Cream of Mushroom Soup – creamy, elegant cream of mushroom soup made from scratch loaded with a pound of mushrooms and layers of flavors. You’ll be shocked at how easy it is to make!
This is not the kind of soup that suits well only on cold days. Nope! Whether it’s chilly or warm outside, this homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup is one of those few that I won’t turn my back on. I could use a bowl of this to warm my belly (especially this season here in LA) or serve this as a good starter for a holiday meal or dinner date nights at home.
Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup
Without any trace of exaggeration, this Cream of Mushroom Soup here is far better than those in cans. It’s full of delightful flavors (thanks to its fresh ingredients) and creamy goodness with tender bits of mushroom in every bite.
You might think that I’m crazy with adding a pound of mushrooms here, but, you”ll be surprised how the garlic, onion and fresh herbs shine in this dish as it complements the earthy, “umami” natural flavor of mushrooms.
For this recipe, I use fresh brown cremini mushrooms (or also known as Baby Bellas) as they’re perfect for this recipe. But if it’s not available in your neck of woods, you can always substitute it with mini portobello mushrooms or a variety of your favorite mushrooms. Actually, it still works fine either way.
Please also take note that I use a combination of evaporated milk and heavy cream in this soup instead of heavy cream alone. I just simply love the spot on creaminess and taste of evaporated milk as the heavy cream adds richness to this elegant Cream of Mushroom Soup.
Is Canned Cream of Mushroom Soup Bad For You?
First off, I’m in no way certified enough to make big claims if a product is healthy or bad for you. But if I see hard-to-read ingredients in a product, that makes me more unlikely to buy it. Canned soups or, processed products in general, have more preservatives than we’re even familiar with. Unlike canned soups, we know what and how much goes into a homemade soup and they’re usually made fresh in the pot. So if you’re going to let me choose between the two, you know that I’m always on the homemade side.
How Long Does Cream of Mushroom Soup Last in the Fridge?
Aside from it’s wonderful texture and rich flavors, this Cream of Mushroom Soup is also a great make-ahead soup. Let it cool first before transferring it to a container and into the fridge for 3-4 days. Moreover, try to do a quick sniff too, to double check before reheating. Remember, this is a cream-based soup. As for freezing it, I don’t highly recommend it as it sometimes separate when you defrost and reheat them.
Recipes Using Cream of Mushroom Soup
What’s great about this recipe, is that you can add or use any leftovers you have for this on other dishes, too. Yep! You can add Cream of Mushroom Soup on creamy pastas, casseroles like this Green Bean Casserole HERE, scalloped potatoes or basically any creamy based recipes that complements well with mushrooms.
Pair this warm and comforting bowl of Cream Mushroom Soup with sliced artisan bread, slightly toasted bread or my easy homemade garlic bread. Or if that won’t be enough for you, toss some croutons on top of the soup to go along with those tender bits of mushrooms.
Enjoy!
Tips and Notes:
- You can always substitute cremini mushrooms with mini portobello mushrooms or a variety of your favorite mushrooms.
- If you need to leave out the heavy cream, simply replace it with the same amount of evaporated milk or regular milk (full fat or 2%).
- Do not bring the milk to a rapid bowl as it may curdle. Instead, simmer it over medium-low heat.
- For a vegetarian option, use a good quality vegetable broth or stock and vegetable bouillon.
Cream of Mushroom Soup
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Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound cremini mushrooms , cleaned, roughly chopped
- salt
- Creole seasoning
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup diced onion
- 2 teaspoon minced garlic
- 2 teaspoons fresh minced thyme
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup stock (Chicken or Vegetable)
- 1 canned evaporated milk
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon
- ½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- adjust salt to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (more or less to taste)
Instructions
- Damp a paper towel then use this to clean mushrooms one at a time. Wipe the outside and underside to remove any dirt. If using small mushrooms, rinse under cold water, then pat dry with paper towels.
- Bring a large skillet or cast iron on medium to high heat. Then add oil, swirl to coat bottom the pan.
- Add mushrooms, season with salt and Creole seasoning – stir for a few minutes until slightly brown. Set aside,
- Add butter to the skillet, followed by onion, cook , stirring until tender and translucent - about 3-5 minutes. Do not brown the onion.
- Next, add garlic and thyme, stir for about a minute.
- Stir in flour and continue cooking for another minute until flour and onions are well combined.
- Pour in chicken stock, followed by evaporated milk, a little at a time until it forms a silky paste and starts simmering. Add bay leaf.
- Simmer over medium-low heat, for about a 8-10 minutes until the soup reaches the desired thickness.
- Return mushrooms together with it’s juice back to the skillet followed by chicken bouillon and Worcestershire sauce.
- Pour in cream. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper to taste .
- Lower heat and continue cooking until desired consistency has been reached. Add more cream or chicken broth for desired consistency. Garnish with chopped parsley. Serve hot.
Tips & Notes:
- You can always substitute cremini mushrooms with mini portobello mushrooms or a variety of your favorite mushrooms.
- If you need to leave out the heavy cream, simply replace it with the same amount of evaporated milk or regular milk (full fat or 2%).
- Do not bring the milk to a rapid bowl as it may curdle. Instead, simmer it over medium-low heat.
- For a vegetarian option, use a good quality vegetable broth or stock and vegetable bouillon.
Nutrition Information:
How to Make Cream of Mushroom Soup
Damp a paper towel then use this to clean mushrooms one at a time. Wipe the outside and underside to remove any dirt. If using small mushrooms, rinse under cold water, then pat dry with paper towels.
Bring a large skillet or cast iron on medium to high heat. Then add oil, swirl to coat bottom the pan. Add mushrooms, season with salt and Creole seasoning – stir for a few minutes until slightly brown. Set aside. Add butter to the skillet, followed by onion, cook, stirring until tender and translucent – about 3-5 minutes. Do not brown the onion. Next, add garlic and thyme, stir for about a minute.
Stir in flour and continue cooking for another minute until flour and onions are well combined.
Pour in chicken stock, followed by evaporated milk, a little at a time until it forms a silky paste and starts simmering. Add bay leaf. Simmer over medium-low heat, for about a 8-10 minutes until the soup reaches the desired thickness.
Return mushrooms together with it’s juice back to the skillet followed by chicken bouillon and Worcestershire sauce.
Pour in cream. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper to taste. Lower heat and continue cooking until desired consistency has been reached. Add more cream or chicken broth for desired consistency. Garnish with chopped parsley. Serve hot.
Rebekah says
This is my go to cream of mushroom soup recipe. The consistency is perfect and the creole seasoning adds a lot of flavor. I do puree some of the soup to have a variety of textures.
ImmaculateBites says
Thank you Rebekah. That is a great idea to puree part of it:)
Felicia says
This soup is absolutely delicious!
Made exactly to the recipe but didn’t feel that it needed any salt, as my bouillon and Creole seasoning had plenty.
Will definitely make this again!
ImmaculateBites says
Hey Felicia,
Sounds goods. Thank you!
Cora says
Hi your recipe looks super yummy however, you didn’t specify how much Creole seasoning to use. What would that measurement be?
ImmaculateBites says
Hello Cora, 1-2 teaspoons creole seasoning .
Alago Eunice says
Great recipes will try them
ImmaculateBites says
Awesome! Thanks so much!
Granato says
I’ve been making a variety of cream of mushroom soups for 30 years and this is by far the best recipe I’ve found. The texture and depth of flavor is spot on. Using the best ingredients helps too so splurge on cultured butter and make your own stock. I highly recommend you try this recipe. You will not be disappointed.
imma africanbites says
Thank you so much for the wonderful feedback! Wishing you lovely weekend!
Lydia B says
This soup looks so good. I love mushroom soup but not from a can and my own attempts have not been successful in getting the taste and texture I want. One question, while I will make the cream version for myself, my husband is dairy-free. Would you recommend using coconut milk? I would use the stock but would like to get a little of the creaminess in there still.
ImmaculateBites says
Yes, coconut milk would work just fine.
Fika says
I made this soup today and it was so sensational. It was rich, creamy, and very flavorful. It is one of the best soups I have ever tasted. It is by far the best soup I have ever made too. This is a wonderful recipe. Thank you so much for sharing it. I made BLT’s to go with it. My family loved this soup so much. It will go at the top of the list of my favorite recipes for sure.
Kim says
I made this for the first time a couple of nights ago. It’s delicious. However, I used a cast iron skillet…I won’t do that again. I had to transfer to different pot because it was sticking in the cast iron. I like the idea of using in recipes instead of canned soups.
imma africanbites says
Sorry to hear about that, Kim. I had tried using a cast iron and it works fine so far. Yes, indeed. It is such a versatile one. Great with most casseroles.