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Creamy One Pot Mushroom Soup with Garlic and Thyme

Creamy one pot mushroom soup with garlic and thyme featuring deeply browned cremini mushrooms, a partly blended velvety base, and tender slices left whole. Simmered with flour to gently thicken, finished with cream for a rich, earthy bowl ready in about 40 minutes.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Calories: 420
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the soup
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter divided (2 tbsp for browning, remaining for sautéing)
  • 2 tbsp unsalted butter divided (2 tbsp for browning, remaining for sautéing)
  • 1.5 lb cremini mushrooms sliced
  • 1 yellow onion medium, diced
  • 4 clove garlic minced
  • 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves or use 1 tsp dried thyme
  • 0.25 cup all-purpose flour ¼ cup
  • 4 cup low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth 4 cups
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp salt 1 tsp
  • 0.5 tsp black pepper ½ tsp
For the finish
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
  • 1 Toasted sourdough for serving

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Brown the mushrooms
  1. Melt 2 tbsp unsalted butter in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the cremini mushrooms in a single layer and cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring only occasionally, until deeply golden brown and their liquid has evaporated.
  2. Set aside ½ cup of the browned mushrooms for topping. Keep them at room temperature while you build the soup.
Build the soup base
  1. Lower the heat to medium and add the remaining butter and the diced yellow onion. Cook for 4–5 minutes, until the onion is soft.
  2. Stir in the minced garlic and fresh thyme leaves and cook for 1 minute, until fragrant.
  3. Sprinkle in the all-purpose flour and stir constantly for 2 minutes, until it coats the mushrooms and smells toasty.
  4. Slowly whisk in the low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth until smooth. Add the soy sauce, salt, and black pepper, then bring to a simmer.
  5. Simmer the soup for 10 minutes, until it is slightly thickened.
Blend and finish
  1. Blend about half the soup with an immersion blender, leaving plenty of mushroom slices whole. Blend until the texture is velvety but still chunky.
  2. Stir in the heavy cream and simmer gently for 3–4 minutes, until the soup looks velvety. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
Serve
  1. Ladle the soup into bowls and top with the reserved browned mushrooms and chopped fresh parsley. Serve hot alongside toasted sourdough.

Notes

For the best flavor, avoid crowding the mushrooms so they can brown instead of steam. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3–4 days; reheat gently on the stovetop until hot and loosened with a splash of broth if needed. Freezing works only for short-term use (up to 2 months) because cream soups can slightly separate when thawed. For a lighter option, use half-and-half instead of heavy cream and simmer for just 2–3 minutes after adding it.