Homemade Cream of Soup Mix – 9 Ways to Make a Condensed Soup Replacement

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This Cream of Soup Mix recipe mix is so easy to make and easy to store so you don’t have to make it every time you need a canned “Cream of…” soup. I made up a batch today to add to my Chicken Pot Pie I’m making for supper later.

This Cream of Soup Mix recipe mix is so easy to make and easy to store so you don't have to make it every time you need a canned "Cream of..." soup. I made up a batch today to add to my Chicken Pot Pie I'm making for supper later.

Cream of Soup Mix Recipe

When I look at a can of any kind of “Cream of….” soup mix at the store, all I see is MSG, too much sodium, too much dairy, etc. And then I look down and see the price and think, “Do I need this?” and I end up leaving the store without my canned soup and making something different for supper.

Another big issue in many of these canned products is their amount of salt or sodium. If you can make them yourself, you can control this amount.

I know that you can buy canned soup varieties without MSG. But they are so much more expensive, and when you are on a budget, it’s hard to fit that price into your weekly food limit.

This Homemade Cream Soup Base Mix is so simple to put together and is a great replacement for those canned condensed soup products in casseroles and your other favorite dishes. It’s also shelf-stable, so you don’t need to take up precious space in your fridge or freezer. Place it in a quart-size mason jar, seal it with a plastic lid, and label it.

Cream Soup

Cream of Chicken Soup Mix Recipe

What You Need:

  • 2 cups dry Milk Powder
  • 2 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
  • 1/4 cup Chicken Broth Powder
  • 2 Tablespoons dried Onion Flakes or Onion Powder

Chicken Broth Powder can be purchased here  or from Azure here or you can make a basic dried broth like this OR use the recipe in my book, Little House Living (highly recommended!). If you use Chicken Bouillon you will not use as much in this recipe.

This recipe is for homemade cream of chicken soup; if you prefer to leave the chicken broth out, there are recipes below for other variations, including one that can be used for all of your cream of recipes.

How to Make the Cream of Chicken Soup Powder

Whisk together all the ingredients well in a large bowl. This dry mix recipe will fit in 3 pint-sized mason jars, or you can cut it in half to fit in a 1-quart jar. Be sure to store it with a lid or in an airtight container in your pantry.

Cream of Mushroom

That’s it! To make up a liquid batch of your own cream of chicken soup substitute, mix 1/2 cup of the mix with 1 1/4 cup water or milk. You should be able to substitute it in any recipe with cream of chicken soup.

Heat the mixture in a small saucepan over medium heat on the stovetop until it comes to a boil or simmer and thickens. You could also add it directly into your meal or casserole without cooking first if you know that it will be able to thicken in the oven.

To use this in place of cream of mushroom, add a few mushrooms to whatever dish you make along with the liquid mix.

You could also try making this Cream of Mushroom Soup or this Cream of Potato Soup Recipe.

Herbed Rice Recipe

More Homemade Mixes

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Cream of Soup Mix
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Cream of Soup Mix Recipe

Ingredients

  • 2 cups dry Milk Powder
  • 2 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
  • 1/4 cup Chicken Broth Powder
  • 2 Tablespoons dried Onion Flakes

Instructions

  1. Mix all the ingredients together well in a large bowl. This recipe will fit in 3 pint sized mason jars or you can cut it in half to fit in a 1-quart jar.

Bone Broth

Liquid Cream of Soup Mix Recipe

If you’d rather make a liquid mix instead of the shelf-stable mix above, it’s incredibly simple!

This is a great way to make a cream of soup recipe if you need a dairy-free version because you can replace the milk with a milk alternative.

This combo won’t be as thick as the canned or mix versions, but it works great if you are in a bind or if you don’t want to buy the cans. You can always warm it up and add some starch to thicken it up.

Gluten-Free Cream of Soup Mix Recipe

If you are gluten-free, you can make the above recipe with these ingredient changes.

Mix following the instructions on the main recipe above.

Dairy-Free Cream of Soup Mix Recipe

If you are dairy-free, you can make the cream of soup mix with these changes.

  • 2 cups dry Coconut Milk Powder or a Rice Milk Powder
  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (or the gluten-free/starch combo above)
  • 1/4 cup Chicken Broth Powder
  • 2 Tablespoons dried Onion Flakes or Onion Powder

Mix together following the instructions on the main recipe above.

Cream of Soup Mix Without Chicken

If you are unable to find or make a good dried chicken broth, you can still make this mix without it. Here’s how:

  • 2 cups dry Milk Powder
  • 2 1/2 cups All-Purpose Flour
  • 2 Tablespoons dried Onion Flakes
  • ½ teaspoon each of dried thyme, dried basil, dried parsley, and black pepper

When you are ready to make your condensed soup mix 1/2 cup of the mix with:

  • 1 1/2 cups Chicken Broth (for Cream of Chicken Soup)
  • 1 1/2 cups Water or Milk + 1/2 cup diced fresh mushrooms (for Cream of Mushroom Soup)
  • 1 1/2 cups Water or Milk + 1/2 cup finely diced celery (for Cream of Celery Soup)
  • 1  1/2 cups Beef Broth (for Cream of Broth Soup)
  • 1 1/2 cups Vegetable Broth (for Cream of Vegetable Soup)

Follow the same instructions as the main recipe above to make your condensed soup. This last version might be the easiest or best cream-of-soup mix to keep on hand because it has so many different adaptations and flavors.

Ready to test it out? Find some recipes that use “condensed soup” in this 77 Throw-Together Slow Cooker Recipes post.

Cream of Mushroom

Questions About Cream of Chicken Soup

What can I use instead of cream for soup?

You can use heavy cream, whipping cream, coconut cream, or milk and butter mixed together.

Can I just substitute cream of chicken soup for chicken broth?

Cream of Chicken soup has a different thickness, flavor, and texture than plain chicken broth. I would not use one as a straight substitute for another in a recipe.

Can you eat cream of chicken soup by itself?

You could eat Cream of Chicken soup by itself if you really wanted to, however, I’d recommend adding it to something or adding in additional ingredients if you plan on making it a full, flavorful meal.

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Did you make this recipe and enjoy it? Be sure and leave a star rating on the recipe card and share with your friends on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and through Email using the sharing buttons.

Have you tried any of these cream of soup recipes? How did they work for you?


Me and KadyMerissa has been blogging about and living the simple life since 2009 and has internationally published 2 books on the topic. You can read about Merissa’s journey from penniless to freedom on the About Page. You can send her a message any time from the Contact Page.


 

This Cream of Soup Mix recipe was originally posted on Little House Living in December 2010. It has been updated as of September 2022.

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135 Comments

    1. 5 stars
      Thank you for the wonderful emails and ideas 😊 I enjoy reading all the info you send to me.
      Thanks again.

    2. 2 25 2021

      I have a friend that can’t even bake a potato!

      So, looking for a recipe for cream of mushroom in a powdered form, you know, like Cup O Soup?

      Thx
      From scratch cook here too!

      1. I would think you could use dried mushrooms and blend them until they are powdered. That sounds great, I’m going to try it!

  1. Terriffic! I made a batch and love it! But I have a question: How do I use this mix in a recipe that calls for Cream of Soup UNDILUTED?

      1. Most canned soups are 10 oz or thereabouts so I would add liquid until the mixture is 10 oz? Don’t change the amount of mix or it won’t be “undiluted” strength.

    1. Undiluted means normally when you have a “cream of ” something, when you look at the back of the can for the instructions to prepare the “soup” (some people will use cream of broccoli, mushroom, etc to just eat as a soup, not for cooking) you have to put the cream of whatever into a pot and then add 1 can of water to the pot to dilute it. So when a recipe asks for it to be undiluted, you just add the can as usual or as in this case the homemade amount, but without any extra water. So it is ok to prepare this homemade “cream of” as per directions because it’s exactly like the can amount. Any less liquid could mess up your recipe. Just don’t add in an extra “can” of water to the fully homemade mix.

  2. i was so excited to see this MSG free option!!!! BUT then looking at the boullion that you use- the first ingredient is Maltodextrin- guess what that is…….processed free glutamic acid in other words MSG!!! not to mention the next couple ingredients later – natural flavor again another form of MGS.
    I am still on the search for finding substitutions for this horrible neurotoxin. Will keep searching maybe we can help each other – just wanted to let you know the correct information!! 😉

    1. If you’re obsessed with reading labels, then you’ve probably come across the ingredient maltodextrin. Sounds like some type of sugar, but is it safe to eat? It’ll settle your mind to know that this common additive is an easily digestible carbohydrate made from rice, corn, or potato starch (celiacs beware — it can also be derived from barley or wheat). It’s made by cooking down the starch, and then acid and/or enzymes break the starch down even further.

    2. Maltodextrin and natural flavors aren’t ALWAYS a code for MSG. They can be sometimes. I trust Azure that they would not carry and item with questionable ingredients, they have always been excellent about verifying their sources.

      1. Maltodextrin may not always be code for MSG, but Torula yeast and yeast extract are. Check out the chart on TruthInLabeling.org. Don’t normally make comments, but you seem to want to be careful about what you are eating. The industry has been really sneaky about hiding the fact they are still using MSG. So much so that even many health food stores don’t realize what is on their shelves.

    3. I go to Kroges and get a Broth base & Seasoning they have Chicken and Beef No MSG and has sea salt made by ORRINGTON FARMS hope this helps it will make 56 cups and is a powder I love it ,,, Sharon Neri

    4. 5 stars
      The powdered milk is also not heart healthy – oxidized cholesterol. Omit this and just
      add the mix to fresh almond milk or another milk substitute or low fat regular milk.. You could also use powdered soya milk, since it is non-dairy, it doesn’t oxidize.

      McKay’s chick seasoning does not have MSG.

      1. Since the 70’s (and my Adelle Davis books — Diet and Recipes for a Small Planet), I’ve used non-instant dry milk and there’s nothing in it except the milk. Have used it in baking and cooking and nary a problem. 🙂

    5. Could you please tell me how much mix to liquid ratio to equal a 10 oz Can of soup, please. Thank you for sharing this recipe!

  3. You just made my day! It’s been raining and was getting ready to head to store. My 15yr old daughter is totally hooked on Cream of Chicken soup! Now I can make my own and save money. Oh yea and the kido will be happy

  4. Thank you. always need cream of mushroom soup and never have it on hand. Plus with me trying to more from scratch big help!

  5. Thank you, thank you, thank you….. it’s been impossible to find a cream of recipe ..and it’s storable…. I love your website!!!!

  6. I dry the stalks of mushrooms, and intend to add to this mix when i make it so that I have cream of mushroom soup mix…
    thanks

  7. Hi, I made this with mushroom bouillon I found at an international store. Each cube was about .25cents, and I used about 4 of them instead(they’re big) of the 1/4 cup chicken bouillon. Then, it was so popular, I just made another batch and I used veggie bouillon, mushroom bouillon, and chicken bouillon. I also ran the mix through a hand sieve; quite tiresome, but it did help it to dissolve a little bit better. Thanks!

  8. I was going to try to make this mix, but read the comment above from Julie indicating that the bouillon powder you used in fact has MSG in it. Did you verify any of this with Azure Standard? Is this true? Thanks for any help. Love your site!

    1. I used the chicken broth mix from Azure not bullion and I didn’t verify with Azure but I’m not sure why how rigorously they screen their products/brands that they would allow anything with MSG. Of course I could be wrong.

  9. Do we need to cook this or just mix and it will thicken? Not cooking will be a great time saver. I have one that I have to cook until thick but it doesn’t have flour in it.

  10. Any suggestions if you live in an area where you cannot purchase Dry Milk? Just leave it out and use milk to mix it????

    1. Yes, I would just add it in later. Have you checked a local health foods or bulk foods store for dry milk? Sometimes they can have it. I believe you can order it from Amazon as well.

      1. I order powdered milk on Ebay quite frequently. It’s much cheaper than in a grocery store or Walmart, and most places are Free Shipping

  11. Any suggestions on a gluten free flour to use, my all purpose flours had either xantham gum or other stuff mixed in. I love the idea of drying the mushroom stems and putting them in. I usually freeze my mushroom stems for vegetable broth but will try this. I also found you can make broth and dehydrate it and pulse it into a power to have your own powder and you know what was in it.

  12. For those that were worried about the bouillon, you could always leave that out and mix it with homemade chicken broth instead of water.

  13. Just to clarify…the recipe says 1 1/4 cup of water. The jar in the picture says 1/2mix +1/4 water. I assume the recipe is the correct amount. Can you check for me. Thanks. Aurelie

  14. Did you realize that the first ingredient on the chicken bullion powder you use is maltodextrin? According to all the reading I have done, maltodextrin is just another name for msg. Sometimes companies will say there is no msg when there is msg, just a different kind. If this brand is an exception, and the maltodextrin doesn’t equate to msg, I would be very interested in knowing because I have looked all over for chicken bullion without any form of msg and haven’t had any luck! It’s such a common ingredient too, so I would like to find a healthy alternative to making my own from chicken bones. Thanks!

  15. By “dry milk”, do you mean powdered milk? I can’t believe that there is a
    a grocery store that doesn’t carry that! When using this in a casserole, do you cook the powder and water and then add it to your other ingredients? This will save me a lot of money! Thanks for sharing.

  16. Our family has some yummy recipes that call for cream soups. I avoid making them because of the sodium. This is a great idea. Looking forward to trying it.

  17. Anyone ever tried this with whole wheat flour?? I know baking with it is different…..wondering if I can use it instead of bleached white??

  18. Hey there! I have a menieres disease and can’t have sodium. Any idea if the chicken bullion powder is high in sodium?? Thanks 🙂

    1. I would guess that most chicken bullion powder is but I think I have seen some salt free versions which may help, you will just have to check the labels.

      1. Herb-Ox makes both chicken and beef no sodium granulated bouillon. It comes both in a jar or a box of individual packets but not sure about the MSG content,

  19. I looked at the ingredients in the bouillon mix from Azure and it has yeast extract which is a sneaky name for msg. 🙁

    1. you can google “bouillon recipe” and there are several written or youtube easy options to make a powder from normal pantry spices.

  20. I am very allergic to soy, where my throat closes up. So I thank you for this recipe. Now I can have my Chicken Cordon Bleu again. 🙂 BTW it taste perfect.

  21. This sounds great! What’s the shelf life on this? I know that dry milk has an expiration date, so would you go off of that?

  22. This would be an awesome recipe for my new Vitamix.

    The advice to sub homemade chicken/bone broth for the water would work great.

    If you want to make mushroom soup, dehydrated shiitakes are really VERY inexpensive at Asian markets. They have to be soaked before use, but you could use the soak water in place of the water in the recipe.

  23. thank you! So many recipes that stretch for a family of 6, and are easy to make use cream soups. Yet, the additives are no good. I’ll be trying your recipe!

  24. If you want an alternative to bouillon mabey call your local Seventh Day Adventist Church and ask where the closest Seventh Day Adventist Country Store is. Or Google it. They carry a vegan chicken, beef, or veggy style seasoning. Obviously it isn’t real chicken if it is vegan but it’s good. We have one here in the Chattanooga area.

  25. I’ve just made a batch of Cream of Mushroom and Cream of Celery using your mix. Let me tall you all, this is delicious! And no MSG! Thanks for posting…this is now going to be my go-to when I need Cream of soup.

  26. I leave out the chicken bullion powder. Then when I make the sauce I use chicken or veggie or beef broth instead of the water. I make my own broths and dehydrate my own onions too.

  27. My kind of woman! I pinned these recipes and will start on them in the morning. I know EVERYBODY’S prices have gone up but I still feel like I’ve been taken after a trip to the grocery store.I started a pin called Store bought made at home.Not only will I save not buying these products, I know the quality of the products I am using! Thanks for all your hard work. am now an avid follower!!!!!!!!

  28. Do you have an idea for a substitute for dry milk? We can’t have dairy or gluten. The gluten I can figure out. I am trying desperately to find a recipe that we can use. So many recipes call for cream of something.

      1. I use Better Than Milk soy powder. I does contain some questionables but it is dairy free. BTMsoymilk.com is the website on the cannister. It makes me happy because it has none of the chemicals I am allergic to.

  29. How many 1/2 cup servings does this make? i’m trying to make a clean option to the canned stuff and am on weight watchers.
    thank you

  30. You can make cream of mushroom soup with this basic recipe, substitute beef bouillon, add 3 tablespoons dried mushrooms or fresh mushrooms. Cream of Onion soup, delete the bouillon. I love this recipe & have used it for a long time. I also make my own onion soup mix.

    1. I haven’t tried it yet but I think it may work. A good combo to try might also be to replace the flour with 2 cups of gluten free flour and 1/2 cup of starch (such as corn starch).

  31. Great idea and I really liked your post about dehydrating your homemade chicken broth… excellent! I will be sharing this. 🙂

  32. I’ve been moving towards making my own soup and mix recipes. I’m excited to find your cream of soup mix recipe. Congrats, you’re featured this week at the This Is How We Roll Link Party.

  33. Marissa thanks for this recipe. I too have been seeing all sorts of dubious ingredients on the labels and feel like the more we know what we are eating the better.

  34. Thank you so much for these cream of soup recipes! What a fabulous find! Usually when I read new recipes, they are so complicated or have such obscure ingredients that I can’t get them without great effort and expense, but your recipe is so simple and easy– I love both! Thanks again, Merissa!

  35. Do you have a recipe for dry mix that doesn’t use flour? I cannot eat gluten and I am trying to make more of our food from scratch. Thank you.

  36. Hi ,first of all you’re amazing !
    I ‘m a mom of five from Québec ans you’re a big inspiration
    I was wondering for thé cream of …mix can i put dry mushrooms in my mix ?

    1. It’s not something I’ve tried so I’m not sure what the outcome would be. I’m sure it would work fine but the taste is going to be a little different.

  37. Just read the question re whole wheat flour. Haven’t made this yet but I’ll probably go with Bob’s Red Mill Unbleached since that’s all I use besides their WW Pastry Flour and WW Flour. I was so happy to find this as whenever I see a recipe that calls for canned soup, it’s like “delete” — instantly. Probably not the “quick and convenient” they were after, but so be it. No cake mix in this house either. Just because advertisers tell us it’s time-saving and as-good-as, it’s just so easy to do it right, as my grandmother would say. 🙂

  38. 5 stars
    Wow, ,love this recipe, no more wasting veggie leftovers and I use it to make a nice béchamel type of sauce….its a keeper.

  39. Hi,
    This sounds like it is a good mix but as the type of dried milk used can effect the flavour I was wondering if you can tell me whether the dried milk powder you use is full cream milk powder or skim (low fat) milk powder.

  40. I’m confused by this Cream of Soup Mix that calls for 2 Cups of Dry Milk Powder, but then to make it a liquid add 1-1/4 of water or MILK. What?? The other thing is the Chicken Brother “powder” – what is THAT? Do I buy Chicken Stock type Powder like Knorr or Oxo cubes? I am leaning towards doing that as they both have their own individual flavors.

    I gave up trying to follow the recipe for Mushroom Soup Mix. Kinda complicated as it isn’t really a dry soup mix as it implies. Best wishes though.

  41. What chicken broth powder do you use? Trying to make the dairy free version. What brand coconut powder is best?

  42. I’ve been making my own dry cream soup mix for 40 years, my recipe is similar to yours.

    Here’s a TIP for ‘one can’: put the 1/2 c. dry mix and liquid in a quart jar, put on lid TIGHTLY, shake until smooth. Then put in pan to heat and thicken using a wire whip. Remember if using flour as the thickener, to cook at least one minute when boiling, stirring constantly, so not eating raw flour!!

  43. Hello!! I am so excited to use this recipe!! So 1/2 cup dry base with 1 1/2 cup milk with 1/2 cup of mushrooms….does that actually yield 12 ounces of cream of mushroom soup? Like equal to 12 ounces of a canned cream of mushroom soup?

  44. 5 stars
    This was absolutely delicious!!! I used the very last recipe in this post, the one that has no chicken broth powder, and made it into a cream of mushroom soup. AMAZING!! I highly recommend this recipe!!

  45. If you wish to reduce carbs, eliminate the 2.5 cups of AP flour and replace with 4 tbls of xanthum gum.

    1. Yes, that’s the kind that I have used before in this recipe. It’s a no-chicken broth but still tastes like chicken broth, not vegetable broth.

  46. 5 stars
    This is awesome, thank you! I love having all these options when I want to sub out dairy or chicken, fix it right away or store a mix for easy and fast use later, especially without buying the cans. So versatile.

  47. 5 stars
    This is what I do…
    I don’t like to use all purpose white flour, so I use my home ground wonder flour like Chef Brad talks about. I grind equal amounts of spelt, brown rice and pearl barley and use in my baked goods in place of the store bought white flour that I consider to be unhealthy. I also use my home ground wonder flour in this soup mix. My husband loves it. It is good with crackers and is also very good with little bits of cooked chicken and a couple of tablespoons of cooked rice in the cream of chicken soup. The possibilities are endless with this mix.
    For undiluted soup I just cut the water amount and it works great. I think the wonder flour thickens more than white flour.
    I have not purchased store bought cream soup for years.

  48. 5 stars
    I made this with dry coconut milk powder, your gluten free flour mix, and the spices. Reconstitute with chicken broth. It’s delicious. No crazy ingredients, dairy, gluten or onions. All of which I cannot have.

  49. I soooo want to use this but am overwhelmed by all of the helpful information. I’m not a very good cook. Can someone just sum up for me exactly what I need to dump in my Dutch oven when my casserole recipe calls for 1 can of cream of mushroom? I think:

    •1/2 cup of the dry mix
    •1 small can of chopped mushrooms, •how much of what liquid?
    •some corn starch?

    I’m lost but so excited to use this.

    I want to write in my recipe book exactly what I need for one can cream of mushroom. Thank you!!!!

  50. Hello! I just found your blog today and made the mixture that has the thyme, parsley, basil in it. I did thicken and had my husband try it BEFORE putting it into my pot pie mixture. He likes it and said it tastes like cream of chicken soup. 😊 Normally I make a beschamel sauce. I love having this mix on hand in the pantry.😁

  51. 5 stars
    This is such a time saver as well as a space saver! It’s my GO TO . I just made my third batch. Yes I’ve been using this recipe for a few years, and it doesn’t let me down. I add a few herbs, rosemary, pinch of thyme, parsley and even some dried jalapeño on occasion. You are a real help in so many ways in my big house.

  52. 5 stars
    Oh! My! God! You are BRILLIANT!!! Idk why I never think of dried milk powder – I use it all the time for baking mix/pancake mix, etc! It absolutely never, ever occurred to me to use it for a cream soup replacement, and it’s so brilliant, and so easy!!! THANK YOU for posting this!!! I have done the “bechamel” replacement, thinned out – all that whisking!! This is so easy! *shaking head* It’s a no-brainer!!! And SHELF-STABLE!!! I mean, again – DUH!!! THANK YOU, again, ~Chrissie

  53. Can a gluten free flour or mixture of gluten free flours be used in these recipes. I like so many can’t consume gluten. Thank you so much.

  54. 5 stars
    Preservatives give me migraine headaches. I can’t have better than bouillon, Cool Whip, I just have to eat natural foods like we were grown up with.

    So these recipes are wonderful alternatives for me.

    I’ll have to check out the ingredients in milk powder up best case is just to make it on the spot with the recipe that you’ve given us for liquid.

    Thank you for reminding us that sometimes the old ways are better than the new cans.

  55. I’m so excited to find these “cream of” soup recipes. I just read the labels on my store bought cream soups and along with them & my mayo are ” derived from a bioengineered source” listed on the ingredient label. This is the way I’m going from now on. Our children as well as us deserve that. Thank you