This delicious and easy vegan cream of mushroom soup is full of rich flavor. Creamy and comforting it's better than anything out of a can or carton!
If I had to come up with one of my favorite things to eat in winter and all year-round, it would be soup. Creamy and comforting, soups are an especially easy way to get in all those healthy and nourishing vegetables we could all use more of in our diets. Not to mention that they are deliciously warm and soothing any time of year but particularly so in the winter.
This cozy vegan mushroom soup is hearty and satisfying while offering lots of rich flavor. Its savory, earthy flavor is warm and inviting on a cold winter day.
Now this isn’t the kind of bland mushroom soup you’d find in a can, it’s a rich yet dairy-free mushroom soup with lots of deep umami flavor and a velvety texture thanks to a blend of mushrooms, cauliflower and cashews. Here’s what you’ll need:
Ingredient Notes:
(Here are a few notes about the ingredients you’ll need for this recipe. As always find the full list of ingredients and directions in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.)
- Mushrooms – Use a blend of mushrooms like shiitake and cremini for the best flavor.
- Olive Oil – Use your favorite olive oil.
- Herbs and Spices – You’ll need both fresh thyme and ground coriander.
- Broth – You can easily make your own broth by soaking dried mushrooms in hot water (full directions in the recipe card) or simply use a store-bought mushroom broth.
- Dried Mushrooms – If you’re making your own mushroom broth you’ll need dried mushrooms.
- Garlic - Finely minced.
- Leek - Use only the white and light green parts only or substitute a shallot.
- Cauliflower - Cauliflower gives the soup a velvety texture.
- Coconut Aminos – Use coconut aminos or gluten-free tamari for a deep umami flavor.
- Cashews - Raw cashews are used to add creaminess to the soup.
How to Make Vegan Mushroom Soup:
The secret to a great mushroom soup is a quick roast in the oven. Mushrooms have a high water content, roasting them first in a hot oven concentrates their flavor and gives them a rich savory note that other cooking methods don’t.
- You’ll start by tossing the mushrooms with the thyme, coriander and olive oil on a sheet pan and roasting them until tender.
- In the meantime you can make the simple mushroom broth by soaking dried mushrooms in hot water and letting them sit. Dried mushrooms have a wonderfully strong and concentrated flavor that infuses the water creating a full-bodied and earthy broth in about the same amount of time it takes the vegetables to roast.
- Next fragrant garlic and chopped leeks are quickly sautéed in a bit of oil until softened to which half the roasted mushrooms, mushroom broth, cauliflower florets, coconut aminos and cashews are added and then simmered together to marry all the flavors.
- The soup is pureed in the blender until creamy and smooth then mixed with the reserved roasted mushrooms for texture.
So creamy without a hint of cream, this roasted mushroom soup is a deliciously comforting companion on a cold winter’s day.
More Winter Soups:
Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup
This creamy, dairy-free cream of mushroom soup is warm, comforting and full of rich, earthy flavor.
Ingredients
- 8 oz/226 g cauliflower, cut into florets
- 1 lb/453g mixed mushrooms (shiitake and cremini), woody stems removed and thinly sliced
- 3 Tablespoons/45ml extra virgin olive oil (divided use)
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 4-6 branches of fresh thyme, stems removed
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt (divided use)
- 5 cups/1200ml filtered water or 4 cups store-bought mushroom broth + 1 cup water
- .5 oz/14 g mixed dried mushrooms (if making mushroom broth)
- 3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
- ½ a leek (white and light green parts only), finely chopped
- 1 Tablespoon/15ml coconut aminos or gluten-free tamari
- ¼ cup/28g raw cashews
Instructions
Pre-heat oven to 425F.
Toss the mushrooms on a parchment lined baking sheet with 2 Tablespoons of the olive oil, coriander, thyme and ¼ teaspoon of salt. Roast for 20 minutes or until golden and tender.
Meanwhile in a medium saucepan bring the 5 cups of water and dried mixed mushrooms to a boil, turn off heat, cover and let sit for 20 minutes while mushrooms roast.
When the mushrooms are done, heat the remaining 1 Tablespoon of oil in a large pot along with the garlic and leeks and sweat over medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes or until softened but not browned. Add ½ of the mushrooms (reserving the other ½ for later), cauliflower, coconut aminos and cashews. Strain mushroom broth into pot and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and cook for 15-20 minutes.
Add soup to a high speed blender and blend until smooth. Add in remaining mushrooms and pulse a few times to coarsely chop. Ladle into bowls and serve warm.
Notes
Make-Ahead :
Roasted mushrooms and mushroom broth can be made ahead of time.
Storage:
Store soup in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days.
Dietary Info:
Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Vegetarian, Vegan, Dairy-Free, Egg-Free, Paleo
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
4Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 265Total Fat: 23gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 19gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 856mgCarbohydrates: 13gFiber: 4gSugar: 5gProtein: 4g
Nutritional information for recipes contained on this website, such as calories, fat, carbs, etc. are only estimates and are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Sylvie Shirazi is the recipe developer and food photographer behind Gourmande in the Kitchen. For the last 10 years she's been making eating more healthfully easy and accessible with gluten-free, grain-free, paleo and vegan recipes that are free from processed ingredients.
Danielle says
Just made this soup and I am obsessed, it came out so well!!! I’ve always loved mushroom soup but anything in stores is bland! Just a question, mine came out quite thick, it seemed that it had very little liquid to start, and then most simmered off in cooking. Any tips to thin it out, and increase the liquid for next time without losing flavor? Thank you!
Irene Findley says
While making this soup I realized I was not sure what to do with the dried mushrooms I had boiled and let sit. Recipe calls for straining the mushroom broth into the soup. What happens to the dried mushrooms?
Sylvie says
Hi Irene, The purpose of the dried mushrooms is to make the mushroom broth. Once the dried mushrooms have infused the broth with enough flavor you can discard them.