Healthy Cream Of Mushroom Soup Recipe

This healthy cream of mushroom soup recipe is the perfect healthy replacement for the junk in a can.

A while back, a reader emailed me and asked if I knew of a substitute for cream of mushroom soup. She wanted to make a recipe that called for it but didn’t know of any clean eating substitutions. The only substitution I could think of was simply a clean eating version of the soup. So I tried several times on my own before converting an old family recipe. There’s something to be said for not reinventing the wheel!

Clean Eating Cream Of Mushroom Soup

The reason I’m so excited to share this recipe with you is that cream of mushroom soup has so many culinary uses!

In fact, I’m going to demonstrate one of those uses in the next recipe. I’ll show you how to make Chicken Pot Pies!

But until then, I strongly suggest making a batch of this ahead of time. (Pot Pies are so much easier when you simply combine a bunch of ingredients that are already ready to go!) Having a batch of this in the freezer, especially with fall and winter coming at us fast is simply a very smart idea!

More Healthy Soup Recipes

Cream Of Mushroom Soup Recipe

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A small white bowl is filled with homemade cream of mushroom soup.

Healthy Cream Of Mushroom Soup Recipe

A delicious, healthy replacement for the junk in a can.
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Course: Base Recipes, Soup
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 105kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. mushrooms (sliced)
  • 4 cups chicken broth (no sugar added, low sodium is good)
  • 2 tsp. olive oil
  • ¼ cup whole wheat pastry flour (Use cornstarch if you need gluten free)
  • 1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
  • 2 cups milk (or unsweetened non-dairy milk like almond, cashew or soy)

Instructions

  • Sauté the mushrooms in the oil. This is a very small amount of oil for one pound of mushrooms. But if you keep the heat low, the mushrooms will release their own moisture and before you know it you'll have a bunch of water in the pan that won't allow them to burn. Just get the pan hot over high heat and then immediately turn to low heat. Stir frequently.
  • When the liquid comes out of the mushrooms, add the balsamic vinegar. Then, the flour, which will soak up all the liquid pretty quickly.
  • Put the chicken broth into your soup pot. Transfer the mushrooms to the same pot and combine with the broth.
  • Add milk.
  • Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for approximately 10 minutes.
  • Allow to cool in the pot. If you will be eating this, season to taste with salt and pepper. If you will be using this soup for other recipes, do not add salt at this time.

Notes

Please note that the nutrition data given here is a ballpark figure. Exact data is not possible.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 105kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 8mg | Sodium: 613mg | Potassium: 491mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 132IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 105mg | Iron: 1mg

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60 Comments

  1. TwoDiffSocks says:

    does it have to be crimini mushrooms? could any kind of mushrooms do since criminis are expensive in my tiny store & very expensive in Manhattan. thanks

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      TwoDiff – No, I only chose crimini because I think they give more flavor. But any mushroom would work just fine.

    2. Hi! I just stumbled across your blog and love all your clean eating options! I keep noticing across several the use of a high quality balsamic vinegar – any suggestions on what to look for or brands you swear by? Thanks!

      1. The Gracious Pantry says:

        Jess – More than brands, I look for age. But truth be told, I can’t always afford them. So I buy the cheap stuff and boil it down by half. Works great! 🙂

  2. upstartkitchen says:

    Wouldn’t you want to use some thyme and bay leaf as well to bring up the flavor? Thyme in particular adds a lot of punch, and bay leaf seems to me an essential flavor.

    By the way, if clean eating is important to you, you should know that what you believe to be balsamic vinegar is really just red wine vinegar, reduced and then supplemented with caramel coloring, and often thickened with gums. Rather than using vinegar, why not add 1/4 c white wine or a couple of tbsp of sherry to the mushrooms as they’re cooking off their liquid – this is a much more accurate counterpart to the mushrooms than balsamic vinegar.

    Also, I’m not sure I would recommend using this in place of canned cream of mushroom soup in a recipe. The fact is that a simple roux of flour in oil or butter, or a beurre manie, is a far more effective thickener than canned soup, and is not particularly “processed” (and you could use something other than white flour if it’s really that important to minimize processing even more).

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Upstart – I appreciate your feedback! Here’s why I did the recipe the way I did:

      1) Not all balsamic vinegars are made the way you mentioned. Some are very good quality.
      2) I don’t use alcohol at all in cooking because it reduces down to sugar after the alcohol has cooked off. Plus, alcohol is not clean.

      As for the seasoning, you could certainly add any spices or herbs you like. My recipes are not the absolute be-all, end-all. I encourage people to play around with them. After all, that’s half the fun in the kitchen! Don’t you agree?

  3. Is the end result suppossed to be really thin?

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Katie – It is not a thick soup, so yes, it will be a bit runnier than the canned, processed version.

  4. Tangy @ A Taste of Tangy says:

    I made this recipe on Monday! I didn’t eat it but I did use it with another recipe that called for cream of mushroom soup (actually, it called for an onion soup mix but I don’t like onions and I remember the owner of the diner I worked at in high school put cream of mushroom soup in her amazing chili) and it was the best chili I’ve ever had!! Definitely a great alternative to using the canned stuff! I just added a bit less stock to mine and also maybe a tad less milk (I used rice milk) and I will definitely use this recipe if I ever need to use it as a substitute again!

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Tangy – Thank you for trying my recipe! That’s the main reason I did this recipe. To use in other recipes. But it’s great alone as well. Enjoy!

  5. trude wofford says:

    one of my daughters is gluten sensitive so I just used corn starch to thicken- the flavors are wonderful in this recipe and I have used this as a replacement for cream of mushroom soup in casseroles and had fabulous results. It is also great in a bowl on its own with some homemade crackers. Thanks Tiffany

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Trude – Thank you! I’m so happy to hear there is a GF alternative for this recipe!

  6. Hey Tiffany what can I substitute the soy milk with? Soy is not my friend 🙁

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Try regular milk, rice milk or almond milk. It all depends on your tastes. Use the one that tastes best to you.

  7. My hubby just made this for dinner, and it was delish! He used some cremini and some white mushrooms, and rice milk. It turned out great! We will definately make it again, and he’s planning on making chicken pot pies too! We both love your site!

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Janet – What a nice compliment! Thank you! I’m so happy you enjoyed it. You should try the Chicken and Dumplings too. Yum!

  8. I’ll be mixing up a batch and freezing it today. I’ll be using plain almond milk and adding a few spices – likely marjoram and a bit of thyme. I am so happy to be making these changes. I feel better than I have in years!

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Paulissa – That’s great! That’s what clean eating is all about. Congrats!

  9. Just made a batch and it tastes great!!! I used crimini, shitake and yellow oyster mushrooms, cut the broth by 1 c. and used unsweetened almond milk and gluten-free flour. It turned out wonderful. Thank you so much for this recipe. I love that your recipes use common ingredients. What a Godsend.

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Paulissa – Yay!!! Try blending the soup with a hand blender so the mushrooms get blended. It thickens it slightly and really releases the full flavor. So yummy! Happy you enjoyed it!

  10. This was the first recipe I made from your site. It was very good! I used regular mushrooms, and punched up the “mushroominess” with 1/4 pound cinnamon cap mushrooms. VERY tasty! Definitely a keeper!

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Amacuba – That’s great! Try blending the mushrooms into the liquid with a hand blender. Even yummier!

  11. Ann-Margaret says:

    Thank you so much for this recipe. I needed a clean version of Cream of Mushroom soup for a family pot roast recipe I had. I used beef stock instead of chicken, since I was using it for a beef dish, and I also seasoned it with white pepper. YUM YUM. My fiance said it was the best pot roast I have ever made. I can’t wait to make this soup for plain old eating!!!

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Ann-Margaret – That’s fabulous! I think you’ll love it as just plain soup too. I’m addicted to it!

  12. I am wanting to cook this tonight for mushroom chicken, but don’t have any balsamic vinegar. Is it ok to leave it out or is there something I could use to substitute for it?

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Kim – You’ll have to taste it and see. The vinegar really is a flavor component. It won’t change the consistency at all. If it “needs something” when it’s done, try either a smaller amount of regular vinegar or even a little lemon juice. If you cook with wine, you could also add some red wine instead. But I never cook with it, so I don’t know which one to recommend.

      NOTE: If you are making mushroom chicken, you may not even need the vinegar.

      Let me know how it turns out!

  13. I made this according to recipe, but mine is still a beige color from the milk and broth. The only thing I can think that I could have done was to let the mushrroms cook longer to create their own water. Any advice?

    1. The Gracious Pantry says:

      Kim – How does it taste? It could have been the type of mushrooms you used too. Mine is always beige. If it tastes good, you did fine! 🙂

  14. This looks wonderful! Does it freeze well, so that I can make enough for several batches at a time?

    1. Anonymous says:

      Mmarks28 – I have had good luck with freezing it. I recommend freezing in 1 cup portions. Makes life easier.

  15. Hi Tiffany,
    Can I use coconut milk instead of the soy milk? Thanks

    1. Anonymous says:

      Evie – I wouldn’t in this recipe. The coconut milk would really throw off the traditional flavor of this soup.

  16. Anonymous says:

    Carol – Haha!!! Thank you so much!

  17. Anonymous says:

    Amy – Organic butter is clean in moderation. Clean eating avoided butter for a long time and most clean eaters still do. But even Tosca Reno uses a little organic butter in her recipes. I try to avoid it myself because I love it too much and cannot stop using it once I start. But in moderation, it’s fine. Earth Balance is questionable, and coconut oil is definitely clean.

  18. graciouspantry says:

    Run – You can do it either way.

  19. Joy Shears Roberts says:

    I am sharing all of what I make with my FB friends! Keep up the good work

    1. graciouspantry says:

      Thanks so much! 🙂

  20. graciouspantry says:

    I’m sorry, but I know absolutely nothing about canning. Wish I could be more help. I really need to learn.

  21. graciouspantry says:

    But it freezes well!

  22. graciouspantry says:

    I prefer to freeze stuff as well. My freezer is NEVER big enough!

  23. Joy Shears Roberts says:

    AMAZING!!!!!

  24. graciouspantry says:

    I would guess about 6 months.

  25. graciouspantry says:

    Awww, thanks! Glad you liked it!