Hungarian Mushroom Soup
4.3
(70)
A few years ago I visited the Alaska State Fair and ate my way through a variety of comfort foods, including Hungarian mushroom soup, or gomba leves. It’s a mushroom-heavy soup spiced with Hungarian paprika, dill, and thyme. This soup just hits the spot on a cold night. There are a number of variations that include pasta, turnips, soup dumplings, and more. This recipe, however, is a simple version that includes milk for a creamy, rich texture. Feel free to substitute the paprika with garam masala and a pinch of turmeric and chili powder for a spicier Indian-style soup. You can also use plant-based butter and vegan sour cream to make this soup vegan. —Hetal Vasavada
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What you’ll need
Vegetable Peeler
$12 $10 At Amazon
Dutch Oven
$133 $80 At Amazon
8-Inch Chef's Knife
$47 At Amazon
Cutting Board
$10 At IKEA
Measuring Cups
$28 At Bon Appétit Market
Measuring Spoons
$10 At Bon Appétit Market
Wooden Spoon
$7 At Amazon
Rubber Spatula
$13 At Amazon
Whisk
$10 At Amazon
Ladle
$8 At Amazon
Recipe information
Yield
6–8 servings
Ingredients
4
2
2
6
2
½
4
4
2
6
2
¼
¾
Preparation
Step 1
Prepare your ingredients. Chop 4 medium yellow or white onions (about 1½ lb.) into ¼" pieces. (You should have about 4 cups.) Gently clean 2 lb. mushrooms (crimini and/or shiitake) with a kitchen towel or paper towels. Remove and discard stems; slice caps ¼" thick. Peel 2 medium carrots (about 12 oz.). Cut in half lengthwise, then cut those halves in half lengthwise (you’ll have 4 long spears per carrot). Cut crosswise into ¼"-thick pieces.
Step 2
Smash, peel, and finely chop 6 garlic cloves. Finely chop 2 handfuls of parsley leaves with tender stems until you have ¼ cup; set parsley aside.
Step 3
Melt ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter in a medium Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium heat. Add onion and a pinch of kosher salt (this will help the onion release water and cook more quickly) and cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until onion is softened and browned, about 10 minutes. Add mushrooms and carrots to pot and cook, stirring often, until mushrooms start to brown, 12–16 minutes. Add garlic, 4 tsp. Hungarian sweet paprika, 4 tsp. dried dill or ¼ cup fresh dill, and 2 tsp. dried thyme or 2 Tbsp. fresh thyme and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
Step 4
Add 6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth and bring to boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes.
Step 5
Whisk 2 cups whole milk and ¼ cup all-purpose flour in a small bowl or measuring glass to combine. Pour into soup and stir well. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until soup is thick enough to thinly coat spoon, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat.
Step 6
Mix ¾ cup sour cream and 2–3 Tbsp. broth from soup until loose, then add to soup and stir well to incorporate. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Step 7
Ladle soup into bowls and top each with a dollop of sour cream, some reserved parsley, and a pinch of paprika.
Do ahead: Soup (without sour cream and toppings) can be made 3 days ahead. Let cool; cover and chill. Reheat before adding sour cream as directed.
Leave a Review
Reviews (70)
Back to TopIt was ok. Tasted like just an onion/mushroom soup to me.. lol
Anonymous
2/7/2024
A really great recipe! its a keeper!
Anonymous
10/4/2022
This was delicious, hearty and very flavorful. We loved it. Definitely will make it again.
M. Hargate
Cleveland
1/3/2022
I'm a novice chef and this was really good!! Followed the recipe exactly except that I halved it and didn't add any salt to the onions or to taste at the end - it was perfect! I would leave the carrots out next time though, the mushy texture didn't add anything for me.
Anonymous
12/25/2021
Super delicious. I didn’t have any dill unfortunately, but it still turned out great. If you’re sensitive to spice, perhaps start with half of the paprika and add as needed - it’s pretty spicy. It paired really well with yeasty dinner rolls and extra sour cream.
Melissa
Greenville, SC
12/23/2021
The other review is a bit odd, definitely don't add less broth! Based on the image, it's already a bit thicker than it usually is in Hungary. However, all the components are legit, I expect this soup to be delicious. And no, you can't just skip onions in a Hungarian recipe, onion is pretty much the foundation of all Hungarian cuisine :D I wouldn't use shiitake though, the standard Hungarian mushroom used is csiperke.
Gabor V
Budapest, Hungary
12/19/2021
Really liked this recipe. I'll make it again. Delicious. The instructions didn't mention adding the parsley, so eventually I put that in the pot. I also added Mrs. Dash, and T. Joe's Umami seasoning. I'm sending the recipe to a few friends who I think will like making and eating this.
cheryl h
Irvine, CA
6/5/2021