Dairy-Free Turkey Mushroom Soup (made creamy with cashews)
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Indulge in the comforting goodness of this turkey mushroom soup made with a twist that transforms leftover Thanksgiving or Christmas turkey into a creamy, flavorful soup. With just 10 minutes of prep time, it’s as simple as it is delicious.
If your post-Thanksgiving fridge is overflowing with leftovers, this turkey mushroom soup is one of my favorite ways to keep dinnertime exciting. It’s cozy, satisfying, and a great way to give leftover turkey a second life.
A potato and cashews (or cashew butter) give the soup a rich, velvety texture that tastes like you’ve poured in a splash of cream — even though there’s none in the pot. It’s comforting, clever, and exactly the kind of meal I crave after a holiday feast.
Ingredients needed
This creamy turkey soup with mushrooms uses these ingredients:
- Mushrooms: Adds earthy richness and umami depth.
- Onion: Contributes sweet undertones.
- Garlic: For a savory note.
- Carrots: Adds natural sweetness and a vibrant color.
- Celery: Brings a refreshing note to the base of the soup.
- Potato: Adds creaminess when blended with the cashews (if you have leftover mashed potato from Thanksgiving, you can sub it in here!)
- Homemade turkey stock: You can also substitute for chicken.
- Turkey meat: Adds protein for a hearty, satisfying soup.
- Cashews: When blended, cashews contribute a nutty creaminess.
How to make the turkey stock
Homemade stock is a super easy and delicious way to infuse extra goodness and flavor into your recipes! It’s as easy as putting bones in a pot, covering them with water, and letting them simmer for a while. This crockpot turkey stock recipe is super easy – when you’re cleaning up from Thanksgiving, pop all the turkey bones into your slow cooker, fill it with water, and set it for ten hours, then wake up to delicious stock! Or, you can also make a stovetop version using this turkey stock recipe.
This works just the same with using chicken bones to make chicken broth.
What to serve with turkey mushroom soup
This turkey and mushroom soup is hearty enough to be a standalone meal, but you can top it off with some crowning croutons.
No duo is more dynamic than soup and grilled cheese – serve it with a twist with this sriracha apple grilled cheese.
For a fresh side, serve alongside this asparagus salad, kale apple salad, or arugula wild rice salad.
Recipe FAQs
Can I substitute the cashew for another type of nut?
Cashews are used in this soup as they blend into a smooth paste, which thickens the soup. They also have a very neutral flavor. If you’re able to blend other nuts so they are very smooth – with a similar consistency as a nut butter – then they’ll work. If your blender isn’t high-powered enough, you can also use cashew butter. When substituting cashew butter for raw cashews use half the amount that the recipe calls for.
Should I soak the cashews before blending?
If you have a high-powered blender (like a Vitamix) then you can skip the soaking part. If your blender is a little less powerful, soaking the cashews helps soften them so they blend faster. If you’re crunched for time, you can pour boiling water over them and let them sit for about 10 minutes.
Can I store leftovers?
Yes, leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. When reheating, be careful not to cook too long as the cashew sauce may thicken a little too much. If you encounter this, thin it with a little water or stock if needed. To store for longer, keep in the freezer for up to three months and thaw in the fridge before reheating.
Dairy-Free Turkey Mushroom Soup (made creamy with cashews)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 10 ounces mushrooms (sliced)
- 1 medium onion (chopped)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 medium carrots (chopped)
- 2 stalks celery (chopped)
- 1 medium potato (peeled and cut in half)
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 6 cups homemade turkey stock (can sub chicken)
- 2 cups shredded turkey meat (can sub chicken)
- ¼ cup cashews (see notes)
- Sea salt and pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Note: this recipe uses the leftover meat from your turkey dinner and stock made from the bones. You need to make the stock first – it's easy! This is the crockpot recipe we use. You can also make a stovetop version using this recipe.
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook until they are soft and starting to brown, about 10 minutes. Add the onion and cook until it softens, about 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.2 tablespoons olive oil, 10 ounces mushrooms, 1 medium onion, 4 cloves garlic
- Add the carrots, celery, potato, thyme, turkey stock, and meat to the pot and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer the soup for 20 minutes, or until the potato is soft.2 medium carrots, 2 stalks celery, 1 medium potato, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 6 cups homemade turkey stock, 2 cups shredded turkey meat
- Remove the two potato halves from the soup and put them into your blender. Add the cashews and enough of the soup liquid so they will blend. Don't worry if you get a few small pieces of the other veggies into your blender. Blend on high until smooth then return the 'cream' to the pot. Season to taste with sea salt and pepper.¼ cup cashews
Notes
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
This is the best soup recipe for leftover turkey from Thanksgiving.! This is the second year I’ve made it and will make it again. Would even be good with chicken during the rest of the year. The cashew cream finishes it just perfectly! I did add a little extra potato and if I had had extra mashed potatoes, that would’ve been really good!
Thank you for this wonderful recipe. I made it today and the only differences I made was Bok choy in place of Celery and and 1/2 Tsp of chili flakes for heat and 3 med potatoes instead on 1 and for extra creamy I added 1 c of cream. This is so good!
Love this soup. The addition of the mushrooms makes it! Next time will add a bit more Thyme.
This is totally delicious! I added a bit more cashews for creaminess but overall followed the recipe and it’s so hearty and satisfying!
could I also use the mashed potato for the potato with the cashews or in my case almonds thanks again .Ill let you know how it turns out
That would definitely work! And a great idea for using up some more of those leftovers!
I have not made this yet but looks great.Heres the rub I have almonds and no cashews what do you think .Really dont want to go to grocery store just for almonds and thank you for the recipe
The reason we use cashews is that they blend into a smooth paste, which thickens the soup. They also have a very neutral flavor. If you’re able to blend the almonds so they are very smooth – like almond butter – then they’ll probably work. If you have some cashew or almond butter on hand, I would use that instead.
Made this tonight. Me wife and I loved it! The potato/cashew base is so good! I added some hot sauce table side, and could practically eat just the base on its own as a “cream” soup. Wish I could upload photos, but suffice to say I’m keeping this bookmarked 😁. Thank you for the wonderful recipe.
Oh my goodness… this was amazing!almost had to arm wrestle my picky husband for the leftovers. And my non-soup-eating daughter even had some.
I used a heaping Tbsp almond butter as a sub for the cashews. It was perfect!
This soup was sOOO good and since we had another pound of ground turkey and more mushrooms that needed to be used…..we made a 2nd batch to freeze. Loved the idea of making a creamy base out of a potato and cashews. That’s just genius and worked perfectly! Great tasting recipe plus simple to make. Thanks so much for the post!
Hi !
I am french, I live in France and we don’t eat turkey that much (just at Christmas) so I did the recipe with homemade hen stock and chicken breast to replace the turkey. And, this was weird, I never tasted something like this !
It’s was reeeeally good. I will definitively do this recipe again !
Thank you !!
So happy that you liked it!!
This was insane!!! I added wild rice and it was fantastic
First, let me say I will NEVER make turkey stock on the stove top again. I put the turkey carcass bones in last night and the stock was just perfect this morning. Easy clean up. The best (and easiest) I have ever made. Thank you for the idea. Can you add onion, celery and carrots to it? Just curious.
The soup was pretty bland. I added more thyme, poultry seasoning and a little bit of worcestershire sauce, and a second potato to thicken it more. I used cream vs. the cashews. It was a nice to alternative to turkey noodle, but needed a bit more flavor. A sweet potato instead of a white potato may help.
Haha I love it! I feel the same way. Crockpot stock is the way to go!
Did you salt the soup enough? Homemade stock needs a fair bit of seasoning. 🙂
I really want to try this but my little one is allergic to all tree nuts. Can you give me a substitute for the cashews?
I think that tahini would likely work in this recipe. Or regular dairy cream also works. 🙂
Mashed potatoes
That’s a great suggestion!
This soup was delicious. I used chicken instead of turkey and fresh basil and oregano because I don’t like thyme. I will definitely be making this again. Thank you for the wonderful recipe.
You’re very welcome!
This recipe looks great. Have been looking for an alternative to my regular turkey-barley soup I make every year from the carcass. Two quick questions before I launch in…any particular kind of mushrooms you recommend? And should the cashews be raw or roasted? Thank you!
Hi Howard! I use either white or crimini mushrooms and raw cashews. I hope you love the recipe as much as I do!
Could you use skim milk evaporated milk with the cashews or cauliflower instead of potato in soup then mix with cashews?
I think that would work!