No one can believe Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup is dairy free AND gluten free! It's so creamy and rich that it's often mistaken for classic mushroom soup. Enjoy vegan mushroom soup as an entree or for other recipes.
Why you'll love vegan cream of mushroom soup
You don't have to be vegan to enjoy this velvety vegan cream of mushroom soup. It's so creamy and rich, even carnivores approve, often not ever knowing it's vegan!
Over the years, my readers have given solid, post-holiday testimonials along these lines after using this recipe in vegan green bean casserole. They say it's a keeper and I wholeheartedly agree.
You'll absolutely love that this plant-based soup is budget-friendly and readily available because it's made with mushrooms and pantry staples. It's also naturally gluten-free since it's made with chickpea flour, which gives it a nutty flavor and rich texture.
Even beginner cooks will crush this recipe! It's as easy as sauteing mushrooms with aromatics, adding flour to make a roux, followed by plant-based milk of choice, which then becomes a delicious, creamy, vegan mushroom soup. Use it as a soup or sauce for your favorite recipes.
Ingredient notes
You'll find the ingredient amounts in the printable recipe card below.
- olive oil - Use any cooking oil such as canola oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, etc.
- mushrooms - I recommend white button mushrooms or baby bellas for this recipe. You can use portobello mushrooms or any mushroom variety.
- shallots - These are mildly flavored compared to regular onions, but both can be used interchangeably in this recipe.
- garlic - I highly recommend fresh garlic, but garlic powder would work fine if used in small amounts.
- chickpea flour - Also called garbanzo flour. This is used as a thickener and makes this soup gluten-free. Experiment with other gluten free flours, or see recipe below if using all-purpose flour.
- dry sherry - This adds a depth of flavor and is commonly used in cream soups and sauces. You can substitute it with any cooking liquid.
- unsweetened almond milk - Any non-dairy milk can be used such as coconut milk, oat milk, and soy milk.
- nutmeg - Adds a classic nutty flavor to the recipe.
- salt and pepper - Season your soup, to taste, after it cooks.
How to make vegan cream of mushroom soup
Enjoy this step-by-step photo tutorial or skip down to the printable recipe below.
Step 1. Sauté mushrooms, shallots, and garlic over medium-high heat until very tender, stirring as needed.
Step 2. Add chickpea flour and stir until it's absorbed. This is a roux.
Step 3. Add dry sherry to deglaze the pot. Then, add milk to the mushrooms in very small amounts, along with nutmeg. Whisk vigorously during this process as this helps smooth out the lumps. Continue this process until all of the milk is used. Add nutmeg, salt, and pepper, to taste.
Step 4. Bring everything just to a boil, whisking continuously. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the soup thickens to your liking.
Serve warm. To store, allow to cool completely and refrigerate in an airtight container up to 5 days.
Recipe tips and variations
Color - the longer you brown the flour for a roux, the darker the results will be. To keep this cream of mushroom soup light in color, don't over-brown the flour.
Mushrooms will shrink to about ¼ of their original size when sautéed and this recipe is written with that in mind.
Avoid lumps or clumps – once vegetables are sauteed, you'll whisk in small amounts of milk, repeating this process until the milk is all in. This will create a non-lumpy sauce, which is what you want.
Lower calorie option - replace 1 cup of almond milk with a light-colored veggie broth.
Consistency - the longer you simmer, the thicker the soup. So if it's too thin, cook it down, stirring as needed. If the soup is too thick, whisk in small amounts of liquid and continue heating and stirring as needed.
More vegan holiday recipes
- Shredded Brussels Sprouts Salad
- Pomegranate Cranberry Relish
- Maple Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Easy Sweet Potato Salad
More vegan soup recipes
- White Bean and Kale Soup
- Vegetable Soup Recipe
- Kale Chickpea Soup In A Hurry
- Southwest Vegan Tortilla Soup
On a personal note: This vegan cream of mushroom soup recipe is dedicated to my mom who helped test and finalize it in my test kitchen several years ago. Just because she's Momma TKG doesn't mean I get a pass. If something isn't right, she'll let me know. So, thanks mom for helping me dial this one to perfection!
Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup
INGREDIENTS
Recipe yield = 3 cups
- 3 tablespoons Olive Oil
- 8 ounces Mushrooms, sliced (about 4 cups)
- 1 small Shallot, minced (or ¼ cup onion)
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
- ½ cup Chickpea Flour (for gluten-free version), or ¼ cup All Purpose Flour
- 1 tablespoon Dry Sherry or Wine, or other cooking liquid
- 2 cups Unsweetened Almond Milk, or preferred milk
- tiny pinch Nutmeg
- Sea Salt, to taste
- Black Pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat OLIVE OIL in a sauce pot over medium-high heat.
- Add MUSHROOMS, SHALLOTS, and GARLIC, and sauté about 5 minutes until tender, stirring as needed.
- Add FLOUR and sauté 1 or 2 minutes, or until absorbed into mushrooms, stirring as needed.
- Add DRY SHERRY or other cooking liquid and sauté a few minutes to (deglaze) release browned bits from the bottom into the mixture, stirring as needed.
- Add MILK in small amounts, whisking to dissolve the flour and remove clumps. Add NUTMEG.
- Bring this mixture just to a boil. Reduce heat to med-low and simmer until the soup thickens to your liking, whisking continuously.
- Season with SALT and PEPPER. Serve warm or use as a substitute for canned cream of mushroom soup.
- To store, cool completely and refrigerate up to 5 days in an airtight container.
RECIPE VIDEO
Traci's Recipe Notes
Equipment
- silicone spatula or any stirring utensil
NUTRITION
Nutrition data provided as courtesy estimates using unbranded ingredients from a nutrition database. Please consult preferred resource for precise data.
Robyn says
Hi, can’t wait to try this recipe. Can I substitute almond flour/meal for the chickpea flour? If so, would it be a 1:1 substitute, ie 1/2cup?
Thanks!
Traci says
Hi Robyn, I don't recommend almond flour since it doesn't have the starch required to make it creamy. If there is another flour or bean flour you can work with, I recommend experimenting. Let me know if you have more questions. Enjoy!
Sharon says
Love this soup. My only suggestion is to double the ingredients. I always want more.
I’ve used chickpea flour, but also buckwheat which worked well.
Traci says
Yay! So glad you went for it 🙂 We love this one too! And you're right, I'll do that asap ... thanks for the suggestion and review. Much appreciated!
Jan says
This has been my go to cream of mushroom soup since I was fortunate enough to see it! I use this in several casseroles that have been passed down in my family. It is SUPER delicious and makes everything taste better! Thank you!!
The Kitchen Girl says
Jan, I'm so glad to have inspired this and I have to agree with you! It's still hard to believe it's vegan cream of mushroom soup lol! Thank you so much for taking the time to share your enjoyment 🙂 Much appreciated!
Colette says
Needed to make a kosher cream of mushroom soup to add to a turkey sausage stuffing recipe and this was perfect.
The Kitchen Girl says
Yayy! What a great way to use it 🙂 So glad you enjoyed and thanks for the feedback!
Emma says
Can this be canned? I'd love to make a big batch and have it for quick meal days.
The Kitchen Girl says
Hi Emma, sorry but I don't have experience canning this soup, however you can freeze it. Let me know if you have questions about that. Thanks!
Consuella says
The recipe was quick and simple and I love the taste. For me and my daughter we had it over rice for my husband and other daughter they had the sauce poured over chicken and rice. All in all it was amazing. Thank you
The Kitchen Girl says
Oh nice, I'm so glad to hear everyone enjoyed it! Thank you sooo much for this great feedback 🙂 I really appreciate it!
Chelsea says
I went vegan a year ago, two weeks before Thanksgiving. While I'd been a vegetarian for years, there were a LOT of holiday favorites I had no clue how to translate into a vegan recipe, and I was just about convinced there were certain things I was just going to have to say goodbye to all together. Mushroom soup was the base for a holiday favorite of mine (green bean casserole, of course) as well as my favorite dish year round, a family recipe for stroganoff. I was pretty bummed to think I'd never be able to have either again. So I gave this recipe a go at that first Thanksgiving, figuring it couldn't hurt to try, and oh my god, it's the best mushroom soup I've ever had, vegan or otherwise. I substitute oat milk for almond (nut allergy), and it always comes out creamy, delicious, and so comforting.
I made this just tonight in prep for tomorrow, and I just wanted to say thank you. I think the success I had with this first recipe really helped solidify my resolve and convince me that I could easily ditch the dairy. So, thank you very much!
The Kitchen Girl says
Hi Chelsea, I'm sooo honored and happy to inspire your enjoyment of my recipe. I'm not vegan but I totally understand how you feel about this one 🙂 It hits me the exact same way LOL. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave this note. I totally appreciate it! xoxo
Jeff says
I'm getting all excited for your famous vegan cream of mushroom soup for Thanksgiving dinner next week. It's so good, even a meat and potatoes guy like me can't tell it's vegan. Outstanding!
The Kitchen Girl says
This is making me get excited for it too! Thank youuuuuu!
Randino Del Rosario says
Thank you so very much for posting this. It's been a rainy day and I figured I'd make this today. It came out absolutely perfect. I am highly allergic to cow's milk. My system cannot break down the sugars in lactose and ends up collecting in my lungs. Making it very hard to breathe. This "creamy" mushroom soup brought me right back to my happy childhood memories. Homemade definitely beats Cambell's any day!
The Kitchen Girl says
Awesommmmme! I'm so glad to hear this 🙂 It's one of my favorite soups too. In fact, I prefer vegan cream of mushroomm soup over any other these days. Thanks for the feedback!
Jamie M. says
Made this tonight, and LOVED it. Thank you for the recipe. I followed your exact recipe, because I am not a great chef lol, and it was perfect. I am so excited for tomorrow’s leftovers and to use for green bean casserole!
The Kitchen Girl says
Yay Jamie! So glad you love vegan cream of mushroom soup as much as I do 🙂 It's an oldie but goodie recipe here on the blog. Glad it founds its way into your kitchen Thanks for the feedback!
Ann & says
Can I use chopped carrots, parsnip, and celery also in this soup?
The Kitchen Girl says
Sure, but you'll want to saute them before sauteeing the mushrooms to make sure they get soft enough. Does that make sense?
Brooks says
For Heath reasons, we have to have a gluten-free, dairy-free diet in our house. The thought of childhood recipes with cream of mushroom soup were long gone. Then I came across your recipe. The soup is absolutely amazing! We have already used it in a couple of recipes and are brainstorming other kinds of cream soups we can now make.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!
The Kitchen Girl says
Yeahhhh! I'm so glad you found the recipe. It really does solve some problems, doesn't it? Thank you for taking the time to let me know Also, check out my vegan recipes ... many are GF too!
KBeck says
Awesome recipe!! Made 2 different batches (one with Cremini and one with white button mushrooms) both are amazing and I can’t wait to use them for the vegan green bean casserole! Yum! Highly recommend. 🙂
The Kitchen Girl says
Awesome! I'm so glad to inspire these for you. I love it that you'll use them in the VGBC too Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback
SHARON says
Just made this soup and it is amazing! Does it freeze well? I cook with cream of mushroom soup frequently and would like to have it on hand for a quick meal.
The Kitchen Girl says
Hi Sharon, I'm so glad you enjoyed this! You can freeze this cream of mushroom like you would any other soup. During reheat, if it's too thick, add a splash of liquid. If it's too thin, whisk together a little flour and liquid, add it to the soup, and heat on medium, stirring as needed. Hope you love it just as much. Cheers!
Nancy Lavoie says
I have been trying to recreate my sister-in-laws broccoli casserole since becoming vegan. That is how I came upon your blog and I'm so glad I did. I made your recipe for cream of mushroom soup with the dry sherry (I'm with you, the sherry adds to the overall flavor) and followed her recipe for the casserole. It came out amazing. I've made it several times in the last few days because it tasted so good and I want to share it with others. The last time I made the cream of mushroom soup, I decreased the flour to four tablespoons to see how it would come out after being in the fridge overnight. To my delight it was perfectly creamy. I love your recipe because you can tweak it depending on what you are making or make it as is, and it tastes delicious. Thank you so much for sharing your recipe. I'm sending you a very big virtual hug.
Nancy
The Kitchen Girl says
You are so welcome, Nancy! I'm so glad this cream of mushroom soup recipe found its way into your kitchen, esp since you have become vegan 🙂 Glad you're finding multiple uses for it! I love your detailed feedback ... thanks for taking the time
Donna Marsh says
By far, my favorite soup recipe! I make extra, to have just for enjoying, when I make it for your awesome green bean casserole! Thank you!
The Kitchen Girl says
Yay, Donna! I'm sooo glad to inspire you and be a part of your holiday happiness Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback. Much appreciated! Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours
Angie says
Really tasty!! Thanks!
I made this to use in a casserole and will definitely also be eating it just on it's own with some crusty bread.
Delicious.
The Kitchen Girl says
Yay Angie! So glad you enjoyed it! Vegan cream of mushroom soup really is so versatile. Thanks for the feedback. Cheers!
Sadiya says
Yum yum yummmmm! This is my first time making cream of mushroom soup (and tomorrow will be my first time making green bean casserole), and it is DELISH. Looking forward to seeing how the casserole turns out 🙂
The Kitchen Girl says
Oh yayy, Sadiya! Well, I can tell you that if you feel that way about this vegan cream of mushroom soup, you'll probably be gaga over the casserole too. They're sooo good together, esp with the caramelized onions...or fried onions yummm. Hope you love it! Thanks for the feedback and Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours
Michelle D says
Has anyone tried almond flour for this recipe? Did it work? New to vegan, dairy, and gluten free.
Thank you.
The Kitchen Girl says
Hi Michelle, I have not tried almond flour and probably wouldn't recommend it. I believe you won't get a creamy consistency with it. You could use a GF all purpose flour or perhaps another legume flour. Hope that helps 🙂