Hungarian Mushroom Soup

When you make soup from scratch, you reach the pinnacle of comfort: a simple meal that’s warm, filling and shareable. For some, Hungarian mushroom soup may bring back childhood memories or have a family history. For others, it might be joining the folder of comfort food recipes for the first time.

Whatever the occasion, this soup’s earthy mushrooms and sweet onions come together with some essential Hungarian ingredients (like paprika, dill and sour cream) in a creamy broth. It may be a bit different from your usual classic homemade soup recipes, but the pantry staples and readily sourced ingredients make it easy to prepare.

What makes Hungarian soup Hungarian?

Paprika defines Hungarian soups. It’s a key ingredient in goulash (the Central European country’s most well-known soup) and in this mushroom-laden soup, too.

Hungarian paprika ranges from mild to spicy, depending on the peppers used to create the dried powder. Choose Hungarian sweet paprika for minimal spiciness and Hungarian half-sharp or hot paprika for a slight kick. Even the spiciest Hungarian paprika resembles jalapenos more than fiery cayenne peppers in its heat. Many grades of Hungarian paprika are vividly red, providing color and flavor.

Hungarian Mushroom Soup Ingredients

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• Sweet onion: Sweet onions have a milder flavor than many other types of onions. Their sweetness intensifies as you caramelize them in butter.
• Butter: This recipe uses half a stick of butter, so we recommend cubing it before you add it to the pan. This helps it to melt more evenly and keeps it from browning before you add the vegetables.
• Fresh mushrooms: We recommend two types of mushrooms for this Hungarian mushroom soup recipe: cremini mushrooms, with their deep flavor and meaty texture; and button mushrooms, which are milder yet still sturdy.
• Flour: All-purpose flour helps to thicken this soup. When stirred into butter-coated vegetables, it acts like a roux, making it the best thickener for this soup.
• Paprika: Don’t shy away from the amount of paprika called for in this recipe. It’s key to the soup’s flavor profile and color. If you’re concerned about spiciness, choose mild Hungarian sweet paprika over Hungarian hot paprika.
• Other seasonings: Dill weed, a popular herb in the cuisines of Central and Eastern Europe, rounds out this soup’s seasonings—along with some salt and pepper.
• Chicken broth: If you run out of chicken broth, some simple broth substitutes include using bouillon cubes or just using water. Substituting vegetable broth has the bonus of turning this into a vegetarian-friendly soup.
• Milk: Use 2% milk to make this soup slightly creamy yet not overly rich. The roux helps to prevent curdling, so it’s okay to add the milk to the pot before you bring everything to a boil.
• Soy sauce: A little soy sauce adds loads of unexpected flavor to this soup. If you’re watching your sodium intake, choose low-sodium soy sauce. You can also skip the 3/4 teaspoon of salt, and use low-sodium chicken broth and unsalted butter before you choose to cut back on the soy sauce.
• Sour cream and lemon juice: The roux doesn’t have the same stabilizing effect on sour cream that it has on milk, so stir the sour cream in at the end to avoid curdling. Add the lemon juice at the same time for a bright, acidic note.

Directions

Step 1: Saute the vegetables

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In a large saucepan, saute the onion in the butter for two minutes.

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Add the mushrooms and cook until the mushrooms are tender, four to five minutes longer.

Step 2: Add the seasonings and liquid

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Stir in the flour, paprika, dill, salt and pepper until blended.

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Gradually stir in the broth, milk and soy sauce.

Bring the soup to a boil, and then cook and stir until it has thickened, about two minutes. Reduce the heat, then cover and simmer the soup for 15 minutes.

Editor’s Tip: Make sure the butter-coated vegetables thoroughly moisten the flour before you slowly add the liquid, gently stirring as you pour. This helps the soup thicken while avoiding clumps and any lingering taste of raw flour.

Step 3: Finish and serve

Just before serving, stir in the sour cream and lemon juice (do not boil them).

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Recipe Variations

• Switch to mushroom stock: For stronger mushroom flavor, replace the chicken broth with mushroom stock. The switch will also make the soup vegetarian. For another tasty substitution, replace 1/2 cup of the broth or stock with white wine. Add the wine first and allow it to reduce by half before adding the stock.
• Add garlic: Garlic is always a winner in soup, so consider sauteing a couple of minced cloves with the mushrooms. If you’re concerned about overcooking it, roast the garlic ahead of time, then peel and mince or mash it before stirring it in with the liquids.
• Use more herbs: Although this soup doesn’t need a full array of herbs, you can certainly add more to suit your taste. Stir in a little fresh or dried thyme when you add the dill weed. Snip fresh dill, parsley or chives over each serving as a garnish.

How to Store Hungarian Mushroom Soup

Let the soup cool completely before storing it in the refrigerator or freezer. If you have a large pot of leftovers, pour the soup into shallow pans or stick the entire pot in an ice bath and stir the soup occasionally so that it cools rapidly and safely. Once it reaches room temperature, move the pans or pot, uncovered, to the refrigerator to finish cooling. Divide the cooled soup among airtight, lidded containers and refrigerate it for up to four days.

Can you freeze Hungarian mushroom soup?

You can freeze Hungarian mushroom soup, but doing so might affect the texture because it contains both milk and sour cream. If you plan on freezing leftovers, stir the sour cream into each bowl that you’ll be serving right away. Add sour cream to the rest of the soup after you defrost and reheat it. When freezing soup, cool it completely, first to room temperature and then in the refrigerator, to minimize ice crystals. Leave plenty of headroom when you divide it into airtight, freezer-safe containers. It will keep well in the freezer for up to three months.

How do you reheat Hungarian mushroom soup?

If you froze your Hungarian mushroom soup, let the container thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Transfer thawed or refrigerated soup to a pot on the stovetop and slowly reheat it to a simmer over low heat. Enjoy refrigerated or thawed soup within four days.

Hungarian Mushroom Soup Tips

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Can you use canned or dried mushrooms for Hungarian mushroom soup?

Dried mushrooms can be rehydrated and used instead of fresh ones in this soup. You need about 2-1/4 ounces of dried mushrooms to replace the 12 ounces of fresh mushrooms called for in this recipe for Hungarian mushroom soup. Use a single variety, like dried porcini, or a mixed bag. We like to rehydrate mushrooms in hot water using one of our favorite French press hacks. When you pour off the liquid, strain it through a paper towel or a coffee filter into a measuring cup. This removes any grit so that you can use the liquid in place of some of the chicken broth and capture the full mushroom flavor.

Canned mushrooms can also be drained and added to this Hungarian mushroom soup recipe, but expect a different texture. Cans of mushrooms often contain lots of sodium, so check the label carefully. If you’re buying fresh mushrooms by the pound, use any leftovers in one of these recipes for mushroom lovers.

What can you serve with Hungarian mushroom soup?

This tasty soup soaks up any bread you dip into it, from crusty homemade bread to herbed dinner rolls. Add other classic Hungarian recipes as a side dish, like cucumber salad with sour cream. If you’re serving the soup during winter holidays (or any time you feel like baking, really) finish off the meal with Hungarian nut rolls or Hungarian walnut cookies.