This simple recipe for gluten free cream of mushroom soup, made with basic pantry staples, is rich, creamy, and packed with delicious umami flavor. Use it anywhere you'd use canned soup, and taste the difference!
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What makes this the best gluten free cream of mushroom soup recipe?
Thick, rich and velvety, this gf cream of mushroom soup is full of so much flavor. Only lovers of that rich umami flavor of cooked mushrooms need apply.
If you love creamy soups but don't love mushrooms, we still love you! And we have recipes for gluten free cream of chicken soup for you (with a simpler mushroom variety, and a potato variety, too). And if you'd prefer a clear soup, of course there's comforting gluten free chicken noodle soup, too.
For all my fellow mushroom lovers, though, let's return to this hearty, silky soup. It's the best soup, because it never leaks, even when it cools.
We make the roux that helps thicken this soup with superfine white rice flour, instead of cornstarch. When you thicken a warm liquid with a cornstarch roux, it leaks water as it cools.
It's also packed with creamy flavor from a combination of rich vegetable stock (I love Pacific brand) and evaporated milk. And much of the cooked mushrooms and flavorful, but mild, shallots, are pureed until smooth, so there's every flavor in every bite.
Does cream of mushroom soup have dairy in it?
Yes, cream of mushroom soups typically have dairy in them. And this recipe is no exception.
There's dairy in the form of butter, and in the form of evaporated milk. The butter adds richness, and the evaporated milk adds richness, flavor, and that creamy texture.
If you can't have dairy, don't worry! I explain how to make gluten free dairy free cream of mushroom soup in the final section of the post. It's about “substitutions and variations.”
Is canned cream of mushroom soup gluten free?
Yes, and no! Most canned cream of mushroom soups you can buy contain gluten.
Like Campbell's cream of mushroom soup, they usually have some form of wheat flour. The base of the soup is a butter-and-flour roux.
Here, we make that roux with butter and superfine white rice flour. That thickens the stock and evaporated milk, and creates a gorgeous, shimmering creamy soup.
There are varieties of canned cream of mushroom soup that are made gluten free. Pacific Foods brand has a cream of mushroom soup that contains cornstarch and rice flour in place of wheat starch.
Tips for making the best gluten free cream of mushroom soup
How to make condensed gluten free cream of mushroom soup
Cream of mushroom soup is a thickened cream-based mushroom soup made with a roux, made with flour and fat (usually butter, for best flavor). You begin by cooking the vegetables (mushrooms and shallots) until they're soft and fragrant.
Remove some cooked mushrooms. We'll add those back into the soup when it's nearly done, and smooth.
Then, make the roux by melting butter and cooking it for about 1 minute with superfine white rice flour, freshly ground black pepper, and some salt. It will clump up, so keep whisking.
Add the liquids: vegetable stock, and evaporated milk. The roux will thicken them as it cooks.
Keep cooking the mixture so some water evaporates. This will concentrate the flavor and thicken the soup even more.
Then, puree all the soup until super smooth. I like to use an immersion blender since the liquid is hot, so a standing blender will spurt and splatter the soup if you use it with hot liquid.
Then, add back in the reserved mushrooms, and serve hot!
Can I make GF cream of mushroom soup ahead of time?
Yes! You can make this cream of mushroom soup up to 3 days ahead of time. I'd recommend storing it in well-sealed glass jars in the refrigerator.
Since we're using rice flour to thicken the soup, and not cornstarch, the liquid shouldn't separate out from the mixture like it otherwise would. The soup will clump, though, so just reheat it over a very low flame on the stovetop, whisking constantly.
Can I freeze gluten free cream of mushroom soup?
No, this soup would not freeze well. It contains a fair amount of dairy.
I don't like freezing dairy-containing soups. They tend to separate and appear to curdle. If you'd like a warm and comforting soup that you can make ahead and freeze, try our gluten free tomato soup.
How to use gluten free cream of mushroom soup
You can use this gf cream of mushroom soup anywhere you'd use a can of cream of mushroom soup. It's perfect to use in gluten free casseroles, like our gluten free green bean casserole.
What are the best types of mushrooms to use for making cream of mushroom soup?
Any sort of ordinary small mushroom will make delicious mushroom soup. I often make it with white button mushrooms, which are the youngest mushrooms.
You can also use cremini mushrooms. They're more flavorful and mature, and they're brown on top.
If you can find them, I really love to use “baby portabella” mushrooms. They have flavor to spare!
Gluten Free Cream of Mushroom Soup Substitutions and Variations
How to make gluten free vegan cream of mushroom soup
The only animal products in this soup recipe are the dairy. There's butter, and evaporated milk, and you'll have to replace them both—but it's really easy.
How to replace the butter in this soup
To replace the butter, I always recommend vegan butter (Melt or Miyoko's Kitchen brand) instead of Earth Balance buttery sticks. But I think you could actually use Earth Balance here, too.
Earth Balance will add more moisture, though, and more color. You should allow the roux to cook lower and slower, so it doesn’t burn but the moisture cooks off.
How to replace the evaporated milk in this soup
To replace the evaporated milk, Carnation makes a small carton of nondairy cooking milk that has reduced moisture. There's also evaporated coconut milk made by a company called “Nature's Charm” that might be worth trying.
I don't recommend using “regular” nondairy milk, unless you're willing to reduce it separately in a saucepan first over very low heat. Otherwise, you'll really just water down your soup.
Instead of evaporated coconut milk, you can try using “light” coconut milk in the can. It's really just coconut milk with added water.
Can you make this cream of mushroom soup recipe without evaporated milk at all?
Yes! You can make this soup without evaporated milk. Just replace it with a combination of ingredients.
Add more vegetable stock for more flavor, and some heavy whipping cream for richness. You'll have to experiment with the balance that you like best.
I'd begin with 1 cup (8 fluid ounces) additional vegetable stock, and ⅓ cup (5⅓ fluid ounces) heavy whipping cream. In place of whipping cream, you can try canned coconut milk, but it may add coconut flavor.
How to thicken the roux without superfine white rice flour
I really recommend using Authentic Foods brand superfine white rice flour. Vitacost also has a superfine white rice flour that has a relatively fine grind, too.
If you don't have a truly superfine white rice flour, you can try using arrowroot in its place. You can also try using tapioca starch/flour, but it may make the sauce gummy so try using 20 grams instead of 30.
If you use too little thickener in your soup, you can continue to cook the soup over medium-low heat to thicken it further. The more water that evaporates, the thicker the soup will be.
Easy Gluten Free Cream of Mushroom Soup Recipe, Step by Step
Gluten Free Cream of Mushroom Soup
Equipment
- Immersion blender
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon (14 g) extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 pound fresh button or baby portabella mushrooms cleaned and sliced thickly
- 2 small shallots peeled and sliced finely
- 4 tablespoons (56 g) unsalted butter
- 3 tablespoons (30 g) superfine white rice flour
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 ½ cups (12 fluid ounces) vegetable stock
- 12 fluid ounces evaporated milk low-fat or whole, plus more to thin (optional)
- Fresh parsley chopped, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- In a medium-size saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and shallots, stirring to combine after each addition.
- Cover the pot and cook until the shallots are translucent and the mushrooms are fork tender (about 4 minutes). Remove the lid, transfer about 1/2 cup of the cooked mushroom mixture to a small bowl. Set it aside.
- To the same medium-size saucepan, add the butter and melt over medium heat. Add the rice flour, pepper, and salt, and whisk to combine well.
- The mixture will clump at first, and then smooth. Cook this roux over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture smells more fragrant (about 1 minute).
- Stirring constantly, add the stock to the roux. Continue to break up any lumps that might form. Add the evaporated milk, and continue to stir until the mixture is smooth.
- Bring the mixture to a simmer, and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally. Continue to cook until the soup is reduced by about one-quarter (about 7 minutes).
- Remove the saucepan from the heat. Using an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth. To thin the soup, add more stock by the tablespoon until it reaches the desired consistency.
- Add the remaining mushrooms, and stir to combine. Serve immediately with the optional fresh chopped parsley for garnish.
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Hi, I’m Nicole. I create gluten free recipes that really work and taste as good as you remember. No more making separate meals when someone is GF, or buying packaged foods that aren’t good enough to justify the price. At Gluten Free on a Shoestring, “good, for gluten free” just isn’t good enough! Come visit my bio!
Rachel says
Delicious! I used the baby portobellos when making this and it turned out better than any store bought version. Thank you so much for sharing!
Nicole Hunn says
So glad to hear it, Rachel! Thank you for sharing your experience.
Jen says
How do you whisk the butter and flour when it’s on top of all those mushrooms and shallots? I ended up using a wooden scraper to keep stirring everything together. But I used a whisk for just the butter and flour, so I took all the mushrooms and onions out before I melted the butter. If that’s what you’re supposed to do you never say when to add the mushrooms back in except for the half a cup of garnish mushrooms. I would love some clarification this recipe smells lovely.
Nicole Hunn says
If you’re using a small pan, I could see that becoming an issue, Jen, but generally all you need to do, at most, is push the vegetables to the side.
karen says
making it ahead of time for the green bean casserole. is 2 days too soon to make it? thanks bunches
Nicole Hunn says
That should be fine, Karen. Please see the text of the post under the heading “Can I make GF cream of mushroom soup ahead of time?”
Kristi Sabo says
I just made this…Yum! It is mazing. It will make a mushroom soup lover out of people who do not think that they like mushroom soup!
Thank you so much.
Nicole Hunn says
That’s the best, Kristi! Clearly, those people just haven’t had the right soup, right? 😉
Kim says
I got out of the routine of using mushroom soup mix so long ago that I’m not sure I would use it in that way. BUT, this soup is delicious on its own. I may be inspired to be creative in using it as a sauce. Thanks for adding to my cooking repertoire !
Nicole Hunn says
I’m so glad you enjoyed the soup, Kim, and that you’re inspired to use it in different ways. That’s the best! Thank you so much for sharing your experience.
Jo says
I haven’t tried this yet as I don’t use dairy. I have seen canned oat whipping cream and wonder whether I could sub that for the evaporated milk.
Nicole Hunn says
Please see the text of the post under the “substitutions suggestions” heading where it says “How to make gluten free vegan cream of mushroom soup”, Jo.
Barbara says
Hi ….. I am wondering if I want to use this soup to add to a casserole (like I would have done in the past with a tin of condensed soup) without diluting it to eat as soup, do I still add the set-aside mushrooms, after blending with the immersion blender, but not add the additional stock by the tablespoon which I’m guessing makes the soup more liquid so you would just eat it as soup?
Also can I freeze this soup to use in a casserole as if it were regular condensed soup?
Thank you for your help!
Nicole Hunn says
Yes, that’s correct, Barbara, you just don’t thin it. I discuss whether I recommend freezing this in the text of the post!
Annie says
Oh my that recipe is fantastic! I made it for the green bean casserole but now after eating so much of it, I’m not sure I have enough! Perfect flavor!
Nicole Hunn says
That’s so great, Annie! Thank you for letting me know. :)
Jennifer Pushlar says
This has changed since 2016? I’m glad I have the original saved form the green bean casserole recipe.
Nicole Hunn says
Yes, Jennifer, it has changed. I’m not sure why you gave this recipe, which it seems you haven’t tried, 2 stars.
Norma says
Any suggestions on how I can make this dairy free as well?
Nicole Hunn says
Please see the Ingredients and substitutions section of the post, Norma.
Nicoletta says
This sounds delicious but you say to use any where you would use condensed soup. So I guess you would adjust any liquid in the casserole recipe because this is thinned out to be ready to eat. Am I making any sense?
Nicole Hunn says
Nicoletta, yes, you are making sense. You simply add less liquid, as I describe in the recipe. The final amount of liquid is only added if you want to eat it in a manner other than condensed.
Lhmelk says
This looks very do-able and delish….thank you! Have you ever subbed the evaporated milk for silken tofu? Works in tomato soup, wondered if it would work for this recipe.
Nicole Hunn says
No, I haven’t ever even considered that. Silken tofu will help thicken, but it won’t add richness, so I wouldn’t recommend that. If you try it, though, let us know how it goes!
Ruth Broch says
We don’t get evaporated milk here in Israel. Can one also substitute plain whole milk instead of cream?
Nicole Hunn says
Please see the section on ingredients and substitutions, Ruth.
Lydia Anderson says
Love the new format!! Thank you! thank you!
Nicole Hunn says
You’re so welcome, Lydia! Thank you for taking the time to share the kind words!
Deborah says
I am so delighted to have this recipe! Will try it right away! This is my husband’s favorite soup, but the canned varieties are largely high in sodium – and the gluten that troubles me! Love the new format!
Nicole Hunn says
It’s so delicious, so flavorful, Deborah! Canned soup is definitely quite high in sodium. Hope you both enjoy the soup—and thank you for the kind words about the redesign!
Vicki Rhode says
I love cream of mushroom soup, always have! This recipe sounds delicious and I can not wait to try it. I believe your rue will make the difference from my homemade soup. Sounds delicious 😋
Nicole Hunn says
I’m so glad to hear it, Vicki! I love it, too.
Ann Miller says
I know the basic ingredients for these cream soups are the same. Can I use it for cream of celery soup? If so, how? You’d be a life saver if it could! Thank you!
Nicole Hunn says
I’m sure you could, Ann, but I’ve never done it. I have made cream of chicken soup and cream of potato soup, which you can find details of on this post, but you’d have to experiment to figure out how to make a rich flavor of celery. Maybe cooking down lots of celery, including the leaves, which tend to have the most flavor?