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    Home » Soups

    Creamy vegan mushroom soup with lentils & rice

    Updated: Apr 14, 2025 · Published: Oct 2, 2019 by Cadry Nelson · This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. · 38 Comments

    Jump to recipe
    Text overlay: Creamy vegan mushroom soup with lentils and rice. Bowl of soup by purple napkin.

    Creamy vegan mushroom soup with lentils and brown rice is cozy and warming. The flavor is reminiscent of a mushroom stroganoff without the noodles.

    With the fragrant addition of rosemary, thyme, garlic, and onions, this soup packs a wallop of homey deliciousness. Vegan & gluten-free.

    Creamy mushroom lentil soup in bowl by crackers and spoon.

    Cooler days call for a hearty, warming bowl of vegan mushroom soup with lentils & brown rice.

    You’ve got to love a full meal in one pot with mushrooms and cashew cream, lentils for protein, and Basmati rice for staying power.

    This is the kind of soup that only requires some crackers or a loaf of crusty bread for dipping and nothing else. Dinner is served.

    If you’re a big mushroom fan like I am, you’re going to love this cozy sauna-in-a-bowl.

    Lentils and brown rice in containers by fresh thyme.

    This filling soup includes:

    • Cremini or button mushrooms
    • French lentils du Puy
    • Basmati brown rice
    • Onions & garlic
    • Rosemary & thyme
    • And a mushroom-y cashew cream

    For this vegan mushroom soup with lentils, I opt for delicate French lentils du Puy.

    They hold their toothsome shape, unlike their brown or red brethren.

    In this post:

    Jump to:
    • Why readers love this recipe
    • Step by step instructions
    • Standard blender instructions
    • Storage & reheating instructions
    • 📖 Recipe

    Why readers love this recipe

    5 stars

    “I am about to make this delicious soup for the third time. It’s so, so good! Hearty and delicious! Thank you for the great recipe 🙂“ – Sarah

    Step by step instructions

    Here’s how to make this recipe at a glance. For complete ingredient amounts & instructions, keep scrolling to the recipe card below.

    Cashew cream in Vitamix blender pitcher.

    Make a mushroomy cashew cream in a high-speed blender.

    Blend the following:

    • Raw cashews
    • Water
    • Miso paste
    • Cremini mushrooms

    Set aside.

    Mushrooms and onions sauteing in soup pot.

    Sauté onions and garlic in a pot with oil, until fragrant.

    Add sliced mushrooms and a pinch of salt.

    Cook a few more minutes, stirring occasionally, while the mushrooms release their liquid and soften.

    Mushrooms with herbs in soup pot.

    Then add the following:

    • Water
    • French lentils du Puy
    • Brown rice
    • Bouillon
    • Dried rosemary
    • Dried thyme
    • Salt

    Stir and bring to a simmer.

    Once the liquid has started to simmer, lower heat and cover for 30 minutes.

    Cashew cream added to pot of mushroom lentil soup.

    Add the cashew cream to the pot, stir, and continue cooking for another 5 minutes to allow the flavors to combine.

    Add freshly ground pepper and any additional salt to taste.

    Standard blender instructions

    Creamy mushroom lentil soup in bowl by purple napkin and fresh thyme.

    No high-speed blender? No problem.

    Grind dry raw cashews in a coffee grinder until they become a flour.

    Then add the cashew flour to your standard blender along with the other cashew cream ingredients (water, miso paste, and mushrooms).

    If you don’t have a coffee grinder, you’ll need to soak the raw cashews for a few hours in water to soften them.

    Just drain off the soaking liquid before starting the recipe.

    Storage & reheating instructions

    Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will keep for about 4 days.

    Reheat on the stove in a pot, or in the microwave.

    The soup will continue to thicken in the refrigerator. So you’ll need to add a splash of water before reheating.

    Mushrooms & thyme on top of creamy vegan mushroom soup.

    If you try this recipe and love it, let me know! Leave a comment and ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating in the comment section below. It truly makes my day and is such a help!

    📖 Recipe

    Creamy vegan mushroom soup with lentils in bowl garnisihed with fresh thyme and mushrooms.

    Creamy mushroom soup with lentils and brown rice

    Author: Cadry Nelson
    5 from 12 votes
    This creamy mushroom soup with lentils and brown rice is just the trick on chilly days. It is warming and cozy. Plus, the lentils and brown rice give it enough oomph to power you through shoveling duties.
    If you'd like to make this soup in an Instant Pot, check out the notes.**
    Print Pin Rate
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 45 minutes minutes
    Servings: 4 people
    Course: Soup
    Cuisine: American, Vegan
    Keyword: dairy free, gluten free

    Ingredients

    • ¼ cup + 2 Tablespoons raw cashews*
    • 4 cups water divided
    • ½ teaspoon white miso paste
    • 8 ounces cremini mushrooms or white button mushrooms, divided
    • ½ teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
    • ½ onion chopped (about 1 cup chopped onion)
    • 3 cloves garlic minced
    • Salt to taste
    • ½ cup French lentils du Puy
    • ½ cup basmati brown rice
    • 1 vegetable bouillon cube or 1 teaspoon Better Than Bouillon no chicken base
    • ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
    • ½ teaspoon dried thyme
    • Freshly ground pepper to taste

    Instructions

    • In a high-speed blender, combine raw cashews, ½ cup water, miso paste, and 2 large mushrooms that have been cut into quarters. (Save the remaining mushrooms for the soup.)
      Once it is fully blended and creamy, set aside for later use.
      (If you don't have a high-speed blender, see the notes for workarounds.)
    • Cut the remaining mushrooms into thin slices and set aside.
    • Bring a soup pot to a medium heat with extra virgin olive oil.
      Saute onion and garlic in the pot for a few minutes, until fragrant.
    • Add the sliced mushrooms and a pinch of salt.
      Continue cooking for a few more minutes, stirring occasionally, while the mushrooms release their liquid and soften.
    • Add 3 ½ cups water, French lentils du Puy, brown rice, vegetable bouillon cube, dried rosemary, dried thyme, and a pinch more salt. Stir and bring to a simmer.
      Once the liquid has started to simmer, lower heat and cover for 30 minutes.
    • After 30 minutes, test the rice and lentils to make sure they are done. If not, cook for 5 minutes more.
      Then add the cashew cream to the pot, stir, and continue cooking for another 5 minutes to allow the flavors to combine.
    • Add freshly ground pepper and any additional salt to taste.

    Notes

    *If you don’t have a high speed blender, grind the raw cashews in a coffee grinder until they become the texture of flour. Then add them to a standard blender with the other blender ingredients.
    If you don’t have a coffee grinder either, cover the raw cashews in additional water and soak them for several hours in the refrigerator then drain before starting recipe.
    (If you have a high speed blender, you don’t need to soak the cashews first.)
    **A couple readers have made this soup in an Instant Pot. One cooked for 20 minutes with natural release, and added the cashew cream once it was done and let it sit for 5 minutes. The other cooked at high pressure for 12 minutes with a natural pressure release and found that to be plenty.
    Storage & reheating
    Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will keep for about 4 days.
    Reheat on the stove in a pot, or in the microwave.
    The soup will continue to thicken in the refrigerator. So you’ll need to add a splash of water before reheating.
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    Nutrition

    Calories: 246kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 5g | Sodium: 217mg | Potassium: 555mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 3.2mg

    Content updated October 28, 2022. Originally posted December 18, 2016. 

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    About Cadry Nelson

    Cadry Nelson is the writer, recipe creator, and photographer behind Cadry’s Kitchen, and the author of Living Vegan For Dummies, 2nd Edition. Since launching her blog in 2009, Cadry has been making plant-based cooking approachable, and reimagining classic comfort foods. Her work has been featured in NBC News, Buzzfeed, Yahoo, Parade, VegNews, and more. She regularly appears on local TV shows, demonstrating to a broad audience how easy vegan cooking can be.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      5 from 12 votes (1 rating without comment)

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    1. Kathy

      May 21, 2022 at 1:43 pm

      5 stars
      This soup is fantastic. I saw the post earlier in the week and since we are having a chilly weekend and I miraculously had (almost) all the ingredients I gave it a whirl. So much mushroom flavor! Will definitely be making this on the regular during cooler months. I made a few substitutions: no rosemary in the house so subbed with freeze-dried parsley. Used Better than Bouillon Mushroom base instead of the other bouillon options, and used Lundberg Wild Blend rice. Other than that, followed the recipe to a T as far as ingredients and time. Eating it as I type. YUM.

      Reply
      • Cadry Nelson

        May 25, 2022 at 11:16 am

        Yay! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe, Kathy!

        Reply
    2. Robin

      February 11, 2020 at 11:05 pm

      5 stars
      What a great soup! I love the cashew cream. I made it in an Instant Pot, high pressure for 12 minutes with a natural pressure release, which I found to be plenty 😉

      Reply
      • Cadry

        February 12, 2020 at 12:02 pm

        I’m so glad you enjoyed the soup, Robin. I agree that cashew cream is a pretty magical ingredient. And thanks for the info on how to make this soup using the Instant Pot. I’m sure other IP users will appreciate that! 🙂

        Reply
    3. HEATHER

      October 23, 2019 at 1:54 pm

      5 stars
      I made this recipe today – well my version of it because that’s how I cook – and it was super delicious!
      I used twice the amount of mushrooms (baby bellos) and skipped the cashews because I didn’t have any. After the cooking was done I put half of the soup in my Vitamix with some pine nuts and blended it to a silky-cream consistency and added it back to the pot. Oh yeah, I added sherry and lots of fresh garlic when I sauteed the mushrooms and onion. Thank you for the recipe!

      Reply
      • Cadry

        October 25, 2019 at 1:36 pm

        Those sound like delicious substitutions and changes, Heather! That’s the beautiful thing about cooking. You can easily tweak a recipe to fit your preferences & availability. I’m glad you enjoyed the soup!

        Reply
    4. Kate Bowden

      September 14, 2017 at 11:17 pm

      This popped up on my Pinterest and it looks amazing! Just wondering if you thought that replacing the cashews (nut allergy) with sunflower seed would work. I looked up good replacements for cashews and apparently sunflower seeds is a good one if creamy results are wanted.
      Thanks!

      Reply
      • Cadry

        September 14, 2017 at 11:30 pm

        Thank you, Kate! I haven’t tried it with sunflower seeds, but it’s worth a shot. I’ve heard really good things about Isa Moskowitz’s sunflower seed-based mac and cheese. So it seems like it would work! Let me know if you try it!

        Reply
        • Kate Bowden

          September 14, 2017 at 11:32 pm

          Thanks so much for the quick reply!
          It has 3 of my favourite things in it (mushrooms, lentils and rice) so I think I will try it this weekend and report back.

          Reply
          • Cadry

            September 14, 2017 at 11:36 pm

            Excellent, I’ll keep my fingers crossed that it works out!

            Reply
    5. Kennedy

      August 20, 2017 at 7:16 pm

      How do you make it without the miso and cashew?

      Reply
      • Cadry

        August 20, 2017 at 7:43 pm

        You can easily omit the miso paste. That’s no problem. It adds some saltiness and umami, but it’s not essential. The cashews are trickier, because they’re what gives the soup creaminess. If you just left out the cashews, you’d have a brothy soup. It’s that creaminess that makes it kind of magical. You could try using some kind of non-dairy creamer instead… But I’d probably recommend just making a different soup. This double lentil mushroom barley soup is very nice, and it doesn’t include cashews or miso paste.

        Reply
    6. in2insight

      April 23, 2017 at 1:04 pm

      5 stars
      Made this last night and Wow!
      Such wonderful and complex flavours from this easy to make soup.

      Ended up making in the iPot at 20 min and natural release, adding the cashew cream once that was done and let sit for 5 min.

      Looking forward to having leftovers for lunch.

      Reply
      • Cadry

        April 24, 2017 at 12:01 pm

        I’m so glad you enjoyed the soup! Thank you for letting me know that the recipe works in an Instant Pot. I updated the recipe with your directions for others who also use them.

        Reply
    7. Sarah Kate

      January 24, 2017 at 7:05 pm

      5 stars
      I am about to make this delicious soup for the third time. It’s so, so good! Hearty and delicious! Thank you for the great recipe 🙂

      Reply
      • Cadry

        January 27, 2017 at 12:16 pm

        Yay!! I’m so glad to hear that, Sarah. Thanks for letting me know!

        Reply
    8. Ginny

      December 26, 2016 at 9:36 am

      This looks like the best meal. I would love to have it for lunch in this cooler weather too.

      Reply
      • Cadry

        December 28, 2016 at 9:57 am

        Thanks, Ginny! Nothing comforts quite like a hot, steamy bowl of soup.

        Reply
    9. Sarah

      December 24, 2016 at 1:37 am

      I’m al about the soups right now too! Plus they make the best leftovers! I am LOVING your aqua blue pot—gorgeous!

      Reply
      • Cadry

        December 28, 2016 at 9:57 am

        Yes, soup is so great for leftovers! It only gets better as the flavors combine. And thanks for the compliments on the aqua pot. I love it too! It was a gift from my best friend.

        Reply
    10. Mel | avirtualvegan.com

      December 22, 2016 at 12:39 am

      One of my favourite meals ever is risotto and this is kind of a soup version which I love! Any excuse to eat more of it and I’m in!

      Reply
      • Cadry

        December 28, 2016 at 9:55 am

        Absolutely, this is a lot like risotto. One lovely difference is that you don’t have to wait by the stove and ladle in a little broth at a time. Got to love that!

        Reply
    11. Amy Katz from Veggies Save The Day

      December 20, 2016 at 10:06 pm

      Cadry, you’ve combined all the best ingredients in this soup! I can’t wait to try it.

      Reply
      • Cadry

        December 28, 2016 at 9:54 am

        They’re some of my favorite ingredients too! I hope you love it, Amy!

        Reply
    12. Mary Ellen @ VNutrition

      December 20, 2016 at 6:09 pm

      This looks so delicious! I’ve been so cold lately and this looks like the exact soup I need! I have all the ingredients in my house so I’m going to make this probably tomorrow!

      Reply
      • Cadry

        December 28, 2016 at 9:54 am

        Excellent! I hope you enjoyed it, Mary Ellen. 😀

        Reply
    13. Shell

      December 20, 2016 at 4:56 pm

      5 stars
      Our weather makes this a perfect time for a soup like this! It is so warm and cozy.

      Reply
      • Cadry

        December 28, 2016 at 9:53 am

        Absolutely! This is soup weather at its finest. 😀

        Reply
    14. Mandy

      December 20, 2016 at 2:57 pm

      5 stars
      Oh, my!! This soup sounds so wonderful! Savory, hearty, and comforting – I could definitely live off of this all winter. It looks so thick and delicious!! What a great recipe, Cadry!

      Reply
      • Cadry

        December 28, 2016 at 9:53 am

        Thank you, Mandy! It’s definitely an enveloping & cozy soup. 😀

        Reply
    15. Dianne's Vegan Kitchen

      December 20, 2016 at 7:25 am

      5 stars
      This looks so warm and hearty – I’m not a big soup person, but I could definitely go for a big bowl of this!

      Reply
      • Cadry

        December 21, 2016 at 8:17 am

        Thanks, Dianne! That’s interesting that you’re not much of a soup person. During the winter months, I make a lot of them. They’re like cold weather salads. 😀

        Reply
    16. Becky Striepe

      December 20, 2016 at 7:19 am

      5 stars
      Oh my gosh, this looks so good! I love mushroom soup, and adding lentils is genius.

      Reply
      • Cadry

        December 21, 2016 at 8:16 am

        Thanks, Becky! Yes, as much as I love a mushroom soup, if I really want it to stick with me, adding something protein-dense like lentils is a must. Plus, lentils and mushrooms play very nicely together.

        Reply
    17. Shannon

      December 19, 2016 at 6:14 pm

      5 stars
      I’m admittedly not a mushroom person, but this looks deliciously savory and creamy & I love how you styled the photos! Happy holidays!

      Reply
      • Cadry

        December 21, 2016 at 8:15 am

        Thank you, Shannon! That’s really nice to hear. 😀 Happy holidays to you too!

        Reply
    18. Bianca Phillips

      December 19, 2016 at 4:23 pm

      5 stars
      Wow. That looks like my dream soup! I love a good chunky, rice-filled, mushroomy, creamy lentil soup! And it’s so cold here today, so that just looks perfect.

      Reply
      • Cadry

        December 21, 2016 at 8:15 am

        Thanks, Bianca! I agree, I’m all about a good, hearty soup, especially when it’s cold outside.

        Reply

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