Cream of Mushroom Soup
If you love the vibe and flavor of classic cream of mushroom soup, but want to skip the overabundance of heavy cream used in many recipes, you’re in the right spot. This version brings all the nostalgia you love, but uses nuts to deliver the rich, creamy texture. It works beautifully, and the soup is such an all-star. Give it a try!
There are moments when I’m nostalgic for an old-school bowl of cream of mushroom soup. It’s comforting, earthy, loaded with nutrient-packed mushrooms, and simple to make. I like a classic-tasting version, but can’t bring myself to lean into the heavy cream in the way a lot of the older recipes do. This version brings all the factors you love about the classic (it tastes nearly identical) but leverages cashews to bring silky creaminess. Cooking the onions and mushrooms down aggressively develops depth and flavor, and herbs (dried and fresh!) and lemon bring lift and brightness. So good!
Cream of Mushroom Soup: Ingredients
- Mushrooms: This is the sort of soup I’ll make when I need to use up some mushrooms. I call for brown mushrooms here, but you can use white, brown, whatever you need to use up. This isn’t the soup I’d make to show off special mushrooms I picked up at the farmer’s market though. I like to use those for things like these mushroom “scallops” or this roasted mushroom sandwich.
- Herbs: Dried herbs and fresh herbs love a mushroom soup. The recipe calls for some dried thyme or herbs de Provence added to the pot during cooking. I like to toss a few fresh, chopped herbs into each bowl just before serving as well. You can see dill here, but snipped chives, slivered basil, marjoram, and fresh thyme are all very welcome and complement the mushrooms nicely.
- Broth: Use a broth that you love the taste of, it’s the base of the soup and is kee. A couple bouillon dissolved in water works as well. For this soup I typically mix 2 tablespoons of this homemade bouillon powder into the 6 cups of water.
- Cashews: You’ll cook the cashews along with the mushrooms. They soften up nicely and become beautifully creamy when you puree the soup before serving. No heavy cream needed, and honestly, few people can tell the difference between this soup and one made with heavy cream.
- Lemon: it really brightens everything up at the end and helps to bring the whole soup into balance.
- Black pepper: Invest in great quality black peppercorns, it will absolutely help you level up your cooking. And don’t skimp on it here. Really go for it.
Topping Ideas
Here’s a brainstorm of things that are great on top of a cream of mushroom soup like this one. You see it here topped with fresh dill, homemade oatmeal sourdough croutons, olive oil drizzle, and lots of freshly ground black pepper. 
Other ideas:
- chili crisp
- grated cheese
- poached egg and citrus furikake
- a swirl of pesto and toasted pine nuts
- sprinkled with za'atar and deeply toasted, baked pita strips
More Blended Soup Recipes
So many good blended soups around here. Enjoy!
- Simple Cauliflower Soup
- Pumpkin and Rice Soup
- Simple Asparagus Soup
- Simple Carrot Soup
- Ten Great Blender Soups
- Zucchini Soup
- Blended Vegetable Soup
- All soup recipes
More Mushroom Recipes
- Baked Mushrooms with Miso Butter
- Mushroom Lasagna
- Mushroom Ragu
- Stuffed Mushrooms
- all mushroom recipes
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Cream of Mushroom Soup
The recipe calls for brown mushrooms here, but you can certainly use a blend of multiple mushroom varieties. Use what you have. Choose a great tasting broth or bouillon to use here, I use 2 tablespoons of this homemade bouillon powder in the 6 cups of water. Lastly, because of the cashews using a high-speed blender here will give you the creamiest texture versus a hand blender.
- 1 1/2 pounds brown mushrooms
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 teaspoons fine grain sea salt
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
- 6 cups hot vegetable broth
- 1 cup cashews
- 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme or herbes de Provence
- 1 lemon
- lots of black pepper, to taste
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Use a damp cloth or paper towel to wipe any dirt or debris from the mushrooms. Trim the stem ends, and loosely chop the mushrooms. Set aside.
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In a large, wide-bottomed soup pot over medium-high, heat the olive oil. When hot, stir in the onions and salt. Cook, stirring regularly, until the onions start to get a bit sticky and concentrated and start to brown - 10 minutes or so.
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Stir in the mushrooms. Continue cooking, stirring regularly, until the mushrooms release their liquid and take on a bit of color, about 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook another 2 minutes.
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Stir in the broth, cashews, and thyme. Bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and allow to simmer for another 10 minutes. Remove from heat.
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Carefully use a high-speed blender to blend the mushroom mixture in batches until smooth and creamy. Serve hot topped with croutons, fresh herbs, or any of the other toppings suggested in the post up above.
Serves 6.
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A Good Blended Vegetable Soup
This blended vegetable soup is a delicious delivery vehicle for a range of hearty vegetables. If you have onions, potatoes, carrots, and broccoli to use up, this is a great option. A soup that is a unfussy as it gets, easily adaptable as well.
Zucchini Soup
A simple and delicious zucchini soup made with potatoes, sautéed onions, and bolstered with spinach. Add a bit of chopped chile for heat if you like. It’s light and healthful, and at the same time creamy textured and plenty tasty.
Ten Great Blended Soups
Blender soups are great because, often, you need just a few ingredients and a fifteen minutes or so. Take one all-star, seasonal ingredient like winter squash, or broccoli, or asparagus. Beyond that, perhaps an onion, some broth or water, some herbs or spices, boom - you've got what you need to make a beautiful, silky blended soup.
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