Hungarian Mushroom Soup with Fresh Dill and Sour Cream is a creamy vegetarian soup recipe with one-pot cooking and rich flavor in under an hour. Sweet paprika and a splash of soy sauce give the mushroom broth its depth, while tempered sour cream makes it silky without any heavy cream.
If mushrooms are a favorite at your table, our Creamy Garlic Mushroom Pasta is another easy weeknight dinner.
Hungarian Mushroom Soup at a Glance 🔎
- 🕒 Prep Time: 15 minutes
- ⏱️ Cook Time: 30 to 35 minutes
- 👥 Servings: 4
- 🔥 Cook Method: Stovetop (One Pot)
- 🍽️ Cuisine: Hungarian-Inspired Vegetarian Soup
- 👩🍳 Pair With: Buttered Parmesan Egg Noodles, warm rye bread, or a crisp cucumber salad
- ⭐ Difficulty Level: Easy
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We've made this soup every fall for years, and it's always best with an extra dollop of sour cream and fresh dill on top. ~Jami
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Why We Love This Recipe
- Ready in Under an Hour: The mushrooms only need to soften, not brown, so you go from cutting board to soup bowl in about 45 minutes.
- Creamy but Balanced: Milk and sour cream make it velvety, while lemon juice and dill cut the richness so the last spoonful tastes as bright as the first.
- Budget-Friendly Ingredients: White button mushrooms are one of the least expensive mushrooms in the produce section. Almost everything else is a pantry or fridge staple.
- A Meatless Soup Night Favorite: It's hearty enough for dinner with bread on the side, which makes it great for a Cozy Winter Soup Collection.
Key Ingredients
- White Button Mushrooms: Slice them about ¼ inch thick so they cook evenly and stay tender. A full pound looks like a lot, but it shrinks by almost half. If you bought the big family pack, use the extra in our slow-simmered Red Wine Burgundy Mushrooms.
- Sweet Hungarian Paprika: This is the flavor of the soup, so use sweet, not smoked or hot. If your jar has been in the cabinet for a year, it's worth replacing. Fresh paprika smells sweet and peppery and turns the broth a warm brick-red.
- Soy Sauce: One tablespoon won't make the soup taste like soy sauce. It adds the savory depth you'd normally get from beef or chicken stock, which matters when the soup is vegetarian.
- Vegetable Broth: Choose a mild, low-sodium broth. Some vegetable broths are heavy on carrot and tomato and can make the soup taste sweet. Taste the broth first so you know how much salt to add at the end.
- Full-Fat Sour Cream: Set it on the counter while you prep so it isn't fridge-cold. Room-temperature, full-fat sour cream blends in smoothly. Low-fat sour cream is much more likely to curdle.
- Fresh Dill, Parsley, and Lemon: These go in at the very end, so they stay bright and fresh. Dill is what makes this taste like Hungarian mushroom soup. The lemon adds just enough brightness to balance the sour cream.
A full ingredient list with exact measurements can be found in the recipe card below.
Substitutions & Variations
- Vegetable Broth: Chicken broth adds a little more savory depth, but the soup will no longer be vegetarian.
- White Button Mushrooms: Cremini mushrooms give an earthier flavor and a deeper color. A handful of sliced shiitakes adds even more savory flavor.
- Sour Cream: Plain full-fat Greek yogurt works and tastes a little tangier. Temper it the same way, and keep the heat low.
- Fresh Dill: Use 1 teaspoon of dried dill and add it with the broth so it has time to soften.
- 2% Milk: Whole milk works the same way.
- Presentation: Top each bowl with a small spoonful of sour cream, a light dusting of paprika, and a sprig of fresh dill.
How To Make Hungarian Mushroom Soup
STEP ONE: Sauté the Onions and Mushrooms
Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat and cook the onion for 4 to 5 minutes. You want it soft and translucent, with no browned edges.
Add the sliced mushrooms. At first they'll soak up the butter and the pot will look dry. Keep stirring. After a few minutes they'll release their liquid, and the pot will look wet before the liquid cooks back down.
The mushrooms are ready when they've shrunk by about half and look soft and glossy. They don't need deep browning for this soup.
STEP TWO: Bloom the Paprika and Cook the Flour
Turn the heat down to medium-low before the Hungarian paprika goes in. Paprika scorches quickly, and burnt paprika tastes bitter.
Stir it constantly for 20 to 30 seconds until the mushrooms turn a warm red and the kitchen smells sweet and peppery. Sprinkle in the flour and stir for 1 minute.
The vegetables will look dry and coated. That's what you want. Cooking the flour now removes the raw taste and sets up the thickener for the soup.
STEP THREE: Build and Simmer the Soup
Stir in the soy sauce, then pour in the broth a little at a time. Scrape the bottom of the pot as you go so the flour dissolves without lumps.
Add the milk and bring the soup to a gentle simmer, with small bubbles around the edges. Cook uncovered for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring now and then.
The soup is ready for the next step when it lightly coats the back of a spoon. It will still look thin, but the sour cream adds more body.
STEP FOUR: Temper the Sour Cream and Finish
Put the room-temperature sour cream in a small bowl. Whisk in 1 to 2 ladles of hot soup, one at a time, until the mixture is smooth and warm.
Turn the heat to low, then stir the mixture back into the pot. Warming the sour cream first keeps it from curdling when it hits the hot soup. From here on, don't let the soup boil.
Stir in the dill, parsley, lemon juice, salt, and pepper and warm for 1 to 2 minutes. Taste before serving. A little more salt or lemon usually wakes up the flavors.
Expert Tips for Success
👩🍳Jami's Pro Tips: Want to take this recipe to the next level? Check out my expert tips below for the best flavor, texture, and meal prep hacks!
✔️ DO Let the sour cream sit out while you prep so it's at room temperature.
✔️ DO Turn the heat down before adding the paprika so it blooms without scorching.
✔️ DO Add the broth gradually and scrape the pot so the flour doesn't clump.
❌ DO NOT Let the soup boil after the sour cream goes in.
Storage
Store leftover Hungarian mushroom soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat it gently in a pot over low heat, stirring often, and don't let it boil, or the sour cream can separate. If it thickens in the fridge, stir in a splash of warm broth. Freezing isn't ideal because dairy soups can turn grainy when they thaw. If you plan to freeze it, freeze the soup before adding the sour cream and herbs, then stir those in fresh when you reheat.
Hungarian Mushroom Soup Recipe FAQs
It's Hungarian-inspired. Hungary has its own mushroom soups made with paprika and sour cream, but this creamy, dill-heavy version is best known in American home kitchens. The paprika, sour cream, and dill are the flavors that tie it to Hungarian cooking.
Cream of mushroom soup is mild and usually thickened with heavy cream. Hungarian mushroom soup gets its color and warmth from sweet paprika, its tang from sour cream, and its fresh flavor from dill and lemon. It's lighter than a heavy cream soup but still feels rich.
Sour cream usually curdles when it's added cold, when the soup boils afterward, or when the sour cream is low-fat. Tempering it and keeping the heat low prevents most problems.
Yes, when you make it with vegetable broth. Everything else in this recipe is meat-free, and most soy sauce is vegetarian. It isn't vegan because of the butter, milk, and sour cream.
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📖 Recipe
Hungarian Mushroom Soup with Fresh Dill and Sour Cream
VIDEO
Equipment
- Large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed soup pot
- Wooden spoon
- Whisk
- Small Mixing bowl
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 large yellow onion diced (about 2 cups)
- 1 pound white button mushrooms sliced
- 1 tablespoon sweet Hungarian paprika
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce check the label for vegetarian
- 2 cups vegetable broth plus more to thin if needed
- 1 cup 2% milk or whole milk
- ½ cup full-fat sour cream room temperature
- 2 tablespoons fresh dill finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent.
- Add the sliced mushrooms and cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and reduced in volume. The mushrooms will release moisture as they cook. There's no need to brown them deeply.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low. Stir in the Hungarian paprika and cook for 20-30 seconds, stirring constantly until fragrant. Sprinkle the flour over the mushrooms and onions and stir for 1 minute to coat the vegetables and cook out the raw flour taste.
- Stir in the soy sauce. Gradually add the vegetable broth, stirring to incorporate the flour and prevent lumps. Pour in the milk and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook uncovered for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the soup thickens slightly and the flavors develop.
- Place the room-temperature sour cream in a small bowl. Gradually whisk in 1-2 ladles of hot soup until smooth. Reduce the heat to low and slowly stir the sour cream mixture back into the pot. Do not allow the soup to boil.
- Stir in the fresh dill, parsley, lemon juice, kosher salt, and black pepper. Warm gently for 1-2 minutes. Taste and adjust the salt or lemon juice as needed. Serve hot.
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Notes
- Cook the mushrooms until they release their liquid and shrink by about half.
- Add the broth slowly and scrape the pot so the flour dissolves without lumps.
- Use full-fat sour cream so the soup stays smooth and creamy.
- Add the dill, parsley, and lemon juice at the end so they stay fresh and bright.
Jami Powell says
Our favorite mushroom soup!