This creamy and delicious Vegan Cream of Chicken Soup Substitute is the perfect addition to your favorite casseroles, stews, or soups for when you’re in need of a comforting dinner.
Jump to:
Have you been trying to veganize all those cozy casseroles and soups from your childhood but can never seem to figure out what to replace the canned cream of chicken soup with?
Well, look no further! This is the perfect vegetarian substitute for cream of chicken soup. It's flavorful, creamy, and ready in less than 10 minutes!
What is Condensed Soup?
Condensed soup is essentially soup that has been boiled down to a thick stock and most of the water has been removed.
It's a popular base for many dishes like casseroles, soups, and stews.
If you are dairy-free, vegetarian, or vegan, this is the perfect substitute for you!
When you go to use your vegan cream of chicken soup, it will be super thick and gloopy. If you’ve ever opened one of those cans, you know exactly what I mean.
But that's what you want! This makes it an ideal 1:1 replacement for condensed cream of chicken soup in all of your favorite recipes.
Ingredients
Vegan Butter is combined with All-Purpose Flour to create a paste consistency then whisked with broth and heavy cream. When simmered, it thickens and cools to become the perfect consistency for the vegan condensed cream of chicken base.
Vegan Chicken Broth: I recommend using this homemade Vegan Chicken Broth recipe. It's made up of nutritional yeast and lots of seasonings. It's a powdered seasoning blend that can be pulsed into a fine powder and whisked into water to create the best vegan chicken stock.
Cashew Cream: Cashews are soaked in water and then blended to be extra creamy. Alternatively, you can use full-fat coconut milk or store-bought heavy cream.
Seasonings: The vegan chicken broth contains a lot of seasonings as is but I added parsley, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper.
Helpful Equipment
The chicken broth powder will need to be pulsed in a blender in order to create a fine powder before being mixed with water.
The cashew cream will need to be blended as well to create a creamy texture.
For both of those recipes, I use my NutriBullet Blender. In order to blend cashews, you'll want a high-speed blender.
How to Make This Recipe
This vegan condensed cream of chicken soup is a 1:1 substitute for the classic pantry staple!
Step 1: Melt the vegan butter over medium heat in a medium-sized pot.
Step 2: Whisk in the flour until no raw flour is visible and a paste has formed.
Step 3: Then, slowly whisk in the vegan chicken broth, vegan heavy cream, and seasonings. Whisk continuously until thickened, about 3 to 5 minutes. You'll know it's done when it gets harder to whisk. Remove from heat.
Step 4: Use in any recipe to replace canned condensed cream of chicken soup.
Note: Vegan cream of condensed soup will continue to thicken as it cools.
Tips & Tricks
I highly recommend taking the extra step to make my homemade chicken broth powder.
The great thing about making it at home is the ability to control the salt.
Store-bought broths can sometimes be too salty.
If using store-bought vegan chicken broth, I recommend adding the extra salt a little bit at a time until the desired saltiness is reached.
Substitutions & Additions
Vegan Chicken Broth: Store-bought chicken broth is always a great substitute. You can use vegetable broth as well but that would change the overall flavor profile because it lacks the classic chicken flavor that we are after. This is achieved by different spices and herbs than vegetable broth.
All-Purpose Flour: You can make this recipe gluten-free by using a gluten-free all-purpose flour.
Vegan Heavy Cream: Cashew cream is a great alternative to heavy cream. Alternatively, use full-fat coconut milk or store-bought vegan heavy cream.
Cream of Mushroom Soup: If you want to make a vegan cream of mushroom soup, you can use mushroom broth or whisk in mushroom powder.
Cream of Celery Soup: If you want to make cream of celery soup, you can add fresh celery or celery salt.
Serving Ideas
This isn't a soup recipe that you can serve up in a bowl. I mean, you could. But I don't recommend it.
For any recipe that calls for cream of chicken soup, you can use this vegan version. This makes the ideal 1:1 replacement for condensed cream of chicken soup in all of your childhood favorite recipes.
Use your homemade cream of chicken soup without chicken in casseroles, soup recipes, gravy, stews, or sauces.
Serve as a simple soup by whisking the cream of chicken soup base with vegan chicken stock or water to thin it out. Add some cooked vegetables and vegan chicken for a simple yet creamy and delicious soup.
This is a perfect substitute to use in all those creamy casseroles that are served during Thanksgiving and Christmas like this Vegan Green Bean Casserole.
Storage & Reheating
Storage: Allow the homemade cream of chicken soup substitute to cool completely and store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 1 week.
Reheating: Add directly to soups, casseroles, or stews- whisk to combine. If using as a base for soup, whisk water and vegan cream of chicken soup on the stovetop until warmed through and thinned out to the desired consistency.
Freeze: Allow to cool and store in an airtight container and freeze for up to 4 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
To avoid this, keep the heat low and whisk continuously. You can still use a lumpy soup base.
It's best served when mixed with other ingredients as a cream base. But you can thin it out with water and enjoy it if desired.
More Thanksgiving Recipes
Don't forget to leave a comment and ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating down below if you try this recipe! Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Instagram for more recipes and updates.
Recipe
Vegan Cream of Chicken Soup Substitute
Ingredients
Cashew Cream
- 1 cup Cashews soaked
- ½ cup Water
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher Salt
Soup
- ¼ cup Vegan Butter
- ½ cup All-Purpose Flour
- 2 cups Vegan Chicken Broth homemade or store-bought
- 1 cup Cashew Cream
- ½ teaspoon Dried Parsley
- ½ teaspoon Onion Powder
- ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ½ teaspoon Kosher Salt see note
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
Instructions
- Bring 1 cup of water to a boil— this is for soaking the cashews. Add the cashews in to a bowl and pour the hot water over the top. Let soak for at least 15 to 30 minutes to soften.
- Add the soaked cashews, water, and salt to a blender and blend until smooth. It should be silky smooth to the touch and not grainy. Set aside.
- Start on the soup by melting the vegan butter over medium heat in a medium-sized pot.
- Whisk in the flour until no raw flour is visible. Then, slowly whisk in the vegan chicken broth, cashew cream, and seasonings.
- Whisk continuously until thickened, about 3 to 5 minutes. You'll know it's done when it gets harder to whisk. Remove from heat. Note that it will continue to thicken as it cools.
- It's ready to add directly to soups, casseroles, or stews. If using as a base for soup, whisk water and vegan cream of chicken soup on the stovetop until warmed through and thinned out to the desired consistency.
Notes
Disclosure: This page contains some affiliate links. Please know that I may receive a percentage or commission from a link included on this page, at no extra cost to you. I will only ever recommend a product that I have used and believe has substantial value to my readers.
Comments
No Comments