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Homemade Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup is a simple, healthy substitute for store bought canned soup and tastes so much better!
Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup
This homemade cream of mushroom soup has a deep, rich flavor and is so easy to make that you’ll never reach for the canned stuff again. Whether you’ve run out of your pantry staple or you’re looking for a healthier alternative, this recipe is the best! It’s the perfect substitute for store bought condensed mushroom soup.
Sure, it’s easy to just pop open a can of cream of mushroom soup. But once you try making your own, you’ll never go back! Just like our Condensed Cream of Chicken Substitute, this recipe offers a much deeper, more delicious flavor in so many dishes. Plus, it’s made with wholesome ingredients that you probably already have on hand! All you need are some meaty mushrooms, butter, milk, beef bouillon, soy sauce (trust me, and read on for more details) and a little salt and pepper. This homemade soup recipe is a real winner!
Ingredients in our Cream of Mushroom Soup Recipe
- butter
- mushrooms (any type, finely chopped – shiitake, cremini, portobello, or button mushrooms)
- soy sauce
- all purpose flour
- milk (or heavy cream)
- beef bouillon
- Kosher salt
- black pepper
Optional Ingredients For More Flavor
Try adding some fresh herbs or vegetables to your cream of mushroom soup base to give it even more savory flavor without sacrificing the creamy texture!
- fresh rosemary
- fresh thyme
- minced garlic
- fresh parsley
- onions
- vinegar
Why Soy Sauce in the Mushrooms?
Adding soy sauce when sautéing mushrooms is an old chef’s trick. Soy sauce brings out the delicious meaty flavor of the mushrooms in a way you won’t believe. You won’t even taste the soy sauce flavor, I promise. It’s like magic. My family has prepared mushrooms this way for years and it takes the flavor to a whole new level. I won’t sauté my mushrooms any other way. Try it; you’ll be amazed by this secret mushroom mixture!
Recipe Notes and Suggestions
- This recipe makes about three cups of condensed soup. A store bought can of cream of mushroom soup (10.75 ounces) is 1 ¼ cups. Just something to keep in mind when using this for a recipe.
- Fresh mushrooms are best, but you can use canned mushrooms too.
- To make this into a homemade cream of mushroom soup, just add an equal amount of liquid (such as milk or broth) to equal amount of condensed soup. For example, if you use two cups of condensed soup, add two cups of liquid.
- While this recipe is NOT gluten free as written, you can use a GF flour substitute or cornstarch as a thickener. Omit the soy sauce as well, since most soy sauces have gluten. And make sure to read labels on your beef bouillon. There are some delicious gluten-free alternatives out there.
- This Cream of Mushroom soup substitute can be doubled (or tripled) and kept in teh freezer for several months. Just make sure to use airtight containers or heavy-duty freezer bags.
- To reheat, thaw in the refrigerator for a couple of hours, then simmer on the stove top. When reheating the soup, make sure to stir constantly to keep it from curdling.
Frequently Asked Questions
A lot of additives that you really don’t need. Making your own is much better for you. Ingredients in a can include:
WATER, MUSHROOMS, VEGETABLE OIL (CORN, CANOLA AND/OR SOYBEAN), CREAM, MODIFIED CORNSTARCH, WHEAT FLOUR, SALT, MODIFIED MILK INGREDIENTS, SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE, MONOSODIUM GLUTAMATE, TOMATO PASTE, FLAVOUR, YEAST EXTRACT, DEHYDRATED GARLIC
Usually button mushrooms
No problem. After cooking, use either a blender or immersion blender and blend it all together until it reaches the desired consistency.
READ NEXT: Easy Dinner Ideas
Recipes that Use Cream of Mushroom Soup
Serve this as a creamy soup on its own or use it in any number of delicious dishes! Here are a few of our favorites:
- Easy Crock Pot Pork Chops
- 15-Minute Beefy Noodle Skillet
- Easy Beef Stroganoff
- The Best Tater Tot Casserole
- Green Bean Casserole
- Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole
How to Make Homemade Cream of Mushroom Soup
Homemade Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter
- 8 ounces mushrooms (any type, finely chopped)
- 2 Tablespoons soy sauce (see notes above)
- 1/2 cup flour
- 3 cups milk
- 1 Tablespoon beef bouillon
- Kosher salt (to taste)
- black pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- In a medium-sized skillet, melt butter over medium heat.
- Add mushrooms and soy sauce and sauté for about 5 minutes or until mushrooms have cooked down and very tender.
- Sprinkle flour over the top of the mushrooms and stir until a thick paste forms. Cook for another minute or two until flour is well incorporated.
- Slowly add milk while whisking constantly. Whisk until smooth and creamy. Add beef bouillon and stir until well incorporated. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- You want this to be slightly thicker than gravy (it is a condensed soup after all) so keep that in mind if it seems a little thick. It will also thicken up upon cooling.
- Allow to cool and place in an airtight container. Refrigerate or freeze until ready to use.
Notes
Recipe Tips:
-
- 1 serving = ½ cup prepared
- This recipe makes about three cups of condensed soup. A store bought can of cream of mushroom soup (10.75 ounces) is 1 ¼ cups. Just something to keep in mind when using this for a recipe.
-
- Fresh mushrooms are best, but you can use canned mushrooms too.
-
- To make this into a homemade cream of mushroom soup, just add an equal amount of liquid (such as milk or broth) to equal amount of condensed soup. For example, if you use two cups of condensed soup, add two cups of liquid.
-
- While this recipe is NOT gluten free as written, you can use a GF flour substitute or cornstarch as a thickener. Omit the soy sauce as well, since most soy sauces have gluten. And make sure to read labels on your beef bouillon. There are some delicious gluten-free alternatives out there.
-
- This Cream of Mushroom soup substitute can be doubled (or tripled) and kept in the freezer for several months. Just make sure to use airtight containers or heavy-duty freezer bags.
-
- To reheat, thaw in the refrigerator for a couple of hours, then simmer on the stove top. When reheating the soup, make sure to stir constantly to keep it from curdling.
We love all your recipes. Do you have recipes for Cream of Onion and Cream of Celery soups? After my husband had open heart surgery I worry about all the sodium in canned soup I use in making some of these yummy recipes. I love that you posted how to make Cream of Mushroom and Cream of Chicken soup. Thank you.
We don’t have those yet, but we will consider them for the future!
Tastes great but came out a lot thinner than I anticipated. Not sure what I did wrong. Anyone else have this issue?
I can’t tell you how good this soup is! And it was so easy to make. I used a mini chopper to chop up the mushrooms in small batches. This is restaurant quality soup.
First time making my own condensed cream of mushroom soup. The flavor is wonderful and it’s very easy to make!
I’m using part of it for your ham, cheese, scalloped potato crock pot recipe.
I love you recipe as I can control the sodium content, canned soup was a no no. I am used to using very little salt or a salt sub.I can now make all the dishes I love that calls for mushroom soup. Thanks for a delicious recipe.
Being a family that has to avoid dairy and gluten, this recipe is the best! I have tried many, but the consistency and flavor of yours is our favorite. I also adapt it as needed to make CofChx, CofCelery, etc.
Delicious!!! Simple too
I made the soup and poured it over cooked chicken peices with a few vegies and baked in the oven with a mashed potato and cheese top.
Yummy…get in my belly
Cheers
Dave
If you wanted this to be vegetarian, what could you substitute for the beef bouliane?
You can use a vegetable bouillon! I’ve seen it on Amazon and at the store.
You can use a vegetable based bouillon or a vegetable stock instead of beef or chicken. It has a delicious flavor and it comes in low sodium versions as well!
Personally, I wish that your recipe yielded the same amount of condensed soup which the canned soup contains. THAT would make it much easier for us to use in recipes, since most recipes call for WHOLE cans of condensed soup. Also, I have to laugh when I see people loving Rotisserie Chicken (which is injected with excessive amounts of sodium, flavor enhancers, preservatives, & goodness knows what else) BUT they’re worried about using A CAN of condensed soup in a recipe! What are they thinking? Pretty silly, isn’t it?
Hi, I only have cubed bullion. Is it possible to use it in this recipe? If so, how many cubes would be equivalent to 1T? Thanks. Also, I love mushrooms and can’t wait to prepare them using soy sauce!😊
I believe 3 cubes equals one tablespoon! Hope this helps!
Love Love Love how easy and delicious this recipe is! Worked perfectly!
I hate using cream of mushroom soup, because I don’t like all the crap that comes along with the flavor in cans. But this recipe is amazing! Its easy, its delicious, and I love that I know exactly whats in it! I have now stocked my freezer full and can’t wait to use this for all my holiday recipes!
What!?!? This recipe is a game changer!! Thank you so much!
Love this substiute recipe for canned cream soup, as the can soup contains too much sodium and my husband’s blood pressure goes sky high. Thanks again, this is a keeper.
So glad you liked it! We agree, homemade is way better than canned 🙂