RESET360 with Camille McLaughlin
November Pick: Instant Pot Meals

Creamy Mushroom Soup with Thyme

Cremini mushrooms browned in butter and pressure-cooked with onion, garlic, thyme, and bone broth, blended and finished with cream and lemon.

Why you'll love Creamy Mushroom Soup with Thyme

This is the mushroom soup for a cold November night: deep, earthy, and velvety, with fresh thyme all through it and a swirl of cream at the end. Half the mushrooms brown in butter right in the Instant Pot, the rest go in raw, and a short stretch at pressure pulls all of their flavor into chicken bone broth. Blended until smooth and finished with cream, it tastes like it simmered all afternoon.

Browning is where the flavor comes from. Mushrooms are mostly water, so they need room and time in hot butter to release that water, let it cook off, and then turn golden. Browning them in two batches gives them that room. Under pressure, the remaining mushrooms soften and give up their savory juices to the broth, and blending them turns the whole pot thick and creamy with only a little cream needed at the end. A squeeze of lemon right before serving sharpens the earthy flavor.

Set aside a few browned mushrooms for the top and every bowl gets a little texture. Serve it with roast hens, a seared steak, or a few slices of turkey on the side to make it a full meal.

Quick overview: This Creamy Mushroom Soup with Thyme takes 15 min of hands-on time and about 55 min in all and makes 4 servings, each about 1 1/2 cups. You'll need an Instant Pot and a blender.

Jump to recipe

Creamy mushroom soup topped with sliced mushrooms and thyme
Prep 15 minCook 40 minTotal 55 minServes 4Serving about 1 1/2 cupsYou'll need Instant Pot, Blender

Ingredients

  • 2 lb cremini mushrooms, wiped clean and sliced
  • 4 tbsp butter, divided
  • 1 1/4 tsp fine sea salt, divided
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 8 sprigs fresh thyme, plus leaves to finish
  • 1 tbsp dried mushroom powder, optional Label: dried mushrooms, and nothing else
  • 3 cups chicken bone broth Label: chicken bones, water, vegetables, herbs, and salt, with no sugar, natural flavors, or oil
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream Label: cream, with no gums or carrageenan
  • 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tbsp chopped parsley

Instructions

  1. Brown the first batch: Set the Instant Pot to sauté on high. Melt 1 1/2 tablespoons of the butter, add a third of the mushrooms in a single layer, and leave them alone for 3 minutes, then stir and cook for 3 to 4 minutes more, until their liquid has cooked off and they are golden brown. Move them to a bowl with a pinch of the salt.
  2. Brown the second batch: Melt another 1 1/2 tablespoons of butter and brown another third of the mushrooms the same way. Crowding the pot makes mushrooms steam in their own liquid, so two batches brown far better than one. Add them to the bowl and set aside about 1/2 cup of the best-looking slices for the top.
  3. Soften the aromatics: Melt the remaining tablespoon of butter, add the onion, and cook for 4 minutes, until soft. Add the garlic, the thyme sprigs, and the mushroom powder if using, and stir for 1 minute, until fragrant.
  4. Deglaze: Pour in the broth and scrape the bottom of the pot thoroughly with a wooden spoon, loosening every browned bit. This adds flavor, and it keeps the Instant Pot from showing a burn warning. Add the raw mushrooms, the browned mushrooms from the bowl (except the ones set aside), and the remaining salt.
  5. Pressure-cook: Lock the lid, set the valve to sealing, and cook at high pressure for 8 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then carefully turn the valve to release the rest.
  6. Blend: Fish out the thyme stems. Blend the soup with an immersion blender until smooth, or for a soup with more body, blend about two thirds of it and leave the rest in pieces. If you use a countertop blender, fill it no more than halfway and hold the lid down with a towel, since hot soup expands as it blends.
  7. Finish: Stir in the cream, lemon juice, and pepper, set the pot to sauté for 1 to 2 minutes to heat it through without boiling, and taste for salt. Ladle into bowls and top with the reserved mushrooms, fresh thyme leaves, and parsley.

Storage and leftovers

Refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 4 days. It thickens as it chills; thin it with a splash of broth when you reheat it.

Freeze for up to 3 months. The cream can separate a little after freezing, so whisk it well as it reheats over gentle heat.

Variations

  • Mixed mushrooms: Use a mix of cremini, shiitake caps, and oyster mushrooms for a deeper, woodsier soup.
  • Sherry vinegar: Finish with a teaspoon of sherry vinegar in place of the lemon for a rounder tang.
  • Dairy-free: Use olive oil in place of the butter and canned coconut milk in place of the cream.
  • With chicken: Stir in 2 cups of shredded cooked chicken thighs with the cream and heat through to make it a one-bowl meal.

Notes and tips

  • Wipe the mushrooms: Clean them with a damp towel. Rinsed mushrooms soak up water and take longer to brown.
  • Slice them evenly: Even slices brown at the same rate and cook through together.
  • Keep the cream at the end: Cream added after pressure cooking stays smooth. Cooked under pressure, it can curdle.
  • Check the broth label: It should read chicken bones, water, vegetables, herbs, and salt, with no sugar or natural flavors.

Nutrition and mindful eating

  • Mushrooms bring B vitamins such as riboflavin and niacin, along with selenium and potassium, and their deep savory flavor makes a bowl of soup feel hearty.
  • Chicken bone broth gives the soup body and some protein, and the butter and cream are the real fat that carries the thyme and earthy flavor.
  • Blending the mushrooms is what makes the soup thick and creamy, so their fiber stays in every spoonful.
  • A squeeze of lemon at the end brightens the whole pot with just a teaspoon.
  • As you eat, notice how the earthy mushrooms and the cream feel warming and filling, and pay attention to how it holds you alongside your protein: a bowl with roast chicken or steak should carry you a good 3 hours or more.

Frequently asked questions

Have a question about this Creamy Mushroom Soup with Thyme? Start here, with the questions people ask most.

Can I use white button mushrooms?

Yes. They are milder, so add the mushroom powder to deepen the flavor.

Why did my Instant Pot show a burn warning?

Browned bits were still stuck to the bottom. Scrape the pot clean after adding the broth and make sure there is liquid all across the bottom.

Can I make it on the stove?

Yes. Brown the mushrooms in a soup pot, add the aromatics and broth, and simmer covered for 25 minutes before blending and adding the cream.

How do I make it a full meal?

Serve it with a protein, such as roast hens, a seared steak, or sliced turkey, or stir in shredded cooked chicken.

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Tags: November Pick, Instant Pot Meals, French-Inspired