Recipes

Creamy Mushroom and Dumpling Soup

This recipe was originally posted in 2017. It has since been updated to add a vegan and gluten-free option, plus more photos for guidance.

The soup is a cross between a creamy mushroom soup and French onion soup, topped with dumplings (my favorite part). It’s nutritious, comforting and ready in less than an hour. I made it with plant-based milk and whole wheat flour for the dumplings. That being said, you can definitely make it with your favorite milk, cream and/or flour too.

Mushroom and Dumpling Soup Ingredient Notes:

Butter: You can use butter, vegan butter or margarine. This will add a delicious light buttery flavor to the soup and will help “caramelize” the onions.
Onion and garlic: For flavor. Shallots would also be delicious in this soup.
Mushrooms: I love to use cremini mushrooms, but you can also use white button mushrooms.
Herbs: Bay leaves and fresh thyme add flavor to the soup. Make sure to remove them before blending the soup.
Worcestershire sauce: Again, for flavor. Use vegan Worcestershire sauce to make the soup vegan. It’s available at many health food stores.
Vegetable broth: I tested this recipe with a vegetable broth that has no salt added. If you use low-sodium or regular vegetable broth, reduce the salt as needed.
Milk: You can use almond milk, soy milk or oat milk (plain and unsweetened) to make this recipe plant-based. The recipe was originally tested with whole milk years ago, which works very well.
Flour: I use all-purpose whole wheat flour to make the dumplings. You can also use white flour. See the FAQ section for a gluten-free option.

How to Make Creamy Mushroom and Dumpling Soup

Here’s a step-by-step guide to make homemade creamy mushroom and dumpling soup.

“Caramelize” the Onions
In a large saucepan, heat the butter or margarine over medium heat. Add your diced onions and cook 8 minutes until soft and fragrant. The onions won’t be caramelized like they would be in a French onion soup, but they should be golden and fragrant. Meanwhile, prepare your mushrooms and garlic.
Cook the Mushrooms
Add your sliced mushrooms and garlic and cook for 5-10 minutes until the water from your mushrooms has evaporated. Stir in your salt, bay leaves and thyme.
Add the Liquids
Add the Worcestershire sauce and vegetable broth and bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to medium heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
Prepare the Dumplings
In a medium bowl, mix your flour with salt and baking powder. Add your milk and mix the ingredients together to make a sticky dough. Set aside.
Blend the Soup
Discard the bay leaves and thyme. Transfer the soup to a high-speed blender or use an immersion blender. Blend until smooth (or keep some texture). Transfer back to the saucepan, then stir in your milk. Top with little spoonfuls of dumpling dough. Cover and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes or until the dumplings are cooked through.

Creamy Mushroom and Dumpling Soup FAQ:

Can I Make this Soup Vegan?

Yes! To make this soup vegan, swap the milk for plain and unsweetened almond milk, soy milk or oat milk and use vegan Worcestershire sauce and vegan butter.

Can I Make this Soup Gluten-Free?

Yes, to make this recipe gluten-free, replace the whole wheat flour with a 1:1 gluten-free flour mix for the dumplings. You can also skip the dumplings, though I don’t recommend it.

More Soup Recipes:

Creamy Mushroom and Dumpling Soup

A creamy mushroom and dumpling soup. This comforting and nutritious soup is topped with delicious whole wheat dumplings. It can also be made vegan and gluten-free.

Course Soup

Cuisine vegan, vegetarian

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 20

Total Time 50

Servings 5

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter or margarine (see notes)
3 cups yellow onions, diced (about 2 onions)
3 cups (227g) cremini mushrooms, sliced
3 large garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt (see notes)
2 bay leaves
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (see notes)
5 1/2 cups vegetable broth, no added salt
3/4 cup plant-based milk or whole milk (see notes)

Dumplings

1 cup all-purpose whole wheat flour (see notes)
3/4 cup plant-based milk or whole milk
Pinch salt
1/2 tablespoon baking powder

Instructions

In a large saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the diced onions and cook for 8 minutes until fragrant and lightly "caramelized". Sprinkle with salt. Meanwhile, prepare the mushrooms and garlic.
Add the sliced mushrooms and garlic and cook for 5-10 minutes or until the water from the mushrooms has evaporated.
Add the bay leaves and thyme.
Add the Worcestershire sauce and vegetable broth and bring the soup to a boil, then reduce to medium heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the dumplings: In a medium bowl, mix the flour with salt and baking powder. Add the milk and mix the ingredients together to make a sticky dough. Set aside.
Transfer the soup to a high-speed blender or use an immersion blender, making sure to discard the bay leaves and thyme. Blend until smooth (or you can keep some texture). Transfer back to the saucepan, then stir in the milk. Top with little spoonfuls of dumpling dough. Cover and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes or until the dumplings are cooked through.

Notes

Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for longer.

This recipe was tested with broth that has no added salt. If you’re using low-sodium or regular broth, reduce the amount of salt as needed. I recommend starting with 1/2 teaspoon and increasing as needed.

I love using cremini mushrooms, but you can use white button mushrooms if preferred.

For a vegan option, use vegan Worcestershire sauce, vegan butter and plant-based milk. Plain and unsweetened almond, soy or oat milk all work well.

For a gluten-free option, use a 1:1 gluten-free flour mix or skip the dumplings (though I recommend keeping them).

If you make this mushroom and dumpling soup, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! And if you try this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram!

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View Comments

steven says:

2018-10-11 at 3:20 pm

why does every post have to be a huge story? most people do tread them, hey just scroll to bottom.

simple anecdote, quick beautiful photography, recipe. i’d say most can follow a simple format and have a weekly / bi-weekly longer post? i read them all but most people don’t have time. this dumpling soup looks like EVERYTHING i need. thanks ?
- Unsweetened Caroline says:
  
  2018-10-12 at 8:20 am
  
  Hi Steven, thank you for the feedback. I know not everyone reads them, but some like it. As I only post once or twice a week, I do like to write a bit about myself and the reasons behind the recipes. I personally love to know more about the people behind the recipes. If you don't want to read it, that's fine too. You can skip to the recipe (I have a button at the beginning of each post for that purpose exactly). I hope you enjoy the recipes though!
Patricia Storm says:

2021-09-17 at 10:44 pm

Thank you for this recipe. I used hen of the woods mushrooms. Red onions, chicken broth, and a mixture of whole milk and heavy cream because that's all I had on hand. I made my dumplings with white flour, egg and a little water. Wasn't going to have a second bowl but I did and I'm glad I did :) have a great weekend!!
- Nourished by Caroline says:
  
  2021-09-24 at 11:06 am
  
  Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback, I'm so happy you liked it! It's great to hear that it works well with those substitutions too. :)
Jonelle Marie Carter says:

2022-06-11 at 6:58 pm

Sooo good! Thanks for the recipe!
- Nourished by Caroline says:
  
  2022-06-20 at 8:22 am
  
  Thank you Jonelle! I'm so happy that you like the recipe. :)
Lianna says:

2024-01-17 at 6:32 pm

Made this shiitakes and added a touch of miso. Also made sourdough dumplings to go with which were awesome, felt like an elevated version of my moms recipe. Thank you!
- Nourished by Caroline says:
  
  2024-01-18 at 1:30 pm
  
  Thank you Lianna, those additions/swaps sound so good! Enjoy. :)