Cream of Mushroom Soup – Instant Pot, Stove Top

Creamiest, comforting, hearty bowl of richness, packed with heavenly, earthy flavors in a bowl of soup. This classic home-made Cream of Mushroom Soup recipe is healthy, creamy and tasty and is ready in no time!!

CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP

Cream of mushroom soup is a very simple, basic soup recipe made with lots of fresh mushrooms, onions, celery, garlic and some herbs. Delicious, creamy soup with tender bites of mushroom pieces, aromatic and full of natural, earthy flavors.

This soup is often used as a base ingredient, similar to mushroom-flavored gravy used in many casseroles and comfort foods. Simple, cooked with basic, easy to find ingredients and here you have the most comforting, creamiest, hearty, aromatic earthy flavors in a bowl of soup!!

One of the reasons I love making this soup is that I could technically use any ingredients of my choice and still end up with a flavorful, yummylicious soup to please my palate. 

With so many herbs to choose from I can flavor the soup however I please. I could make this with dairy or make it totally dairy-free. I can make it as rich or light I like. How cool is it…Experiment with your food and you will be amazed to see a little chef in you!!!

INGREDIENTS FOR THIS DELICIOUS CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP

MUSHROOMS – star ingredient of this recipe. Cremini, button or portobella mushrooms work fine in this recipe, or combinations of mushrooms would equally do.

I personally, prefer cremini, as they add a lot of depth into this simple soup, but you could use any combination of your favorite mushrooms.

ONIONS – I prefer yellow or white onion, as it has mild flavor as compared to red onion.

GARLIC – it adds a nice flavor to the soup. I think mushrooms and garlic, compliment each other.  I prefer fresh garlic, but you could totally use garlic powder or minced garlic for this recipe.

HERBS – herbs that go well with the earthy flavors of mushroom and some of my family favorites include thyme, tarragon, parsley, bay leaf.

I use one or combination of herbs to add more depth and flavor to this soup. You can use any herb of your choice.

DAIRY – Heavy cream, half and half, milk or evaporated milk can be used in this recipe. The richness in the soup comes from the choice of cream/milk, using heavy cream results in more rich, dense soup.

For a vegan/dairy-free, checkout below – HOW TO MAKE CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP VEGAN/DAIRY-FREE

FLOUR – brings this soup together, it gives this soup nice thick gravy/sauce like consistency. You can use all-purpose or whole wheat flour to make the roux.

Cornstarch slurry may also be used to thicken the soup. If using cornstarch add the slurry at the end. Make a slurry using 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and 1/4 cup of water. Add the slurry gradually, a tablespoon and stir it, continue until desired thickness is achieved.

For a gluten-free, checkout below – HOW TO MAKE CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP GLUTEN-FREE

WINE – (optional) It adds a nice depth of flavor to the soup, any dry red or white wine works fine. Marsala, sherry or red wine. Alternatively, you could just add broth instead and it still tastes great.

BROTH – low sodium vegetable or chicken broth adds an additional layer of flavor. Low sodium broth helps control the sodium intake.

I use vegetable broth, thus keeping it vegetarian. You can also use a bouillon, mix it with water as per package instructions and use it.

HOW TO MAKE CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP

Home-made cream of mushroom soup from scratch is so much easier and healthier than a store bought can of soup. With all the aromatic flavors from the fresh herbs and mushrooms, this soup is ready in minutes and is the most satisfying, creamiest bowl of soup, without adding too much of cream…!!!

INSTRUCTIONS FOR INSTANT POT CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP

Turn on Instant Pot on Saute mode (high). When it displays “HOT”, add oil + butter.Note: For vegan/dairy-free, add tablespoon of oil

Add onions and celery, saute until onions are translucent, around 3-5 minutes.

Add garlic, cook for 30-60 seconds.

Add mushrooms, pinch of salt. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until all the moisture has evaporated and mushrooms have released all its moisture.

Add flour and cook for 1-2 minutes, to remove the raw flavor of the flour.For gluten-free, see the recipe notes.

OPTIONAL: Add red wine. Deglaze the pot. Cook until all the wine/moisture is evaporated.

Add vegetable broth, thyme, deglaze the pot. Mix well and turn off saute mode.

Close the Instant Pot, vent to sealing position and set it to Manual / Pressure cook mode (high) for 10 minutes.Note: Turn off the keep warm mode.

Let pressure release naturally around 10-15 minutes.

Open the Instant Pot, blend 2/3 of the soup to a smooth puree, leaving 1/3 of the soup chunky. Note: Blend soup to a desired consistency.

Puree soup in batches, do not fill the blender more than 1/3. Keep the lid of the blender slightly open to let the hot air escape while blending, to avoid any accidents.

Use a kitchen towel to cover the lid to avoid any splashes. You can also use immersion blender to puree the soup.

Return the mixture to the pot. Turn on saute mode (high), add cream/half and half/milk. Bring it to a gentle boil.

Adjust the seasoning salt + pepper. Enjoy!

INSTRUCTIONS FOR STOVE TOP CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP

For stove top cooking, follow the same steps as discussed in the recipe. Instead of pressure cooking, bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and let it simmer for around 20-25 minutes. Rest of the steps remain the same as Instant Pot. 

HOW TO MAKE CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP VEGAN/DAIRY-FREE

This soup will taste the same literally even without using any cream or dairy. I have made this soup without using dairy and it still tastes great! The only difference I found with using dairy, is the richness in soup that comes from the cream. But there are vegan/dairy-free substitutes that can be used to achieve the desired creaminess without any cream or dairy. Here are some vegan/dairy-free substitutes:

NUTS – In order to make this vegan/dairy-free I use nuts such as almonds or cashews.

Soak 1 cup cashews for couple of hours or until soft (to speed up the process soak cashews in hot water, works just fine). Blend the cashews to a fine paste, using the water the cashews are soaked in and add it to the soup.

Bring it to a gentle boil and you have delicious, creamiest, vegan/dairy-free, bowl of soup! If using almonds, remove the skin of the almonds before blending.

POTATO – Other way you could make this a vegan/dairy-free is by using a potato. Yes, a potato gives this soup a nice creamy texture without actually using any cream/dairy. Thus, keeping this soup light and dairy-free.

Take a medium size potato, peel and chop, add it to the soup. The starch from the potato acts as thickening agent and also adds some creaminess to the soup. This is thus by far the easiest and the simplest way of making a vegan/dairy-free soup.

Does adding a potato make this soup taste like potato soup and not mushroom soup??- Not at all. Since we are adding a very small quantity of potato, it does not overpower the soup at all. All it does is give a nice creamy texture to the soup without any cream.

RICE – Add 1-2 tablespoon of rice, the starch from the rice acts as a thickening agent, thus adding thickness and creaminess to the soup without adding any cream/dairy.

HOW TO MAKE CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP GLUTEN-FREE

The all-purpose flour helps give soup a nice thick gravy/sauce like consistency. However, there are other ways to thickening the soup and achieve desired consistency without using all-purpose flour, thus making the soup gluten-free. Here are some gluten-free substitutes:

GLUTEN-FREE FLOUR – Arrowroot flour, Sorghum flour, Chickpea flour, Corn flour (white or yellow) are all starch-based flours and can be used as a thickening agents. Thus, making it gluten-free.

If using arrowroot flour (cornstarch), make a slurry using equal parts of cornstarch and water. Add the slurry to the soup mixture gradually at the end to thicken the soup to a desired consistency.

For all other types of flour, just replace it instead of all-purpose flour in the recipe.

POTATO – Other way you could make this a gluten-free is by using a potato. Yes, a potato gives this soup a nice thick texture without actually using any flour. Thus, keeping it gluten-free.

Take a medium size potato, peel and chop, add it to the soup. The starch from the potato acts as thickening agent and also adds some creaminess to the soup. This is thus by far the easiest and the simplest way of making a gluten-free soup.

Does adding a potato make this soup taste like potato soup and not mushroom soup??- Not at all. Since we are adding a very small quantity of potato, it does not overpower the soup at all. All it does is give a nice thick texture to the soup without any flour.

RICE – Add 1-2 tablespoon of rice (brown or white), the starch from the rice acts as a thickening agent, thus adding thickness and creaminess to the soup, keeping it gluten-free. Note: Short-grain rice is more starchy as compared to long-grain rice.

TIPS FOR DELICIOUS CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP

Fresh mushrooms is a key to making this delicious soup. The fresher the mushrooms the soup will taste the best. The longer the mushrooms stay in the refrigerator, it starts to release moisture, and turns more chewy in texture.

Cook the mushrooms until all the moisture is evaporated, this is an important step do not skip it. It helps bring out the earthy flavors of the mushrooms. 

Onions and garlic do add a nice texture and flavor to the soup. You can increase the quantity if you prefer. I sometimes add more garlic, just to give it an extra boost.

Use a low-sodium vegetable broth or chicken stock. I prefer low-sodium vegetable stock to balance the sodium level in the soup and thus keeping it vegetarian.

You can make this vegan/dairy-free – please refer to HOW TO MAKE CREAM OF MUSHROOM VEGAN/DAIRY-FREE discussed earlier in the post.

You can make this gluten-free – please refer to HOW TO MAKE CREAM OF MUSHROOM GLUTEN-FREE discussed earlier in the post.

HOW TO SERVE CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP

I like to serve this soup piping hot, top it with some saute mushrooms, fresh thyme  and some freshly crushed black pepper.

WHAT TO SERVE ON SIDE – Since this soup is quite filling in itself, I prefer something light and crunchy on the side. Some oven roasted vegetables or some chicken tenders served on side would make a complete meal.

I sometimes also like to serve thyme flavored biscuits. 

HOW TO STORE CREAM OF MUSHROOM SOUP

The soup stays good for 3-4 days in refrigerator. Reheat well in a microwave or on a low heat on a stove top. 

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