Cream of Mushroom Soup
A silky, deeply savory soup built on a pound and a half of hard-seared mushrooms rather than a can. Browning the mushrooms in batches until their edges caramelize concentrates their flavor before the broth ever hits the pot, and blending only half the soup gives you a velvety base with meaty bites of mushroom in every spoonful. A splash of cream and dry sherry at the end makes it taste like it simmered all day.
Slice 675 g (1 1/2 lb) mixed mushrooms and brown them in two batches in butter and olive oil over medium-high heat until their liquid cooks off and the edges caramelize, about 6 minutes per batch; set a handful aside for garnish. In the same pot, soften a chopped onion, stir in garlic and thyme, then sprinkle over 30 g (1/4 cup) flour and cook 2 minutes to lose the raw taste. Deglaze with 60 ml (1/4 cup) dry sherry, return the mushrooms, pour in 1 liter (4 cups) vegetable broth, and simmer 15 minutes. Blend about half the soup smooth and stir it back in, then finish off the heat with 240 ml (1 cup) heavy cream, salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lemon. Ladle up and top with the reserved mushrooms and chives.
- Brown the mushrooms in batches and do not stir them for the first few minutes — crowding steams them and you lose the caramelized flavor the whole soup depends on.
- Blend only half the soup: the pureed portion makes it creamy without extra cream, while the unblended half keeps real mushroom texture.
- Add the cream off the heat and never boil the soup afterward, or it can break and turn grainy.
Equipment
- Large Dutch oven or heavy soup pot (4 qt / 4 L or bigger)
- Chef's knife and cutting board
- Wooden spoon or silicone spatula
- Immersion blender (or countertop blender)
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Ladle
食材
Mushroom base
- 450 g cremini (baby bella) mushrooms, wiped clean, sliced 5 mm (1/4 in) thick
- 225 g shiitake or wild mushrooms, stems removed, caps sliced
- 45 g unsalted butter
- 15 ml olive oil
- medium yellow onion, finely chopped
- garlic cloves, minced
- 10 ml fresh thyme leaves, or 3/4 tsp dried thyme
- 30 g all-purpose flour
- 60 ml dry sherry, optional; swap in extra broth
Broth and finish
- 1 L low-sodium vegetable broth, use chicken broth if not keeping it vegetarian
- 240 ml heavy cream
- 6 g fine sea salt, plus more to taste
- 1 g freshly ground black pepper
- 5 ml fresh lemon juice, optional, brightens the finished soup
- 6 g chopped fresh chives or parsley, for garnish
步驟
- 步驟01
Wipe the mushrooms clean with a damp paper towel (a quick rinse is fine too — just dry them well so they sear). Slice them about 5 mm (1/4 in) thick, keeping a few pretty slices aside for garnish. Chop the onion, mince the garlic, and strip the thyme leaves.
- 步驟02
Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter with the olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add half the mushrooms in a single layer and leave them alone for 3 minutes before stirring; cook until their liquid evaporates and the edges are deeply browned, about 6 minutes total. Transfer to a bowl and repeat with the second batch, seasoning each batch with a pinch of salt at the end. Reserve about a cup of the browned mushrooms for topping the bowls.
- 步驟03
Reduce the heat to medium and melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in the same pot. Add the onion and cook, scraping up the browned bits, until soft and translucent, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, 1 minute more.
- 步驟04
Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir constantly for 2 minutes so it coats everything and loses its raw, pasty smell. It will look dry and clumpy — that is normal.
- 步驟05
Pour in the sherry and stir hard for 30 seconds to dissolve the flour. Add the browned mushrooms (except the garnish portion) and the broth in a slow stream, stirring as you go so no lumps form. Bring to a gentle boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened and the flavors have melded, 15 minutes.
- 步驟06
Pull the pot off the heat. With an immersion blender, puree roughly half the soup, leaving plenty of mushroom pieces intact — a few short pulses in one side of the pot does it. (Or transfer 3 cups to a countertop blender, vent the lid, blend smooth, and stir it back in.)
- 步驟07
Stir in the cream, salt, and pepper and warm gently over low heat for 2 to 3 minutes without letting it boil. Taste and adjust: more salt if it tastes flat, the lemon juice if it needs lift. Ladle into bowls and top with the reserved mushrooms and chives.
Make ahead
This soup is a great make-ahead candidate — the mushroom flavor deepens overnight. Make the full recipe up through the simmer-and-blend step up to 3 days ahead, refrigerate, then reheat and stir in the cream just before serving. The reserved garnish mushrooms re-crisp nicely in a dry skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes. You can also slice the mushrooms and chop the aromatics a day in advance; store the mushrooms in a paper-towel-lined container so they stay dry.
Storage
Cool completely, then refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop over medium-low, stirring, and stop just short of a boil so the cream stays smooth; thin with a splash of broth if it has thickened. Freezing is possible for up to 2 months, but cream-based soups can separate when thawed — whisk vigorously (or buzz briefly with an immersion blender) while reheating to bring it back together. For best freezer results, freeze the soup before adding the cream and stir it in fresh when you reheat.
Variations
Vegan and dairy-free
Use olive oil in place of all the butter and swap the heavy cream for 240 ml (1 cup) full-fat coconut milk or raw cashews blended smooth with water. To make it gluten-free as well, replace the flour with an equal amount of white rice flour or a 1:1 gluten-free blend.
Wild mushroom and porcini
Soak 15 g (1/2 oz) dried porcini in 240 ml (1 cup) hot water for 20 minutes, chop them, and add with the broth; strain the soaking liquid in too, replacing an equal amount of broth. This pushes the soup into deep, woodsy territory that is worth the extra step for company.
Condensed-soup style for casseroles
Cut the broth to 500 ml (2 cups) and simmer until very thick, then blend the whole pot smooth. Use it cup-for-cup wherever a can of condensed cream of mushroom soup is called for — green bean casserole included.
Serve with
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition values are estimates based on the metric measurements. Adjust as needed.
常見問題
What are the best mushrooms for cream of mushroom soup?
Cremini (baby bella) mushrooms are the backbone here — they have noticeably more flavor than white buttons for the same price. Adding a second variety like shiitake, oyster, or a wild-mushroom mix layers in earthiness, but the soup still works with 675 g (1 1/2 lb) of any single type you can find. Whatever you use, the browning step matters more than the variety.
Can I make cream of mushroom soup without heavy cream?
Yes. Half-and-half or whole milk will work, though the soup will be lighter-bodied and more prone to curdling, so keep the heat gentle and do not let it boil. Blending a larger portion of the soup compensates for the thinner dairy. Coconut milk or blended cashews make a good dairy-free stand-in with a rounder, slightly sweet finish.
How do I make this gluten-free?
Swap the all-purpose flour for the same amount of white rice flour or a 1:1 gluten-free baking blend and cook it exactly as written. Alternatively, skip the flour entirely and blend two-thirds of the soup instead of half — the pureed mushrooms thicken it naturally. Check your broth label, since some brands contain barley or wheat-based flavorings.
Why did my soup turn out gray and bland instead of rich?
Almost always it is crowded mushrooms. If all the mushrooms go into the pot at once, they release their water and steam instead of searing, so you never build the browned, savory base that gives homemade cream of mushroom soup its depth. Cook them in two batches over confident heat, let them sit undisturbed at first, and wait until the liquid is fully evaporated and the edges are golden before moving on.
Can I use this instead of canned condensed soup in recipes?
Yes — see the condensed-soup variation. Reduce the broth to 500 ml (2 cups), simmer until very thick, and puree the whole pot. About 300 ml (1 1/4 cups) of that concentrate replaces one 10.5 oz can of condensed cream of mushroom soup in casseroles, and it freezes well in can-sized portions.
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