You can make this quick, easy and delicious cream of mushroom soup in just 20 minutes! Perfect for a comforting homemade mushroom soup any time.
I have been sharing some classic recipes in the past few weeks that, while not glamorous, are just solid recipes for every-day dishes. They are simply perfect. This classic cream of mushroom soup recipe is one of those.
Beyond being incredibly delicious, this soup is ready to eat in just about 20 minutes. Just let that sink in for a few seconds ... delicious ... soup ... 20 minutes. You'll never open a can of mushroom soup again!
The real beauty of this soup is that you can walk in to the kitchen, throw together just a few ingredients and then walk out with a bowl of delicious and comforting soup in minutes. There are not a lot of recipes you can say that about!
Ingredient Notes
- Mushrooms - I will often use cremini mushrooms for this soup, though regular white button mushroom as just fine, too. I buy the whole mushrooms and slice them myself, as I like the extra chunkiness. Pre-sliced mushrooms are just fine here, too.
- Chicken Broth - you can swap in vegetable broth if you'd like to make this soup vegetarian.
- Cream - If I have it, I'll always use heavy, whipping cream (35% butterfat) in this soup. It doesn't need a lot and it doesn't put this soup over the top in the richness department. It also makes for a thicker/creamier soup. If you don't have or want to use heavy cream, I'd suggest mixing whatever lighter cream or milk you use with a couple of teaspoons of cornstarch before adding to the soup. It will thicken up the lighter cream. For a dairy-free option, try coconut milk (stirred).
- Flour - This recipe uses all purpose flour as a thickener. If you'd like to make it gluten free, you can use a gluten-free flour in place of the all purpose flour, or skip the flour altogether and thicken the soup a bit at the end of cooking by mixing up a slurry or 2 Tbsp cornstarch with 2 Tbsp water and adding to the soup a bit at a time, until it thickens.
Step-by-Step Video
Cook's Notes
This mushroom soup is not super thick, at least not like the gelatinous canned version. It's pleasantly thick. If you like, you can puree a bit and add it back in to the soup to thicken it more, as well. The thyme is the perfect spice for mushroom soup. It's subtle, but present and complements the mushrooms without overpowering them. I often just use plain, old pre-sliced button or mini bella mushrooms, but a combination is nice, as well. Whatever you like or you have around is fine.
This recipe makes 2 large bowls or 3 smaller ones. I keep the recipe in these increments since it equates to one standard "tray" of mushrooms and the better part of one carton of chicken broth. I'm also only cooking for 2 or 3 most often. That said, you can double or triple the as needed, to feed more. Use the handy "2X" or "3X" buttons above the recipe ingredients below, to double or triple the ingredients.
Be sure to taste your soup before serving and adjust seasoning as necessary. While the chicken stock will have some salt, you will probably want to add a bit more. And some freshly ground pepper is always nice! If you taste it and it seems like it needs something, it's probably salt!
This soup will store well in the fridge for about 2-3 days. While you can freeze this soup, you may notice a small texture change after thawing and re-heating, due to the cream.
Recipe
Simply Perfect Cream of Mushroom Soup
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces
- 1/2 cup yellow onions, finely diced
- 8 oz fresh mushrooms, button or cremini, or mixture, cleaned and sliced (1 standard "tray")
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, or 1/4 tsp. dried thyme leaves
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 - 1/3 cup all-purpose flour, use the 1/3 amount for a bit thicker soup
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, if using a lighter cream, mix with a couple teaspoons of cornstarch before adding to soup
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, melt 1 Tbsp. of the butter over medium-high heat. Add the onions and cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes.
- Add the mushrooms, thyme, salt, and pepper and the second 1 Tbsp. of butter. Cook, stirring regularly, until the mushrooms start to brown, about 5 minutes.
- Add the last 1 Tbsp. of butter and stir to melt. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly for about 30 seconds to a minute. Add the stock and stir while returning the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
- *At this point, if you like a thicker soup, you can remove a few of the mushrooms with a bit of soup to puree and return to the pot or simply pulse a few seconds with an immersion blender. Neither is necessary if you'd rather leave it with all whole mushroom pieces.
- Add the cream and cook for a further minute or two to heat. Taste and adjust seasoning, as necessary. Enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information provided for general guidance only and should not be relied upon to make personal health decisions.
More Mushroom Soup Recipes from Seasons and Suppers
Jan Painter says
I made your fabulous mushroom soup this morning. I’ve made a few mushroom soup recipes in the past with fancy, designer mushrooms, yet this soup is the best ever! So quick and easy with simple and inexpensive ingredients. I read the reviews and also added two small cloves minced garlic and increased the flour to one third cup. It is divine! So far I’ve made your split pea soup, parsnip and pear, navy bean and ham and now this one. All are fantastic! Tomorrow it’s going to be pasta e fagioli.
Jan....🇨🇦
Jennifer says
So glad you enjoyed it, Jan. Soup season is long here, so I do have a lot of them :) Enjoy!
Michelle Kerr says
This is a question, If I want to make this and put in the freezer to use in place of a can of cream of mushroom soup for cooking purposes, will it work if I freeze the soup before I put the cream in and when I need it, pull it out heat it thoroughly and then add the cream?
Jennifer says
Hi Michelle and yes, that would work just fine! Enjoy :)
Michelle says
How long is this good in the fridge for? It's absolutely delicious btw!
Jennifer says
Thanks Michelle and it should keep well in the fridge for 2-3 days :)
Joy says
Can I add water instead of chicken broth?
Jennifer says
Hi Joy, As I always say, you can do whatever you want, but if you want a soup that has some flavour, I don't think water is a great choice. If you are looking for a vegetarian option, I would try vegetable broth.
Marie Louis says
Easy peasy and really really good!!! I tweaked a little. I added 2 chopped garlic cloves to the onions. I increased butter to 4 tablespoons and flour to a 1/3 cup which made it perfect. Thickened up nicely I might add. Great receipe I will be making again and again
Jennifer says
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much :)
Caeli says
Excellent soup. Baked bread bowls and this was the perfect thing to fill them with!
Jennifer says
So glad you enjoyed it and I love the sound of homemade bread bowls :)
Kevin Gamble says
I've cooked this for two years in a row and this fall will be year three.
My wrinkle? I substitute the chicken broth for a SMOKED chicken broth I make from a whole smoked chicken.
It makes SMOKED Cream of Mushroom soup and it's absolutely spectacular.
Jennifer says
Sounds great Kevin and so glad you are enjoying it :) Thanks!
Kathleen says
Can you substitute beef broth for the chicken broth?
Jennifer says
Hi Kathleen, While yes, you could use beef broth here, to my taste, beef broth is quite strong in flavour and might overwhelm the mushroom flavour. I find the chicken broth makes for a nicer background flavour, myself.
Carole Ann O’Connell says
This soup is delicious and so easy to prepare. I used the Immersion blender at the end leaving only a few mushrooms in tact. A real crowd pleaser. Thank you, Jennifer.
Jennifer says
Thanks! So glad you enjoyed it :)
Vicky says
Absolutely awesome soup - best cream of mushroom soup ever - you won’t be disappointed!!
Jennifer says
So glad you enjoyed it, Vicky! Thanks so much :)
Jocelyn says
Made this with evaporated milk instead of cream (and a little extra flour) with great results. Everyone loved it! Fresh herbs make all the difference and really aren't that expensive.
Jennifer says
Sounds delicious, Jocelyn! Thanks so much :)
Scott Murray says
So simple and Wow!!
The flavour is amazing
Family loved it
Thanks for the recipe
Jennifer says
So glad you all enjoyed it, Scott! Thanks :)