DIY Cream of Mushroom Soup Mix

Pinterest, how is it that the four-pack of boneless, skinless chicken breasts and the can of Campbells Cream of Mushroom Soup I bought at Winco together in a crockpot for four hours makes "Awesome Homemade Chicken and Mushrooms"? What's homemade about that, again? Is it that the crockpot is in my home?

I've gotta say I'm a fan of "easy" and "time-saving", but the above "recipe" doesn't scream "homemade" to me. (Is that enough quotes for you? I almost put quotes around "me" for fun but that just would've been wrong.) Especially when I consider the ingredient list of a can of Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup:

Water, Mushrooms, Modified Food Starch, Wheat Flour, Contains Less Than 2% of: Salt, Cream, Dried Whey, Monosodium Glutamate, Soy Protein Concentrate, Yeast Extract, Spice Extract, Dehydrated Garlic, Vegetable Oil: Corn, Cottonseed, Canola and, or Soybean oil

The list starts out well, but soon goes downhill. I still haven't found a good source for Soy Protein Concentrate, or Yeast- or Spice Extract. So, several years ago I went looking for homemade DIY substitutes for Campbell's Cream of Mushroom, Cream of Chicken, and Knorrs' Onion Soup mixes. These are the three I use a LOT in my recipes.


I tried to find the internet site I got the Cream of Mushroom mix recipe from, but had no luck. It was before I was aware of or invited to Pinterest. I'll just say that some smart and savvy blogger I happened to run across one day while checking stuff out on the computer has a great dry Cream of Mushroom Soup mix recipe. It makes a half-gallon of dry mix. If I can find the site later, I'll be sure to post it here.

Here are the ingredients:

4 Cups lowfat powdered milk
1 1/2 Cups cornstarch
1 Cup chopped dried mushrooms (I use a full ounce of dry mushrooms, which is about 2 Cups)
1/2 Cup beef bouillon granules
2 Tbsp thyme
2 Tbsp basil
1 Tbsp pepper
1/2 Tbsp parsley
1/2 Tbsp garlic powder

I keep all this stuff in bulk in my pantry - with the exception of dried mushrooms - , so it's easy to mix this up when I run out. The mushrooms I get in the Asian section of my local Winco. They might be in the bulk section of your store.

I roughly chop the mushrooms.

Add them to the rest of the ingredients in my mixing bowl, whisk to mix.

Dump in 1/2 gallon Cream of Mushroom Soup Mix jar.

To make some soup, you stir 1/3 Cup mix into 1 1/4 Cup boiling water in a saucepan. Stir over low heat until thickened. I turn off the heat and put a lid on the pot for about 2 minutes to plump the dried mushrooms. This can be added to any recipe in place of Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup, or eaten as is.

The Cream of Chicken Soup Mix also makes 1/2 gallon of dry mix:

4 Cups lowfat powdered milk
1 1/2 Cups cornstarch
1/2 Cup chicken bouillon granules
1/3 Cup chopped dry onion
2 tsp italian herbs
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp red pepper
1/2 tsp black pepper

Again, to make, it's 1/3 cup mix to 1 1/4 cup boiling water, stir on low until thickened.

Onion Soup Mix is much easier. I use as much beef bouillon granules to as much dry chopped onions as looks right (probably about 3 Cups bouillon to 1 Cup dry onion. Remember, I'm a dumper by nature, not a measurer!). I use 3 Tbsp dry mix as a substitute for a packet of Knorr Onion Soup in recipes.

These dry mixes make me feel like I'm actually using my ultra-frugal ninja-chef skills to make something wholesome and homemade. Maybe it's a little healthier without the funky extras like modified food starch or monosodium glutamate. AND I get to feel slightly superior to the poor folks who have to run out and buy the chicken breast four-pack and can of mushroom soup to make homemade chicken!

Hey, you poor folks with the canned soup! You, too, can easily make frugal-ninja-chef dry soup mixes! Hope this helps. It sure helped me. If you make it, give a shout-out to the brilliant as-yet-unnamed blogger for the recipes (I hope to find her soon to give credit where it's due).