A stovetop mushroom soup built on two kinds of mushroom — cremini for body and shiitake for depth — thickened with a proper flour base rather than a can.
Fifteen minutes of prep, about thirty on the heat, and it stays creamy because the dairy goes in last and never boils.
Why This Recipe Works
- Two mushroom varieties do different jobs. A pound of cremini gives the soup its bulk and its brown colour; eight ounces of shiitake, stems removed, bring the savoury edge that a single-mushroom soup never quite reaches.
- Cooking the mushrooms until their released liquid evaporates is the step people cut short. Until that water is gone the mushrooms are boiling in it, and boiled mushrooms taste of very little.
- A tablespoon of soy sauce is doing what a stock cube would, without the salt spike — it deepens the savoury base before any broth arrives.
- Three tablespoons of flour cooked into the mushrooms for a minute gives a sauce that carries the cream instead of separating under it. It is why this holds together where a cream-only soup thins out.
- The lemon juice at the very end is small and easy to skip. A cup of cream and half a cup of sour cream flatten the palate; an acidic finish is what stops the last spoonful tasting heavy.
Water Out, Then Flavour In
The twelve steps are really one sequence with a hinge in the middle. Everything before the flour is about driving water out of the mushrooms; everything after it is about putting liquid back in on your terms. Reading it that way makes the long third step make sense.
Soften4–5 minutes
Butter and olive oil together, then onion and celery with a pinch of salt until translucent.
Drive the water off8–10 minutes
The mushrooms go in and release their liquid. The step is not finished when they look cooked — it is finished when that released liquid has evaporated. This is the longest stretch of the method and the one that decides whether the soup tastes of mushroom or of broth.
Bloom30 seconds
Garlic, thyme and soy sauce hit the dry pan and turn fragrant almost immediately.
Deglazesimmer 1 minute
Sherry or wine lifts the browned bits off the base — that fond is the flavour the previous two steps built, and it belongs in the soup rather than on the pan.
Thicken1 minute, then gradual
Flour goes over the mushrooms and cooks for a minute before any liquid arrives, then the broth is whisked in gradually so it never lumps.
Simmer10 minutes
A gentle simmer with the bay leaf and nutmeg, long enough for the flour to do its work and the flavours to meet.
Finish off the boil2–3 minutes
Heat down to low, then the cream. It must not boil after the dairy goes in, and the last brightening is lemon juice with the bay leaf removed.
Ingredient Notes
- Cremini and shiitake together
- A pound of cremini and eight ounces of shiitake. Shiitake stems are woody and the recipe removes them rather than slicing them in.
- Soy sauce or tamari
- One tablespoon, added with the garlic rather than at the end. Tamari is the listed swap if you need it wheat-free — note the flour is not, unless you use the gluten-free blend the ingredient list also offers.
- Dry sherry or dry white wine
- A quarter cup, optional. Its job is lifting the fond off the pan; if you leave it out, deglaze with a splash of the broth instead so the browned bits still make it into the soup.
- Sour cream or half-and-half
- Half a cup, optional and on top of the cup of heavy cream. It is the difference between creamy and very creamy, and it is the ingredient most at risk if the pot boils.
- Nutmeg
- A quarter teaspoon, in with the broth. Small enough that no one names it, large enough that the soup tastes underseasoned without it.
How to Make It
Warm the fats
Warm a large pot over medium heat and add the butter and olive oil.
Soften the base
Sauté the onion and celery with a pinch of salt until translucent, 4 to 5 minutes.
Cook the mushrooms dry
Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until they release their liquid and it evaporates, 8 to 10 minutes.
Add the aromatics
Stir in the garlic, thyme and soy sauce and cook 30 seconds, until fragrant.
Deglaze
Deglaze with the sherry or wine, scraping up the browned bits, and simmer 1 minute.
Cook the flour in
Sprinkle the flour over the mushrooms, stir to coat, and cook 1 minute.
Add the broth gradually
Gradually whisk in the broth to avoid lumps, then add the bay leaf and nutmeg.
Simmer to thicken
Bring to a gentle simmer and cook 10 minutes, to thicken and let the flavours meld.
Add the dairy
Reduce the heat to low and stir in the heavy cream, and the sour cream if using.
Hold it below a boil
Simmer 2 to 3 minutes more. Do not let it boil after the dairy has gone in.
Season and brighten
Remove the bay leaf and season with salt, pepper and the lemon juice to brighten.
Blend if you want it smoother
Blend part of the soup with an immersion blender for extra creaminess if you like, then stir in the parsley and serve with the garnishes.
Success Tips
- Wait for the mushroom liquid to actually evaporate before moving on — that is the flavour step.
- Whisk the broth in gradually, not all at once, or the flour will lump.
- Keep the pot below a boil once the cream is in.
- Finish with the lemon juice; a cream soup without an acid tastes flat.
- Blend only part of the soup if you blend at all — all of it loses the sliced mushroom texture.
Serving Ideas
With toasted or crusty bread, which is what the photograph shows and what the leftover sauce asks for. It also works as a starter in smaller bowls ahead of a roast.
Storage and Reheating
Refrigerate
Refrigerate up to 3 days in a sealed container. It thickens as it chills; loosen with a splash of broth when reheating.
Freeze
Not recommended. A flour-and-cream base separates on thawing, and the sliced mushrooms go spongy.
Reheat
Gently over low heat, stirring. Do not let it boil — the same rule that applies when the cream first goes in applies every time afterwards.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use just one kind of mushroom?
You can, and the method does not change. The recipe pairs cremini with shiitake because they contribute different things — body and savoury depth — so a single-variety version will be simpler in flavour rather than wrong.
Can this be made without wheat flour?
The ingredient list offers a gluten-free blend in place of the three tablespoons of all-purpose flour, and tamari in place of the soy sauce. Check your broth as well, since that is the third place wheat commonly appears.
Why does it say not to boil after adding the cream?
Boiling is what makes a dairy-finished soup split into grains and liquid. Once the cream and sour cream are in, the pot stays on low for the last two to three minutes and every reheat afterwards.
How do I make it thicker or thinner?
The soup thickens on standing, so the simplest lever is time. To thin it, add broth a splash at a time. To thicken it, blending part of the soup with an immersion blender — the recipe's own optional final step — does it without adding more flour.
