This easy Homemade Creamy Mushroom Soup is velvety, rich, full of flavor, and has plenty of sliced mushrooms. And it tastes so much better than any canned soup!
Mushroom lovers, this one’s for you! Incredibly tasty and surprisingly hearty and filling, it can be served as the main course or as a starter…and it’s one of my most favorite soups ever!
Happy New Year, friends! I’m really looking forward to 2023 being another year of bringing you lots of simple and delicious recipes to try!
And, wow, is this a great one to start with!
If you’re like me and you absolutely love mushrooms but are just not a fan of the soup from the can, this homemade cream of mushroom soup is a must-try.
First, we cook fresh sliced mushrooms in butter and olive oil until all of the liquid evaporates and they start to caramelize and turn golden brown (this step takes a little time, but it really amps up the mushroominess).
Then we add onions, garlic, fresh thyme, and dry sherry for lots more yummy flavor.
Flour goes in to make a quick roux (that will help thicken the soup) along with chicken stock or broth.
All that simmers together for a bit, and then we finish it off with some heavy cream.
One spoonful, and I bet you’ll be hooked!
Ingredients You Need:
Note: Ingredient amounts are in the recipe card below.
- Butter
- Olive oil
- Fresh cremini mushrooms (aka baby bella)
- Onions
- Garlic
- Fresh thyme
- Dry sherry
- All-purpose flour
- Chicken stock or broth (I use roasted chicken base mixed with water)
- Heavy cream
- Salt
- Pepper
- Chopped fresh parsley (optional, for garnish)
Note: The above video is just a brief overview of the steps. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full printable recipe with ingredient amounts and detailed instructions.
Recipe Tips & Tidbits:
- I use cremini (aka baby bella) mushrooms because I think they have more flavor. But I have also made this soup with white button mushrooms, and it was very good too!
- These are the type of mushrooms that I can easily get most often, but you can use any mushrooms or combination of mushrooms that you like.
- Want to save on the prep time? Buy pre-sliced mushrooms.
- Yes, it takes a while to cook down those mushrooms until they are golden brown, but it’s so worth it because it adds so much more mushroom flavor!
- That being said, if you’re in a hurry, you can cut this step short and just cook the mushrooms until they are tender (the soup will still be yummy!).
- You can save a few of the cooked mushrooms for garnishing the soup if you’d like.
- No fresh thyme? Use dried instead (the general rule is 3:1 fresh herbs to dried, so you would use 1 teaspoon dried thyme).
- No dry sherry? Use some dry marsala or a drier white wine such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc (and please use a wine that you would drink; the cooking wine you can get in the grocery store doesn’t have the same flavor and it can be very salty).
- If you’d rather omit the alcohol, just use an extra ½ cup of stock or broth. The soup will still be delicious!
- Beef or vegetable stock or broth could be used instead of chicken (and if you can get your hands on a good mushroom stock, I’m sure that would take it over the top!).
- This soup is not intended to be used as a substitute for condensed canned cream of mushroom soup in recipes (it does not have the same consistency and is not thick enough).
Make-Ahead, Storing Leftovers and Freezing:
- Make-Ahead: Yes! This soup is great the day you make it, and it’s even better the next day.
- Once it’s finished, cool it and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days. Or you can freeze it (see special freezing instructions below).
- Storing Leftovers: Once cooled, store the soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days.
- If you made the soup ahead of time, be sure to take that time into account (so, for example, if you made it a day ahead of time, the leftovers can be stored for up to 2 to 3 days).
- Reheat slowly in a pot on the stove over low or medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through.
- Freezing: Cream-based soups don’t freeze well (they can become grainy), so I don’t recommend freezing this soup once the cream has been added (i.e. leftover soup).
- If you want to make this soup ahead and freeze it, prepare the soup but don’t add the cream. Once it’s cooled, place it in a freezer bag or freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 to 4 months. Thaw and reheat, adding the cream right before serving.
This comforting soup is fantastic as a meatless dinner or lunch (I like to serve it with some crusty bread and/or a salad) or as a starter to any meal!
I hope you try this Homemade Creamy Mushroom Soup recipe and love it as much as I do. Thanks for visiting today!
More Recipes With Mushrooms You Might Like…
- Easy Stuffed Mushrooms
- Spinach and Mushroom Frittata
- Cheesy Chicken With Mushrooms
- Homemade Cheesesteaks With Mushrooms, Onions and Peppers
- Quick and Easy Beef Bourguignon
If you make this recipe, I’d love to know how it went! Please leave a star rating and comment below. Thanks!
Homemade Creamy Mushroom Soup
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 pounds fresh cremini mushrooms (aka baby bella), cleaned and sliced about ¼ inch thick
- 2 cups chopped onions, about ¼-inch pieces
- 4 cloves garlic, minced (about 4 teaspoons minced)
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- ½ cup dry sherry
- 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4 cups chicken stock or broth, I use roasted chicken base mixed with water
- 1 cup heavy cream
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- chopped fresh parsley, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- In a large pot (I use a 5-quart pot), heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat until the butter has melted.
- Add the mushrooms; season lightly with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until all of the liquid released by the mushrooms has evaporated and the mushrooms are golden brown.This takes about 25 to 30 minutes but is so worth it because it really amps up the mushroom flavor; stir more frequently once the liquid has evaporated to prevent the mushrooms from browning too much or burning. If you're in a hurry, you can cut this step short and just cook the mushrooms until they are tender (the soup will still be yummy!).
- Add the onions; Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions begin to soften (about 3 to 4 minutes).
- Add the garlic and thyme leaves; cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes.
- Add the sherry and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot; simmer, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes.
- Add the flour and stir to combine; cook, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes (this will cook out the raw flour taste).
- Add the chicken stock or broth and stir until well-combined and there are no lumps of flour, scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pot as you go.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently, uncovered, for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally (the soup with become thicker during this time).
- Add the heavy cream and stir to combine.
- Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve garnished with chopped fresh parsley, if desired.
Notes
- No fresh thyme? Use 1 teaspoon of dried thyme instead.
- No dry sherry? Use dry marsala or a drier white wine such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc (and use a wine that you would drink; the cooking wine you can get in the grocery store doesn’t have the same flavor and can be very salty).
- If you’d rather omit the alcohol, just use an extra ½ cup of stock or broth.
- Beef or vegetable stock or broth could be used instead of chicken (and if you can get your hands on a good mushroom stock, I’m sure that would take it over the top!).
- This soup is not intended to be used as a substitute for condensed canned cream of mushroom soup in recipes (it does not have the same consistency and is not thick enough).
- Instead of 4 main-dish servings, you could serve this as a starter (6 servings at about 1 cup each or 8 servings at about ¾ cup each).
- Once cooled, store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 to 4 days. Reheat slowly in a pot on the stove over low/medium-low heat.
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