This creamy wild mushroom bisque is perhaps my new favorite soup! It is packed with umami-rich flavor from the mushrooms, thyme, and a couple of secret, flavor-packed ingredients! It's easy to make and is a gourmet starter or side dish for your holiday meals!
Recipe Price: $8.21 | Per Serving: $2.05 | Makes: 4
This dish is a delicious substitute for canned cream of mushroom soup but is also elegant enough for holidays. I would happily serve this to my guests at a 3-course Christmas dinner. 😀
It took me several attempts to perfect this recipe and let me tell you something, I am extremely proud of this result!
Love creamy soups? Try my creamy asparagus soup, potato and fennel soup, and tomato chickpea soup.
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What is Mushroom Bisque?
It's a rich and flavorful mushroom soup that is typically made with cream. The mushrooms are sautéed to enhance their umami flavor, and blended until silky smooth. Bisques traditionally referred to creamy soups made from seafood but nowadays, many creamy soups are often referred to as bisques.
Additionally, mushrooms may not be a vegetable, but they are still rich in nutrients! I especially love them for their beta-glucans, which are a specific type of soluble fiber that supports our gut microbiome and has immune-modulating benefits.
This is the best wild mushroom bisque! We are packing it with amazing flavor and nutrition!
Why You Will Love This Mushroom Bisque Recipe
- Easy Soup. This soup comes together in about half an hour and most of the cooking is hands-free! There's really only a touch of technique required, and it's a great beginner recipe.
- Great Flavors. Mushrooms naturally have a bold umami flavor but we are amping it up with the addition of (GF) soy sauce and balsamic vinegar.
- All-Occasion Soup. It's perfect for dinner parties, or as a cozy pairing for grilled cheese!
- Flexible For All Types of Diets. This soup is naturally vegetarian and gluten-free. Make it vegan and dairy-free with just a few simple swaps.
- Mushrooms May Provide Vitamin D. Did you know you can leave mushrooms out in the sun and they will actually produce Vitamin D2? Research has shown that sliced mushrooms can be placed outside in the midday sun for 1-2 hours to generate significant amounts of vitamin D2. In some cases (with strong summer sunlight), this is enough to generate the RDA of vitamin D! How amazing is that?
Ingredients
For the most part, we are making this wild mushroom bisque from standard grocery-store ingredients, though I do recommend either shiitake mushrooms or a few wild mushrooms if they're in the budget. The full ingredients list is in the recipe card along with the quantities of each.
- Cooking Fat: We will be using a combination of olive oil and butter. The butter adds some flavor, and the oil helps to keep the butter from burning.
- Aromatics: Yellow onion and fresh garlic are sautéed at the start of cooking as the first layer of flavor.
- Thyme and Bay Leaf: we're using 1-2 dried bay leaves and fresh thyme. Dried thyme can be substituted, but in this case, fresh is best!
- Mixed Mushrooms: I used a mix of three types of mushrooms - cremini, shiitake, and wild Estonian chanterelles. Feel free to use any mushrooms you’ve got, but if using mostly white button mushrooms, I would try to use a cup of wild or shiitake mushrooms for the richest mushroom flavor.
- Balsamic Vinegar: This fruity, slightly sweet vinegar boosts the umami of the mushrooms while also adding a nice balance of acid to the rich soup.
- Arrowroot Powder: Used to thicken the bisque but you can also use flour or cornstarch instead.
- Broth: You can make this with either chicken broth or vegetable broth. I recommend my slow cooker bone broth for great flavor and nutrition.
- Cream Cheese: The trick to making this into a tasty creamy soup is cream cheese. This is a slight twist on traditional cream, and it takes the flavor to the next level!
- Soy Sauce/Tamari: This humble ingredient intensifies the umami flavor of the mushroom topping and I wouldn't skip it!
What Mushrooms are Best? I highly recommend including some shiitake mushrooms for this wild mushroom bisque recipe for their more intense flavor and extra nutrients. They are an especially good source of B2, B6, and B9. All three of these are important for methylation and detoxification cycles in the body. Dr. Kara Fitzgerald includes shiitake mushrooms in her list of “methylation adaptogens” since they’re rich in the vitamins that protect our cells from epigenetic damage.
Dietary Modifications and Variations
- Paleo: No! Cream cheese is dairy, which isn't Paleo. Additionally, soy sauce contains soy, which is also not Paleo. Feel free to use cashew cream and coconut aminos for Paleo.
- Vegetarian: If you use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth, this is vegetarian!
- Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup: Replace the butter with vegan butter or oil, use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth, and swap the cream cheese for cashew cream. See the recipe card for instructions!
- Gluten-Free Cream of Mushroom Soup: This mushroom bisque soup recipe is totally gluten-free if you use tamari or gluten-free soy sauce.
How to Make Mushroom Bisque Soup
Are you ready to see how easy it is to make this soup? Here's an overview of the main steps but be sure to check the recipe card for the full details.
- Prep all your vegetables. We will blend everything later, so don't worry too much about making them perfect.
- Cook the diced onions in melted butter and the olive oil over medium heat. Add a pinch of salt and cook until the onions are fragrant and a bit translucent.
- Add the garlic, thyme, and sliced mushrooms, along with several additional pinches of salt and some freshly cracked black pepper.
- Sauté the mushrooms, cooking off their liquid and giving them time to brown a bit. Add the balsamic vinegar to the mushrooms and stir to combine.
- Remove about a quarter cup of mushrooms and set them aside to crisp up later and use as a topping for the soup.
- Sprinkle the arrowroot flour over the remaining mushrooms in the pot and stir it into the mushrooms
- Add the broth and bay leaf to the pot and stir to loosen the mushrooms. Bring the soup to a boil and reduce to a high simmer, cooking for about 20 minutes.
- Mix the cream cheese with some of the broth from the pot. This makes it easier to blend into the soup. Turn off the heat and add the cream cheese mixture to the pot.
- Blend the soup until mostly smooth using an immersion blender.
- Cook the quarter cup of reserved mushrooms in a skillet over medium heat to develop a deeper color and more texture. Add the soy sauce and remove from the heat.
- Divide your finished mushroom soup among 4 bowls. Top with the reserved mushrooms. Add some chopped chives and drizzle with some thinned-out yogurt.
How to Store
Once the soup is fully cooled, transfer it to an airtight container, and store it in the fridge for up to five days. I do not recommend freezing it as the dairy in the soup can cause the soup to separate. When reheated it may be grainy.
Reheat mushroom bisque in a saucepan on the stove over medium heat or in the microwave.
What to Serve with Mushroom Bisque
Mushroom bisque works well as an easy lunch pairing with your favorite sandwich or salad or as a starter for dinner. It won't really make a full meal as it doesn't contain much protein so you will need to pair it with dishes with protein.
- Have a cozy lunch or a quick weeknight dinner. Pair it with your favorite grilled cheese, or with slow cooker whole chicken and lemon-basil arugula salad.
- Appetizer. As a start to your meal serve up a crusty bread or these ricotta toasts.
- Special occasion. If you're serving it up for a special dinner or for guests, it goes great with my sheet pan pork tenderloin, pesto salmon, and stovetop chicken thighs.
Expert Tips
- Choose flavorful mushrooms. White button mushrooms have a mild mushroom flavor, so for the richest mushroom flavor, add in some shiitake mushrooms or wild mushrooms.
- Want to try some specialty mushrooms? Check out an International market, or your local farmer's market to see if you can find porcinis, maiitakes, bunshimeji, and other fun options!
- No immersion blender? That's ok, you can also blend the soup in a regular blender. I recommend allowing the soup to cool a bit before blending so it doesn't build up too much pressure in your blender.
FAQs
Cream of mushroom soup is typically a condensed soup that is very thick in texture and meant to be used as an ingredient in other dishes. Mushroom bisque is an elevated mushroom soup with a small amount of cream that is not nearly as thick and is meant to be served as a soup on its own. Bisque is a misnomer here, since bisque originally referred to creamy shellfish soups, but is now used to indicate an elegant soup that is finished with cream.
The classic thickening options for bisques include a paste of ground shellfish or puréed rice. Nowadays, most home cooks use all-purpose flour or another powdered starch such as potato, corn, or arrowroot.
More Soup Recipes
Mushroom Bisque
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 1 small yellow onion
- 1 teaspoon fine salt divided, more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 cloves garlic
- 3-6 sprigs fresh thyme 1 teaspoon leaves
- 4 cups sliced mixed mushrooms about 12 ounces
- 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 Tablespoon arrowroot powder
- 4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 ounces cream cheese softened (room temperature)
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce GF, tamari, or any
- Optional: chopped chives and thinned out yogurt for garnish and bread for serving
Instructions
- Prepare your vegetables. Chop the onion into a small dice. This will be blended later, so it doesn’t need to be perfect. Peel and mince 4 cloves of garlic. Remove hard woody stems and finely chop the thyme leaves. Clean the mushrooms and slice them into ¼th inch slices.
- Bring a medium-large pot over medium heat. When hot, add the olive oil and the butter, then add the diced onion. Add a pinch of salt and sauté onions until fragrant and becoming a bit translucent, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the garlic, thyme, and sliced mushrooms, along with several additional pinches of salt and some freshly cracked black pepper.
- Sauté for about 10-15 minutes, until the moisture from the mushrooms has been released and has evaporated and the mushrooms have developed a bit of browning. If needed, add a splash of broth or water to deglaze the pan, then add the balsamic vinegar and stir to combine.
- Remove about ¼ cup of mushrooms and set aside (we will brown these and use as a topping!).
- Sprinkle the arrowroot flour over the remaining mushrooms in the pot and stir to distribute evenly.
- Add 4 cups broth, along with the bay leaf. Stir to loosen the mushrooms. Bring the soup to a boil and reduce to a high simmer. Simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the liquid has reduced by about ¼th. Then remove the bay leaf and discard.
- In a small bowl, add the cream cheese. Scoop out a bit of the warm broth from the pot and add to the cream cheese. Stir well to combine thoroughly. This helps it to blend into the soup better. Add the cream cheese mixture to the pot.
- Using an immersion blender, blend the soup until mostly smooth. (Feel free to use a stand blender instead.)
- In a separate skillet over medium heat, add the reserved mushroom mixture. Sauté for about 1-2 minutes, or until the mushrooms develop some color and texture. Stir in 1 teaspoon of soy sauce and immediately remove from heat. This will be your topping!
- Spoon the blended mushroom soup into bowls and top with the reserved mushrooms. Optionally, finely chop a few chives for topping, and thin out 1-2 Tablespoons of yogurt with water to drizzle onto the finished soup. Serve with your favorite crusty bread and enjoy!
Notes
- I used a mix of 3 types of mushrooms - cremini, shiitake, and wild Estonian chanterelles. Feel free to use any mushrooms you’ve got, but if using mostly white button mushrooms, I would try to use at least 1 cup of wild or shiitake mushrooms for the richest mushroom flavor.
- Feel free to use cornstarch or regular flour in place of the arrowroot flour.
- If using a high-speed blender, there’s no need to melt the cream cheese into the broth ahead of time. It will blend fully in a high-speed blender.
- I have also tested this recipe with cashew cream instead of cream cheese and it was delicious! To use cashew cream, I recommend soaking ½ cup of cashews in hot water for 30 minutes. Drain, then blend with ½ cup water, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon lemon juice or vinegar until smooth. Stir into the soup after it has been blended. I have not tried this with hemp cream or coconut milk, but I think they would also work for dairy-free/nut-free options.
- Use vegan butter and replace the cream cheese with cashew cream! Soak a ½ cup of cashews in hot water for 30 minutes. After soaking, drain off the water and then blend the cashews with ½ a cup of cup fresh water, ¼ teaspoon of salt, and ½ teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar until smooth.
- I have not tried this with hemp cream or coconut milk, but I think they would also work as nut-free options to make a dairy-free cream of mushroom soup.
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