Cream of Mushroom Soup Recipe With Black Garlic for Rich Umami Flavor

Intro

In our I Love Black Garlic test kitchen, we lean on black garlic when we want restaurant level flavor with home cook effort. In this soup, black garlic melts into sautéed mushrooms, onions, and thyme, then gets rounded out with broth and cream. The result is a pot that smells earthy, slightly sweet, and deeply savory, without tasting heavy or salty.

You do not need special equipment beyond a decent pot and, if you like a smoother texture, an immersion blender. The steps are straightforward: build flavor in the pot, add black garlic, simmer, and finish with cream. Serve it with crusty bread, a simple salad, or a grilled cheese and you have a complete meal.

Ingredients

Base

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 16 ounces cremini or baby bella mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme

Black garlic and seasoning

• 4 to 5 peeled black garlic cloves, mashed with a fork
• 1 to 2 tablespoons Organic Black Garlic Purée (optional, for extra depth)
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce or tamari
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Liquid and finish

• 4 cups low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 cup heavy cream or half and half

To serve

• Chopped chives or parsley
• Extra sautéed mushrooms (optional)
• Small swirl of black garlic purée (optional)
• Crusty bread or grilled cheese, for dipping

Instructions

1. Sauté the aromatics. In a large heavy pot, heat the butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
2. Brown the mushrooms. Add the sliced mushrooms and thyme. At first the pot will look crowded, but the mushrooms will cook down. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until the mushrooms release their liquid, the liquid mostly evaporates, and the mushrooms start to brown around the edges. This browning builds flavor, so give it a little time.
3. Add black garlic and soy sauce. Stir in the mashed peeled black garlic and the Organic Black Garlic Purée, if using. Cook for about 1 minute so the black garlic softens and coats the mushrooms. The aroma should turn sweet and almost balsamic. Stir in the soy sauce or tamari.
4. Add the flour. Sprinkle the flour evenly over the mushroom mixture and stir well for 1 to 2 minutes. The mixture will look thick and slightly pasty. This step cooks the flour and will help the soup thicken later.
5. Pour in the broth. Slowly pour in the broth while stirring, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Bring the soup to a gentle simmer. Reduce the heat slightly and let it bubble for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until it has thickened a bit and the flavors have started to marry.
6. Blend to your preferred texture. For a very smooth cream of mushroom soup, use an immersion blender to blend the soup directly in the pot until velvety. For a more rustic texture, blend only half of the soup, then pour it back into the pot so you still have some slices of mushroom.
7. Finish with cream. Lower the heat to medium low. Stir in the heavy cream or half and half. Warm gently for 3 to 5 minutes, without letting the soup boil hard, which can cause the cream to separate. Taste and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper until it is balanced and savory.
8. Serve. Ladle the cream of mushroom soup into warm bowls. Garnish with chives, extra sautéed mushrooms, and a small swirl of black garlic purée if you like. Serve with crusty bread or a grilled cheese sandwich for dipping.

Tips and Variations

• Use the mushrooms you have. Cremini or baby bella mushrooms are our go to, but a mix of cremini, shiitake, and oyster mushrooms adds even more depth. Just keep the total amount close to 16 ounces.
• Dial in the black garlic flavor. For a gentle, background flavor, use just the mashed peeled cloves. For a more pronounced black garlic note, add the full 2 tablespoons of purée and finish each bowl with a tiny swirl.
• Make it vegetarian or vegan. For vegetarian soup, simply use vegetable broth. For a vegan version, use olive oil instead of butter and replace the cream with full fat coconut milk or a rich oat milk. Black garlic brings plenty of body, so you will not miss the dairy.
• Boost umami even more. A handful of dried porcini simmered with the broth adds a deep forest-like flavor. Just strain them out or chop them finely and return them to the pot.
• Adjust thickness. If the soup gets thicker than you like, stir in a splash of extra broth or water to loosen. If it feels thin, let it simmer a few minutes longer, uncovered, to reduce slightly.
• Make ahead friendly. This soup holds well in the fridge for 2 to 3 days. Reheat gently over low heat, adding a splash of broth or cream if it thickens after chilling.

Nutrition

Nutrition will vary based on the cream you use and portion size, but here is an approximate guide per serving (one quarter of the recipe, made with heavy cream):

• Calories: about 320 to 360
• Protein: about 8 to 10 grams
• Fat: about 24 to 28 grams
• Carbohydrates: about 18 to 22 grams
• Fiber: about 2 to 3 grams

Because black garlic is naturally sweet and packed with umami, you get a lot of flavor without needing extra cheese or heavy thickeners. If you want a lighter bowl, swap heavy cream for half and half and use just one tablespoon of butter at the start.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make this cream of mushroom soup vegetarian or vegan?

Yes. For vegetarian soup, use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth. For a vegan version, use olive oil instead of butter and swap the cream for full fat coconut milk or a rich oat milk. Black garlic still brings all the deep umami.

Can I freeze cream of mushroom soup with black garlic?

You can. For the best texture, freeze the soup before you add the cream. Thaw it in the fridge, warm gently on the stove, then stir in the cream just before serving. The black garlic flavor holds up nicely after freezing.

Do I need both black garlic purée and peeled cloves?

Using both gives layers of flavor, but the recipe is designed to work either way. If you only have peeled cloves, add a few extra and mash them well. If you only have black garlic purée, use 2 to 3 tablespoons. The soup will still taste rich and complex.

More Black Garlic Comfort Recipes

Once you see how much flavor black garlic adds to this soup, you might want to build a whole cozy menu around it. Here are a few ideas from our kitchen.

• Serve this soup as a starter alongside creamy black garlic mashed potatoes and your favorite roasted protein.
• Stir a spoonful of our black garlic butter into each bowl just before serving for an even silkier finish.
• For a sweet savory twist, drizzle a tiny bit of black garlic honey over grilled cheese to serve on the side.

Cook With Our Black Garlic

We slow age our garlic in small batches to get that soft, jammy texture and deep flavor that makes recipes like this feel special. For this soup, we like using our smooth Organic Black Garlic Purée for a silky base and our Organic Peeled Black Garlic Cloves when we want little bursts of concentrated umami in each spoonful.

Stock your pantry once and you will be ready to turn simple mushrooms, onions, and broth into a layered, comforting soup any night of the week.