This creamy mushroom blender soup is smooth, savory, and full of umami, but surprisingly mild in mushroom flavor. I’ve never developed much of a taste for canned soups, but every now and then I get nostalgic for canned cream of mushroom soup, which my mom occasionally bought when I was a kid. I’d had the idea of making a blender soup with canned mushrooms in the back of my mind for a while, so when that particular bit of nostalgia hit one morning, I decided it was time to give it a try.

Using canned mushrooms is actually quite well suited to what I was trying to recreate here. Despite using three cans, the finished soup isn’t intensely mushroomy, which reminds me of the mild flavor of canned cream of mushroom soup. Soy or pea milk and coconut milk provide the creamy base, while nutritional yeast, tamari, onion, garlic, herbs, and black pepper build up the savory flavor. Because canned mushrooms are generally packed in salted water, I use plain water rather than vegetable broth. If yours are salt-free, broth is an option, or you can adjust the tamari or add a little celery salt to taste.

This soup makes a nice starter, but I usually prefer to turn a bowl of soup into more of a meal. A couple of slices of high-protein bread and some dressed leafy greens work well alongside it. There’s also a higher-fat variation that uses less water and plant-based milk and a full can of coconut milk for an even richer result. If quick soups like this appeal to you, you can find more in my Blender Soup Recipes.