Incredibly creamy and so very flavorful, cream of mushroom soup is flavored with butter, garlic and thyme. Serve a cup as an appetizer or a bowl as a main course.
Soup is the perfect wintertime appetizer. But it's not just an appetizer! In fact, I often serve a bowl of it as a main course. And if you like mushrooms, I think you are going to absolutely love this delicious soup.
It's silky, creamy, and incredibly flavorful. One of us actually dislikes mushrooms (even these wonderful sauteed mushrooms), but she loves this soup and regularly asks for seconds when I make it.
The ingredients you'll need
You'll only need a few simple ingredients to make this tasty cream of mushroom soup. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below. Here's an overview of what you'll need:
Unsalted butter: For cooking the mushrooms and garlic. I love using creamy European butter. But any butter will be great.
Fresh mushrooms: I normally use cremini mushrooms. White mushrooms are fine too. Sometimes when I'm out of fresh mushrooms but still crave this soup, I use a package of frozen mushrooms, as shown in the video. That works too, and you can add them frozen to the pot. They'll release more liquid than fresh mushrooms, but I haven't found that to be a problem.
Minced garlic: Mince it yourself, or use the stuff that comes in a jar. Both work.
Kosher salt and black pepper: If using fine salt, you should reduce the amount you use, or the soup could end up too salty.
Chicken broth: Store-bought is fine. But when I have homemade chicken broth, I use that instead.
Dried thyme: Make sure it's fresh! A stale spice can easily ruin a dish.
Heavy cream: I tried once to use half-and-half instead, and decided that heavy cream is much better.
Cornstarch: I use it to thicken the soup. If you'd rather not use it, another option is to puree the soup in batches (and carefully!) in a stand blender (instead of using an immersion blender which isn't as powerful). The mushrooms will be better pureed, and this will considerably thicken the soup without any added thickeners.
How to make cream of mushroom soup
It's such an easy recipe! Scroll down to the recipe card for the detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps:
1. Start by cooking the mushrooms and garlic in butter with some salt.
2. Add the remaining ingredients except for the cream and cornstarch. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Puree the soup using an immersion blender. Stir in the cream (and the cornstarch slurry if using), heat and serve.
Possible variations
Want to change things up when making this cream of mushroom soup? Here are a few ideas:
- Add a handful of wild mushrooms to the soup. One of the reasons I like to use frozen mushrooms is that they contain wild mushrooms which are very flavorful.
- Sage is very good in this soup, in addition to or instead of the thyme.
- You can fry the mushrooms in olive oil instead of butter. I do think butter is best, but olive oil is very tasty too.
- When adding heavy cream to the soup, you can also add ¼ cup of grated (not shredded) parmesan.
- Turn this soup into a complete meal by adding cooked shredded chicken breast. Add it at the very last stage of cooking, after you've added the cream and cornstarch, to ensure it doesn't dry out during prolonged cooking.
How to serve this soup?
I usually serve cream of mushroom soup as a first course at dinner, a cup per person. But a bowl of it is also wonderful for lunch. Add a couple of cheese muffins or cheese biscuits to make a tasty, filling lunch.
What about leftovers?
Leftovers keep well in the fridge, in an airtight container, for 2-3 days. Gently reheat them, covered, in the microwave on 50% power or on the stovetop over medium heat, taking care not to bring the soup to a boil.
You might need to slightly thin the soup out first by mixing in a tablespoon or two of water.
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Cream of Mushroom Soup
INGREDIENTS
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 lb. fresh cremini mushrooms, wiped clean, quartered*
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
- ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt or ¼ teaspoon fine salt
- 3 cups chicken broth (I use Pacific natural, 550 mg sodium per cup)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper (or white pepper)
- ⅛ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ cup heavy cream (remove it from the fridge when you start cooking)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch (optional, but helps to thicken the soup)**
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat the butter in a large, heavy stockpot over medium-high heat, about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms, the garlic and the salt and cook, stirring often, 5-7 minutes, until the mushrooms are tender and dark.
- Add the chicken broth, black pepper and thyme. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, for 10 minutes, to allow the flavors to meld.
- Turn the heat off. Puree the soup using an immersion blender. Don't try to make it completely smooth - it's nice (and pretty) to leave it a bit chunky with visible mushroom bits. Prior to blending the soup, you can reserve a few mushrooms to use for decoration, as shown in the photos.
- Stir the cream into the pureed soup. Taste and decide if you'd like to add more salt - this would depend on how salty your chicken broth is.
- Turn the heat back on to medium and bring the soup to a low simmer. Mix the cornstarch with two tablespoons of cold water until smooth and stir the slurry into the soup.
- Continue heating the soup (but don't bring it to a boil, lower the heat if needed), stirring, until heated through and thickened, 1-2 minutes. Serve immediately.
WATCH THE VIDEO:
NOTES
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Vered DeLeeuw, LL.M., CNC, has been following a low-carb real-food diet and blogging about it since 2011. She's a Certified Nutrition Coach (NASM-CNC), has taken courses at the Harvard School of Public Health, and has earned a Nutrition and Healthy Living Certificate from Cornell University. Her work has appeared in several major media outlets, including Healthline, HuffPost, Today, Women's Health, Shape, and Country Living.