This Dairy Free Cream of Mushroom Soup is so rich you won’t miss the original! Vegan and Paleo, it makes a great stand in for recipes that call for condensed soup.
I had an amazing childhood. I had a mom who was big into traditions– and traditions really are so much fun as a child. Always something to remember and look forward to.
I want to be that kind of mom to Xander. But do you know what I realize now that I *am* a mom? It’s a lot of work! It takes organization. It takes planning to get things prepared– because when you’re a mom, it’s not like you can just run out the day before a holiday, grab everything you need, and come home and prepare that evening and all day the next.
Nope. You’ve got to have a plan. Things purchased ahead of time, ready to go. Because the day before, your child will probably get a fever and need to go to the doctor, or just simply refuse to take a nap and be difficult to manage for the rest of the day. There will be no last minute shopping, and it’s even difficult (for me at least!) to stay up late and prepare after they are in bed.
At least as a new mom, you have a bit of a grace period. You don’t have to do much the first couple of years, because even tiny efforts are appreciated. I am hopeful that as he gets older, and his memory gets better, I have systems in place and figure out how to help make special memories for our family.
Something as simple as a dish on the Thanksgiving table can be a special memory. For me, I HATE to admit it, but my mom always made “Michelle’s favorite dish” – jello with whipped cream! Haha. For my brother, it was green bean or broccoli casserole, smothered in cheese or mayonnaise, and topped with crispy fried onions. My brother still loves those dishes- but he is now gluten free, I can’t have dairy, and none of us cook dishes like that anymore. Roasted veggies, please!
To show I am serious about learning how to do this “pre planning” thing, I started thinking about Thanksgiving dishes in August! This soup was created and photographed in August on an unusually chilly day– the soup itself was wonderful (even though I’ve never had the actual Cream of Mushroom Soup!), but the real reason for it’s creation was to make that green bean dish for him this Thanksgiving. It will be my first Thanksgiving with my family in 7 years (although we have had some simple Thanksgivings with friends in KL), and Xander’s first Thanksgiving ever (we didn’t celebrate last year when he was only 3 months old).
Now, if I could just start thinking about Christmas presents in October 🙂 Ha! I don’t even have his Halloween costume put together– although I do know what it will be and my friends and I have planned a Halloween “playdate” since these babies are a bit too small to really have fun at a party. (Check out my Pinterest Board, “Healthy Happy Halloween”, or my blog post, Have a Healthy Halloween, for ideas on how to make your child’s holiday fun without so much of the sweet stuff!).
Contents
Tips for Dairy Free Cream of Mushroom Soup
- Variations: The cauliflower and cashew base can be used for a variety of cream soups. As photographed above, my favorite variation so far is to make a creamy kale and mushroom soup. For this variation, just add two cups of chopped kale at the same time as adding water to the “concentrate.” I have also added sweet corn and kale to make a cream of corn soup. If wanting to make a Cream of Chicken, I recommend using chicken bouillon in place of the vegetable, and adding shredded roasted chicken (maybe from a rotisserie chicken?).
- Make it Ahead: If planning to use this in place of condensed soup in holiday recipes, make the condensed version, and freeze it. Thaw completely, and warm up with 1/4 cup of water. The soup needs to fully reheat to become creamy again after freezing.
Dairy Free Cream of Mushroom Soup (Directions for condensed!)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup cashews soaked in water overnight
- 1 cauliflower medium (5-6 inches in diameter)
- 3/4 cup water (to steam cauliflower)
- 2 vegetable bouillon cubes (I love Rapunzel Brand with Sea Salt and Herbs)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion medium chopped finely
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups mushrooms sliced thinly
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme (or sub 1 tablespoon fresh thyme)
- 2 cups kale chopped (optional)
- 2-3 cups water (add to "concentrate" to make soup)
- sea salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Soak cashews overnight in water (I put them in a jar in leave it in the refrigerator). When ready to make soup, drain excess water.Soak cashews overnight in water (I put them in a jar in leave it in the refrigerator). When ready to make soup, drain excess water.
- Chop cauliflower roughly, and add to a saucepan with 3/4 cup of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and steam cauliflower until most of the liquid is gone, about 15 minutes. Be sure the cauliflower is very tender. Add a small amount more water if necessary.Chop cauliflower roughly, and add to a saucepan with 3/4 cup of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and steam cauliflower until most of the liquid is gone, about 15 minutes. Be sure the cauliflower is very tender. Add a small amount more water if necessary.
- In a blender (I use my Vitamix for extra creamy results), add cauliflower (with remaining small amount of water), soaked cashews, a vegetable bouillon. Blend for 2-3 minutes until the mixture is extra smooth. Add 1/4 water if necessary to get the blender going (I didn't need to add any water).In a blender (I use my Vitamix for extra creamy results), add cauliflower (with remaining small amount of water), soaked cashews, a vegetable bouillon. Blend for 2-3 minutes until the mixture is extra smooth. Add 1/4 water if necessary to get the blender going (I didn't need to add any water).
- In a frying pan, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and then add the chopped onion and garlic. Sauté over medium high heat for 5-7 minutes until softened. Add the sliced mushrooms, and continue to sauté for another 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently. Season lightly with sea salt and black pepper.In a frying pan, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and then add the chopped onion and garlic. Sauté over medium high heat for 5-7 minutes until softened. Add the sliced mushrooms, and continue to sauté for another 5-7 minutes, stirring frequently. Season lightly with sea salt and black pepper.
- Add the "cream" mixture to the mushroom mixture, and add thyme. Stop here if you are using this recipe as a substitute for Cream of Mushroom Soup concentrate.Add the "cream" mixture to the mushroom mixture, and add thyme. Stop here if you are using this recipe as a substitute for Cream of Mushroom Soup concentrate.
- If making soup, add the kale if desired, and 2-3 cups of water. We added 2 cups the first day, and then another 1/2 of a cup when reheating the leftovers. It was very rich and could have been thinned out more! Season with sea salt and black pepper, to taste.If making soup, add the kale if desired, and 2-3 cups of water. We added 2 cups the first day, and then another 1/2 of a cup when reheating the leftovers. It was very rich and could have been thinned out more! Season with sea salt and black pepper, to taste.
Nutrition
Other Similar Recipes:
- Dairy Free Potato Corn Chowder with Bacon, by Leelalicious
- Vegan Broccoli Cheese Soup, by Pancake Warriors
- Creamy Leek and Potato Soup, by HealthyNut Nutrition
- Creamy Chicken and Rice Soup, by Sunkissed Kitchen
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O I love this lovely o so creamy vegan soup!!
I have never been into cream soups– but this is one I can get behind!
My family is gluten and dairy free, and this looks amazing! So creamy, yet hearty and healthy! We can’t wait to try it!
I hope you enjoy it! I can’t wait to make more variations of it soon. I’ve used cauliflower for years to make “cream” soups, but the addition of cashews is amazing!
Great idea to make condensed cream of mushroom soup and freeze it. Planning and working doubletime when the kids were napping was my only way I could get anything done when my boys were small. It gets better I promise.
It’s already getting better 🙂 He now likes to sit on the counter and help me cook– it’s a huge mess, but he has fun and I can get things done!
I love mushroom soup. Lots of folks with dietary restrictions will benefit from your great recipe. I’ve loved cauliflower since before it became popular. Happy to see it used so much now.
I’ve always loved cauliflower too– but now it’s a staple in my grocery cart!
What a great idea, to use cauliflower and cashews instead of cream
It works so well! Great for those who can’t tolerate dairy like me 🙂
This one looks like a perfect soup for chilly fall days. Bookmarking and surely making it!
Thanks Igor 🙂 I’m making it again this week and testing out a few of those Thanksgiving recipes!
looks like a delicious recipe! we have a nut allergy in our house, so have done dairy free creamy soups using silken tofu.
I love all the creativity in recipes for different food allergies/intolerances. I have a soy allergy, so the tofu ones don’t work in our house!
Noticing an overload on delicious soups here lately… Pinned this one for later! I really love mushroom soup but I had many bad recipes before! Curious at this one!
I would love to hear what you think Simon! I have never had mushroom soup because I don’t like cream based soups — but my mom loves Cream of Mushroom and she told me this is better. It really is pretty simple in it’s ingredients, nothing fancy– just creamy and comforting!
Made this last week…it is absolutely scrummy. I’m going to use this as the base of my green bean casserole for Thanksgiving…Thank you so much for creating this recipe….I’m sure I’ll make it again, and again, and again!
That green bean casserole is exactly why I developed this recipe! It was my brother’s favorite dish growing up, but now he is gluten free and can’t have the canned soup- and I am lactose intolerant. We really love this soup for so many uses.Thank you for letting me know, and Happy Thanksgiving!
My girl has dairy, egg and nuts allergy.. what can I replace the cashews with? Tks
Hi Firah– food allergies are so tough! Can she have coconut? I would try using full fall coconut milk- maybe 1/2-3/4 cup in place of the cashews. With the cauliflower, you most likely won’t notice a coconut flavor at all, but it will add some richness. If you try this, let me know how it goes! I’ve used coconut milk in soups before and have loved the results.
Any suggestion for replacing cashews that aren’t soy?
You can use full fat coconut milk as a sub for cashews! If you don’t need to keep it dairy free, you can use cream as well. I could sub 1/2 cup of coconut milk in place of the soaked cashews, and omit 1/2 cup of water.
Perfect vegan side dish for the cold season! Love it!