Rich, thick and hearty, this vegan cream of mushroom soup is full of deliciously satisfying flavour from just a few uncomplicated ingredients.

Are you a year round fan of soup?  I never warmed (excuse the pun) to cold soups during the summer months.  To me soup is a seasonal favourite.  Chilly days and cold nights.  With a big bowl of something warm and filling with oversized chunks of crusty bread.  It should be full of flavour.  And veggies.  But with so many convenience bought soups not being vegan, even the plain old vegetable ones (milk somehow always finds its way in) I wanted to make a soup recipe that is just about as simple as it could possible be.  And with just a few ingredients, this mushroom soup delivers on everything:

• Rich and creamy
• Full of flavour
• Hearty and healthy
• Satisfyingly yum!
• Just one saucepan and some kind of blender needed

I’d seen so many cream of mushroom soup recipes using coconut milk or cream for the ‘creamy’ part.  But I know not everyone (ahem Phil) likes a coconut flavour so I had to find a way of making the creamy part without, well, cream.

Enter the humble butter bean.  Not only are they full of fibre and protein, they also contain iron.  Having been recently diagnosed with anaemia and not wanting to resort to just taking iron tablets, I’m currently looking for ways to increase my daily intake of iron through diet.  And a big bowl of mushroom soup sounds to me a really good way of doing just that.

And also because there really isn’t anything quite like homemade soup bubbling on the stove to look forward to.  It’s so easy to increase the ingredients and make some for the fridge or freezer for a few meals worth too.

How to make this easy vegan mushroom soup:

Brown the mushrooms.  Here you want quite a high heat and only a little oil.  And stir as little as possible.  You want the mushrooms to sear and colour as this is what gives the soup its final wonderfully earthy flavour.

Add the chopped onion and crushed garlic.  And a few sprigs of fresh thyme if you have them.  Sauté until the onion is just translucent.  This soup really doesn’t need much cooking for a tonne of flavour.

De-glaze the pan.  This is so that all those tasty bits that might be stuck to the bottom of your saucepan aren’t left behind!  This is done with a drop of brandy, which also helps to cook off any raw alcohol flavour while leaving the warmth of the brandy.  You can also use sherry or white wine if you don’t have brandy.

Add the remaining liquids.  Stir in the veg stock and aminos (or light soy sauce).  I’ve also added a teaspoon of miso paste to enhance that deep woody, mushroom umami flavour.  It can be omitted if you can’t get hold of it.

Gently bubble for just a 5 minutes.  This allows the flavours to blend together without overcooking.  I like actual mushrooms in my soup not mushroom mush!

Blend just a ladle or two of the soup with the butter beans.  This is what gives the final soup it’s lovely thick creamyness.  With added extra healthy oomph!

Heat through and serve.  Or cool and chill or freeze for many future super quick, super healthy meals!

Love soup as much as we do?  Here’s some of our tried and tested favourites:

Hearty Vegetable Soup

Minestrone Soup

Vegan Tomato Soup

Red Pepper and Tomato Soup with Roasted Cauliflower

I’d love to hear from you if you give this Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup recipe a try! Just leave a comment as it’s so helpful and I love to hear how the recipe worked out for you! Thank you so much 🙂

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