Cream of Mushroom Soup (Vegan)

I wanna say mushroom soup is childhood favorite, something of luxury, when growing up in an Asian country. I grew up having Campbell mushroom soup but when I tasted an actual cream of mushroom soup, I never went back to the canned soups.

This vegan recipe is so easy to make that anyone with the right tools can fancy up their weekday dinners with the addition of this vegan soup.

Creamy mushroom soup drizzled with olive oil and freshly ground black pepper

Vegan Cream

There are a few vegan cream products in store that we could use for this. Tip: look out for vegan creams that are made with mostly coconut oil, sunflower oil and gum. Coconut oil has been on trend for almost a decade now and it is over marketed in my opinion. Coconut oils have great medium chain triglycerides (MCT) which may improve cognitive function and help with digestion, however when over consumed, it can raise LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, and potentially causing weight gain.

So instead, I make my own cashew cream by simply blending cashew nuts with water. It is cheap, easy, and a whole lot more nutritious without preservatives or additives. In vegan cooking, cashews are commonly used to make cheese, milk, and other nondairy products.

Nutritional Yeast

Nutritional yeast is a yeast based flavoring that is fortified with vitamin Bs like B1 (thiamine), B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin), B6 (pyridoxine), B9 (folate) and sometimes B12. It also contains minerals like iron, potassium, selenium and zinc. Note that nutrient profile varies depending on brand.

This is a vegetarian or vegan seasoning to have at home if you like cheese and umami flavors. It’s got about 3g of protein for every tablespoon. If you like the flavor, feel free to add more but keep in mind, there are upper limits to some vitamin Bs:

• B3/Niacin: 35mg/day (from supplements and fortified foods)

• B6/pyridoxine: 100mg/day

• B9/folate: 1,000mcg/day

Interesting fact — if we over consume B3 or Niacin from both supplements and fortified foods, we may experience flushing (not hot flashes), like sudden redness on the skin, burning or warming sensation and sometimes tingling or itching.

If you are allergic to yeast, please omit this.

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

• 1/3 cup cashews, roasted, unsalted

• 2 cups water

• 3 cups button mushrooms, white/brown

• 4-5 garlic cloves, minced

• 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast

• 1 Tbsp dried basil

• 1 Tbsp dried parsley

• Salt to taste (I used about 1 tsp)

• 1 tsp black pepper

• 1 tsp olive oil to drizzle when serving

Instructions

1. Cashew cream

Blend cashew nuts and water for 5-6 minutes depending on your blender or until smooth.

2. Start cooking

Heat a medium pot for about 2 minutes on medium-high heat. Add whole mushrooms. You can cut the mushrooms or be lazy like me and add them whole. Then, add garlic. Sauté for about 8-10 minutes or until you can clearly see the mushrooms shrunk by 30-40% and starting to caramelize. Keep stirring to prevent the bottom of your pot from burning.

3. Add flavorings

Add nutritional yeast for a vegan cheesy and nutty flavor. Then, pour in the cashew cream, along with the dried herbs, salt and pepper. Let boil for 4-5 minutes.

4. Blend it up

I like using a handheld immersion blender so I don’t have to transfer the soup out to a standing blender. Blend until desired consistency. I like my mushrooms with bits and chunks for texture.

5. Simmer

Let simmer for 15-20 minutes then serve and enjoy!

6. Presentation

I like to drizzle some olive oil, crack some fresh black pepper and sprinkle dried parsley for some color.

Dietitian Notes

Each serving: 110cal | 10g carbs | 4g protein | 8g fat

Doing creamed soups is one of the easier ways to incorporate vegetables in our diet. You can make cream of bell peppers, tomatoes, carrots, peas, and so on. Some of these go really well with roasting the vegetables first then blend and season, like bell peppers, tomatoes and carrots. Some are great by just boiling or microwaving like peas or squashes. Add some onion and garlic for natural flavoring without needing as much salt.

Tips & Variations

If you are allergic to cashews or would like a different alternative, here are some options:

• macadamia nut (higher fat but very smooth blend)

• almonds (flavor might be milder)

• sunflower seeds (if allergic to nuts)

• silken tofu (if allergic to nuts and seeds, would give even more protein and a very smooth texture)

You may use other infused oils as the drizzle on top. Some of my personal favorites include:

• truffle oil

• garlic oil

• basil oil or other herb infused oil

• chili oil