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This cream of mushroom soup recipe is rich and velvety, with deep mushroom flavor and tender pieces of mushrooms in every spoonful.
The secret to a really good cream of mushroom soup is getting plenty of flavor from the mushrooms themselves. I use a mix of varieties—shiitake, oyster, and portobello all work beautifully—because each brings something a little different to the soup.. Many grocery stores sell mixed mushrooms in convenient packages, so there’s no need to buy several kinds separately.
What I especially love about this recipe is the texture. Most of the soup is puréed until smooth and creamy, but some of the mushrooms are reserved and stirred back in, which gives it a nice bit of texture. I also add the white wine in two stages, saving some for the end to brighten the flavor. Fresh thyme, sage, and just enough cream bring everything together without overpowering the mushrooms.
“We loved this soup on the night I made it, and it was even better the next day!”
What You’ll Need To Make Cream of Mushroom Soup
- Butter, Shallots & Garlic: Form the savory base of the soup. Shallots are a little milder and sweeter than onions and work especially well with mushrooms.
- Flour: Thickens the soup just enough to give it body without making it overly thick.
- Mixed Mushrooms: Remove any tough stems before chopping. There’s no need to chop the mushrooms uniformly since most of them will eventually be puréed.
- Dry White Wine: Adds acidity and brightness that balances the richness of the soup. Use a dry white wine you enjoy drinking, such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio.
- Chicken Broth: Forms the base of the soup. I recommend low-sodium broth so you can control the seasoning.
- Heavy Cream: Adds richness and gives the puréed soup its smooth, creamy texture without overwhelming the mushrooms.
- Fresh Thyme & Sage: Add fresh, woodsy flavor that complements the mushrooms.
- Chives & Croutons: For finishing the soup with a little freshness and crunch.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
How To Make Cream Of Mushroom Soup
Start the soup: Melt the butter and cook the shallots until soft and translucent, without letting them brown. Add the garlic; when it smells fragrant, stir in the flour. The mixture will become thick and a little pasty—that’s exactly what you want.
Simmer the mushrooms: Add the mushrooms, wine, broth, salt, and pepper. As the soup simmers, the mushrooms will shrink considerably and become completely tender, and the broth will deepen in color.
Blend the soup: Scoop out some of the mushrooms and set them aside, then purée the soup until smooth and velvety, with no visible bits of mushroom remaining. If using a countertop blender, let the soup cool slightly and blend in batches, taking care with the hot liquid.
Finish the soup: Stir in the reserved mushrooms, cream, remaining wine, thyme, and sage, and gently bring the soup back to a simmer. It should be creamy and lightly thickened but still pourable, with tender pieces of mushroom throughout.
Serve: Ladle the soup into bowls and top with chives and croutons. Serve with crusty bread or a simple green salad, or add a sandwich for a heartier meal.
If you’re a mushroom lover like me, try my mushroom barley soup next. It’s a hearty, wholesome soup made with plenty of mushrooms and vegetables.
More Creamy Soups You’ll Love
Cream of Mushroom Soup
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 cup chopped shallots, from 4 medium shallots
- 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1½ lbs mixed mushrooms, such as shiitake, oyster, portobello, stemmed and roughly chopped
- ½ cup dry white wine, divided
- 5 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1¼ teaspoons salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh sage
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh chives, for garnish
- Homemade or store-bought croutons, for serving
Instructions
- In a large pot melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 2 minutes more. Stir in the flour and cook 1 minute more, then add the mushrooms, ¼ cup of the wine, chicken broth, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes, until the mushrooms are tender.
- Using a slotted spoon, remove about 2 large ladlefuls of the mushrooms and set aside (don’t worry if there are some shallots mixed in there). Using a handheld immersion blender, purée the soup until smooth. (Alternatively, let the soup cool slightly and use a blender to puree in batches. Be sure to remove the center knob on the blender top and cover with a dish towel to avoid splatters.)
- Stir in the cream, the remaining ¼ cup of wine, the thyme, the sage, and the reserved mushrooms. Bring to a simmer, then taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, if necessary. Ladle into bowls and top with the chives and croutons.
Notes
Nutrition Information
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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My husband loves mushroom soup and will get it out. We live near Kennett Square, PA, mushroom country. I never tried making it, but you made it easy! He raved how delicious it was. I will make it again and again! Thanks!
Wonderful! Very easy to make and was delicious! I added about 1/3 more garlic but other than that, I followed the recipe as written. I also made the homemade croutons. Excellent!
So delicious! We loved this soup on the night I made it, and it was even better the next day!
We don’t have a great selection of mushrooms at our local grocer (portobello and white). Should I reconstitute dried mushrooms for the mixture or stick with fresh/available mushrooms?
Hi Brenda, It will work either way. I’d probably go with fresh just to make life easier. 🙂
Just made this and it’s delicious. I’m wondering how to freeze it ? Will the 1/2 & 1/2 I used be a problem?
Cream-based soups don’t freeze all that well — they tend to separate when thawed — but you can give it a shot. Just reheat gently on the stovetop to re-emulsify if necessary. Hope that helps and glad you enjoyed it!
I don’t know if it will work with cream based soups but with a blended vegetable soup (no cream) whenever I reheat from frozen I just stick my immersion blender in the hot soup and ‘re puree it to emulsify it again. it comes exactly like freshly made! worth a try!
Perhaps it could be frozen prior to adding the cream. Just take out the portion you want to freeze; add cream only to the portion you are using. Then, when you use the frozen soup, add the cream once it is heated through. Worth a try. This is a very good recipe.
Delicious recipe!
I did not use croutons. Instead I served thesoup in demi-tasse as « mise en bouche » and topped with milk foam = MUSHROOMS CAPPUCCINO.
Jenn: My husband went foraging for chanterelles and I want to use those to make the wild mushroom soup. My question is they have a lot of moisture or liquid. Do I need to brown them first on medium heat and let the liquid evaporate or just throw them in uncooked as per the instructions?
Hi Carol, I’d just throw them in. Enjoy!
I am told that it’s easier to find dehydrated mushrooms in our area. Would I just weigh them after rehydrating them? Do you have any suggestion or rule of thumb about how much dehydrated mushrooms to use? The recipe looks wonderful and I really want to try it.
Hi Anne, Yes that’s how I would go about it. Please LMK how it turns out!
Oh Jenn, my husband absolutely LOVES mushroom soup but he’s gluten intolerant. He’s asking if you would have some suggestions in order to maybe substitute cornstarch for the flour in order to make it more “tender tummy” suitable? He says if anyone will know, it’ll be you!😉
Hi Vicky, you can use gluten-free flour. If you’d prefer to use cornstarch, wait until the very end and then make a “slurry” by combining 3T cornstarch with 3T cold water; mix until completely smooth. Whisk half of the slurry into the soup and bring to a gentle boil on the stovetop and simmer until the broth is thickened and any starchy taste has been cooked away. If you want it thicker, add the remaining slurry little by little and repeat. Hope you and your husband enjoy!
In my experience, corn starch tends to thicken more than flour (I know because I have a family member who is gluten intolerant). So I would suggest using less than 1/4 cup, unless you like a thicker soup anyway.
Why not try a small potato? This is what I put into my mushroom soup to thicken.. I’ll definitely try adding white wine next time though! Sounds delicious
Hi Vicky! I made this tonight using Bob’s 1-to-1 and it is FANTASTIC. Thickened to the perfect consistency.
What can be used instead of heavy cream to make it a lighter version?
Hi Karen, you can use 1/2 and 1/2, whole milk, or just omit the cream. Enjoy!
Jenn, what else can I use instead of white wine? Ty.
Hi Irina, Vermouth would work well. You can also try a squeeze of lemon if you’d prefer to avoid alcohol. Hope that helps!
I’ve made this soup twice this week it’s the best cream of mushroom ever I actually added dried onions instead of croutons yummy