This mushroom soup without cream is the perfect recipe if you're looking for a hearty soup that's thick and delicious yet wholesome and lower in calories.
It's super quick and easy to make (ready in 30 minutes) and bursting with fresh mushroom flavors- perfect for any mushroom lovers out there. It's also gluten-free.
With the weather getting colder, there’s nothing better than a comforting soup recipe! This ultra-creamy mushroom soup is packed with fresh ingredients, nutrients and of course lots of mushrooms.
Just like our Vegetarian Potato Soup, this homemade mushroom soup is incredibly thick and creamy even though there's no heavy cream or butter involved. Instead of regular cream this recipe uses a homemade cashew sauce to achieve a creamy texture.
For more healthy soup recipes check out Broccoli Pea Soup, Tomato Soup or Homemade Ramen Soup.
Or check out this Mushroom Ragout for more mushroom inspired recipes.
Why you'll love this recipe
- It's a light meal that's lower in fat and dairy-free.
- It's packed with nutrients and fiber (it includes more than 10 different types of plants!).
- It's also vegan as well as gluten-free (there's no flour included).
- It comes together in no time making it the perfect, easy weeknight meal!
Ingredients & substitution notes
- Mushrooms: Choose mushrooms with lots of texture such as Shiitake, oyster or brown mushrooms. I don't recommend white white button mushrooms. Wild mushrooms are also a great choice. Their texture is amazing for a soup recipe and they add some additional earthy flavors. Unfortunatley, they are not as available. I’d also try using a couple of different types of mushrooms since it enhances the flavour of this recipe.
- Dried Mushrooms: You could use dried shiitake mushrooms or leave them out completely and replace it with more fresh mushrooms.
- Vegetable Broth: I use store-bought vegetable stock but homemade also works.
- Nutritional Yeast: It adds some cheesy flavors to the cashew cream. Could be replaced with parmesan.
- Milk of choice: I used almond milk in this recipe but feel free to use any milk you like such as soy milk or regular dairy milk. Opt for a low-fat option if you want to reduce some extra calories.
- Brown/ Wild Rice (Optional): Adding rice to this recipe is totally optional. If you decide to add some, I prefer using brown or wild rice instead of white rice simply due to its texture.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make mushroom soup without cream
This delicious soup requires only a couple of easy steps and simple ingredients.
STEP 1: Soak cashews in hot water, then set aside.
STEP 2: Soak dried mushrooms (optional) in veggie broth and set aside. If you're not including any dried mushrooms you can skip this step.
STEP 3: Fry onion, garlic and celery in some olive oil in a large soup pot or pan over medium-high heat.
STEP 4: Add mushrooms and cook for a couple of minutes until mushrooms have released most of their water.
STEP 5: Add carrots and veggie stock and let simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes.
STEP 6: Cashew cream. Put all the ingredients for the cashew cream into your high speed blender and blend until smooth.
STEP 7: Combine. Then add the cashew cream back to the mushroom mixture. This will create a delicious cream of mushroom soup. Taste and add more veggie broth if you prefer a thinner consistency.
STEP 8: Optional. The last steps involves adding your rice. You could also completely skip this step if you prefer a lighter version of this soup.
Top tips
- Types of Mushrooms: I prefer using mushrooms with a bit more texture such as shiitake, oyster or brown mushrooms. They result in a chewier, thicker soup. I don't recommend using regular white mushrooms.
- Clean Mushrooms: Mushrooms have the ability to absorb water so don't give them a proper wash. Simply use a brush or a paper towel and wipe off any traces of dirt.
- Strong Blender: You will need a fairly strong blender to create a smooth cream. An immersion blender might not be able to do the job.
- Save some time: buying pre-washed and pre-sliced mushrooms will save some prep time. There are also some steps that can be done ahead of time (see section below).
Variations & add-ins
- Thinner Soup: If you prefer a thinner soup, gradually add more veggie broth.
- Vegan: This mushroom soup recipe is vegan as is.
- Fresh Herbs: Serve this soup with some fresh herbs sprinkled on top such as fresh parsley.
- Legumes: like white beans or chickpeas would make an amazing add-in. They provide some additional plant protein as well as fiber.
- Leafy Greens: Feel free to add a handful of leafy greens such as baby spinach during the last 5 minutes of cooking (before adding the rice
- Rice: Wild rice can take quite a long time to cook. I recommend soaking the rice for a couple of hours before using it. This will decrease cooking time a lot!
Serving suggestions
Below you'll find a couple of meal ideas that go best with this delicious creamy soup.
- Bread: I love having some (toasted) bread alongside this mushroom soup. Especially garlic bread or Naan taste absolutely amazing.
- Sandwich: Instead of plain bread you could go for a delicious sandwich. Try our Guacamole Sandwich.
- Potatoes: Especially if you don’t include the rice in this recipe, potatoes can be a great side dish for this soup. Both sweet potatoes or white potatoes would taste great. Try our Baked Potatoes or you could even serve this soup as a gravy over some Mashed Potatoes.
- Salad: Any mixed salad such as mixed leafy greens, Vegan Couscous Salad or Asparagus Green Salad would go well with this soup. Enjoy them as either a starter or alongside the soup.
Prep ahead option
There are some steps that could be done ahead of time to save some time.
- Pre-sliced Mushrooms: buying pre-washed and pre-sliced mushrooms will save some prep time.
- Mushroom Broth: The brothy mix could be prepared the evening before and put in the fridge overnight. As for the cashew cream, I would not recommend preparing it the evening before but shortly before serving the soup.
- Rice: Whenever I know that I will be using some brown rice in my recipe the next day, I usually soak the amount needed the evening before. This reduces cooking time dramatically and saves time.
Storage & freezing
- Fridge: Store any leftover soup in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 1 day.
- Freezer: Freeze in a freezer-friendly airtight container for up to 3 months. Let it thaw in the fridge or on the counter overnight before consuming it.
- Reheat: Reheat in the microwave or on the stove top. You might need to add a splash of water or veggie broth before when reheating it.
FAQs
For this recipe, I love using mushrooms with a bit more texture such as shiitake, oyster mushrooms or brown cremini mushrooms.
Mushrooms have the ability to absorb water so don't give them a proper wash. Simply use a brush or a paper towel and wipe off any traces of dirt.
While most mushroom soup recipes include a mixture of heavy cream and a pat of butter, this one gets its creamy texture from a mix of blended cashews, plant milk and spices. The advantage of using cashews is that they are high in good fats (monounsaturated & polyunsaturated). Nuts are also high in protein as well as fiber.
The great thing about this soup is that it contains a wide variety of different plants and very little processed food. As a result, it's much healthier than canned soups that are often full of preservatives and salt. Eating a diet high in plants comes with a lot of health benefits.
Absolutely, some steps can be prepared ahead of time. Check out the section above for more detail.
More homemade soup recipes
📖 Recipe
Mushroom Soup (NO cream)
Ingredients
Dried Mushrooms
- 1 cup dried mushrooms (Shiitake...) *or more fresh mushrooms, see notes
- 1 ½ cups vegetable broth
Mushroom Broth
- 2 tablespoon olive oil *sub soy sauce to keep this recipe oil-free
- 1 onion chopped
- 4 fresh garlic cloves chopped, *or sub garlic powder
- 2 celery stalks chopped
- 2-3 cups fresh mushrooms cleaned & chopped, *see notes
- 2-3 carrots finely diced
- 3-4 cups veggie broth
- 2 teaspoon Italian herbs
Cashew Cream
- ⅓ cup cashews
- ¾ cup milk of choice *almond/ soy/ regular milk
- 1-2 tablespoon nutritional yeast *or grated parmesan
- juice of ½ a lemon
- pinch of salt
Instructions
- Soak dried mushrooms in 1 ½ cups of veggie broth, set aside.1 cup dried mushrooms (Shiitake...), 1 ½ cups vegetable broth
- Soak cashews in hot water, set aside.⅓ cup cashews
- Heat some olive oil in a large pot or pan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic & celery & sauté until golden brown.2 tablespoon olive oil, 1 onion, 4 fresh garlic cloves, 2 celery stalks
- Add fresh mushrooms and sauté for another few minutes until cooked through and crispy.2-3 cups fresh mushrooms
- Add carrots, soaked mushrooms (including the veggie broth you soaked it in) & an additional 3 cups of vegetable broth. For a thinner soup, add 4 cups of veggie broth.2-3 carrots, 3-4 cups veggie broth
- Adjust with salt and black pepper (depending on how salted your veggie broth is) & add 2 teaspoon of Italian herbs.
- Let simmer uncovered for about 15 minutes.
- Drain cashews & put them together with all the other cashew cream ingredients and about ⅓ of the mushroom broth into a blender/food processor and blend until smooth. Add cream to mushroom broth mix (see step-by-step photos or video).¾ cup milk of choice, 1-2 tablespoon nutritional yeast, juice of ½ a lemon, pinch of salt
- Garnish with parsley and/or fresh thyme and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Types of Mushrooms: I prefer using mushrooms with a bit more texture such as shiitake, oyster or brown mushrooms. They result in a chewier, thicker soup. I don't recommend using regular white mushrooms.
- Dried Mushrooms: Optional but they add a LOT of flavor. Could be replaced with more fresh mushrooms.
- Strong Blender: You will need a fairly strong blender to create a smooth cream.
- Thinner Soup: If you prefer a thinner soup, gradually add more veggie broth.
- Rice: Feel free to mix in some cooked wild or brown rice just before serving. Let simmer for another 5 minutes. I usually add a heaped ½ cup rice (100g).
- Storage: This mushroom soup keeps well in the fridge for up to 1 day. Make sure to store it in an airtight cotnainer. I wouldn't advise storing it any longer because of the blended cashew sauce.
- Nutritional data was calculated without the brown rice included!
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