Creamy Mushroom Soup
Creamy mushroom soup flavored with garlic and thyme is the perfect comfort meal for fall served with crusty bread, it’s like a hug in a bowl.
My mom made mushroom soup for us all the time. It was one of her stand-out recipes and for so many years, I couldn’t figure out what she did to make it so exceptionally delicious. It turns out, my mom always added a can of evaporated milk to her soup. That and a ton of garlic. I also love adding fresh thyme and a little squeeze of lemon to brighten up all the flavors. Mushrooms, garlic and lemon are an absolute match made in Heaven.
Table of Contents
How to make the best creamy mushroom soup
- Develop flavor early in the process by making sure the mushrooms are well browned. Mushrooms often release loads of water while cooking. If this happens, allow all the water to cook off and the mushrooms will start frying and browning. After the mushrooms are browned, add the garlic and herbs and allow to cook until aromatic.
- Use garlic, herbs and lemon juice to compliment the earthy flavor of the mushrooms. Thyme, Rosemary, sage, oregano and parsley are great matches for mushrooms.
- Add cream. Or evaporated milk. You could of course use full cream milk/half and half but for a truly creamy mushroom soup, adding cream or evaporated milk is a must.
- Don’t be shy with salt and pepper. Mushrooms tend to be very bland so make sure to season the soup generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Storing, freezing and reheating
Mushroom soup will last for 3-5 days if kept covered in an airtight container in the fridge. To freeze the soup, transfer cooled soup to freezer bags or containers and freeze for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw completely before reheating in a pot set over medium heat.
What to serve with mushroom soup
Mushroom recipes
- Creamy mushroom rice
- Black truffle and mushroom risotto
- Mushroom arancini with roasted tomato sauce
- Creamy mushroom toast
Creamy mushroom soup
Ingredients
- 1 kg (2lbs) mushrooms sliced (Chestnut/Cremini/Button/Brown, etc)
- 2 tbsp butter
- 4 leeks finely chopped
- 2 tsp fresh thyme
- 3 garlic cloves crushed
- 8 cups stock
- 1 cup heavy/whipping cream (evaporated milk can be substituted)
- squeeze of lemon juice
- Salt & Black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot, melt the butter and add the mushrooms. Allow to cook until the mushrooms are well browned.
- Add the leeks and cook until soft. Add the garlic and mushrooms and allow to cook until fragrant.
- Add enough stock to just cover the mushrooms and allow to simmer for 7-10 minutes.
- Transfer half of the soup to a blender and blend until smooth. If you prefer the soup to be smooth, blend all the soup until smooth. (This can be done with an immersion blender.)
- Return to the heat and add the cream. Allow to simmer gently for 5 minutes and add the lemon juice and seasoning.
- Serve hot with a swirl of cream and crusty bread.
