed a couple of the steps in the cooking method to make it simpler. 

The original recipe called for adding all of the stock to the mushroom mixture and boiling it and then blending some of that soup, but it’s not as easy when you have to transfer boiling liquid into a blender. So instead, I’m blending part of the cooked onion and mushroom mixture with the cashews and adding that back into the pan, then adding the remaining stock. 

This is just such a simple and delicious soup! You can change up the flavors to preference, deepen the flavors by adding some miso, add some fresh herbs for additional flavor, and some pepper flakes for a little bit of heat, if you like. If you don’t have wine, you can use balsamic vinegar instead.

Somer was just an amazing person, and her recipes were always incredible. When I was dealing with health issues, she pitched in with this guest recipe to help keep my blog going. She was just an absolute superwoman. She wrote for Forks Over Knives, co-hosted the Virtual Vegan Potluck, and was just the sweetest, most beautiful, compassionate person.

Somer’s cream of mushroom soup recipe is simple, yet it’s so creamy and flavorful with herbs and plenty of umami! She said, “I’d like to think if I was able to go to Richa’s house and bring her some lunch, that I’d bring her a big bowl of this soup. Feel better soon, girl.”

Why You’ll Love Cream of Mushroom Soup

• delicious, creamy soup with amazing herb and mushroom flavor
• easy to make in 30 minutes with simple ingredients
• gluten-free and soy-free with nut-free and oil-free options

Ingredients

• oil – To saute. You can broth fry for an oil-free option.
• mushrooms – Use mushrooms of your choice, such as white, cremini, oyster, shiitake, portobello, or a mix.
• aromatics – Sautéed garlic and onion add a ton of umami to this soup.
• sherry – You can also use red wine, balsamic vinegar, or a mix of balsamic vinegar and rice wine vinegar.
• dried herbs – Oregano, thyme, black pepper, and nutritional yeast add so much flavor!
• stock – Use vegetable stock or mushroom stock.
• raw cashews – For creaminess. For a nut-free version, you can use a combination of tofu and hemp seeds or tofu and pumpkin seeds to make the cream.
• garnishes – Garnish this cream of mushroom soup with some chopped green onion/chives, pepper flakes and sprout.

How to Make Cream of Mushroom Soup

Brown some of the mushrooms for garnish. In a large, thick-bottom saucepan, Dutch oven, or deep skillet, heat 2 teaspoons of the olive oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add in 1 to 2 ounces of the sliced mushrooms in a single layer. Add a good pinch of salt, and cook 2 to 3 minutes per side until browned on both sides. Remove and set aside for garnish. 

In the same pan, add the onion, garlic, and a good dash of salt. Mix and cook for 5 minutes or until the onion starts to turn translucent. If the pan dries out, add 1 tablespoon or more stock. 

Add the remaining mushrooms, herbs, and the remaining salt and olive oil, and mix well. You can also add 1 to 2 teaspoons vegan butter at this point for additional flavor. Partially cover and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring once in between, until the mushrooms start to pick up some color.

Mix in the wine or balsamic vinegar. Cook uncovered for 3 to 4 minutes to cook out the alcohol or vinegar flavor, then reduce the heat to low. 

Transfer about 1/3 of the mushroom and onion mixture to a blender. 

Add 3 cups of the stock to the pan. Increase the heat to medium again, cover, and bring to a boil. Let the mushrooms cook for 8 to 10 minutes total, so they are completely cooked through, because they will stop cooking once you add the cashew cream mixture. 

Meanwhile, add the soaked cashews, nutritional yeast, and 2 cups of the stock to the blender. Blend until smooth. I usually blend for 1 minute, let the mixture sit for 2 to 3 minutes for the cashews to rehydrate, then blend again for 1 minute until everything is super smooth. 

Once the mushrooms are cooked to preference, add the cashew cream mixture to the pan. Partially cover and bring back to a boil. If the soup thickens too much, add more stock and bring to a boil again. Taste and adjust flavor, adding more salt, black pepper, herbs, pepper flakes. For additional flavor, you can also add in some miso, vegan parmesan, and fresh herbs as desired. 

Serve this cream of mushroom soup garnished with the browned mushrooms, chives or green onion, pepper flakes, and sprouts. Serve with sourdough bread, bakery bread, garlic bread, pita bread, or crackers.