Creamy Mushroom Soup is rich and hearty, packed with mushrooms, veggies, and tender farro. Enjoy it with crusty buttered bread for the perfect comfort meal!
Try out this Creamy Mushroom Soup recipe, which is part of our collection of favorite soup recipes. Click here to see all the recipes in the collection.
Creamy Mushroom Soup Recipe
This isn’t just any cream of mushroom soup—it’s the best mushroom soup I’ve ever had! It’s rich, filling, and delicious. Plus, it’s vegetarian! The mushrooms give it a hearty flavor, so you won’t miss the meat.
If you’ve tried Crockpot Chicken Wild Rice Soup, this one has a similar taste but with mushrooms instead of chicken and farro instead of wild rice. Farro can be tricky to find in stores, but it’s worth the search, especially with online shopping. See “quick tip” below for more info.
Quick Tip
Farro is a whole grain like brown rice but with a chewy texture and a nuttier taste. Use pearled farro, which cooks faster and absorbs less liquid than whole farro.
How To Make The Best Mushroom Soup
- Sauté veggies in butter and olive oil to boost the flavor of your Creamy Mushroom Soup.
- Use a rich vegetarian or chicken stock, like Swanson®, or homemade if you have it.
- Add dried herbs for seasoning and fresh herbs at the end for extra flavor. Don’t forget salt and pepper to bring out the taste.
- Finish with a splash of red wine vinegar for a hint of tang and extra flavor.
How To Thicken Creamy Mushroom Soup
To thicken the soup, use a roux (butter and flour) and then add milk for a creamy texture.
The farro also thickens the soup as it soaks up the broth.
For a thinner soup, add more milk and adjust the seasonings as needed.
Quick Tip
How do you make soup creamier?
For maximum creaminess, use full-fat dairy products–whole or 2% milk ensure ultimate thickness. Lower fat products result in a thinner soup.
Variations
Change Up This Creamy Mushroom Soup Recipe!
- Swap barley for farro in creamy mushroom soup. Farro cooks similarly but soaks up less liquid. Add more broth if needed.
- For easy creamy chicken mushroom soup, mix in shredded rotisserie chicken at the end and add extra milk. Or, cook chicken breasts at the start, shred them, and add back in later.
- Make a lighter mushroom soup by using 1 tablespoon olive oil instead of 2 tablespoons butter and 2% milk instead of whole milk.
- Save time with pre-chopped veggies like mirepoix, pre-sliced mushrooms, and jarred minced garlic.
Storage
Storing Creamy Mushroom Soup Recipe
- Freezing: This soup doesn’t freeze well because of the dairy, and the farro can get mushy. If you want less soup, try making half the recipe.
- Reheating: The farro absorbs liquid as the soup sits. Reheat on the stove over low heat, stirring often. Add a little milk or broth if it’s too thick. Best eaten within 3-5 days.
What To Serve With Creamy Mushroom Soup
- Serve a good crusty baguette or buttered bread (like this No-Knead Bread), homemade Dinner Rolls, French Bread, or crackers/saltines.
- Add some Homemade Croutons as a fun crunchy topping.
- Include some kind of quick salad: our favorite everyday Salad Recipe, Garden Salad, or Italian Salad.
- Go with a side of roasted veggies: Roasted Vegetables, Roasted Broccoli, or Roasted Sweet Potatoes.
- Try a side dish of fruit: or try this Winter Fruit Salad or this greens Winter Salad with fruit.
More Delicious Creamy Soup Recipes:
- Cheeseburger Soup with beef and potatoes
- Creamy Vegetable Soup with loads of veggies (vegetarian recipe)
- Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup with spaghetti
- White Bean and Sausage Soup with spinach
- 15-Bean Soup made in a slow cooker or pressure cooker!
Creamy Mushroom Soup Recipe
Creamy Mushroom Soup is rich and hearty, packed with mushrooms, veggies, and tender farro. Enjoy it with crusty buttered bread for the perfect comfort meal!
Ingredients
- 1 cup pearled farro (Note 1)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, separated
- 2 cups finely diced yellow onions (2 onions)
- 2 cups peeled & diced (1/2-inch) carrots (4-5 carrots)
- 2 cups diced (1/2-inch) celery (4-5 stalks)
- 1 pkg. (8 oz.) baby bella mushrooms, sliced 1/4th inch thick
- 1 heaping tablespoon minced garlic
- Fine sea salt & pepper
- 1 container (32 oz.) (4 cups) vegetable or chicken broth/stock (Note 2)
- 1/2 teaspoon each: dried thyme, Italian seasoning, and rubbed sage
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 cup white, all-purpose flour
- 1-1/2 cups whole milk (or 2%)
- Optional: 1 tbsp. red wine vinegar, freshly grated Parmesan cheese, crusty bread for dunking, fresh herbs (thyme or parsley)
Instructions
- PREP: Thoroughly rinse farro in a sieve or strainer under cool water. Shake off excess water and let stand in the strainer to dry until ready to use. Prep veggies: very finely dice onion, peel and cut carrots to 1/2-inch pieces, cut celery to 1/2-inch pieces, slice mushrooms 1/4-inch thick. Mince garlic.
- VEGGIES: Add 2 tbsp olive oil and 2 tbsp butter to a large pot over medium-high heat. Once butter is melted, add onion, carrot, celery, mushrooms and garlic. Season to personal taste preference (I add 1-3/4 tsp fine sea salt & 1 tsp pepper). Cook, stirring frequently, until vegetables are softened and onion is beginning to turn golden, 6-8 minutes.
- SEASONINGS: Add seasonings (1/2 tsp Italian seasoning, thyme, and sage), plus rinsed farro. Sauté, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
- SIMMER: Add in bay leaf and all the broth or stock. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to a simmer. (The soup should be slightly bubbling, but not rapidly boiling/bubbling.) Simmer, uncovered, for 30-35 minutes or until farro is cooked through and veggies are tender. (Farro has a lovely chewiness, but shouldn't have a hard center.)
- CREAM BASE: Meanwhile, melt the remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour and cook, whisking constantly for 1 minute. Slowly pour in the milk while whisk vigorously until smooth. Cook, stirring constantly until mixture thickens then remove from heat.
- FINISH: Once farro is tender, pour the creamy milk mixture into the soup and stir. Taste, adjusting seasonings to personal preference. (We love this soup super thick and creamy, but add a splash more milk to thin it to desired consistency.) Stir in red wine vinegar if using. Serve in bowls topped with Parmesan cheese and fresh herbs if desired. Enjoy with crusty buttered bread!
- STORING: Farro will continue to soak up surrounding liquid as it's stored. We recommend reheating this soup on the stovetop over low heat, stirring frequently. (Boiling may cause ingredients to separate.) Add a splash more milk or broth as needed to thin. This soup is best enjoyed within 3 days.
Video
Recipe Notes
Note 1: Farro: We love this brand and this brand of farro. The important thing to note is to use pearled farro; this means the bran has been removed and it'll need less cooking time than whole farro. Whole farro still has the bran intact and takes a lot longer to cook. It will also absorb too much liquid in this soup.
Note 2: Stock or broth: If you aren't vegetarian, use a good chicken stock. (We love Swanson ® chicken stock best here!) For a vegetarian soup, stick to vegetable stock or broth (again, we love Swanson--not sponsored).
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 428kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 50mg | Sodium: 650mg | Potassium: 700mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 7856IU | Vitamin C: 8mg | Calcium: 144mg | Iron: 2mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Outstanding.
Thank you so much Joe! 🙂
We loved this! I had to modify to make gluten free so I skipped the Farro and switched to brown rice flour to thicken. Even with those changes, it was delicious!
I am so happy to hear this! Thanks Michelle! 🙂
Made it exactly like recipe except used Turkey stock I made and used a bit more stock to thin. Very delicious!
Delish! So glad you enjoyed! 🙂
I made this yesterday as I had to use up mushrooms, I did not have farro so I substituted with brown rice. This soup was delicious. When I make it again I will be sure to have Farro on hand. Love mushroom soup!!!!
Yay!! So happy you loved this recipe so much! Thanks Carol! 🙂
Cant wait to make this soon for me can i use vegan butter and almond milk i love mushrooms and mushrooms soup sooooooooooo much but i never had mushroom soup with farro before perfect for raining days in Singapore and after office meals love your recipes as always brightens up my day everyday after work
Delish! Hope you enjoyed! Thanks Ramya! 🙂