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The best recipe for Vegan Mushroom Chowder – ย forget the canned stuff! This vegan mushroom soup is dairy-free thanks to cashew cream and so easy to make! 1 Pot Glutenfree, Nutfree option
Get ready for my new favorite soup recipe – creamy vegan mushroom chowder! It’s extremely quick and easy to put together and perfect for a simple weeknight dinner. All made in one pot! WIN!
You likely have most of the ingredients on hand right now, youโll just need the veg – mushrooms, some potatoes, onion, garlic, celery – and some vegan pantry staples like broth, Worcestershire sauce, and cashews for making the cashew cream.
This soup recipe comes together in one pot. The hardest part is slicing the vegan mushrooms, and peeling the potatoes. Totally doable, right? I guess you can still cheat and pick up pre-sliced mushrooms for ease and convenience.
Serve with homemade flatbread or naan to soak up the juices and swipe up every last bit of mushroom goodness!
More vegan soup recipes:
- Green Chili Enchilada Soup
- Vegan Potato Soup
- Vegan Black Bean Soup (Instant Pot Recipe)
- Vegan Chickpea Rice Soup
Mushroom Chowder
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil or vegan butter
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 8 ounces baby Bella mushrooms quartered
- 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon thyme or 1 spring fresh thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon ground sage
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 3 cups broth or water
- 1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon salt depending on the saltiness of your broth
- 1 1/2 cups cubed potatoes, small cubed
- 1 teaspoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 3/4 cup cashew cream, , 1/2 cup raw cashews blended with 3/4 cup water or use any other thick non dairy cream or you can also use 1/3 cup vegan cream cheese
- green onion for garnish
Instructions
- Heat the oil or vegan butter over high-medium heat in a large sauce pan. Once hot, add the garlic, onion, and celery, and a good pinch of salt and cook until the onion is starting to turn golden. 6-9 mins
- Then add in the mushrooms and another good pinch of salt and cook until the mushrooms are starting to sear on some edges. 4-8 mins
- Then add in the bay leaves, thyme, sage, onion powder, black pepper, and the flour and mix in for a few seconds
- Then add in the broth. Add 1 cup broth and mix so the flour doesnโt get lumpy, then slowly add the rest. Add potatoes, vegan worcestershire sauce, and salt and mix in. Cook partially covered for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked well.
- Mash some of the potatoes. Add in the cashew cream and bring to a good boil. Taste and adjust salt and flavor.
- If the chowder has thickened too much, add in more water or broth if needed and bring to a boil. Taste and adjust salt and flavor. Take off heat, remove the bay leaves and serve garnished with black pepper and green onions.
Video
Notes
- Soyfree: use coconut aminos instead of Worcestershire sauceย
- To make this glutenfree: use 2 teaspoons cornstarch instead of flour. Use tamari instead of worchestershire sauceย
- Nutfree: use blended firm or silken tofu. Blend 3/4 cup tofu with a bit of water until creamy and add to the chowder instead of cashews l, or use 1/3 cup vegan cream cheese and add a bit more broth as needed.
- Storage : Store leftover soup in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, stored covered. Or freeze for upto 2 months .
- To make this more of vegan seafood clam chowder, add in a bit of old bay seasoning and some kelp seasoning to taste
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Ingredients:
- garlic, sauteed with chopped onion and chopped celery form the base of this chowder
- ย baby Bella mushrooms quartered
- herbs: bay leaves, thyme, sage
- spices: onion powder and black pepper
- the chowder is thickened with flour
- the veggies and potatoes are cooked in broth – or use water for low sodium and add salt depending on your taste
- cubed potatoes-ย we mash some after cooking to thicken the soup and some we leave chunky
- Vegan Worcestershire sauce makes this soup super savory, use soy sauce or tamari or use coconut aminos for Soyfree
- no chowder without cream: here, we use vegan cashew cream here. See tips on how to make it yourself
Tips:
- for making the cashew cream at home blend 1/2 cup raw cashews with 3/4 cup water or use any other thick non dairy cream or you can also use 1/3 cup vegan cream cheese
- add green onion or some chopped fresh parsley for garnish
- if you want, add a splash of white wine after sauteeing the mushrooms
- Soyfree: use coconut aminos instead of Worcestershire sauce
- glutenfree: use 2 teaspoons cornstarch instead of flour. Use tamari instead of worchestershire sauce
- Nutfree: use blended firm or silken tofu. Blend 3/4 cup tofu with a bit of water until creamy and add to the chowder instead of cashews
How to make Vegan Mushroom Chowder
Heat the oil or vegan butter over high-medium heat in a large saucepan. Once hot, add the garlic, onion, and celery, and a good pinch of salt and cook until the onion is starting to turn golden.
Then add in the mushrooms and another good pinch of salt and cook until the mushrooms are starting to sear on some edges.
Then add in the bay leaves, thyme, sage, onion powder, black pepper, potatoes and the flour and mix in.
Then add in the broth. Add 1 cup broth and mix then slowly add the rest. Add vegan Worcestershire sauce, and salt and mix in.
Cook partially covered for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked well.
Mash some of the potatoes. Add in the cashew cream and bring to a good boil. Taste and adjust salt and flavor.
If the chowder has thickened too much, add in some more water or broth if needed and bring to a boil. Taste and adjust salt and flavor. Take off heat, fish out the bay leaves and discard. Serve garnished with black pepper and green onions.
Storageย
Refrigerator:ย Store leftover soup in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, stored covered.
Freezer: To freeze mushroom soup, let it cool completely. You can store the soup in serving size portions using freezer safe containers or baggies. It will last 2 โ 3 months that way. Let thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.
To reheat leftover soup, warm it up on the stove over medium-low heat until warmed through. Or heat it in the microwave for a few minutes, stopping to stir every so often.
I loved this recipe! I added 1.5 cups dried potato flakes to thicken it up a little bit more.
So glad you liked it!
Iโm allergic to cashews. What other nut is best?
You can use almonds to make the cream, but you would have to soak them overnight then peel them. You can also use 1/3 cup vegan cream cheese.
My family and I love this recipe and use it often because itโs so delicious, simple to prepare and very filling. Itโs comfort food at its best! Today I made a double batch so that we can enjoy it again tomorrow. I added some white miso for a little extra flavor today and used potato starch as the thickener. Thank you for posting this wonderful recipe!!!! ๐๐๐
Yay! Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Wow!
This was amazing and so simple. It was delicious following the recipe exactly but at the end I added some chopped kale as I needed to use it then added some corn kernels as mushrooms and corn is one of my favourite combinations.
Sounds delicious!!
I made this mushroom chowder today for lunch, itโs got to be the best chowder I have ever eaten. The seasoning was just right. I didnโt season in oil, as I am oil free, but used some of the broth to sear my onion, celery, garlic and mushrooms. After they were a golden brown added them to the rest of the ingredients in my pot to cook until the potatoes were tender. Yummmm
Awesome! Thank you for taking the time to comment!
This was a super delicious and quick dinner last night. I added some tvp for more protein and let the instant pot do the work while I handled some chores, but you really can’t ask for a heartier or more filling low-calorie meal. This one is definitely going on repeat!
So glad you liked it!
Just made this mushroom chowder. It is so good and flavourful. I will be making this on a regular basis.
Thanks again for a great recipe.
Yay! Glad it worked out.
This is one of the best chowders I’ve ever had – hands down! The seasonings are spot on (as usual!). Even my non-vegan eaters love it and ask for more.
Thank you for taking the time to comment!