This recipe for Dairy-Free Cream of Mushroom Soup is comfort in a bowl. The original was first posted on my Against all Grain blog in 2012, then in my Celebrations cookbook with some modifications to use it in a Thanksgiving Green Bean Casserole.
Then, I modified it for my Eat What You Love cookbook to become a “condensed” cream of mushroom soup – like the kind you find in a can – so it could be used to recreate all of my mom’s old casseroles she made while I was a kid. Pretty much everything mom made had a can of that soup in it. And a tub of sour cream.
This new version has the same rich and smooth texture, achieved without the wheat and heavy cream that is normally used. You can enjoy it on its own or add it to your favorite casserole recipe. This will definitely become one of your favorites this upcoming winter season!
We use nourishing and gut healing chicken bone broth, mixed with sauteed mushrooms, onions and garlic that have been blended with dairy-free ricotta cheese and fresh thyme. It is a simple but delicious recipe that is filling and packed with nutritional benefits.
The “Cream”:
Although this Dairy-Free Cream of Mushroom Soup doesn’t contain any dairy, it is incredibly thick and creamy. Instead of using cashews like the original, I used a shortcut like I did for my recipe for Broccoli Cheddar Soup. I used Kite Hill Ricotta Cheese that I bought from Whole Foods. It gives it a slight dairy-like tang from the cultures and helps thicken the soup perfectly without having to soak and blend the cashews – making this soup come together even quicker. If you are unable to access Kite Hill Ricotta Cheese, Miyokos has a great cream cheese that will work just as well in this recipe.
Benefits of Homemade:
The cans that mom used to use usually contain dairy, additives like MSG, cornstarch, sugar, vegetable oils, wheat, modified food starch, and soy, just to name a few! This version uses only fresh and whole ingredients and is 100% grain-free, dairy-free and refined sugar-free.
I like to keep a few batches of this in the freezer so if I feel like throwing together a quick casserole it is as easy as popping open a can, only much healthier! Ps – see me using it in one my grandma’s old recipes in this video! She called it Shepherd’s Pie, which I learned in adulthood is definitely not true to the classic, but it’s comfort food nonetheless and my family ate it all up!
Other Uses:
You can absolutely use this recipe in place of the cashew cream sauce in my recipe for Green Bean Casserole from Celebrations. I suggest making a double batch and using some of it in the casserole. Save the other half for a warm bowl of soup! It will also work really well in any old family casserole recipes that call for a can of cream of mushroom soup. You can also use it in my recipe for Poppy Seed Chicken from page 247 or my Chicken Divan from page 256 in my cookbook Eat What You Love! Click here to see how I made Shepherd’s Pie with this recipe as the base!
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PrintCream Of Mushroom Soup
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 12 mins
- Total Time: 27 minutes
- Yield: 2 1/2 servings 1x
- Category: Appetizer
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 3 cloves garlic
- ¾ cup chopped yellow onion
- 8 ounces mixed mushrooms – I used white button and shiitake
- 2 tablespoons sherry cooking wine
- 2 cups unsalted chicken broth (increase to 2 ½ cups if using Miyokos cream cheese)
- 1 8-ounce container Kite Hill ricotta cheese
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¾ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Heat the avocado oil in a stockpot over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, onions, and garlic and sauté for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the mushrooms and onions have softened. Pour in the sherry, and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until the liquid has mostly evaporated.
- Add the broth and ricotta to a blender and blend on high until smooth, about 30 seconds.
- Add the mushroom mix, salt, pepper, and thyme to the blender and pulse a few times until the mushrooms are bite-size. Pour the mixture back into the pot and simmer over medium heat until thickened, stirring frequently. Serve hot, or cool to room temperature and store in the refrigerator for 10 days.
Notes
Freeze for 6 months.
11/16/21
This is one if my all time favorite recipes (and I love ALL of Danielle’s) – it is so easy to make, is absolutely delicious AND it is healthy!!!!! Thank you for making and sharing this recipe!
Would love to try recipe but water is omitted from ingredient list. How much water is blended with Kite Hill cheese?
Hi! That was meant to be *broth, not water. I just updated the recipe – thank you & enjoy!!
Made this today for Thanksgiving prep, we have a cashew allergy in the house so I was so glad to see this recipe as an alternative! Tasted great, rich and comforting. I did notice in step 2 it says to add the water (not broth) and ricotta to the blender but I figured it out. Thanks for another great recipe!
Great catch! I just made that correction – thank you so much!
I can’t wait to try this! I’m planning to use it for your green Bean Casserole, would one batch of this be okay for the recipe?
Yes – enjoy!
What exactly thickens this soup? How long does it take? Mine is not thick at all and now I am wondering what else I can use to thicken it?
Mine was on the thin we side too and I wanted to thicken it. I mixed 1Tbsp arrowroot powder with 2 Tbsp water and then slowly stirred it into the heated soup, continuing to heat it and stir until thickened. It turned out delicious as ever and thickened too! One of the tastiest, easiest soups ever!
I just made this too!! I love it, Thank you. We have recently gone dairy freea d these eased my Thanksgiving stress. I made it to add to my som‘s favorite recipe, a green bean casserole recipe his Grandmother always made, but, I ordered your celebrations book to have your green bean casserole recipe. I expect it will be healthier and this is too good. I doubled it so we can enjoy the soup on it‘s own tonight. The kids are coming tomorrow to celebrate.
P.S. I hope you have a Chestnut Soup. I am looking forward to receiving your Celebrations cookbook tomorrow.
Is there a sherry wine you suggest for this recipe?
Best soup I’ve ever made.
I absolutely love this recipe! I also can’t have cashews *sigh*, but this recipe makes me forget about that sadness lol! Making delicious & healthy green bean casserole with it as I write this. This will forever be a staple in my house. Thank you! ❤️ ❤️❤️
This is absolutely delicious! My husband kept asking, “are you sure this is dairy and gluten free?” This recipe is a keeper.
This looks delicious! I’ll definitely be making this! Can you tell me what type of bread is in the photos? It looks yummy!
What can I substitute for Ricotta? I can’t find this near .me. Thanks!
you can make it homemade or use another brand of dairy-free ricotta!
Can you use Kite Hill cream cheese in place of the ricotta? That’s all I can find at my store. BTW LOVE YOUR RECIPES!
WOW! Hands down the BEST cream of mushroom soup I’ve ever made. I also made homemade vegan ricotta instead of purchasing. Turned out so creamy and delicious. Never have I had a Danielle Walker recipe disappoint!
I do wonder if you can freeze this soup? If anybody has had success if you could comment.
Thanks!
Hi – yes! You can freeze this soup. I’m so happy you enjoyed it so much!
Do you think I could use this recipe to make a cream of celery soup, ie use 8 ozs chopped celery instead of the mushrooms ?
Desperately would love to recreate the old tuna casserole recipe from decades ago, which used cream of celery soup.
Hi! I believe it might work, but you’d have to experiment since I haven’t tried it that way & I can’t guarantee how it will turn out. Let us know if you succeed in turning it into a cream of celery soup – another reader might have the same question!
I want to make this soup, but I cannot buy here in Germany the kite hill or mykosos ingredients. How can I make this recipe without these items. Thank you, Anna
Sounds wonderful, but my husband really doesn’t like mushrooms. Do you think I could substitute asparagus? Is love a great cream of asparagus recipe
I think subbing with asparagus is a great idea! Let us know how it turns out – another reader might have the same question and will find your modifications helpful!
Hi Danielle, This recipe is a gem. The flavour is delicious. I used the dairy-free cream cheese as I was not able to access Kite Hill, I don’t think we have that in Ontario.
My soup was very watery even after leaving it to simmer and thicken for quite a while. I wonder if adding a little arrowroot starch would help? Have you encountered this? Thanks!
Hi! I haven’t, but an arrowroot slurry is always a great way to thicken soups or stews so yes, that would be good to try next time if you encounter the same issue