There are moments when I’m nostalgic for an old-school bowl of cream of mushroom soup. It’s comforting, earthy, loaded with nutrient-packed mushrooms, and simple to make. I like a classic-tasting version, but can’t bring myself to lean into the heavy cream in the way a lot of the older recipes do. This version brings all the factors you love about the classic (it tastes nearly identical) but leverages cashews to bring silky creaminess. Cooking the onions and mushrooms down aggressively develops depth and flavor, and herbs (dried and fresh!) and lemon bring lift and brightness. So good!
Cream of Mushroom Soup: Ingredients
- Mushrooms: This is the sort of soup I’ll make when I need to use up some mushrooms. I call for brown mushrooms here, but you can use white, brown, whatever you need to use up. This isn’t the soup I’d make to show off special mushrooms I picked up at the farmer’s market though. I like to use those for things like these mushroom “scallops” or this roasted mushroom sandwich.
- Herbs: Dried herbs and fresh herbs love a mushroom soup. The recipe calls for some dried thyme or herbs de Provence added to the pot during cooking. I like to toss a few fresh, chopped herbs into each bowl just before serving as well. You can see dill here, but snipped chives, slivered basil, marjoram, and fresh thyme are all very welcome and complement the mushrooms nicely.
- Broth: Use a broth that you love the taste of, it’s the base of the soup and is kee. A couple bouillon dissolved in water works as well. For this soup I typically mix 2 tablespoons of this homemade bouillon powder into the 6 cups of water.
- Cashews: You’ll cook the cashews along with the mushrooms. They soften up nicely and become beautifully creamy when you puree the soup before serving. No heavy cream needed, and honestly, few people can tell the difference between this soup and one made with heavy cream.
- Lemon: it really brightens everything up at the end and helps to bring the whole soup into balance.
- Black pepper: Invest in great quality black peppercorns, it will absolutely help you level up your cooking. And don’t skimp on it here. Really go for it.
Topping Ideas
Here’s a brainstorm of things that are great on top of a cream of mushroom soup like this one. You see it here topped with fresh dill, homemade oatmeal sourdough croutons, olive oil drizzle, and lots of freshly ground black pepper. 
Other ideas:
- chili crisp
- grated cheese
- poached egg and citrus furikake
- a swirl of pesto and toasted pine nuts
- sprinkled with za’atar and deeply toasted, baked pita strips
More Blended Soup Recipes
So many good blended soups around here. Enjoy!
- Simple Cauliflower Soup
- Pumpkin and Rice Soup
- Simple Asparagus Soup
- Simple Carrot Soup
- Ten Great Blender Soups
- Zucchini Soup
- Blended Vegetable Soup
- All soup recipes
More Mushroom Recipes
- Baked Mushrooms with Miso Butter
- Mushroom Lasagna
- Mushroom Ragu
- Stuffed Mushrooms
- all mushroom recipes
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