Vegan Wild Mushroom Soup Recipe (Crème de Champignons)
Yield:
6
Prep Time:
20 minutes
Cook Time:
30 minutes
Total Time:
50 minutes
Make a silky vegan wild mushroom soup inspired by a French classic. Learn the best mushrooms to use, where to find them and how to forage safely.
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Ingredients
- 250 g wild mushrooms of your choice, or as the market offers: chanterelles or porcini
- 250 g button mushrooms
- 30 g vegan butter
- 4 shallots, finely chopped
- 500 ml vegetable stock
- 300 ml plant based cream (or milk)
- 5 to 6 sprigs fresh chervil
- 30 g chilled vegan butter, cubed
- 60 ml chilled full-fat coconut cream (or yoghurt)
Instructions
- Put the mushrooms in a colander and shake them to remove as much sand or earth as possible. Trim the sandy stem bases, rinse the mushrooms quickly without letting them soak, pat dry and slice finely.
- Sweat the shallots in the butter until soft, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms, cover and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Pour in the stock and oat cream (or milk), season with salt and pepper, add 3 to 4 sprigs of chervil, and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes.
- Blend the soup or pass it through a food mill, then strain it into a clean pan and warm gently. Whisk in the cold vegan butter cubes until melted. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper.
- Whip the chilled coconut cream in a bowl until soft peaks form. Season lightly with pepper.
- Ladle the soup into bowls. Top each with a spoonful of whipped cream, so it floats (or a spoon of plant-based yoghurt), then garnish with the remaining chervil.
Notes
Chef's tip: If you cannot find fresh wild mushrooms, use dried ones and soak them overnight in cold water. Once you've carefully strained them, the soaking liquid is excellent. Add it to the stock in this recipe or use it to flavour a stew.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 147Total Fat: 11gSaturated Fat: 7gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 27mgSodium: 181mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 3gSugar: 6gProtein: 3g
This vegan wild mushroom soup keeps the spirit of a classic French crème de champignons: earthy mushrooms simmered with shallots, then finished with whipped cream and fresh chervil. This version swaps the butter, pouring cream and chicken stock for plant-based ingredients, so every spoonful is vegan. Before you cook, it helps to know which mushrooms to choose, where to find them and how to forage safely. For more ideas, browse our vegan soup recipes.
Where This Soup Comes From
The original recipe deliberately mixes wild and cultivated mushrooms. Cultivated button mushrooms, known in French as champignons de Paris, give the soup body and a mild base, while wild varieties add the deep, earthy flavour. Chanterelles gained popularity in European kitchens during the 18th century, largely through French cooking. Porcini, called cèpes in France, remain one of the most prized mushrooms in European cuisine.
The Best Wild Mushrooms for This Soup
Chanterelles are the star. Their fruity, faintly peppery aroma deepens during a slow simmer, and their firm flesh holds its shape. Porcini bring a rich, nutty depth that makes the soup taste slow-cooked. Dried porcini are a practical alternative when fresh ones are out of season, and their soaking liquid makes a superb stock base. Field mushrooms, which grow in meadows and grassland, add a gentle savoury note. Use cultivated button mushrooms as the base and add around 250 grams of wild mushrooms for character.
Where to Find Wild Mushrooms
For most cooks, the simplest route is the greengrocer, farm shop or farmers’ market, where seasonal chanterelles and porcini appear in autumn. Dried porcini are widely available year-round and make a reliable store-cupboard ingredient. If you want to forage, start with a guided walk or a local fungus group, where experts show you what grows where. The Countryfile guide to British fungi is a helpful starting point for learning how common species look and where they grow.
Foraging Safely in the UK
Foraging is rewarding, but it carries real risks. Public health experts advise eating wild mushrooms only when you are very familiar with the species and certain they are safe, because some are fatal and certain toxins survive cooking. If you cannot name a mushroom with confidence, leave it where it is. Many poisonous species closely resemble edible ones, so never rely on a single feature. Pick only what you need, and wash everything thoroughly before cooking. The UK government’s press release on mushroom poisoning sets out the core warning.
Health Benefits of Wild Mushrooms
Wild mushrooms are low in calories and fat, and they provide fibre, B vitamins and minerals such as potassium and selenium. Chanterelles also contain beta-glucans, a type of fibre researchers are studying for possible gut-health effects. Much of this work is still early-stage, so treat health claims as promising rather than proven. Swapping dairy for plant-based fats also helps. Olive oil and most oat creams contain less saturated fat than butter and pouring cream.
Fun Facts About Wild Mushrooms
The name chanterelle comes from the Greek word kantharos, meaning tankard or cup, a nod to the mushroom’s shape. Porcini’s scientific name, Boletus edulis, ends in the Latin word for edible. In German, porcini are called Steinpilz, meaning “stone mushroom”, for their firm flesh. Researchers think porcini most likely evolved in tropical Asia roughly 40 to 50 million years ago, long before anyone thought to put them in soup.
Serve with crusty sourdough and a scatter of chervil. Chill leftovers promptly and eat within two days.
