Rich and creamy, this Hungarian Mushroom Soup is loaded with flavors ranging from Hungarian sweet paprika to dill weed and even a splash of lemon. It’s a comforting vegetarian soup that’s perfect for the cooler months.
We like to enjoy a bowl of this soup with buttery popovers or slice of crusty dutch oven bread to mop up the broth!
Easy Mushroom Soup Recipe
A bowl of this Hungarian Mushroom soup is perfect for cold or damp days when you need something cozy and soul-warming.
This mushroom soup is actually one of my favorite meatless recipes and a go-to for visiting vegetarian friends. The mushrooms make it filling and it’s great when served with a slice or two of crusty bread. The creamy base is rich and smooth, with a slight tang from sour cream and an umami twist from soy sauce, and the Hungarian paprika definitely gives it a unique flavor.
What Is Hungarian Mushroom Soup?
Hungarian Mushroom Soup is a creamy mushroom soup that’s loaded with flavor, most of which comes from the Hungarian paprika that is used. In addition to the paprika, it’s seasoned with lots of onions, some sour cream and milk for the creamy texture, and a few unexpected ingredients. It has a rich, slightly umami taste with layers of flavor and a vegetable broth base.
The main difference between this soup and other mushroom soup recipes is the addition of Hungarian paprika. A full tablespoon is used in the soup, making it a dominating flavor…in a good way!
Ingredients Needed
This vegetarian soup is made with several seasonings and a vegetable broth and dairy base.
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Mushrooms – Choose fresh mushrooms that are not too soft. (See note below.)
- Chopped onions – For aromatics and flavor.
- Unsalted butter – Used to sauté the vegetables.
- Herbs & seasonings – Dried dill weed, Hungarian sweet paprika, chopped parsley, salt & pepper, and a pinch of cayenne give this mushroom soup layers of flavor.
- Soy sauce – Gives a hint of unexpected umami flavor. I recommend using low sodium.
- Vegetable broth – This is the base of the soup, which gives it a rich flavor and keeps the dish meatless.
- Sour cream – Helps make this soup extra creamy with a slight tangy taste.
- Milk – Adds to the luscious texture.
- Lemon juice – Adds a little zing and brightness to the soup.
- Cornstarch – Thickens the broth to a creamy consistency.
- Garnishes – Sautéed mushrooms, fresh parsley, and a dollop of sour cream are wonderful added to the soup just before serving.
Do I Have To Use Hungarian Paprika?
Yes, if you want the full flavor of this soup, Hungarian Paprika is a must. Regular paprika does not compare when it comes to the depth of flavor in paprika imported from Hungary. If you can’t find any at your local store, you can get Hungarian Paprika online.
For this recipe, I used Hungarian sweet paprika, which has a sweet and mild flavor. If you want a little more kick to your soup, you can use Hungarian Half Sharp Paprika, which is a bit spicier. Avoid Spanish paprika because while it’s great in paella, it’s not so great in this soup.
What Mushrooms Go in Mushroom Soup?
For this Hungarian mushroom soup, I chose to use white button mushrooms. Cremini mushrooms (aka baby portobello mushrooms) are in the same family and can be used interchangeably with white button mushrooms, or use a combination of both. These are your best options for mushroom soup as they’re firm with good flavor and just the perfect size for slicing.
How to Make Hungarian Mushroom Soup
This is an easy vegetarian dinner recipe to prep, it just needs time to simmer. Here’s a brief summary:
(Scroll below to the printable recipe card for details and measurements.)
- Cook the mushrooms. Sauté the onions in melted butter. Add the mushrooms. Cook for 5 minutes.
- Add the broth and other ingredients. Stir in the dill, paprika, soy sauce, and vegetable broth. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Thicken the soup. Whisk together the cornstarch and milk until blended. Stir into the soup. Simmer for another 10 to 15 minutes.
- Add the remaining ingredients. Stir in the sour cream, lemon juice, parsley, salt & pepper, and cayenne. Cook until warmed through but do not allow it to boil.
- Serve. Top with sliced sautéed mushrooms, parsley, and a dollop of sour cream. Serve with crusty bread, if desired.
Tips for Success
For the best version of this vegetarian dinner, keep the following things in mind.
- Use quality mushrooms. When choosing the mushrooms for this recipe, look for ones that appear firm with no mushy spots and relatively clean. You want the best mushrooms you can find as they are one of the main flavors in the soup.
- Do not use low fat ingredients. For the best results and creamiest texture, use full fat sour cream and milk to make this soup.
- Do not boil. You want to keep this soup at a gentle simmer throughout the cooking process but especially after adding the sour cream. Bringing it to a boil could cause it to curdle.
What to Serve with Mushroom Soup
When serving Hungarian mushroom soup, I like to add a garnish of additional sauteed mushrooms, a dollop of sour cream, and some chopped parsley. Not only does it make the presentation of the soup look nice, it also adds some extra flavor.
Crusty dutch oven bread or popovers are the perfect accompaniment to this rich, luscious soup. It’s the best way to ensure you get every single drop. You could also serve this soup in a bread bowl instead of a regular bowl.
If you want to make it a soup and salad combo, try pairing this creamy soup with a bright green caesar salad or even a cucumber salad, which has a cool and refreshing flavor to complement the richness of the soup. For an even heartier dish, put a scoopful over some cooked egg noodles.
How to Store & Reheat Leftovers
- How to store leftovers. Refrigerate any leftover soup in an airtight container in the fridge. It will last 3 to 4 days. Since this is a soup with a decent amount of dairy, don’t let it sit out for too long.
- How to reheat leftovers. Leftovers can be gently reheated in the microwave or on the stovetop.
- Can you freeze mushroom soup? Since this vegetarian soup recipe is filled with dairy, I do not recommend freezing it. Frozen dairy tends to separate from the rest of the soup and become gritty once thawed. Part of the joy in this soup is the smooth, creamy texture and you will lose most of that by freezing it.
More Vegetarian Soup Recipes:
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Hungarian Mushroom Soup
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cups diced onions
- 1 pound fresh button mushrooms , sliced (reserve and sauté 1 cup for garnish)
- 2 teaspoons dried dill weed
- 1 tablespoon Hungarian sweet paprika
- 1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce
- 2 cups vegetable broth
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- pinch of cayenne pepper
- Garnish: sautéed sliced mushrooms, fresh chopped parsley, dollop of sour cream
- Popovers or sliced dutch oven bread, for serving, optional
Instructions
- Melt butter over medium heat in a 5 quart dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot. Add onions and sauté for 3 to 4 minutes until softened and translucent. Add in the mushrooms and cook 5 minutes.
- Stir in the dill, paprika, soy sauce, and vegetable broth. Reduce heat to medium-low and very gently simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the corn starch and milk until completely blended; stir mixture into the soup until incorporated. Place the cover back on the pot and gently simmer, stirring occasionally, for another 10 or so minutes.
- Stir in the sour cream, lemon juice, parsley, salt, pepper, and a pinch of cayenne.
- Cook for another 3 minutes or so over low heat until warmed through (do not allow it to boil.)
- Serve in bowls and garnish with sautéed mushrooms, a dollop of sour cream, and additional parsley. Enjoy with some crusty bread on the side.
Amazing soup. I’m making it for 60 people this weekend, I think it’ll be a hit. Thank you, Love it!
Has anyone tried this with coconut milk?
Made this exactly as written. Sooooo good. Will definitely make again.
OMG this recipe is AMAZING!!!!! Even I can make it and it still tastes incredible and if you know my cooking ability thats a huge compliment!
This is my new favorite soup. Absolutely delicious. I used olive oil instead of butter, Almond milk instead of milk, and home- made vegan sour cream.
Restaurant quality! So tasty and easy to make!
I tried this recipe with no milk or sour cream, but otherwise exactly as written (I was in a mood for low dairy). It was still delicious!
This was AMAZING! My husband normally doesn’t care for soup as a rule, but he loves this! As did I. Def a keeper!
We really enjoyed this, and I will be making it again.
This was outstanding.
This soup is to die for! The blend of flavors is unbelievable!
This might be the best tasting soup I’ve ever had. WOW. Highly recommend!
I love this soup. Very tasty. I will definitely make it again!
This was absolutely delicious! Will for sure make it again.
I have made this so many times, I almost have it memorized. Sooooooooo good.
Can you freeze, if you don’t add the dairy?
This is absolutely delicious! Such an easy recipe! I have shared your recipe by request. This will be my Thanksgiving Eve meal. Next time I will double the recipe! Thank you Amy.
Outstanding! I had a feeling this was going to be good, so I doubled it. I’m glad I did, because less than 24 hours later we are down to one small serving left! I served it to 3 teen boys who all said this is definitely a keeper. I made a few modifications due to what I had on hand — 1% milk instead of whole, flour to thicken instead of cornstarch, beef broth instead of veggie — and I added a pound of ground beef to it, because I have a house full of hockey players who want their protein. :) The flavor was perfect — bright notes from the lemon juice and sour cream, savory from the paprika, soy sauce, and onions, earthiness from the mushrooms…this is a hearty, soul-warming dish perfect for a chilly afternoon. LOVE IT!
Amazing! The blend of flavors is awesome!
This was really easy to put together. The soup tasted so good. Will make this again and again.
This is possibly the best soup I have ever made and tasted. WOW. Thank you so much for sharing.
Divine. And I did use light sour cream and 1% milk. Didn’t have enough onion so added leeks.
My favorite mushroom soup, I have made it several times. I am wondering if I could make this in my pressure cooker. What do you think?
I haven’t even made it yet and I can tell I’m going to love it. I am going to pressure can it <3
This was WONDERFUL! My husband and I love mushrooms, so I figured we would like it but couldn’t believe how much. So much flavor. Highly recommend.
I had to make a few changes, I went to the store for the Paprika and ended with Hungarian hot paprika. So I didn’t add the cayenne pepper. Couldn’t find my cornstarch so I used half and half. With all that said it came out fantastic. Thanks
Has anyone tried to make this in a crockpot?
This is possibly one of the best soups I’ve ever tasted. Hubs loved it too. Thank you so much for sharing!!
Any tips on how to make this in the crockpot?
What if I used salted butter and left out the salt called for in the recipe?
That’s totally fine.
This soup was delicious and so easy to make. I was surprised it was so good. Thank you so much for sharing!
Good
Loved this! May need to double the recipe next time. It was great with McCormick Paprika so I’m sure it will be even better if I can find a source for “Hungarian” paprika.
amazon
Oh my gosh. This is absolutely delicious. I didn’t have sweet paprika, so I used regular paprika and added just a teaspoon of honey at the very end. This is the best mushroom soup I have ever had. I’m wondering about putting a splash of sherry to make it more like a bisque. So so good.
Honestly? The best mushroom soup we’ve ever tasted. Absolutely fantastic! Followed the recipe exactly and thank you for the Notes/Tips. Bought the imported paprika too. Def. use low sodium soy sauce and low sodium veggie broth as well to keep the salt under control. Amazing soup.
This is a great tasting recipe that is very easy to prepare. I did use homemade low sodium chicken broth instead of vegetable broth and 2% milk rather than whole milk. Highly recommend this recipe!
So good and very easy.
Delicious. i have tried ,.and failed , to find a mushroom soup recipe that I enjoy… Till now. The herbs make all the difference.
As usual I tweaked a bit, using a mix of button and crimini mushrooms,.and homemade chicken stock (made with lots of veggies) instead of veg stock, and little fresh ground nutmeg at the end, because thats what German Grandma would have done . This is a keeper .
Oh I love the nutmeg idea. Mine is still simmering I’m going to put some in!
Amazing
Skipped the dill and used a dry herb mix instead. Had to use hot Hungarian paprika (on hand) which gave it some zing (skipped the cayenne.) Delicious.
Wow!