You can make this incredibly easy cream of mushroom soup in just 20 minutes! It’s not only easy and quick, but it’s perfectly delicious, too! Perfect for a comforting bowl homemade mushroom soup any time.
Why you’ll love this easy cream of mushroom soup recipe
If you’re looking for a great cream of mushroom soup, that is just perfect for every-day eating, this is it! 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. It’s simply perfect!
Ingredients and Substitutions
Mushrooms – I will often use cremini mushrooms for this soup, though regular white button mushrooms or any mushroom you have or prefer is just fine, too. I like to buy the whole mushrooms and slice them myself, as I like the extra chunkiness. That said, 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 teaspoon or two 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.
Thyme – I think thyme is the perfect herb for mushroom soup. It’s subtle, but present and complements the mushrooms without overpowering them.
Video
Recipe Tips
- 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 it very lightly with an immersion blender (leaving some of the mushroom pieces) or, scoop out some of the mushrooms, blend and then add it back in to the soup to thicken it more, as well.
- 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!
Making ahead, storing and freezing
This soup can be made ahead and re-heated, as it keeps its nice consistency in the fride.
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. If you are concerned about that, you can freeze it before adding the cream and then simply add the cream when re-heating
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Get the Recipe: Easy Cream of Mushroom Soup
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons (42 g) unsalted butter, cut into 3 pieces
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) yellow onions, finely diced
- 8 oz (226 g) fresh mushrooms, button or cremini, or mixture, cleaned and sliced (1 standard "tray")
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, or 1/4 tsp. dried thyme leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 - 1/3 cup (32-42 g) all-purpose flour, use the 1/3 amount for a bit thicker soup
- 3 cups (750 ml) chicken broth
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) 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 the soup and add additional salt and freshly ground pepper, as needed. If the soup tastes "flat", it needs more salt! Enjoy! *
Notes
More Easy Soup Recipes to Love!
Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
I came across this yesterday and put it together last night… Excellent on a rainy night, served with warm, crusty Italian bread for dipping..
I like that it doesn’t make a bunch as there are only the two of us at home.. I sent the link to your site to my daughter.. She and her husband will love this recipe..
Thank you… :O)
So glad to hear! It’s been raining here, too (not very Christmas-y). This is one of my favourite soups and like you, I love the small batch, as I just make up a pot for the two of us for lunch or dinner and we eat it all up :)
I am not a fan of Thyme, but LOVE Tarragon–I substituted one “T” for the other—-I also added 3 large cloves of pulverized Garlic (I am a Polish Girl, and Garlic improves just about EVERYTHING!!)……I am now making it for the Third time, absolutely wonderful!! Hope you don’t mind my substitutions, as it sound like a lot of Thyme with Mushroom lovers out there!~~~
I love tarragon, Linda, so it sounds great to me :)
Just an update……..I am making this, yet again, for like the 12th time or so!! I have ‘learned’ to like Thyme, since I have used it in this Soup & it is, indeed delicious!! I also still like the Tarragon, too!! Making it yet again for tonight’s dinner, on this cold & blustery Winter’s day here in Canada, along with crusty, grilled ham & cheddar Sandwiches!! Ummnn, I can hardly WAIT for Dinner!!~~~
So glad to hear, and that you are warming up to thyme :) I’m trying to learn to love cilantro ;) Sounds like the perfect dinner for a cold, Canadian day (it’s snowing here, too),
I have made this soup twice in the last 3 days and still can’t get enough. I have sent the recipe to my daughters and sister so they can make it too. Thanks!
I am going to make some of your other dishes and soups too because they all look so good! So glad I found you. : )
So glad you are enjoying it Brandy :)
the pot of deliciousness is on the stove as I type………….tasting make me feel all warm and fuzzy. Weather perfect for this.
Thanks Barb :)
This soup is amazing and easy to make. Thanks for the recipe.
Thanks Linda and so glad you enjoyed it :)
Delicious recipe! I used organic unsweetened almond milk with cornstarch instead of the cream and it was just as good! Thank you for sharing!
Glad you enjoyed it, Aura :)
I made this soup last night and let me tell you, It’s to die for. Can’t wait to make it for my mom.
So glad you enjoyed it, Debbie. It’s amazing how such a simple soup is so delicious, isn’t it?! :)
I have spent years looking for a simple and delicious mushroom soup that tasted like my mom used to make.Hers was called Campbells and required a can opener.lol.Well the hunt is over.So simple and so delicious.Thankyou.Cant wait to try some of the other recipes.
So glad you enjoyed it, Gwen. My Mom’s soup was called Campbells, too :) If you’re a lover of simple soups, the tomato is awesome (especially with the goat cheese toasts!)
I’ve cooked this half a dozen times now. It’s delicious. Today’s is a triple batch for a potluck at work.
Glad you enjoyed it!
I keep cooking this regularly and I found that added a block of cream cheese makes it even better.
Just made this and I’m having trouble not eating the whole pot because it’s DELICIOUS!!! So glad I found your blog and such a fantastic recipe :D
So glad you enjoyed it. If you’re like me, you’ll now be regretting all the years you didn’t know you could enjoy such a great soup in so little time :)
Made this soupl last night, and it was so quick and easy! Simple, straightforward ingredients…delicious.
So glad you enjoyed it, Dianna. I love it for too, for just those reasons!
Love that this is made completely from scratch – something I’ve been wanting to do for years!
You would love it. From scratch in 20 minutes!
Looks delicious Jennifer! I like it when you revisit the classics!
Thanks Renee. These are all recipes that have served me well for many years. Hope others might enjoy them too!
I love anything with mushrooms & thyme, this soup sounds so comforting!
Thyme and mushrooms go perfectly together and yes, this soup is good for the soul :)
There is nothing better than the classics!! This soup looks delicious!
Thanks so much, Katie. It is one of my favourite soups.