Make this homemade mushroom soup a classic French cream of mushroom soup with fresh mushrooms, butter, stock, cream, and egg yolks. A silky French mushroom velouté called Potage Aux Champignons, that's elegant yet wonderfully simple.
I have more hearty, creamy soups for you to make: Easy Pumpkin Soup Recipe, Easy Pea Soup Recipe, Soup With Parsnips, and Creamy Celery Soup.
🔍 Quick Look: Homemade Mushroom Soup
- ⏱️ Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 48 minutes
- 🕒 Total Time: 1 hour 3 minutes
- 👥 Servings: 4 - 6
- 📊 Calories: ~316 kcal per serving (based on nutrition panel)
- 🔥 Cook Method: Stovetop
- 👩🍳 Flavor Profile: Rich, earthy, savory, and velvety, with a delicate creamy finish.
- ⭐ Difficulty: Easy, beginner-friendly, with a few classic French techniques but straightforward steps.
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What Is Classic French Mushroom Velouté
This traditional French cream of mushroom soup, Potage Velouté aux Champignons, is rich, smooth, and full of mushroom flavour without being overly heavy.
The mushrooms are cooked in butter with a little lemon juice, while the stems add wonderful flavour to the soup base. A final mixture of egg yolks and cream gives this French mushroom soup its characteristic velvety finish.
The French word velouté means "velvety," and that is exactly what you are looking for here: a soup that is beautifully smooth and luxurious.
It makes a lovely appetizer before a French dinner, but serve it with some good crusty bread, and it can easily become a comforting light meal.
And if you love mushrooms as much as I do, you may find yourself making it whenever the mood takes you!
Jump to:
- 🔍 Quick Look: Homemade Mushroom Soup
- What Is Classic French Mushroom Velouté
- Why We Love This Homemade Mushroom Soup
- Key Ingredients
- What Mushrooms Are Best for Cream Of Mushroom Soup?
- How To Make Homemade Mushroom Soup
- What to Serve With Cream of Mushroom Soup
- More Delicious Homemade Soups
- Homemade Mushroom Soup FAQ
- 📖 Recipe
Why We Love This Homemade Mushroom Soup
ꪜ It has real mushroom flavour. The mushroom stems are used in the soup base rather than being discarded.
ꪜ It feels elegant without being difficult. This is French cooking at its best - simple ingredients treated with care.
ꪜ A little cream goes a long way. You don't need to drown the mushrooms in cream to make a luxurious soup.
ꪜ The lemon makes a difference. Just a little lemon juice brightens the flavour of the mushrooms beautifully.
ꪜ It is perfect for entertaining. Serve it in small bowls or cups as a lovely first course.
ꪜ It is just as good for an ordinary family meal. Don't save this one only for company!
Key Ingredients
You only need a handful of ingredients to make this classic French mushroom soup.
- Fresh mushrooms: Use good fresh mushrooms that are firm. Ordinary white or brown mushrooms work, so there is no need to search for anything exotic. If you happen to have a mixture of mushrooms available, by all means use them. Mushrooms such as cremini, chestnut or wild mushrooms can add their own character.
- Onion and garlic: The onion provides a gentle sweetness to the soup, while a little garlic adds another layer of flavour. The important thing here is not to brown the onion. We are looking for a delicate flavour rather than a deeply caramelized one.
- Butter: Butter is an important part of the flavour of this French mushroom soup. It is used both for the soup base and for cooking the mushroom caps.
- Flour: A little flour helps give the soup body and creates the foundation for that lovely velvety texture.
- Chicken stock: Traditional chicken stock gives the soup a rich savoury base. If you prefer a vegetarian mushroom soup, my vegetable stock recipe can be used instead.
- Lemon juice: Don't skip this little ingredient. The lemon juice isn't there to make the soup taste lemony. It simply brightens the mushrooms and balances their richness.
- Egg yolks and cream: These are the secrets to the beautiful finish of this French mushroom velouté. The egg yolks and cream are gently tempered with hot soup before being added to the pan. This creates a silky, luxurious finish without boiling the soup after the egg mixture has been added.
What Mushrooms Are Best for Cream Of Mushroom Soup?
For everyday cooking, ordinary white mushrooms or cremini mushrooms are excellent choices.
If you have access to a mixture of fresh mushrooms, you can certainly use them for a more complex flavour. A combination of cultivated and wild mushrooms can make a particularly delicious soup.
You don't need expensive mushrooms, though. This recipe was designed to make something special from simple ingredients.
How To Make Homemade Mushroom Soup
- Prepare the mushrooms: Clean the mushrooms and remove the stems from the caps. Keep both parts; the stems are going into the soup base, so don't throw them away. Slice the mushroom caps and set them aside.
- Cook the onion and garlic: Melt about 1 ounce of the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the chopped onion and cook gently until soft, but do not let it brown. Add the chopped garlic toward the end of cooking.
- Make the soup base: Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the flour. Mix well so the flour is incorporated into the butter and onions. Gradually stir in the boiling stock, then return the saucepan to the heat. Add the mushroom stems and season with salt.
- Simmer the mushroom stems: Partly cover the saucepan and simmer gently for about 30 minutes. This gives the mushroom stems plenty of time to release their flavour into the soup. When they have finished cooking, you have two choices. You can strain the mushroom stems out for a smoother, more traditional velouté, or blend them into the soup for an even stronger mushroom flavour.
- Cook the mushroom caps: While the soup base is cooking, melt a little more butter in a separate pan. Add the sliced mushroom caps, salt and lemon juice. Cover and cook gently over low heat for about 5 minutes. The mushrooms will soften and release their delicious juices.
- Bring everything together: Add the cooked mushroom caps and all their juices to the mushroom soup base. Simmer gently for another 10 minutes. This is where all those lovely mushroom flavours come together.
- Add the cream and egg yolks: When the soup is almost ready to serve, beat the egg yolks and cream together in a bowl. Now comes an important little step. Add a small amount of the hot soup to the egg-and-cream mixture, stirring constantly. Continue adding soup gradually until you have incorporated about ½ pint of the hot soup. Then stir the warmed egg-and-cream mixture back into the saucepan. This process is called tempering and prevents the egg yolks from scrambling.
- Finish the soup gently: Return the soup to very low heat and cook slowly for about 3 minutes. Do not allow it to boil. The egg yolks and cream are there to give the soup its silky finish, and boiling at this stage can cause the mixture to split or become grainy.
- Serve: Ladle the hot mushroom soup into a soup terrine or individual bowls. Garnish with a few cooked mushroom slices and freshly chopped chervil or parsley.
TIP: For extra richness add a dollop of freshly made Crème Fraîche.
Serve immediately.
And then - bon appétit!
What to Serve With Cream of Mushroom Soup
A small bowl of French mushroom soup makes a wonderful appetizer, particularly before roast lemon-thyme chicken, slow-cooked braised beef, or another classic French meal like a pork sausage dish.
For a simple lunch, serve it with:
French milk bread
A toasted baguette
A French salad
Galette with Ham and Cheese
A Traditional egg dish like Piperade
Homemade Mushroom Soup FAQ
Absolutely. Homemade Mushroom Soup can be made for Vegetarian or Vegan diets. Simply replace the chicken stock with a good vegetable stock. For a vegan diet also replace the butter with a plant based butter. And the cream with coconut milk, nut milk, soy milk or other vegan milk of your choice. The mushrooms, onion, garlic, lemon, and herbs provide plenty of flavour, so you will still have a rich and satisfying mushroom soup.
You can freeze cream of mushroom soup, although soups containing cream and egg yolks can sometimes change texture after freezing and thawing. For the best result, prepare and freeze the mushroom soup base before adding the final egg-yolk-and-cream mixture. Thaw in the refrigerator, reheat slowly, and then finish the soup with fresh egg yolks and cream.
Yes. The Cream Of Mushroom Soup base can be prepared ahead and gently reheated before serving. For the best texture, I prefer to add the egg-yolk-and-cream mixture toward the end, rather than preparing that part too far in advance. When reheating the finished soup, warm it slowly and do not let it boil.
📖 Recipe
Prep Like a Pro
Before you start cooking, chop, measure, and prep every ingredient, and gather your tools.
This simple habit reduces stress, prevents overcooking, and instantly improves your meals. Mise en Place - "Everything in its place."
Homemade Mushroom Soup
Ingredients
- 1 large onion chopped
- 1 clove garlic chopped
- 1 lb fresh mushrooms
- 4 oz butter
- 1 ½ oz flour
- 3 cup chicken stock
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 egg yolks
- ½ cup cream
- A few small sliced mushrooms to garnish optional
- Fresh chopped chervil or parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Remove the stems from the mushroom caps. Slice the caps and set aside.
- Melt about 1 oz of the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Add the chopped onion and cook gently until soft but not browned. Add the garlic toward the end.
- Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the flour.
- Gradually stir in the boiling stock, then return the pan to the heat.
- Add the mushroom stems and season with salt.
- Partly cover and simmer gently for about 30 minutes.
- Strain the mushroom stems from the soup base, or blend them into the soup if you prefer a stronger mushroom flavour.
- In a separate pan, melt a little of the remaining butter. Add the mushroom caps, salt, and lemon juice.
- Cover and cook gently over low heat for about 5 minutes.
- Add the mushroom caps and all their juices to the soup base. Simmer for another 10 minutes.
- Beat the egg yolks and cream together in a bowl.
- Gradually add some of the hot soup to the egg-and-cream mixture, stirring constantly, until about ½ pint of soup has been incorporated.
- Stir the warmed egg-and-cream mixture back into the saucepan.
- Cook very gently for about 3 minutes. Do not boil.
- Pour into a soup terrine or individual bowls.
- Garnish with sliced mushrooms and fresh chervil or parsley, if desired.
- Serve hot and enjoy! Bon Appétit!
Notes
- Don't brown the onion
- This is a delicate soup, so cook the onion slowly until soft rather than allowing it to become deeply golden.
- Keep the mushroom stems
- They may not look like the prettiest part of the mushroom, but they are full of flavour and are perfect for building the soup base.
- Don't leave out the lemon
- Just one teaspoon is enough to lift the mushroom flavour and keep the finished soup from tasting too heavy.
- Temper the egg yolks carefully
- Never add the egg-and-cream mixture directly to very hot soup.
- Gradually warm it first with some of the soup, then return it to the saucepan.
- Never boil the finished soup
- Once the egg yolks and cream have been added, keep the heat very low. A gentle finish is the secret to that beautiful velvety texture.
Loved it, tweaked it, or not your "cup of tea"... I’d really love to hear how it went for you.