A rich, savoury vegan mushroom soup with deep porcini flavour, garlic, fresh herbs and generous pieces of juicy mushrooms.
🍴 Why you will love this recipe
This creamy vegan mushroom soup combines intense porcini umami with fresh mushrooms, garlic and herbs for a satisfying, restaurant-quality starter or a comforting midweek lunch. It’s thick and silky yet deliberately chunky so each spoonful has texture and flavour.
It also freezes well and reheats beautifully, making it a handy batch-cook to keep ready for busy days. The flavours are layered and robust — even non-vegans will love it.
If you enjoy earthy, warming soups, this porcini-enhanced vegan mushroom soup is exactly the kind of “hug in a bowl” you’ll want to make again and again.
Dried porcini give this soup a deep, mushroomy backbone while fresh mushrooms add body and texture. The soup is part-puréed so it stays silky but still has large, juicy mushroom pieces in every bowl. Garlic, a splash of dairy-free cream and fresh herbs finish it off.
This is a step up from canned cream-of-mushroom soups: fresher, more vibrant and truly mushroom-forward.
📝 What you need
Ingredients
Dried porcini mushrooms — They provide a concentrated mushroom flavour and a rich brown colour. Any dried wild mushrooms will work, but porcini are particularly good here.
Fresh mushrooms — Use a mix of varieties. Flat mushrooms with dark gills help deepen the colour, while white or chestnut mushrooms bulk up the quantity. Around 600g raw gives a good yield after cooking.
Fresh thyme or rosemary — Use whole sprigs while cooking to infuse flavour, then remove them before blending.
Vegetable stock — A good-quality stock makes a difference; use fresh stock if you have it, otherwise a reliable powder or cube is fine.
Dairy-free cream — Oat or soya cream gives a silky finish. A small amount goes a long way and elevates the texture.
Equipment
No specialist equipment is required. To create the partially blended texture, use either an immersion (stick) blender or a regular blender/food processor: purée half the soup and mix it back into the chunky half.
👩🏽🍳 Variations
Small tweaks can change the soup’s character:
- Boozy finish — Stir in half a glass of white wine or sherry after the flour has cooked and allow it to bubble for a few minutes before adding the stock for a refined depth of flavour.
- Herby — Make the herbs more prominent with extra parsley and finely chopped rosemary and thyme leaves stirred in at the end.
- Protein boost — Replace some of the dairy-free cream by puréeing a tin of cannellini or butter beans into half the soup; return and mix to add creaminess and protein.
❄️ Freezing
This soup freezes well. Portion into freezer-safe containers, label and date, then defrost gently and reheat until piping hot. Reheat in a saucepan or microwave and stir well before serving.
For best texture, thaw slowly in the fridge overnight if possible, then reheat and refresh the seasoning and a little extra dairy-free cream if needed.
What else can I make with porcini mushrooms?
Leftover porcini work well in dishes that benefit from concentrated mushroom flavour, such as creamy mushroom risotto or mixed mushroom roasts. Save the soaking liquid to use in stocks, risottos or sauces for an instant flavour boost.
🍽 If you liked that…
You might enjoy other warming vegan soups and mushroom-based mains. Try spiced parsnip soups, leek and potato soups, or a hearty mushroom bourguignon for similar comfort and depth of flavour.
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Mushroom Soup
Author: Kate Ford | The Veg Space
A rich, savoury vegan mushroom soup with porcini, fresh herbs and chunky mushrooms. Silky, comforting and full of umami.
Prep time: 15 mins • Cook time: 25 mins
Course: Soup • Cuisine: British
Serves: 4 • Calories: 110 kcal per serving
Ingredients
- 15 g dried porcini mushrooms
- 200 ml boiling water
- 15 g vegan butter or block margarine
- 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 600 g fresh mushrooms (any mix of white, brown, chestnut or wild)
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme or rosemary
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
- 1 tablespoon plain flour
- 800 ml vegetable stock
- 75 ml dairy-free cream (oat or soya)
- Handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Put the dried porcini in a small bowl or mug and pour over the 200 ml boiling water. Leave to soak while you prepare the rest of the ingredients, then reserve the soaking liquid and chop the rehydrated porcini.
- Melt the vegan butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook gently until softened but not coloured.
- Clean and slice the fresh mushrooms. Add them to the pan with a good pinch of salt and the whole sprigs of thyme or rosemary. Cook for 4–5 minutes until the mushrooms begin to release their juices.
- Add the crushed garlic and the plain flour, stirring for 2 minutes to cook out the raw flour taste and combine with the mushrooms.
- Remove and discard the herb sprigs. Pour in the vegetable stock and the reserved porcini soaking liquid, straining the liquid through a sieve to remove grit.
- Add the chopped porcini to the saucepan. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer for about 10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and black pepper.
- Remove from the heat and stir in the dairy-free cream. Use an immersion blender to pulse the soup a few times so it becomes silky but still chunky, or blend just under half the soup in a blender and return it to the pan, stirring to combine.
- Stir in the chopped parsley. Serve hot with a drizzle of extra dairy-free cream or olive oil and crusty bread or croutons if desired.
Notes & tips
For the best flavour, keep some mushroom texture by only partially blending. If you prefer a completely smooth soup, blend all of it until velvety. Taste and adjust acidity or salt at the end — sometimes a squeeze of lemon or a splash of white wine added during cooking can brighten the final bowl.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories 110 kcal • Carbohydrates 13.7 g • Protein 6.9 g • Fat 4.2 g • Fiber 4.3 g • Potassium 563 mg • Iron 6 mg
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Free 4-Week Vegan Meal Plan
If you enjoy batch-cooking and simple weekly menus, a meal plan can simplify shopping and meal prep. Try planning two soup batches and a few mains to mix and match for lunches and dinners.
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