Cashew Soup with Mushrooms
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This cashew soup is so rich and creamy that it tastes like it’s loaded with heavy cream, but it’s surprisingly 100% dairy-free. Earthy, umami-rich mushrooms meld with the creamy base made from blended cashews, sautéed onions, aromatic thyme, and savory garlic.
This cashew cream of mushroom soup is rich, velvety, and deeply comforting. It’s the kind of soup that feels like a warm blanket on a chilly day. The creamy texture is so luxurious that it’s hard to believe there’s no heavy cream in sight.
The secret is soaked cashews, which blend into an incredibly smooth base that gives the soup its luscious texture. Earthy mushrooms, onion, garlic, and thyme add layers of savory flavor, while a simple handful of ingredients keeps the recipe approachable and easy to make.
I love serving this soup as a cozy weeknight dinner or as a starter for a special meal. It’s simple, satisfying, and proof that a few humble ingredients can come together to create something truly special.
Toppings
Cashew soup is versatile and pair well with a variety of toppings, and it’s a great way to customize the flavor. Here are our top picks to make it your own:
- Croutons: Add some garlic parmesan croutons on top!
- Drizzle: For a little luscious touch, finish it off with a drizzle of truffle oil, or use olive oil or a chili oil for richness and depth.
- Mushrooms: Add some extra cooked mushrooms – or make some garlic bacon mushrooms to top it off!
- Fresh herbs: A little parsley, chives, or cilantro adds a little burst of freshness.
- Chickpeas: Crispy roasted chickpeas make a tasty soup topper!
What to serve with cashew soup
Soup’s best friend is bread! Make a no yeast bread with herbs and cheese, or pair this soup with a sriracha apple grilled cheese for contrasting flavors and textures.
For a crisp contrast, make a spring mix salad or a wild rice arugula salad on the side. Some garlic roasted carrots, sweet potato wedges or crispy roasted potatoes make a delicious side.
Cashew Soup with Mushrooms Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups raw cashews
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 20 ounces mushrooms (chopped)
- ½ onion (minced)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 teaspoons sea salt (or more, to taste)
- 1 teaspoon thyme leaves
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 cups water (divided)
Instructions
- Place the cashews in a jar and fill the jar with water. Seal the jar and place it in your fridge for 2-24 hours. (If you have a high-powered blender, you can soak the cashews for the time the mushrooms and onions are cooking)2 cups raw cashews
- Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan over high heat. Cook the mushrooms until they have released their liquid and are just starting to brown, about 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onion, and cook until it is soft and light brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, sea salt, thyme, and black pepper and cook for 1 minute more.1 tablespoon olive oil, 20 ounces mushrooms, ½ onion, 2 cloves garlic, 2 teaspoons sea salt, 1 teaspoon thyme leaves, ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Transfer the mushrooms to your blender. Drain and rinse the cashews and put them into your blender. Add 3 cups of water and blend on high until very smooth.
- Pour your soup back into the pot, add one more cup of water and reheat it gently. Season to taste with extra sea salt and black pepper.
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
My first time making anything with cashews and it turned out fabulous!!
That’s awesome! Cashews add such a creamy, rich texture—it’s amazing, right? I’m so glad your first try was a success!
Thank you for this fab recipe! One question: Can this be frozen. This makes a LOT, and there are only two of us. I’d love to be able to freeze it if it’s possible. Thanks again!
Yes this freezes well!
This is so delicious. I added some sautéed mushrooms and onions at the end. Great recipe ro make your own.
Absolutely beautiful soup, unbelievably easy recipe. This is going in my favourite recipe rotation 🫶 thank you so much for creating and sharing this!!!
Enjoyed this cream of mushroom soup alternative! Made a few adjustments to the recipe after reading the comments. To avoid the off-putting color once you blend the cooked mushrooms I wound up chopping them really small and didn’t blend them. Also used a whole bunch of fresh thyme
for simmering (removed before serving) and veggie stock for more flavor. Yummmy – will be making this again.
This was a wonderful soup. It was smooth and velvety with a wonderful earthy hug. I added a little more thyme than in the recipe and instead of raw garlic I upped the amount of garlic and roasted it beforehand instead of leaving it raw. It was heaven. Not too strong, just enough to complement the soup. It created quite a lot of soup. Next time I would make half the recipe if we weren’t having company and it would still last a few meals.
Hi Kristin, I found your site because I’m looking for a dairy free (preferably cashew based!) Cream of mushroom soup to make green bean casserole for Thanksgiving. My question is do you think this recipe would serve well in this application? I’m not sure how thick the soup is as is.
Also, have you ever frozen soup? I’ve had good luck freezing cashew-based soups in the past but just wondering your thoughts for a make ahead situation. Thanks in advance.
Yes, it works great in a green bean casserole! The recipe uses the Magic Mushroom Sauce, which is very similar to the soup.
I haven’t tried freezing the soup. But you can make it at least 3 days ahead of time!
Gorgeous soup will do again
Very filling and very tasty
Truly very good! Rich, creamy and delicate. Fast to make, too.
Thank you so much !!! 🙂 ?
I made this and OMG it was so delicious I was literally licking my bowl. I only took 20 minutes to make. This is going to be a staple from now on.
This sounds delicious! I just purchased 3 pounds of Cremini mushrooms. Can I make a large let batch and freeze some?
Mushrooms don’t generally freeze well so I don’t recommend it. 🙂
I wash and slice mushrooms and lay them out in one layer on a sheet pan. The next day I scrape them off the pan and throw in a plastic bag and have mushrooms ready for soup etc. I think the frozen sliced mushrooms are perfect. Big fan of Campbell’s cream of mush as a kid. Can’t wait to try this beauty!
So nice and easy…5Star.