It’s a Ukrainian Mushroom Soup. After you take the first sip of it, you’ll instantly feel cozy and warm. Classic autumn soup with a ton of flavor.
And if you love rich mushroom soups, also try my Hungarian Style Mushroom Soup and Mushroom and Cheese Soup.
Ukrainian Mushroom Soup
As we’re moving closer into the fall weather, there are certain types of recipes that warm my heart and soul more than others.
Can you guess?
I’m talking about soups…creamy (but sometimes not), flavorful and comforting.
…the soups, that won’t take long to prepare;
…the soups that will keep you full and fueled for hours.
This Mushroom Soup is exactly the type of recipe I’m talking about. It’s thick, creamy, mushroomy and loaded with flavor.
Just give it a try and it’ll quickly go in your lunch or dinner rotation.
In Ukraine, mushroom soups are typically prepared with Porcini mushrooms. They are rich and fragrant and there are literally hundreds of recipes with it.
Unfortunately, here in the US, fresh Porcinis are quite difficult to find and only specialised grocery stores may carry them.
But over the years of living in the US and trying all kinds of soups, I came to a conclusion that you can easily make a show-stopping mushroom soup with regular store-bought mushrooms, like Portobello or Shiitake.
In fact, that’s what we’re going to achieve today – the Best Mushroom Soup made with simple ingredients.
What goes in Mushroom Soup?
This easy mushroom soup is made with the ingredients available in most grocery stores.
It includes simple veggies like onion, carrot, potatoes and mushrooms as well as a little thyme for an additional aroma, vegetable broth and a splash of half and half for creaminess.
How to make Mushroom Soup low carb or Keto-friendly?If you’re following low carb or Ketogenic diet, here’s how to make this soup compliant:
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What kind of mushrooms should I choose?
If you can get your hands on fresh or dry Porcini, Shiitake or Oyster mushrooms, that would be amazing.
They have a rich woodsy flavor and taste amazing in all kinds of Mushroom Soups.
No Shiitake? – no problem.
Portobello or Crimini Mushrooms will work as well. They are affordable and taste just as delicious as Shiitake. Just try my Portobello Mushroom Bolognese and you’ll see what I mean. So much flavor in a such simple dish.
…a few tips if you’re using dry Porcini mushrooms
These are usually sold in little 1 or 2-oz sachets in practically all grocery stores.
You can use 2 ounces of dry Porcinis in addition to 8 oz of regular Portobello mushrooms that the recipe is calling for.
Now important part – make sure to soak Porcini overnight in 4 cups of water.
This water will become your new broth and is going to make your soup even more flavorful and delicious.
What else can I add to Mushroom Soup?If you want to make this easy soup even heartier, here are some additional ingredients that pair well with mushrooms and that you can add to a soup:
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What herbs or spices can I add to this soup?
Apart from thyme that pairs beautifully with mushrooms, you can also use the following herbs.
In this soup I recommend using only one type of herb so not to overpower the mushrooms.
Use 1 teaspoon of either of those herbs/spices:
- fresh rosemary
- fresh sage
- dry basil
- dry oregano
- sweet or smoked paprika
How do you store mushroom soup?
If you have leftovers, this mushroom soup can be refrigerated.
Just ladle it in a safe food container (I like these glass BPA-free containers) and store for up to 2 days.
Since this soup contains dairy, it’s not advisable not to freeze it.
What wine goes with Cream of Mushroom Soup?
Creamy vegetable soups like this pair wonderfully with slightly sweet and aromatic wines such as:
More cozy soups for fall and winter
Ukrainian Mushroom Soup
Ingredients
- 4 c vegetable broth
- 2 medium potatoes diced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion finely minced
- 1 small carrot chopped
- 8 oz Portobello, Crimini or Shiitake mushrooms sliced (see the post above for mushroom recommendations)
- 1 tsp thyme
- 1 c half and half* see notes
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoon of olive oil in a large non-stick pan and over medium heat. Add onion and carrot and sauté stirring from time to time until onion is translucent, about 5-7 minutes.
- Transfer vegetables to a plate and add mushrooms. Cook stirring occasionally until liquid evaporates and mushrooms start to brown, 5-7 minutes.
- Meanwhile, add vegetable stock to a large stockpot and bring it to a boil. Add potatoes, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 10 minutes.
- Add sautéed onion, carrot, 3/4 of all mushrooms, 1 tsp of thyme, 1 tsp of salt and 1/4 tsp pepper and cook until potatoes are tender, about 5 more minutes.
- Add 1 cup of half and half, bring soup to a boil, add 3 cloves of garlic pushed through a garlic press and remove soup from the heat.
- Using an immersion or stand blender, puree the soup.
- Ladle the soup into bowls, top with the remaining mushrooms and serve with a crusty baguette.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
If you need good and reliable immersion blender, this one from Kitchen Aid has 4.5+ rating and is sold more than 1000 times. Plus, it’ super affordable and will make a great gift for you or your loved ones. See it on Amazon.
Joseph M.
Sorry but I followed all instructions and it just isn’t for me. Maybe I’ll try again without pureeing it.
Iryna
Hi Joseph! Sorry the soup wasn’t to your liking! I might give it another go to see if the recipe needs tweaking.
Natalie
Can you use chicken broth instead of vegetable?
Iryna
Yes, chicken broth is fine:)
Natalie
Thank you! This Ukrainian girl is excited to get cooking!!
Iryna
Yay! Let me know how the soup turns out:)
nicole ayres
Really good!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Next time I think I will try it not blended 🙂 Loved it . so did my husband . Def a keeper
Iryna
Thank you for your wonderful comment Nicole! I’m happy both you and your husband liked this recipe!
And yes, you can totally skip blending, the soup tastes just as delicious.
Lynna
This was super easy and delicious. Having it right now for lunch. Def a keeper! I was a little worried about the raw garlic but once blended it’s just right. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Iryna
You’re welcome Lynna! I’m very happy you enjoyed this recipe!:)
Gabka
So delicious and comforting. Made it couple of times already. Love it!
Iryna
Gabriela, I’m so happy you liked this recipe! Thank you so much for 5-star review!
Susan DeWalt
I made this as a test to see if it’s something I could serve at a paid gourmet dining experience I’m hosting. WOW. This is definitely going on the menu! I used the blend of mushrooms suggested, and only varied the recipe by adding the garlic to the sauteed vegetables a minute before removing them. I also topped with a few croutons before serving. This was SO good that I ate the (tiny bit of) leftovers cold straight from the fridge the next morning for breakfast. Creamy, earthy and rich–and EASY!
Iryna
Oh, Susan, thank you so much for your lovely comment! I’m all smiles! I’m happy to enjoyed this recipe! And yes, croutons and mushroom soup pair perfectly together. I hope the event you’re hosting will be a success!
Susan
What if you didn’t want to puree the soup – or only pureed part of it?
Iryna
You can totally skip the pureeing. It’s an optional step, the soup will still be delicious:)
Joseph M.
I’ve seen some recipes where you take 1 cup of the soup, puree, and pour it back in the pot. This will make it heartier. 🙂
Iryna
Hi Joseph! Yes, you can either do that or puree the soup completely. You can even serve it without pureeing. It’s up to you:)
Jane
Do you think this would work using coconut cream in place of the half and half? My sweetie can’t have dairy and we are used to the flavor it imparts. We also work around butter with coconut spread. This looks so delicious and I’d love to try it.
Iryna
Hi Jane! Yes, you can try making it with coconut cream or full fat coconut milk. I personally haven’t tested this, but I’m sure it’ll work. Let me know how the soup turned out.
Susan D Turner
Try original recipe Coffee Mate. My husband has serious kidney issues and can’t have dairy and Coffee Mate in non dairy. Works well in lots of recipes.
monica
Could I do sour cream and milk?
Iryna
Yes, those will work too.
Maria
So eager to make his recipe! Thanks for sharing!
Iryna
You’re welcome Maria! I hope you’ll like it:)
Chantal-Lise Mirman
I often make Cream of Mushroom Soup, one of my childhood favorites (though back then, I simply had Campbells’s from a can)! In my version , I use Browned Butter (being French) and Leeks instead of Onions. And I also use some White Pepper when I season and sometimes a little Fish Sauce. If I’m feeling fancy, I add a few drops of Truffle Oil and use Heavy Cream instead of Half and Half.
I like the idea of Carrots and Potatoes puréed in for flavor and thickening!
Iryna
Thank you for your comment Chantal-Lise! I love the idea of drizzling the soup with Truffle Oil and using brown butter for sautéing the veggies. I imagine it’ll contribute to even more flavor. Gotta try this next time I make the soup!
Tadeusz Pietek
Dear Iryna,
My “cooking-English” isn’t so good and I request you what do you mean about “half and half”. What it is ingredient?
Regards
Tadeusz
Iryna
Dear Tadeusz, half and half is simply a combination of milk and heavy cream taken in equal proportions. It’s usually sold in US grocery stores. If you can’t find half and half, simply substitute with 1/2 cup of milk + 1/2 cup of heavy cream. Hope this helps!
Genia
You may find it as 10% cream or as Creamo.
VJBortolot
This looks terrific. There is a Russian soup quite similar to this I often make in the fall, and it is very good. I will try your recipe soon. I always use ordinary white or brown mushrooms, but since I cook quite a lot of Chinese food, I have a variety of Chinese dried mushrooms on hand. I will try your recipe with part fresh/part dried mushrooms with the soaking water as part of the stock. It might be an improvement, difficult as that might be to believe. Love your recipes, keep it up!
Iryna
Oh, thank you so much for your lovely comment! Adding Chinese dried mushrooms sounds like a wonderful idea, I imagine they have more flavor than brown mushrooms. And I also love adding mushroom soaking water to my recipes with mushrooms. It adds such a difference in flavor and taste. I hope you will like this recipe as much as my family did!