Simple and ultra creamy vegan mushroom soup. Rich and flavorful and deliciously satisfying, this soup makes an ideal vegan appetizer.
I love soups. They’re more than starters/appetizers for me, I like to have them as the main course with a good deal of bread for dipping.
You can probably tell how much I like soups, since I’ve already made a bunch of them for this blog, like our divine vegan butternut squash soup, vegan potato leek soup and vegan tomato soup.
I’ve long been a fan of this vegan cream of mushroom soup. The flavors just blend soooo well, and it’s ultra creamy and delicious.
It’s also a snap to make and can work as an appetizer or a main course!
Ingredients You’ll Need:
Ingredient Notes
- Cremini mushrooms, white button mushrooms and portobello mushrooms – we used 3 kinds of mushrooms in this soup. We’ve also made it in the past with just white button mushrooms and portobello mushrooms, so it just depends on what’s easy to get hold of. If you want to mix it up – go for it!
- Soy sauce – can be switched for tamari or a gluten free soy sauce if you want to ensure this soup is gluten-free friendly.
- Coconut milk – should be full fat, canned and unsweetened. We have also made this soup with canned coconut cream (also unsweetened) and that also works great for an ultra rich version. If you need a substitute for the coconut milk then cashew milk is a good option.
How To Make Vegan Mushroom Soup
You will find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.
- Add olive oil to a pot along with chopped onions, crushed garlic, dried oregano and dried basil and sauté until softened.
- Add sliced mushrooms and soy sauce. Cover the pot and let it cook for 10 minutes, covered. When you remove the lid you’ll see that the mushrooms have cooked down a bit and released some of their water.
- Cook for another 10 minutes uncovered, letting some of the mushroom water cook off. Then add the coconut milk and stir in.
- Let it cook for a final 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, letting the flavors blend.
- Add sea salt and black pepper (to taste).
- Serve in bowls and decorate with fresh basil leaves.
Recipe Tips
Blending. I’ve made this soup in the past and blended it up using an immersion blender, but I think it’s better unblended. Most soups are better blended, but in the case of this soup, it works better as it is with the creamy soup and chunky mushrooms. The mushroom flavors really mix in with the creaminess of the coconut milk and spices and it all just works so well.
Serving. This vegan mushroom soup is delicious as an appetizer that can serve 4 but it also works great as a main course that serves 2. Serve it alongside some delicious bread for dipping. Try our vegan soda bread, it’s divine dipped in this soup.
Storing and Freezing
You can store leftover soup in the fridge in a covered container for 4-5 days. It can be reheated in the microwave or on the stovetop.
It’s also freezer friendly for 2-3 months. Allow to cool completely before freezing. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
More Vegan Soup Recipes
- Vegan Broccoli Soup
- Vegan Cauliflower Soup
- Vegan Pea Soup
- Vegan Miso Soup
- Vegan Potato Soup
- Vegan Celery Soup
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan Mushroom Soup
Ingredients
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 Medium Onion White, Yellow or Brown, Chopped
- 1 tsp Crushed Garlic
- 1 tsp Dried Oregano
- 1 tsp Dried Basil
- 5 cups White Button Mushrooms (480g) Sliced
- 2 ½ cups Cremini Mushrooms (240g) Sliced
- 2 Large Portobello Mushrooms Sliced
- 2 Tbsp Soy Sauce or Tamari if gluten-free
- 14 ounce Can Coconut Milk (400ml) Unsweetened, Full Fat
- Sea Salt To taste
- Black Pepper To taste
- Fresh Basil Optional, for serving
Instructions
- Add the olive oil to a pot with the onion and garlic, dried oregano and basil and sauté until softened.
- Then add the sliced mushrooms and the soy sauce, and cover the pot. Cook on medium high, covered, for around 10 minutes.
- This will allow the mushrooms to release their water.
- After 10 minutes, remove the lid, and cook for a further 10 minutes uncovered to allow some of the water to cook off.
- Then add the coconut milk and cook for a final 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, allowing the flavors to blend properly.
- Add sea salt and black pepper to taste.
- Garnish with fresh herbs and serve.
Video
Notes
- Mushrooms – we used 3 kinds of mushrooms in this soup. We’ve also made it in the past with just white button mushrooms and portobello mushrooms, so it just depends on what’s easy to get hold of. If you want to mix it up – go for it!
- Soy sauce – can be switched for tamari or a gluten free soy sauce if you want to ensure this soup is gluten-free friendly.
- Coconut milk – should be full fat, canned and unsweetened. We have also made this soup with canned coconut cream (also unsweetened) and that also works great for an ultra rich version. If you need a substitute for the coconut milk then cashew milk is a good option.
- Blending. I’ve made this soup in the past and blended it up using an immersion blender, but I think it’s better unblended. Most soups are better blended, but in the case of this soup, it works better as it is with the creamy soup and chunky mushrooms. The mushroom flavors really mix in with the creaminess of the coconut milk and spices and it all just works so well.
- Serving. This vegan mushroom soup is delicious as an appetizer that can serve 4 but it also works great as a main course that serves 2. Serve it alongside some delicious bread for dipping. Try our vegan soda bread, it’s divine dipped in this soup!
- Storing and Freezing. You can store leftover soup in the fridge in a covered container for 4-5 days. It can be reheated in the microwave or on the stovetop. It’s also freezer friendly for 2-3 months. Allow to cool completely before freezing. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
- This recipe was first published in October 2016. It has been updated with extra photos and tips but the recipe itself is exactly the same.
Just tried this last night and it was pretty good. I substituted portobello for shitake. If the recipe had a con, it’s that it smelled and tasted a lot like the coconut milk, which took away from some of the other flavors. Maybe I just need to find a milder brand of coconut milk. I use coconut milk all the time with Thai curries, but the curry spices usually mask the flavor. I also felt like something was missing in general from the final product. I would try this again and perhaps play around more with the spices. Maybe truffle oil if I’m feeling fancy? Two things that I did that I think added to the recipe was that I added more soy sauce at the end instead of just salt. Not only did it give it some saltness but also a bit of a umami taste. Also, I took about a third of the soup out and blended it together then added it back to the pot. I felt like it added some texture and thickness while also leaving lots of pieces of mushroom left. All in all a good recipe, and great with a thick piece of crusty bread to dip it into!
I have been making this recipe for a few years now and love it everytime. Even all my meat eating family members love it. I like to add vegetable or mushroom broth when I add the coconut milk and I just do it by eye.
Thank you for sharing this recipe!
So happy you love the recipe Bronwynne! Thanks so much for the awesome review.
Hello, I’ve made this soup once before but I found it too thick, still very good. I noticed some people did add broth but never stated the suggested amount. I was thinking a cup or 2 cups? Comment?
Hi Mia, I think you could add 1/2 to 1 cup and see how it goes. If it’s too thin then you’ll know it should be less but I don’t think it would ruin it. I have never had it come out too thick, but brands of coconut milk can differ.
Hi Alison
I should’ve asked before, add the broth 1st before the coconut milk? Or the same time and simmer for the 10 minutes.
Thank you
Same time would be great!
This soup is AMAZING! Who knew that so few ingredients could have such a delicious outcome? A couple of suggestions:
1) Have some vegan broth on hand, just in case the finished batch needs to be thinned. That last 10 minutes of simmering is essential — you’ll want the mushroom liquid to blend perfectly with the coconut milk — but it might give thicker results than you’d like.
2) Double the recipe! Seriously, you’ll want more than 4 modest servings of something this good.
Thanks so much for the awesome comment and review Lori! And for the great tips!
Thanks for the recipe always looking for new ones especially involving mushrooms !!. I was wondering if anyone tried doing it in an instant pot.
Simple, Satisfying. Saying goodbye to other recipes trialled to date. This one is a definite keeper.
Awesome! Thanks so much Jen!
Made this and loved it but my mushrooms didn’t give off any water so it was thick need to add some broth to make it more soupy. Would definitely make it again.
Hello! Was very excited to make this, taste is there but was not really a soup, it was more like a thickened sauce to the mushrooms? Was there meant to be some liquid stock with it? I followed the recipe exactly, not sure why it would be so thick!
Hi Renee, I’m not sure why that would be, the mushrooms themselves release lots of water, which is why we sort of ‘steam’ cook them in the beginning.
Having this for tea tonight. I made a couple of changes. I soaked dried porcini in boiling water for half an hour, then removed the mushrooms and roughly chopped them, leaving the soaking liquid a delicious mushroom stock. I cooked half of the other mushrooms and added them to the soup. I used hand blender after ten minutes, then fried the remaining mushrooms and added them to the soup. I also used Alpro soya cream instead of coconut milk, as that’s all I had, but it still tasted delicious x
Awesome Elaine! Thanks for sharing! So glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
I have made this a few times and this is such a solid and easy soup to make. I sometimes add in kale and tofu to get some greens and added protein, but it’s still fabulous without. I only had light coconut milk and used that this time and it still works, but there is some lost creaminess when you make this sub. You can add in some nutritional yeast to help with that. Thank you for this recipe!
Hi Rachel, agreed on the light coconut milk, works in a pinch but not as well as the full cream version. Thanks so much for sharing and the wonderful review.
I made this soup today and it was delicious. I wanted some protein so I added some vegan sausage. Will definitely make it again.
Awesome, thanks Glenda!
I can’t stop eating this!! 2nd time I’ve made this soup, it is SO GOOD!! And so simple. Love it!❤
Love. This. Soup. So rich and delicious! Replaced the olive oil with water. Can’t wait to make it again. Yum!
This recipe was SO easy and SO flavorful. Will definitely make again.
Thanks Tresa!
delicious ..ive always wanted to make mushroom soup..i love mushrooms!!
Definitely making this again!!! So good with this snow and cold weather.
This recipe was awesome! I had some mushrooms in rough shape and leftover coconut milk to use up. I added vege broth to stretch it more. Soooo good!