Family, close friends, and Plant & Vine readers are well aware that I am a fan of mushrooms. Like a “make the family dog smell the mushrooms in the fridge so he can be my official mushroom sniffer and improve my meager chances of finding delicious, edible wild species on a mushroom hunt in the urban woods” type of fan. With cool fall evenings and winter quickly approaching, I’m all about the soups. So putting one and one together, here is a delicious vegan cream of mushroom soup rockin’ two different types of mushrooms.
the recipe title contains the word “cream.” is there a vegan cream of mushroom soup?
Yes, yes, friends, there is. This vegan cream of mushroom soup achieves creaminess without the dairy by using rich, creamy coconut milk. It’s a wonderful, earthy, savory substitution.
how do i make homemade mushroom soup?
Part of the beauty of this recipe is its ease. Simply slice the vegetables and herbs, add the chopped mushrooms, throw in some soy sauce until the mushrooms release their water, add coconut milk, and lett the soup simmer and settle.
When I started making this recipe, I felt like there wasn’t enough liquid in the pot with the mushrooms. But! Add it to the list of mushroom magic! Mushrooms contain and release an ever-surprising amount of water when heated. After 10 minutes of simmering, I had a dutch oven full of miraculous mushroom water. Add the coconut cream and voila! Delicious soup base.
If you’re into soup-making fall vibes, try my mushroom lentil soup with kale, moroccan chickpea stew, or vegan asparagus soup. Or, if you’re feeling more of the mushroom feels, check out these stuffed mushrooms. If you make this delicious vegan cream of mushroom soup, leave a comment, rate the recipe, and and tag a photo with #plantandvine on Instagram.
vegan cream of mushroom soup and wine pairings
Don’t let the simplicity of mushroom soup fool you–this isn’t a bland cream of mushroom from-the-can sort of situation. This is the real mushroom deal. And because it’s packing serious flavor, you can pair this soup with a lot of different wines. You’re going to want a solid wine decanter for these bottles, so check out the best wine decanters. Here are my favorite wine suggestions:
- Pinot Noir: queen of the red wines with earthy, mushroom undertones. Pinot Noir is light, approachable, and won’t knock out the soup with crazy tannins. However, it’s also a finicky, delicate grape that can be difficult to grow, so be prepared to shell out some cash for a decent bottle.
- Suggested Regions: Burgundy, France or Willamette Valley, Oregon
- Nebbiolo: another delightful red with earthy, leathery, and mushroomy flavors to play into the soup’s savoriness.
- Suggested Regions: Barbaresco or Barolo, Piemonte, Italy
- Chardonnay: if white wine is your speed, a full-bodied, lightly oaked or unoaked chardonnay will complement the creaminess of the coconut milk and provide refreshing acidity to the density of the soup.
- Suggested Regions: Napa or Paso Robles, California
If you’re interested in learning more about how to pair wine with vegan recipes, check out my wine pairing and vegan wine guides. Or, if you’ve already got a bottle of wine and need the scoop on how to decant wine, check out the best wine decanters.
Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup
This vegan cream of mushroom soup recipe is hearty, delicious, and easy to make. A perfect fall and winter warmer soup.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings
- Category: Vegan, Vegetarian, Soup, Main, Appetizer
- Method: Stove
- Cuisine: American, Vegan, Healthy
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 white or yellow onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 tablespoon dried basil
- 3 packs (8 oz each) cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 2 portobello mushrooms, sliced
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 can full-fat coconut milk
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- fresh thyme or basil, for garnishing (optional)
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to a tall soup pot or dutch oven over medium heat. You need a large pot for this recipe as the mushrooms will initially take up significant space. When oil is warm, add the onion, salt, garlic, dried oregano, basil. Cook for 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the sliced mushrooms and soy sauce and cover the pot. Cook on medium high, covered, for around 10 minutes. I stirred 2-3 times during this part. The mushrooms will release their water which will form the base of the soup.
- Remove the lid, and cook uncovered for an additional 10 minutes.
- Add the coconut milk and cook for a final 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. In total, you will cook the soup for 30 minutes, in three 10 minute sections.
- Add sea salt and black pepper to taste. I added another teaspoon of salt to bring out the flavors.
- Garnish with fresh herbs and serve. Pairs well with wine and a piece of bread.
- Store in covered container in refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Notes
*Recipe is a guide. Adapt as desired. Adapted from Lovin It Vegan.
Keywords: vegan cream of mushroom soup, mushroom soup, cream of mushroom soup, homemade mushroom soup, best cream of mushroom soup
Oh yikes that looks fantastic. The real mushroom deal. Need to make this. BUT, what could I use instead of soy sauce? I know, coconut aminos, but that stuff just tastes “off” to me. If I don’t need to keep it vegan, how about some “Better than Bouillon”? I want that flavor depth, just not with soy. Thanks!
★★★★★
Yes, I think you could definitely try Better than Bouillon. I also looked around the internet and found this non-soy sauce that tastes similar to soy sauce (and sounds pretty delicious!):
https://www.timescolonist.com/life/it-s-not-hard-to-make-a-substitute-for-soy-sauce-1.3009
If you make this with either version, let me know how it turns out!
Hi Kerrie: Thanks for the non-soy-soy-sauce suggestions. Decided to wing it instead and use Better than Bouillon, a dab of anchovy paste, and a teeny bit of molasses. Nobody watches me cook, so who’s going to know the difference????
Love the spontaneity! How did it turn out?
Divine, just divine. Company-worthy. Can’t believe the pile of mushrooms we had, glad I had a pasta pot. Hint: slice the criminis with an egg-slicer. Presto, done! I cut back to about half of the basil/oregano you called for, added white balsamic rather than more salt. My Better than Bouillon/anchovy/molasses thing looked gawd-awful but added that umami aspect. Our guest brought homemade bread that we served with goat cheese & sundried tomato spread. Yumzers.
★★★★★
That sounds like an amazing dinner party! Glad you enjoyed!
Use Braggs liquid aminos!!
Is it 19% protein for one serving? Or for all 4 servings?
Hi Georgie – it is 19g protein per serving.
Amazing! Is all I can say’
Can I freeze leftovers ….. Not that I’m expecting any, future reference only
Cheers!
I tried this for breakfast and it was awesome ..too bad I didn’t take pics….next time I will and tag you.
Looking forward to it!
Delicious! As you said, a glass of wine and a piece of bread, (a bit of jazz playing in the background too), and this momma of four feels like she’s out for fine dining. Now the hubby and I just need to quietly sneak our dinner and music outside for an awesome home date night!!!
Thank you 🙂
★★★★★
Glad you enjoyed!!!
Hello when I cooked the mushrooms initially with the lid on the water from the mushrooms evaporated. Im guessing this means i left them on too long with the lid?
Loved the recipe. I made it on three different occasions even though I didn’t like how rich it was (from the full-fat coconut milk) so I recently tried it with light coconut milk and it was PERFECT for me. Even my mum (who’s the poster child for carnivorous humans) loved it and asked for the recipe.
So glad to hear you found the version that worked for you and your mum, Chelsea!
Anyone add sherry or jalapeños?
Would love to hear how this went for you!
This is so delicious that I made it three times in a two week period. I LOVE IT! So so easy to make and cooks for 30 minutes. Sometimes I have it as is and other times I pour it over mashed potatoes. Thank you for sharing!!
★★★★★
This is delicious and easy. Wonderful recipe, thank you.
★★★★★
I’ve made this twice and my family just loves it!! It’s clean and delicious, and easy to make. For those who don’t want to use soy sauce we only use Tamari now. Thanks for such an awesome recipe!
★★★★★
Every single time I make this recipe for someone who has not had it before, I am asked for the recipe. It is fantastic! I follow the recipe exactly as written except I use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce.
★★★★★
Just made this delicious soup; the recipe was incredibly easy, and the soup itself was great! I did find the water evaporated when the pot was covered; I simply added in a cup or so of water to replace. The rest of the recipe went as expected. I personally found the soup a tad too sweet and rich for my taste, but serving in a cup instead of a bowl, and adding extra salt and pepper worked for me. I paired with two vegan grilled cheese sandwiches, and it went well together. Will make again, possibly trying low fat coconut cream instead of full.
Thank you for sharing this wonderful dish!
★★★★★