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A bowl of creamy chanterelle soup topped with whole sautéed mushrooms, fresh herbs, and dark rye croutons.

Finnish Chanterelle Soup (Kanttarellikeitto)

Finnish Chanterelle Soup (Kanttarellikeitto) is a silky, cream-based soup of foraged golden chanterelles sautéed in butter with onion, then finished with stock, cream, and fresh herbs. TasteAtlas ranks it as the world’s 3rd best mushroom soup.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Course: Dinner / Main Course, Soup
Cuisine: Finnish
Calories: 370
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb (450 g) fresh or frozen chanterelle mushrooms, cleaned and roughly chopped
  • 3 tbsp (45 g) unsalted butter, divided
  • 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tbsp (16 g) all-purpose flour
  • 3 cups (720 ml) low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream
  • 4–5 sprigs fresh thyme (or ½ tsp dried thyme)
  • ½ tsp white pepper
  • Salt, to taste
  • Fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped, for garnish
  • Crispy rye croutons, for garnish (optional but highly recommended)

Method
 

  1. Melt 2 tbsp (30 g) of butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat until foamy.
  2. Add chanterelles in a single layer. Sauté undisturbed for 2–3 minutes until golden. Work in batches to avoid crowding. Remove mushrooms and set aside.
  3. Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining 1 tbsp (15 g) butter and the diced onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5–7 minutes until soft and translucent.
  4. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly, until fragrant.
  5. Sprinkle flour over the onion mixture. Stir well and cook for 1–2 minutes to remove the raw flour taste.
  6. Slowly pour in the broth, stirring constantly to prevent lumps. Add thyme sprigs.
  7. Return the sautéed chanterelles to the pot. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 10 minutes.
  8. Stir in the heavy cream. Simmer for another 3–5 minutes until the soup is velvety and slightly thickened.
  9. Remove thyme sprigs. Season generously with salt and white pepper.
  10. Ladle into warm bowls. Garnish with fresh parsley, extra sautéed chanterelles, and crispy rye croutons if using.

Notes

For a silkier texture, use an immersion blender to partially blend the soup after step 8 — leave some mushroom pieces whole for texture.
Umami hack: A pinch (¼ tsp) of Knorr Chinese Chicken Powder or Lee Kum Kee Premium Mushroom Seasoning Powder stirred into the broth in step 6 adds surprising depth, especially when using frozen chanterelles. Both are available at Asian supermarkets. Use the mushroom version to keep the soup fully vegetarian.
To freeze: Make the soup without the cream, freeze it, and stir the cream in fresh after reheating. Works perfectly every time.