Vegan Mushroom Soup Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What thickens mushroom soup? ›

Add Flour Or Cornstarch

You can thicken soup by adding flour, cornstarch, or another starchy substitute. For the best results, never add flour or cornstarch directly to your soup. If you do, it will clump up on top. Instead, ladle a small amount of broth into a separate bowl and let it cool.

The difference is the cream. Mushroom soup has a thin clear broth.

If your mushroom soup tastes bland, it could be due to several reasons: Quality of Mushrooms: Fresh, high-quality mushrooms, especially wild varieties, tend to have a more pronounced flavor. Older mushrooms or ones that aren't as fresh might lack flavor.

Cream and milk can be used as substitutes in soup recipes, but it will affect the texture and flavor of the soup. Milk is a thinner liquid than cream and is generally used to add a creamy texture to soups without the added fat content. It will also give a slightly tangy flavor to the soup.

Thyme, crushed red pepper flakes, and bay leaves work well with mushroom soup.

It's important to note that cornstarch has twice the thickening power of flour. If you need to substitute cornstarch to thicken liquid in a recipe that calls for ¼ cup (four tablespoons) flour, you only need two tablespoons cornstarch.

And of course it's heart healthy! Mushrooms are very low in calories, but high in protein, fiber, and cholesterol free. Not only that, but they are known to have cholesterol lowering properties, and anti inflammatory effects (1). Also, unique to the plant world, mushrooms naturally contain some vitamin D.

Milk + Butter

This sub isn't ideal if you're making whipped cream, but it'll do the trick if you're using heavy cream in baked goods, soups and casseroles. Butter is a whopping 80% fat, so combined with whole milk, it works as a heavy cream substitute.

Mushrooms are low in fat, count towards your 5-a-day and are a source of potassium and some B vitamins. With all that goodness and no cream, this is a really healthy mushroom soup.

Mushrooms are tough on the stomach

There are people who lack the enzyme in their intestines that breaks down trehalose. For these people, eating mushrooms can lead to more severe digestive problems like flatulence and diarrhoea.

How do you upgrade mushroom soup? ›

Add herbs and spices: A pinch of herbs like thyme, rosemary, or parsley can add depth and complexity to the soup. You can also try adding a pinch of spices like paprika, cumin, or chili flakes to give the soup a little kick. Add a splash of wine: A splash of dry white wine can add depth and complexity to the soup.

"Mushrooms have a ton of liquid in them, and the real flavor comes out when that liquid is cooked out. Be careful not to over-cook, but give them enough time to bleed out all of their juice in the cooking process," he says. It will be very obvious when they are no longer giving off liquid.

Mix equal parts silken tofu and soy milk and blend thoroughly to make a high protein, vegan substitute for heavy cream. This mixture works well to thicken soups and sauces.

In fact, each fluid ounce of evaporated milk contains less than half the amount of calories and about one-fourth the amount of fat as heavy cream. “It works best in a 1:1 substitution in recipes like casseroles, soups and sauces, offering a similar texture but lighter consistency,” explains Brigham.

The best way to thicken mushroom sauce is evaporation and heavy cream. Evaporation: The liquids, including beef broth and water, loosen the flavorful, stuck-on browned bits leftover from sautéing the mushrooms. Let the sauce cook until it thickens and reduces to about 3/4 cup.

Add a few tablespoons of heavy cream, depending on the quantity you're cooking, to the now-reduced mushroom sauce, stirring gently to ensure even incorporation. The creaminess balances the intense flavors and imparts a luscious silky texture.

Potatoes, Rice, and Bread

Cooked potatoes or rice can be mashed or puréed and added to soup for more body. Simmering potatoes and grains in soup will also thicken the liquid slightly. Bread crumbs are used to thicken Italian Wedding Soup.

A little flour thickens up the soup base to a creamy consistency, even without heavy cream.