Creamy Mushroom Brie Soup
A bowl of pure comfort, this Mushroom Brie Soup comes together in just 40 minutes with a rich, velvety texture. Perfect for Valentine's Day or date night, this creamy soup has a savory taste that rivals any restaurant recipe.
📌 Quick Guide to This Soup Recipe
- 🍄 Flavor: Rich, earthy, and deeply savory thanks to cremini mushrooms and creamy brie cheese
- 🧀 Texture: Velvety smooth and silky, never grainy, with a restaurant-style finish
- ⏱️ Time: Ready in about 40 minutes from start to spoon
- 💡 Why It Works: The soup simmers first, then the brie is added last for a smooth, luxurious texture
- 🥖 Serve With: Crusty dinner rolls, a simple green salad, or as an elegant starter for special occasions
- ❄️ Make Ahead: Stores well in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheats gently over low heat
Summarize & Save This Content On
This mushroom and brie soup is a recipe you'll be making over and over again for special occasions. It's creamy in texture and almost decadent in taste, similar to this brie grilled cheese.
Using real food-based ingredients, this soup recipe comes together quickly enough for busy nights but tastes like it was made for a five-course meal. Personally, I love that this brie mushroom soup, with its rich undertones, can be served alongside a hearty salad or a simple baguette, just like Mexican street corn soup.
Why This Recipe Works
- Smooth texture: Since the brie cheese is added after the soup has simmered, the texture comes out silky and not grainy.
- Deep flavor: Between the seasonings and cremini mushrooms rather than white mushrooms, results in an earthy, savory flavor.
- Versatile: The luxuriousness of this soup recipe is perfect for special occasions like Mother's Day or Valentine's. But the ease with which it comes together means that it can be whipped up as easily on any day of the week.
Ingredients + Substitutions
- Mushrooms: Cremini mushrooms, also known as baby portobello mushrooms, are what give this brie cheese soup its elegant flavor.
- Low-sodium chicken broth: Since you'll be using a bouillon pasta as well, choosing a low-sodium broth ensures the soup won't become too salty. Of course, homemade chicken broth in the Instant Pot works as well.
- Brie cheese: Make sure to use a high-quality cheese. You'll want to remove the rinds before you begin cooking so that you can time everything perfectly.
- Red wine vinegar: This is optional, but I use it to brighten the flavors in the blended mushroom soup. If you're using it, drizzle it in slowly once the heat is off to prevent it from curdling. Leave it out if you prefer an earthier flavor.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Dietary Modifications & Variations
- Gluten-free soup: To make this soup gluten-free, substitute the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free blend and double-check that the broth and bouillon cubes are gluten-free.
- French-inspired mushroom soup: To give the brie soup a more French-style taste, deglaze the sautéed onion with ¼ cup of white wine before adding the broth, and garnish with crispy onions. You will want to decrease the broth by a ¼ cup.
- Garlic parmesan undertones: For a more umami taste, add 2 extra cloves of garlic to the soup and ¼ cup of grated parmesan with the brie.
How to Make Mushroom Brie Soup
Save yourself some time before you start by removing the rind from the brie and cutting it into cubes or wedges so that it melts easily.
Step 1: Saute. Cook the onions and mushrooms in melted butter until the mushrooms release all their liquid, the water cooks off, and the onions are soft and translucent. It's really important at this stage that most of the water has evaporated.
Step 2: Make the Base. Add the all-purpose flour to the mushroom mixture, cook, and stirring it constantly.
Step 3: Coat the Veggies. As it cooks, scrape the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes until it's golden.
Step 4: Add the Broth. Pour in the chicken broth, bouillon paste, and seasonings, and stir them together. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
Step 5: Stir in the Cheese. Add the brie and milk to the soup and cook for a couple of minutes until the cheese is mostly melted.
Step 6: Blend and Serve. Transfer the soup to a blender, process in batches until smooth, and then pour it back into the soup pot. Continue cooking for 2-3 minutes. Remove the soup from the heat, then drizzle with red wine vinegar and season with salt and pepper before serving.
Lyn's Top Tips
- Trimming the brie: The rind is easiest to remove by using a vegetable peeler for the bulk and then getting any remaining bits with a sharp knife.
- Simmering the soup: Be sure to keep the lid on the soup cracked slightly while the elegant mushroom soup is simmering so that the steam vents.
- Adjusting the texture: For a thicker soup, add extra simmering time, starting from 2 to 5 minutes while keeping a close eye on it.
- Storing: This creamy mushroom soup with cheese tastes wonderful the next day, too. Let it cool fully before storing it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can also freeze the soup for up to 2 months and let it thaw in the fridge the night before you need it.
- Reheating: You want to reheat the soup over low heat to prevent the cheese from curdling. You may need a splash more broth as well to lighten up the texture.
Soup-er Toppings & Serving Suggestions
This rich mushroom soup recipe is the perfect choice for special occasion dinners.
- As the main course, serve it with a simple green salad and top each bowl with cornbread croutons.
- Pair a bowl with crusty dinner rolls and rich tiramisu for dessert.
- Enjoyed alongside a prosciutto sandwich for an easy lunch.
Recipe FAQs
Mushroom brie soup tastes best when cremini mushrooms are used, as they bring an earthy, rich taste to the soup. However, other mushrooms like portobello and shiitake mushrooms can be used as well, but they can change the taste of the soup. I do not recommend using white button mushrooms as they do not have a bold enough flavor.
To keep cheese from clumping in brie soup, you'll want to add it after the broth has been added, brought to a boil, and then simmered. Adding it towards the end like this allows all the flavors to come together and the cheese to melt without it becoming too hot and clumping. If the cheese doesn't melt completely in the soup, blending it helps to break the soft cheese down all the way.
Yes, creamy mushroom soup can be made ahead for a dinner party. Once you make the soup, allow it to cool fully before storing it in an airtight container. When you need it, let it heat up on the stove over low heat to prevent the cheese from curdling. Add a splash more broth to thin the texture if it seems too thick.
No, you do not have to remove the brie rind when making soup; however, it will give a smoother taste to the recipe. This is because the rind does not break down with the same silky texture. I find the soup is best with the rind removed.
Mushroom Brie Soup
Ingredients
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- 2 cups yellow onions finely chopped
- 16 ounces cremini (baby portobello) mushrooms Sliced
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced or pressed
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons chicken Better than Bouillon paste
- ½ teaspoon salt plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 8 ounces brie rinds removed and cut into cubes or wedges
- 2 cups whole milk
- 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar optional
- Chopped flat-leaf parsley or croutons to garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onions and mushrooms and sauté for 7-8 minutes or until the onions are softened and the mushroom liquid has completely evaporated.
- Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute until fragrant.
- Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 2-3 minutes, or until golden and nutty, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot as needed.
- Stir in the chicken broth, bouillon paste, salt, pepper, and dried thyme. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer the soup with the lid ajar for 10 minutes. Stir the soup occasionally to prevent the mushrooms from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Add the brie and milk and cook for 2-3 minutes or until the cheese is melted (it's okay if a few chunks of cheese remain).
- Very carefully transfer half the soup to a blender. Add the lid, remove the vent, and cover the hole with a clean dish towel. Blend until your desired consistency. Transfer the soup to a clean bowl, blend the remaining portion, and transfer all the blended soup back to the soup pot.
- Return the blended soup to the pot, and heat over low for 2-3 minutes until hot.
- Remove the soup from the heat, slowly drizzle in the red wine vinegar (if using), stir well, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Enjoy hot, garnished with parsley and/or croutons if desired.
Recipe Tips
- Getting the right texture: The secret to thickening this soup is that when you're simmering it, don't start the timer until small, gentle bubbles are rising slowly from the bottom and sides. You want a small movement but not a rolling boil. From here, simmer it for 10 minutes.
- Red wine vinegar: If using the red wine vinegar, drizzle it into the soup slowly and only once it's removed from the heat. This will help prevent it from curdling.
- Sautéing the mushrooms: You want all the moisture released from the mushrooms when you sauté them. Too much moisture will prevent the soup from reaching its cream consistency.
