real food, real flavor, real life.

Store-bought creamy mushroom soup that is not full of questionable ingredients can be hard to find. Trying to find a vegan version can feel almost impossible. Even when you do, it is often full of salt, preservatives, additives, and colorants.

Well, not anymore.

This mushroom soup, which is easy to keep fully vegan, is quite honestly one of the best mushroom soups I’ve ever made. Hands down. No contest. I’m sure you will enjoy it as much as we do.

Plus, it is easy, like all my recipes. The kids could make this with your supervision. All the ingredients can be found at your local farmers market or local food store, and it takes very little time to make.

Remember, have fun in the kitchen and happy cooking.

Mushroom Soup

Serves

4

Ingredients

• 5 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 large leek, white and light green parts only, roughly chopped
• 1 small onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 4 cups Portobello mushrooms, roughly chopped
• 2 cups shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced, divided
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon miso paste
• 1 cup dry sherry or white wine
• 5 cups low-sodium vegetable broth or vegan stock
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ½ cup green onions, thinly sliced, for garnish
• 1 tablespoon pistachio nuts, roughly chopped

Method

1. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-low heat until shimmering.
2. Add the leeks, onion, and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, until softened but not browned, about 4 minutes.
3. Add the Portobello mushrooms and 1 cup of the shiitake mushrooms. Cook, stirring frequently, until the excess liquid evaporates, about 10 minutes.
4. Stir in the flour and cook for 30 seconds.
5. Add the sherry or white wine and cook, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom of the pan, until thick and syrupy, about 1 minute.
6. Add the soy sauce and miso paste, then stir to incorporate.
7. Stir in the vegetable broth and add the bay leaves and thyme sprigs.
8. Bring the soup to a boil, then turn down to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes.
9. Meanwhile, make the shiitake chips. Combine the remaining sliced shiitake mushrooms with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium non-stick skillet.
10. Heat over medium-low heat and cook, turning the mushrooms and stirring frequently, until crisp and well-browned.
11. Transfer the crispy mushrooms to a paper towel-lined plate with a slotted spoon. Season immediately if needed and allow to cool slightly.
12. Discard the bay leaves and thyme sprigs.
13. Transfer the soup to a blender and blend until smooth.
14. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
15. Serve topped with crispy shiitake mushrooms, green onions, pistachio nuts, and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.

Estimated Nutritional Breakdown

Per serving, based on 4 servings

• Calories: 300–390 kcal
• Protein: 7–10 g
• Carbohydrates: 22–32 g
• Fiber: 4–7 g
• Total fat: 21–29 g
• Saturated fat: 3–4 g
• Sodium: 650–950 mg, depending on broth, soy sauce, miso, and added salt
• Added sugar: 0 g
• Natural sugar: 5–8 g, mainly from onions, leeks, and mushrooms
• Potassium: 700–1,000 mg
• Iron: moderate
• Vitamin D: varies depending on mushrooms used
• B vitamins: moderate, especially from mushrooms

Nutrition will vary depending on the brand of vegetable stock, miso paste, soy sauce, and how much olive oil is drizzled over the finished soup.

Lighter MW&B Adjustment

To make the soup lighter while keeping the same flavor profile:

• Use 3 tablespoons olive oil total instead of 5
• Skip the final drizzle of olive oil
• Use low-sodium broth, soy sauce, and miso
• Add extra mushrooms for more volume and fiber

This can bring the soup closer to:

• Calories: 220–300 kcal per serving
• Total fat: 13–20 g
• Sodium: 500–750 mg

Why This Fits MW&B

Real Food First

This soup is made with mushrooms, leeks, onion, garlic, olive oil, herbs, vegetable stock, miso, soy sauce, and pistachios. These are real ingredients that create flavor naturally. No canned cream soup base. No artificial flavors. No weird stabilizers with names that sound like they belong in a chemistry exam.

Plant Diversity

This recipe includes leeks, onion, garlic, Portobello mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, green onions, thyme, bay leaves, and pistachios. That gives the soup a strong variety of plant-based ingredients, textures, and flavors.

Gut Health and Digestive Support

Mushrooms, leeks, onions, garlic, and green onions all bring fiber and plant compounds. Leeks, onions, and garlic also contain prebiotic-style fibers that can help support a healthy gut environment.

Reduce Harmful Inputs

Homemade soup gives you control over sodium, fat, and additives. This recipe uses low-sodium vegetable broth and builds flavor from mushrooms, herbs, miso, soy sauce, garlic, and wine rather than relying on preservatives, colorants, or processed cream bases.

Healthy Fats

Olive oil provides unsaturated fat and helps carry the deep mushroom flavor. Pistachios add a little crunch and another source of unsaturated fat.

Vegan-Friendly

This soup is naturally easy to keep vegan by using vegetable broth or vegan stock and checking that the wine or sherry is vegan-friendly. It gives the creaminess and depth people want from mushroom soup without needing dairy cream.

Assessment and Adjustment

This recipe is easy to adjust. Use less oil for a lighter version, add more mushrooms for extra body, use gluten-free flour if needed, or reduce the soy sauce and miso if watching sodium.

Purpose, Connection, and Community

This is a great family recipe because it is simple, comforting, and easy to make together. It is the kind of dish that teaches basic cooking skills: chopping, sweating vegetables, building flavor, simmering, blending, and finishing with texture.

Healthy Skepticism

This soup does not need to be marketed as a miracle food. It is simply homemade, plant-forward, flavorful, and made from ingredients you can recognize. That alone puts it ahead of most store-bought creamy soups trying to sneak half the food science aisle into a bowl.

MW&B Plate Balance

• Vegetables: mushrooms, leeks, onion, garlic, green onions
• Healthy fat: olive oil and pistachios
• Flavor builders: miso, soy sauce, thyme, bay leaves, sherry or white wine
• Fiber: mushrooms, leeks, onions
• Best protein add-on: white beans, lentils, tofu, grilled chicken, or a side of Greek yogurt toast if not keeping vegan

Optional Serving Ideas

Serve with:

• A green salad
• Whole-grain toast
• Roasted vegetables
• White beans stirred into the soup
• Lentils for added protein and fiber
• A side of grilled sourdough
• A simple kale salad with lemon and olive oil

Chef Mark Note

This soup is proof that comfort food does not need to come from a can. The mushrooms give depth, the leeks and onions bring sweetness, the miso and soy sauce add savory richness, and the crispy shiitake mushrooms give texture at the end.

It is creamy without cream, rich without being heavy, and simple enough for everyday cooking. Make it once, and that store-bought mushroom soup may start looking like it has some explaining to do.