This super easy cream of mushroom soup is made from scratch with fresh mushrooms, sautéed onion and garlic, dry sherry and fresh herbs. It has complex homemade flavors, but is ready in only 30 minutes!

Cream of mushroom soup in a white bowl set on a gray pie plate on a brownish gray wooden tabletop

I originally shared this recipe on March 25th, 2014. I have updated the recipe, text, photos and added a video today. 

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Why You’ll Love This Healthy Cream of Mushroom Soup

For me, cream of mushroom soup is one of those entities that will always bring me back to my childhood. Although I do love a decadent and super creamy soup, today I have a homemade healthier version of the classic mushroom soup.

Dry sherry is added for classic comfort food flavor, then it’s thickened with flour, and finished off with broth and milk. Before you know it, viola, you’ve got a simple, delicious and creamy mushroom soup that is ready in 30 minutes start to finish!

I love serving this on cold winter days, and since it’s a fast recipe, it’s perfect for workweek dinners. Just pair it with a chunk of warm homemade whole-wheat bread, a garden salad or enjoy it all on its own for a comfort food meal that will warm you up from the inside out.

Ingredient Notes

  • Vegetables: All you need is garlic, onion and mushrooms. They all help to build lots of flavor.
  • Unsalted butter: I like the flavor of butter in this recipe, but you could also use olive oil if you prefer. 
  • Seasonings: Salt, pepper and dry thyme are the classics for cream of mushroom soup.
  • Dry sherry: If you’ve made my Chicken a la King or my Green Bean Casserole, you know dry sherry has got a special place in my pantry when I am making over old classic recipes! If you are in a pinch you can sub in dry vermouth or white wine.
  • Flour: To thicken the soup I used all-purpose flour. To make this gluten-free use cornstarch instead. See notes below. 
  • Vegetable broth, such as Imagine “No Chicken”: I dislike pretty much every vegetable broth on the market except Imagine no chicken, so if you can’t find it and you eat poultry you can use chicken broth instead. 
  • Reduced-fat milk: To make this creamy but keep the fat calories in check, I opted for 2% milk. If you have whole milk feel free to use that instead.
  • Herbs: I amped up the flavors in the recipe with fresh herbs such as chives and fresh rosemary. Fresh rosemary is far superior to dried in taste and texture.
  • Truffle oil for drizzling: This is an expensive ingredient and not available at every store, so feel free to use butter or olive oil if you prefer. A little bit of fat on top helps to make the flavors better. 

Chefs Note: This will seem like a lot of mushrooms when you add them to the pot, but within a few minutes, they will cook down to a much more reasonable amount. Adding in the salt and seasoning will help them release their juices and wake up the flavors in the dry thyme. 

cream of mushroom soup

Step-by-Step Instructions To Make This Low-Calorie Cream of Mushroom Soup

A dutch oven with onions in it
Add the mushrooms, salt, pepper and thyme and saute until the mushrooms are reduced down and most of the liquid is evaporated, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Step 1: Sauté garlic & onion

Melt butter in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium-high heat. Add garlic and onion and cook, stirring until starting to brown and soften, 4 to 6 minutes.

Step 2: Cook Mushrooms and Season:

Add mushrooms salt, thyme and pepper, and cook stirring often until the mushrooms have released their juices and the juices have evaporated, 5 to 7 minutes. Add sherry and rosemary. Sherry is very strong in flavor and the alcohol needs to be cooked off before the flour and other liquid is added. Simmer until it is dry or au sec.

Add the flour and stir to combine.
Simmer until thickened, stirring often

Step 3: Add Flour To Thicken

Sprinkle flour over the vegetable mixture and stir to coat.

Step 4: Add Liquid

Stir in the broth, and stir it immediately to help the flour dissolve into the broth. As it comes up to a simmer, keep stirring to ensure the flour doesn’t clump or stick to the bottom of the pot. Once it comes to a simmer the starches in the flour will gelatinize and the soup will appear thicker. Add milk and return to a simmer, stirring often.

Add milk and return to a simmer, stirring often.
closeup of mushroom soup with herbs and mushrooms on top

Step 5: Finish and Serve

Remove the creamy mushroom soup from the heat, stir in chives. Ladle into large soup bowls and drizzle with truffle oil, if using.

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FAQs and Expert Tips

How do I make this soup gluten-free?

To make this gluten-free you can omit the flour and make a slurry with 2 tablespoons of cornstarch and 1/2 cup of broth. Add the slurry in after the broth simmers but before adding the milk. Stir as it comes to a boil.

How do I make this soup extra creamy?

For a richer soup instead of 1-1/2 cups milk, use 1 cup milk plus 1/2 cup heavy cream for a luxurious creamy texture.

What are other substitutions I can make?

If you like, feel free to use a variety of mushrooms. Or you can use regular white mushrooms for an affordable option.
If you don’t have chives, you could use scallions instead.
You can use a non-dairy milk or unsweetened unflavored non-dairy cream instead of the milk and use olive oil instead of butter to make the recipe vegan.

How do I store this soup?

This soup can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Can it be frozen?

This soup can be frozen up to 2 months. Defrost and reheat until simmering hot.

Chefs Tips on How To Serve

  • Ladle the soup into bowls and top with chives and drizzle with the truffle oil.
  • If you are using butter, you can simply drop a pat of it onto the surface. It will float on top and slowly melt into the soup. 
  • Sprinkle with the chives.
  • For a fancy presentation, you can also sauté a couple of sliced mushrooms in oil and lay them on top. 
bowls of mushroom soup on a wooden table with fresh rosemary sprigs

What to Serve This Soup With

More Classic Soup Recipes To Try This Season

Thanks so much for reading! If you are new here, you may want to sign up for my email newsletter to get a free weekly menu plan and the latest recipes right to your inbox. If you make this recipe, please come back and leave a star rating and review. I would love to hear what you thought!

Happy Cooking! ~Katie

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closeup of mushroom soup with herbs and mushrooms on top

Easy Cream of Mushroom Soup

★★★★★

5 from 7 reviews
  • Author: Katie Webster
  • Total Time: 30 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
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Description

Here is how to make homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup from scratch with fresh mushrooms. Serve with a drizzle of truffle oil to make it extra special!

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 4 cups sliced mushrooms, any variety or mixed
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon dry thyme
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
  • ¼ cup dry sherry
  • 3/4 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3 cups vegetable broth, such as Imagine no chicken
  • 1 ½ cups low-fat milk (*see note for creamier soup)
  • 3 tablespoons chopped chives
  • Truffle oil for drizzling, optional

Instructions

  1. Sauté: Melt butter in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium-high heat. Add garlic and onion and cook, stirring until starting to brown and soften, 4 to 6 minutes.
  2. Cook Mushrooms and Season: Add mushrooms salt, thyme and pepper, and cook stirring often until the mushrooms have released their juices and the juices have evaporated, 5 to 7 minutes. Add sherry and rosemary, bring to a simmer and let sherry evaporate until dry.
  3. Add Flour To Thicken: Sprinkle flour over the vegetable mixture and stir to coat.
  4. Add Liquid: stir in broth, increase heat to high and bring to a simmer, stirring continuously until the soup has thickened slightly. Add milk and return to a simmer, stirring often.
  5. Finish and Serve: Remove from the heat, stir in chives. Ladle into bowls and drizzle with truffle oil, if using.

Notes

To Make It Ultra Creamy

For a richer soup instead of 1 1/2 cups milk, use 1 cup milk plus 1/2 cup heavy cream for a luxurious creamy texture.

To Make It Gluten Free

  1. To make this gluten-free you can omit the flour and make a slurry with 2 tablespoons cornstarch and 1/2 cup of the broth.
  2. Add the slurry in after the broth simmers but before the milk.
  3. Stir as it comes to a boil.
  • Prep Time: 30 minutes
  • Cook Time: 25 minutes
  • Category: Soup
  • Method: Stove Top
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 1/2 cup soup
  • Calories: 179
  • Sugar: 9 g
  • Fat: 5 g
  • Saturated Fat: 3 g
  • Carbohydrates: 23 g
  • Fiber: 2 g
  • Protein: 7 g

Keywords: cream of mushroom soup, mushroom soup

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