This Creamy Oyster Mushroom Soup is an easy and quick dinner or lunch that comes together in 1 pot and 35 minutes! It's naturally vegan, dairy-free, and nut-free, and has a gluten-free option.
This creamy soup features fresh oyster and shiitake mushrooms and thyme, cooked in an aromatic miso broth and finished with coconut milk.
It's a real treat for mushroom lovers, packed with layers of deep umami flavor.
For more soup recipes, check out my Wild Rice Mushroom Soup, Mediterranean Tomato Soup with Feta, and Broccoli Pea Soup.
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Ingredients You'll Need
- Oyster mushrooms: This type of mushroom is chewy, dense, floral, and with a subtle seafood aroma. Cooked in this soup lets those qualities shine.
- Shiitake mushrooms: Since oyster mushrooms don't have that much flavor, I like to use fresh shiitake mushrooms in addition.
- Vegan butter: For sauteing the mushrooms and the aromatics.
- Onion and garlic cloves: These will be our aromatics for the soup. Similar to my French onion soup without wine, you can use Vidalia onions which are sweeter, otherwise regular yellow onions are fine.
- Miso paste: Add umami, saltiness, and a depth of flavor. I recommend using white miso paste.
- Mushroom broth: A good broth is essential for any soup. I like to use mushroom broth to take the mushroom flavor to the next level.
- Flour: You'll need just 1 tablespoon to thicken the soup. I use all-purpose flour, but you can use gluten-free flour if needed.
- Fresh thyme: Adds flavor and depth, and of a lemony and minty flavor.
- Coconut milk: For making the soup creamy without the need for heavy cream or animal products! I recommend using full-fat coconut milk from a can.
See the recipe card below for exact measurements.
How to Make Oyster Mushroom Soup
In a Dutch oven or a large pot, melt butter over medium-high heat. Once it starts to sizzle, add the mushrooms and saute for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until golden brown.
To the same pot, add more butter and heat over medium heat. Add the onion and saute for 5-6 minutes or until golden brown and translucent. Add the garlic and fresh thyme and saute for 30 more seconds, until fragrant.
Then, add flour stir vigorously, and cook for 30 more seconds to toast the raw flavor.
Pour the mushrooms broth or vegetable broth and stir to get any browned bits off the bottom. Return the mushrooms to the pot, season with salt, and black pepper, and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to low, and simmer the oyster mushroom soup for 15 minutes.
Lastly, add the coconut milk and stir. Using a finer mesh strainer, dissolve the miso into the water, leaving the chunky bits in the strainer so you have a smooth and creamy broth.
Serve right away with a squeeze of lemon juice and top with green onions!
👩🏼🍳 Petra's Tips
- Don't skip the fresh shiitake mushrooms! As mentioned above, oyster mushrooms don't have that much flavor, they're more known for their meaty texture. So, adding shiitake, which is flavorful and aromatic, is key in this oyster mushroom soup recipe!
- Saute the mushrooms in batches. You want to get a nice and even browning on each piece so don't overcrowd the pot! This way the pieces will end up steaming instead of browning and will probably release water.
- Use a high-quality mushroom or vegetable stock. You can either use a store-bought broth or what I do is soak 20g of dried shiitake mushrooms in 3 cups of hot water for 20 minutes. Then, drain it and you have homemade mushroom broth!
- Use full-fat coconut milk. This is essential if you want to end up with a creamy and rich soup, rather than one that is watery and thin.
- If you want to thicken this soup, you can add a can of white beans (drained and rinsed) and blend half of the soup using an immersion blender. I do that in my dairy-free potato leek soup and it works well.
FAQ
In general yes, but for best results, I suggest removing the hard stems when making this oyster mushroom soup. They're hard to chew and don't provide much flavor.
No, oyster mushrooms can be cooked raw, without the need for boiling or blanching first.
Yes, this soup freezes great! Let the soup cool to room temperature, then transfer it to an airtight container. Freezer for up to 3 months. Let it thaw overnight in the fridge before serving.
If your soup is on the thinner side, you can do two things. First, you can try simmering it for longer over high heat without a lid. Second, you can make a flour slurry by mixing 1-2 tablespoon of flour (either all-purpose or gluten-free) with 2-3 tablespoon cold water, then add it to the soup and stir.
Substitutions
- Oyster mushrooms: You can use king oyster mushrooms or a mix of wild mushrooms instead.
- Shiitake mushrooms: If you can't find shiitake mushrooms, or you're not a fan of them, you can use more oyster mushrooms instead or replace them with the same amount of cremini or button mushrooms.
- Coconut milk: If you're not vegan, you can substitute it with 1 cup of heavy creamy. If you're vegan, you can use a store-bought cooking cream like soy cream, or make your own cashew cream.
- Vegan butter: You can use olive oil, canola oil, coconut oil, or regular butter (if not vegan).
- Flour: You can use any type of flour, including gluten-free flour, rice flour, and chickpea flour.
- Miso paste: You can omit it, or use 1 tablespoon of soy sauce or tamari instead. This will add a savory and umami layer to the oyster mushroom soup so you don't want to skip it.
- Fresh thyme: You can use dried thyme or any other fresh herbs you like such as parsley or cilantro.
Serving Suggestions
This oyster mushroom soup is delicious served with any kind of carb like homemade vegan naan, garlic ciabatta bread, coconut rice, and even air fryer smashed potatoes.
My favorite way to serve it would be with provolone grilled cheese with honey or our sweet potato beet salad.
Storage
Let leftovers cool to room temperature then transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for 5-6 days.
Similar Recipes
📖 Recipe
Creamy Oyster Mushroom Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoon vegan butter or olive oil, divided
- 500g oyster mushrooms cut into 1-inch pieces, tough stems removed
- 150g shiitake mushrooms
- 1 large yellow onion finely diced
- 3 large garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme chopped
- 1 tablespoon flour of choice (all-purpose, gluten-free all-purpose, or white rice flour)
- 3-4 cups mushroom broth or vegetable broth see notes
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt or more to taste
- Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
- 1 can (13.5oz) full-fat coconut milk
- 1 tablespoon white miso paste optional
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or a large pot, melt 1 tablespoon butter over medium-high heat. Once it starts to sizzle, add the mushrooms and saute for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until golden brown. Work in batches if needed and make sure to not overcrowd the pot! You don't want to end up with steamed mushrooms.4 tablespoon vegan butter, 500g oyster mushrooms, 150g shiitake mushrooms
- To the same pot, add 1 tablespoon butter and heat over medium heat. Add the onion and saute for 5-6 minutes, or until golden brown and translucent. Add the garlic and fresh thyme and saute for 30 more seconds, until fragrant.1 large yellow onion, 3 large garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- Then, add flour and stir vigorously. Cook for 30 more seconds to cook the raw flour flavor. Pour the mushrooms broth or vegetable broth and stir to get any browned bits off the bottom. Return the mushrooms to the pot, season with salt, and black pepper, and bring to a boil.1 tablespoon flour of choice, 3-4 cups mushroom broth or vegetable broth, ¼ teaspoon sea salt, Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
- Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes with a lid on.
- Finally, add the coconut milk and stir. Using a finer mesh strainer, dissolve the miso into the water, leaving the chunky bits in the strainer so you have a smooth and creamy broth. Serve right away with a squeeze of lemon juice and top with green onions!1 can (13.5oz) full-fat coconut milk, 1 tablespoon white miso paste
Notes
- Don't skip the fresh shiitake mushrooms! As mentioned in the post, oyster mushrooms don't have that much flavor, they're more known for their meaty texture. Adding shiitake, which are flavorful and aromatic, is key in this oyster mushroom soup recipe!
- Use a high-quality mushroom or vegetable stock. You can either use a store-bought broth or what I do is soak 20g of dried shiitake mushrooms in 3 cups of hot water for 20 minutes. Then, drain it and you have homemade mushroom broth!
- Use full-fat coconut milk. This is essential if you want to end up with a creamy and rich soup, rather than one that is watery and thin.
- If you want to thicken this soup, you can add a can of white beans (drained and rinsed) and blend half of the soup using an immersion blender. I do that in my dairy-free potato leek soup and it works really well.
- Fridge: Let leftovers cool to room temperature then transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for 5-6 days.
- Freezer: Let the soup cool to room temperature, then transfer it to an airtight container. Freezer for up to 3 months. Let it thaw overnight in the fridge before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is a rough estimate calculated with third-party calculations without including the optional ingredients.
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