This mushroom quinoa soup is a creamy, naturally vegan soup made with coconut milk as the base. It's full of flavor and makes for a perfect weeknight meal.

When it comes to cozy recipes, I'm all for a creamy coconut soup. But coconut and mushroom? For the longest time, I thought that was a crazy weird flavor combination. I grew up with mushrooms in Italian style dishes with tomatoes, beans, pastas, stews, etc., that adding them to something Asian-inspired just seemed wrong.

But then in college, I fell in love with Thai food – especially Tom Kha Gai. This is a traditional Thai coconut soup that uses coconut milk as the base along with chicken, galangal, kaffir lime and mushrooms. It's heavenly and I've been a fan of the coconut mushroom combo ever since.

So today I'm going to share my almost-spin on this soup in this deliciously creamy Coconut & Mushroom Quinoa Soup (really it's just the coconut + mushroom we're stealing). It's a snap to whip up, has the most amazing texture and the flavor is on point!

I know not everyone out there is a mushroom fan, which is totally fine, but for me, they're one of those vegetables that I simply adore. Maybe it's because my Italian side of the family are mushroom farmers or maybe it's because I love how they add meatiness and richness to a dish, without being overpowering or heavy.

But more likely it's a combo of the two.

But maybe my favorite thing about mushrooms? They soak up flavor like nobody's business.

Which is why I think they pair perfectly with coconut milk.

Coconut milk has a very delicate flavor, but it’s also quite pronounced at the same time. I can almost always tell when a dish has coconut milk in it. Similar to ingredients like cinnamon, it adds a natural sweetness to recipes. I personally use it all the time, especially for quinoa breakfast bowls and my morning smoothies.

For someone who doesn't have dairy milk in their diet, coconut milk has been a savior. Especially the full-fat variety. I use it to replace heavy cream in my baking, to thicken soups (like this Creamy Coconut & Mushroom Quinoa Soup), to make ice cream and also to make whipped cream topping.

And finally, we get to the soup. Oh the soup.

I wasn't really planning to go in the coconut milk direction with this, but that's what I had in my pantry. You have to go with what you've got sometimes…and times like this it totally turns out for the better.

This soup is full of creamy, coconut-y, mushroom-y, quinoa-y goodness. The broth has the faintest sweetness from the coconut, the mushrooms have sopped up all that delicious flavor and the little quinoa pearls lend a unique texture to the soup that makes it hearty, but at the same time surprisingly light and refreshing.

It's a warm weather soup. A cold weather soup. And just a generally all-year round awesome kind of soup.

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Prep: 15

Cook: 30

Total: 45

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
5 cups mushrooms I used a mix of cremini, portobello and shitake
1 shallot diced
4 - 5 cloves garlic minced
2 tablespoons quinoa flour
2 cups full-fat coconut milk
2 - 3 cups low-sodium broth chicken or vegetable
1/3 cup white quinoa or rainbow quinoa
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt & pepper to taste
Sriracha to taste optional
Chives / parsley to garnish optional
Additional sauteed mushrooms optional

Instructions

Heat the oil in a dutch oven. Add mushrooms, shallots and garlic and cook until garlic is fragrant and mushrooms have started to soften, about 5 - 6 minutes. Add quinoa flour and stir to combine and mushrooms are coated.
Add coconut milk & broth (start with 2 cups and add more if needed), followed by quinoa. Bring to a boil then reduce to simmer for 20 minutes, until quinoa is cooked. Add more broth here if needed.
Stir in lemon juice, season with salt and pepper (and Sriracha if using). Cook for another 5 minutes.
Serve immediately. Garnish with fresh herbs and additional sauteed mushrooms.

Notes

adapted from food opera

Nutrition

cuisine: American

course: Soup

Creamy Coconut & Mushroom Quinoa Soup

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