Allergy-Friendly Vegan Cream of Mushroom Soup
by Melanie Carver
Many casserole recipes call for cream of mushroom soup, but the canned versions available at the store are filled with milk, soy and wheat (not to mention fat and salt). This recipe provides a delicious alternative that avoids those allergens and is also vegan and gluten-free. I prefer it to be very flavorful and chunky, so I pack it with herbs and use lemon juice to make tangy "buttermilk" for the base.
With this recipe, you can make a variety of Thanksgiving dishes for those with milk and/or soy allergy, are vegetarian/vegan, or have Celiac disease.
Ingredients
3 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp gluten-free flour (I use garbanzo bean flour)
1 cup diced/sliced cremini or white mushrooms
1/4 cup finely diced white onion
1 1/4 cup original or unsweetened milk alternative (I use So Delicious coconut milk beverage)
1 Tbsp lemon juice (or vinegar)
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
pinch dried rosemary
pinch dried oregano
1/4 tsp poultry seasoning or Garlic & Herb Mrs. Dash
3 Tbsp minced fresh parsley (optional)
Substitutions and Notes
Poultry seasoning is just a blend of spices that is pre-mixed for you. You can also make your own using any combination of thyme, parsley, oregano, sage, rosemary, marjoram, celery seed, black pepper. Alternately, you can use a Mrs. Dash blend, if safe for you.
If you don't want your soup to be really chunky, reduce the amount of mushrooms and onions and use a food processor to chop finely.
Any gluten-free flour should work, I prefer the nuttiness and fullness of garbanzo bean flour for this recipe. You can also use rice flour, sorghum flour, or millet flour.
Instructions
In a large saucepan or bistro pan, heat the oil on medium heat. Add the chopped mushrooms and onion and cook for several minutes.
Pour and measure the milk beverage into a measuring cup and add the lemon juice (or vinegar) to it so that it can begin to sour into "buttermilk". This process takes about 10 minutes, so you do want to do this step early on.
When the mushrooms and onions have softened and reduced in size, add the gluten-free flour to the pan and whisk. The flour will "gum" with the oil/liquid. Allow to cook for a few minutes while you prepare the spices or chop the parsley.
The milk is ready to pour in when there are separated "blobs" in it. Pour the milk in slowly, and continue to whisk. Allow it to slowly come to a boil (still on medium heat) and then reduce the heat to medium-low.
Add the spices (dry and fresh) and continue to simmer until the soup has thickened and reduced.
The final product will fit in a standard mason jar (about 400 mL); which is a little more than one store-bought condensed cream of mushroom can.
Serve the soup to eat right away or use it in another recipe that calls for cream of mushroom soup (casserole, vegetable dishes, etc.).
The information shared here is for your convenience only, it is not an endorsement or guarantee of the product's safety. Please read the ingredient labels and contact the manufacturer if needed to confirm the safety of a product for your child.
Melanie Carver is the Vice President of Community Services for the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America (AAFA). (Kids With Food Allergies is a division of AAFA.) She is a long-time vegan and has a special interest in nutrition. She is the mother of two, one of whom still has food allergies.
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