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.
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!
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
Paula says
Not only is this the best tasting mushroom soup I’ve tried, it’s also the easiest! The simplicity allows the flavor of the mushrooms shine. I need look no further, this is now my mushroom soup. Thanks so much!
Jennifer says
So glad you enjoyed it, Paula! Thanks so much :)
Judy says
So easy and delicious!!
Jennifer says
Thanks so much, Judy! So glad you enjoyed it :)
catherine mcguinness says
my husband has celiac disease therefore its very hard to find recipes that work well with gluten free flour. i tried it and its great. He hasn't had mushroom soup in almost 10 years. He is having it today. Thank you
Jennifer says
That is great and so glad to hear it works well with gluten free flour, as well. Thanks so much :)
Alyssa says
This recipe was off the charts! So easy as well. I’ve been craving mushroom soup for a few weeks and never thought to make it from scratch, well again the craving came on this wet and gloomy day and your recipe hit the craving right in the savoury spot! My whole family including a almost two year old loved it. Thank you! So excited to creep the rest of your recipes!
Jennifer says
So glad you enjoyed it, Alyssa :) Thanks so much!
Celine Chan says
I forgot to rate this soup. Definitely a 5
Celine says
Your recipe is wonderful in both taste and satisfaction. In a pinch for supper one night I reduced the broth and poured it over noodles.
It was great. I'm elderly and cook for my husband and I. This soup recipe makes cooking easy and delicious.. Looking forward to trying more of your recipes.
Jennifer says
So glad you are enjoying it, Celine and I love the idea of combining with noodles :) Thanks so much!
helen says
i just made this for me and my husband. it tastes like some rustic, earthy, expensive soup i’d order in a bistro :) i had half and half on hand so i used that in place of heavy cream. delicious
Jennifer says
So glad you enjoyed it, Helen! Thanks so much :)
Sheila says
OMG! This soup is absolutely amazing!!! Do not hesitate to make it. Luckily I doubled the recipe but I'm wishing now that I had even tripled or fourthed the recipe. My one question, "Can this be frozen?"
Jennifer says
So glad you enjoyed it, Sheila! Thanks so much :)
June says
Thanks for this wonderful recipe. I didn't have stock so I just added more butter and salt and pepper with water. Also I couldn't find the Thyme...so I used Thai Basil. I also used Pheasant Back mushrooms from the forest and some regular mushrooms. Tasted fantastic!
Jennifer Maloney says
So glad you enjoyed it, June! Thanks :)
Anne says
So easy, even a caveman could make it. Utterly delicious. I made this the first time just because I had some leftover mushrooms and didn't want to throw them out, but now this soup is a favorite and I know I'll make it many times. Thanks for a great recipe!
Jennifer says
So glad you enjoyed it, Anne! Thanks so much :)
Jood says
OMG
This tastes amazing and my family and I loved it!!!!
Totally comfort food and a HUGE hit with my mother and older sister!!! Will definitely make this again!!!
Thank you for a delicious soup!!!
Jennifer says
So glad you all enjoyed it! Thanks :)
Kelli Buckley says
Doubled the recipe so I could pack it in lunches. There was nothing left! HUGE hit. Very easy recipe. My 11 yo daughter called it comfort food. Served with grilled cheese so its our first meatless meal in a long time. Love love love it.
Jennifer says
So glad you all enjoyed it, Kelli! Thanks :)
Irene says
Love mushrooms but haven’t always been a fan of cream soups. Easy covert with this receipe!
Doubled receipe in order to get two meals. Easy to make & VERY yummy!
Jennifer says
So glad to hear, Irene :) Thanks!
My Celiac Family says
So easy and delicious! Thanks for this great recipe. I subbed cornstarch for the flour to make it gluten free. Yum!
Jennifer says
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks :)
kaycee says
Easy to make and very tasty. Definitely will make it again.
Jennifer says
Glad to hear! Thanks :)
Leslie says
This was dinner tonight. A very easy and tasty mushroom soup. I pureed some of it but left a lot of larger pieces of mushrooms. I used evaporated milk vs whipping cream. Though whipping cream would have been yummy, I didn't have any. Thanks for a great recipe.
Jennifer says
So glad you enjoyed it, Leslie! Thanks :)
Linda Sheehy says
Isn't it amazing, how every once in a while, you come across a Recipe that you MUST make over & over again? This is one of these awesome Recipes! I only modified it a wee bit, adding a half a head of Garlic & a small pawmful of Freshly Chopped Dill, because I am Polish, so enough said!! It will be ready in about 10 minutes, so it smells Heavenly in here on a chilly-willy Minus 19 Celsius Tonight Winter's Day!! Thank you for this great Recipe!~~~
Jennifer says
So glad you are enjoying this soup, Linda :) And yes, a perfect way to warm up. We've been in the deep freeze here, as well! The depths of Winter, for sure! Thanks.
february says
Super easy to make and turned out great. Also, thank you for giving me the courage to spend more time cooking down the mushrooms to brown them well. Fully worth it, and again, I’ve learned something new.
Jennifer says
So glad to hear! Thanks :)
Patty says
Wow! While making my annual Turkey and rice casserole, using leftover turkey from Christmas, I realized I didn't have a can of Cream of Mushroom soup. I Googled for homemade recipes and yours popped up! Wow! Wow! Wow! Will NEVER buy the canned stuff again! Who knew Cream of Mushroom soup tasted SO good! Thank you! Even my adult daughter who never liked the stuff (canned) loved your recipe!
Jennifer says
So glad you discovered it, Patty :) It was a revelation for me, too! Thanks!
Daniela says
Thank you for this! I'm always trying to learn to make things from scratch now that I have kids and to be practical at the same time, this is exactly that. Only added some dried onion powder and increased the salt and it was so yummy.
Jennifer says
So glad you enjoyed it, Daniela :) Thanks!
Melabie says
Which would be better to use, beef broth or vegetable broth as I don't have any chicken.
Jennifer says
I would go with vegetable, Melabie. I think beef is a little strong for the delicate flavours of the soup. Enjoy :)
Ragina Cooper Hoffmann says
My son followed your recipe today. He did puree some of the mushrooms with the whipping cream and it did make for a much thicker richer quality of taste. He liked using herbs from his garden. It seemed to remind him how things were made for years before canned soups were a stable in most kitchens.
Jennifer says
So glad to hear, Ragina and yes, it's just a simple coming together of a few good ingredients, but something special in that :) Thanks!
Vicky says
My daughter has never liked mushroom soup. I decided to make it and I was too lazy to dig up my usual recipe, so I used my phone to Google a new recipe and found yours. My daughter was reluctant to try it but she knows the rules— she has to try anything new at least once. She has now given me strict instructions: “Make THIS recipe from now on!” Thank you so much for this. It’s quick and delicious.
Jennifer says
That is so awesome! My daughter had a thing about mushrooms growing up too :) So glad this soup won her over. It's one of my favourite bowls of soup and so easy, too. Win. Win :) Thanks so much.
Lorne O says
Excellent! Skipped the onion (allergies) and used the homemade turkey stock from last week's Canadian Thanksgiving. So easy, so fast and so tasty! Wish I had made a bigger batch. Will be making again soon.
Jennifer says
So glad to hear and great idea to use your turkey stock. I bet it was lovely :) Thanks!
Anne says
Made this tonight. It is wonderful. Thanks for the recipe!!
Jennifer says
So glad you enjoyed it, Anne :) Thanks!
Claire Vincent says
Love this easy creamy mushroom soup. This website is phenomenal. Recipes are easy, limited ingredients, perfect for me! I’ve used several of the recipes to rave reviews. Not bad for a non-cook!
Jennifer says
Thanks Claire! I love hearing that :) Some of my favourite recipes are the simplest and quickest and this is definitely one of them!