This Dairy Free Mushroom Soup recipe is a rich, creamy, vegan soup that’s cozy and comforting. Serve it with slices of crusty bread and a salad for an easy weeknight dinner.
Some people love make soups when the weather turns cold. But for me, every season is soup season.
From chicken minestrone and Tuscan kale and white bean soup to chicken noodle and homemade wonton soup, we love making them all year round.
The same is true for this mushroom soup. And made with two different kinds of mushrooms and cashews for creaminess, this dish is hearty and filling — without the dairy.
Jump to:
🌟 Why this recipe works
This soup is so cozy and comforting. It’s hearty and creamy and feels decadent, but it has less than 170 calories per serving. Here are even more reasons why you’ll love this dish:
- Great for groups: This is an ideal soup for parties or get togethers. The recipe makes enough for six large servings. Plus, it’s not only dairy free, it’s also vegan, something your vegan friends will thank you for!
- Full of flavor: This soup has deep umami flavor from the mushrooms, plus the addition of soy cause. It also layers on the flavor with aromatics like garlic and onions, and a host of fresh herbs.
- Customizable: If you like an even heartier soup, you can add more vegetables like roasted carrots or roasted potatoes.
- Makes enough for leftovers: Since this recipe makes a lot of portions, you’ll probably have enough to save — and enjoy — the next day.
🛒 Ingredient notes
- Baby bella and shiitake mushrooms – I use baby bella (or cremini) and shiitake mushrooms as they are two of my favorites. But you can use whichever you prefer. If you opt for large portobello mushrooms, be sure to chop them into small pieces.
- Vegetable broth – To serve as the liquid base of the soup.
- Cashews – Soaked cashews are blended into the soup to give it a smooth, creamy texture.
- Yellow onion and garlic – These aromatics help add flavor and a bit of texture to the dish.
- Olive oil – To sauté the aromatics.
- Butter – To sauté and soften the mushrooms and add more silkiness to the soup. To keep the dish vegan, make sure your butter is, too.
- Soy sauce – This adds richer umami flavor.
- Herbs – Rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves to help flavor soup, then fresh parsley for garnish.
- Salt and pepper – To season.
✅ Step-by-step instructions
That may seem like a lot of ingredients, but this soup is really easy to create. Here are step-by-step photos to help you! You’ll find the full list of ingredients, as well as measurements in the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Heat extra virgin olive oil in a Dutch oven, then sauté onions and sauté for a couple of minutes.
- Next, sauté the garlic just until soft.
- Melt the butter and add the mushrooms.
- Cook the mushrooms with the aromatics just until the mushrooms start to get soft.
- Then pour in the wine and deglaze the pot with a wooden spoon.
- Next add the vegetable broth.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Tie the rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves with kitchen string and add them to the pot.
- Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes.
- Then, carefully remove the herbs and ladle about 2 cups of the soup mixture into a blender.
- Blend until smooth, then pour it back into the Dutch oven and simmer for another 5-10 minutes.
- Serve with a garnish of parsley and a drizzle of extra olive oil, if desired.
👩🏻🍳 Recipe FAQs
Yes, if you prefer you can swap the vegetable broth for chicken or even beef broth. But it will no longer be vegan, so that’s something to keep in mind.
Most common-variety mushrooms will work well, such as cremini (baby bella), shiitake, oyster, and button mushrooms. You could also use larger portobello mushrooms, but be sure to chop them into small pieces.
Soaking the cashews in water for at least 30 minutes will help soften them. That makes them easier to blend and results in a creamier soup. For best results, soak the cashews overnight.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. They should keep for up to 3 days. You can reheat the soup in the microwave or on the stovetop.
🍽 Serving ideas
This hearty, dairy free, vegan soup is a great stand-alone entree that goes well with vegan sides and salads like roasted Brussels sprouts and carrots, air fryer zucchini and squash, and arugula and quinoa salad.
It can also be served as an appetizer alongside other dairy free dishes like marry me chicken, tahini pasta, or air fryer chicken pot pie.
🍷 🥂 Wine pairings
Whether you prefer white wine or red, you can enjoy either with this rich, creamy soup.
Pinot Noir – Earthy notes commonly found in Oregon Pinot Noir will pair well with this mushroom soup, and the wine’s noticeable fruitiness will help balance the richness of the dish.
Chardonnay – An oaked Chardonnay will not only complement the buttery texture of this dish, it will also lend some gentle acidity to help even out the soup’s creaminess.
🍳 Kitchen tools and equipment
Ready to make this recipe? Here are the kitchen tools and equipment you’ll need:
- Dutch oven – High-quality Dutch oven or other large pot.
- High-powered blender – Use a blender to give the soup a creamy, velvety texture.
- Ladle – A stainless steel ladle to scoop and serve the soup.
- Wooden spoon – Use a wooden spoon to stir in the ingredients.
More soup recipes
Did you make this recipe? Don’t forget to leave a 5-Star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 rating in the recipe card, and if you really loved it, please leave a comment further down on the page. Thank you!
Dairy Free Mushroom Soup (vegan)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, plus more for serving
- 1¼ cup finely chopped yellow onion
- 6-8 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 Tablespoons vegan butter
- 16 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- ½ cup raw cashews, soaked and drained* (see Notes)
- 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
- fresh chopped parsley, for serving
Instructions
- Heat 1 Tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in a Dutch oven or other large pot for soup over medium-high heat.
- Once hot, add the onions and sauté for 2-3 minutes
- Add the garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes, just until the onions and garlic are both soft and fragrant.
- Add the butter, and once it's melted, add the mushrooms.
- Cook the mushrooms, onions, and garlic together for about 5 minutes, just until the mushrooms start to get soft.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Pour in the white wine and deglaze the pan if needed by gently scraping up any browned bits at the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.
- Pour in the vegetable broth. Tie the herbs – rosemary, thyme, and bay leaves – together with kitchen string and add them with the other ingredients (see Notes).
- Stir gently and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat, cover, and simmer on low for about 15 minutes.
- After that time, uncover the pot, carefully remove the herbs and discard.
- Then use a ladle to scoop out about 2 to 2½ cups of the soup mixture (make sure you get some of the mushrooms in there!) into a high powered blender. Add the cashews and soy sauce. Blend until smooth, starting at a low speed and gradually increasing to about medium or medium high speed.
- Pour the blended soup mixture back into the Dutch oven, then simmer on low-medium for about 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Serve with a sprinkling of chopped parsley and a little drizzle of extra virgin olive oil just before serving.
Notes
- Soak the cashews in a large bowl with cold water for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight. This makes the cashews easier to blend and will result in a smoother soup. I prefer to soak cashews overnight, but if you’re in a pinch, soak them for at least 30 minutes and blend on a higher speed for more time.
- Tying the sprigs of rosemary and thyme and the bay leaves together with kitchen twine into a “bouquet” makes it easier to take them out. You definitely need to remember to remove these before blending and serving!
- Garlic lovers will want to use the full 8 cloves of garlic. But if you’ve got larger cloves or you simply want to use less garlic, you can make this recipe with 6 cloves instead.
- To keep it vegan, check packaging to ensure the butter and soy sauce you use are vegan.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
