Hungarian Mushroom Soup with Paprika, Dill, and Cream

Hungarian mushroom soup is a paprika-scented, creamy soup of tender mushrooms, onion, dill, and broth, finished with sour cream and a little lemon. It is served hot, often with bread, and this version builds savory flavor on the stovetop without requiring a long simmer.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter
1 medium yellow onion, finely diced (about 1 cup / 150 g)
1½ pounds (680 g) cremini or white button mushrooms, cleaned and sliced about ¼ inch (6 mm) thick
2 teaspoons (4 g) sweet Hungarian paprika
1 tablespoon (3 g) chopped fresh dill, plus a little more for serving; or 1 teaspoon (1 g) dried dill
1 tablespoon (15 ml) soy sauce
2 cups (480 ml) low-sodium vegetable broth
1 cup (240 ml) whole milk
3 tablespoons (24 g) all-purpose flour
½ cup (120 g) full-fat sour cream, brought close to room temperature
1 tablespoon (15 ml) fresh lemon juice
¾ teaspoon (4 g) fine salt, plus more to taste
¼ teaspoon (0.5 g) freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons (8 g) chopped fresh parsley, for serving (optional)

Instructions

Prepare the ingredients. Dice the onion and slice the mushrooms evenly so they cook at about the same rate. Measure the paprika, dill, soy sauce, and broth before starting; paprika can turn bitter if it sits in hot fat for too long. In a small bowl, whisk the flour into the milk until no dry lumps remain. Let the sour cream lose some of its chill while the soup cooks. This short setup makes the final thickening step smoother and helps prevent rushing once the broth is hot.
Soften the onion, 5 minutes. Melt the butter in a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until it is soft and translucent but not browned. If the onion begins to stick or take on color, lower the heat slightly. The goal is a mellow base; deeply browned onion can compete with the mild, earthy mushroom flavor.
Cook the mushrooms, 10 minutes. Add the sliced mushrooms, salt, and black pepper. Stir to coat them in the butter, then cook for about 10 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes. They will release moisture, shrink, and become tender; allow some of that liquid to cook off rather than adding extra broth at this stage. If your pot is small and the mushrooms are crowded, cook them in two batches so they soften instead of steaming in a deep pile.
Bloom the seasoning and simmer, 15 minutes. Sprinkle in the paprika and dill and stir for about 30 seconds, just until fragrant. Pour in the soy sauce and vegetable broth, scraping the bottom of the pot to lift any flavorful browned bits. Bring the soup to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes. Keep it at a calm simmer rather than a hard boil; this gives the mushrooms time to flavor the broth without reducing it too quickly.
Thicken with milk and flour, 5 minutes. Whisk the milk-and-flour mixture again, since flour can settle, and slowly pour it into the simmering soup while stirring. Cook gently for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the soup lightly coats a spoon and no raw flour taste remains. Avoid a vigorous boil, which can make the milk mixture foam or catch on the bottom. If you prefer a looser soup, stop when it is lightly thickened; it will become a little thicker as it stands.
Finish off the heat. Turn off the burner. Put the sour cream in a small bowl and whisk in a ladleful of hot soup, a little at a time, until smooth and warm. Stir this mixture back into the pot along with the lemon juice. Taste and adjust the salt, pepper, dill, or lemon. Do not boil the soup after adding sour cream: gentle residual heat keeps the finish silky. Ladle into bowls and garnish with parsley and extra dill if you like.

Tips

Choose mushrooms for flavor and texture. Cremini mushrooms have a slightly deeper flavor than white button mushrooms, while either works well here. A mix is also good. Wipe away visible dirt with a damp towel or rinse briefly and dry thoroughly; soaking mushrooms can make them watery. Slice them consistently, but do not worry about perfect uniformity.
Use sweet paprika, not automatically hot paprika. Sweet Hungarian paprika gives the soup its characteristic red color and gentle pepper flavor. Smoked paprika changes the profile toward smoky, and hot paprika adds noticeable heat, so use either only if that is what you want. If Hungarian paprika is hard to find, ordinary sweet paprika is a practical substitute; the soup will still be flavorful, though the pepper aroma may be less distinctive.
Keep the dairy smooth. Full-fat sour cream is less likely to split than a low-fat version. Temper it with hot broth before adding it to the pot, and keep the soup below a boil afterward. If you need a substitute, plain full-fat Greek yogurt can work, but it tastes tangier and is more prone to curdling; temper it carefully and stir it in off the heat.
Adjust thickness only after the flour cooks. Flour thickens as the soup simmers and continues to set slightly as it cools. If it seems too thick after cooking, stir in warm broth or milk a tablespoon at a time. If it is too thin, simmer it gently for a few additional minutes before adding the sour cream, stirring so the bottom does not scorch.

Serving Suggestions

Serve the soup hot in shallow bowls with crusty bread, rye bread, or buttered toast for dipping. A simple green salad with a sharp vinaigrette is a useful counterpoint to the soup’s creamy texture. For a more substantial meal, offer boiled or buttered egg noodles alongside it, or spoon the soup over a small portion of noodles in each bowl. Keep the garnish restrained: fresh dill, parsley, or a small spoonful of sour cream is enough to make the flavors clear without covering the mushrooms.

If you are serving several people, warm the bowls first and bring the soup to the table soon after finishing it. It thickens as it sits, so keep a little warm broth nearby to loosen it if needed. Put extra lemon wedges on the table for anyone who likes a brighter, more pronounced tang. The soup is filling enough to serve as a light lunch or first course, but bread and a salad turn it into a relaxed supper.

Variations

Make it vegetarian: Use vegetable broth, as listed, and check that the broth and soy sauce suit your dietary needs. For a gluten-free version, replace the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free all-purpose blend that works as a roux or slurry, and use tamari instead of standard soy sauce if needed. The texture may vary by flour blend, so add the thickener gradually and give it time to cook before deciding whether it needs more.

Make it dairy-free: Replace the butter with olive oil or a plant-based butter, use an unsweetened, unflavored plant milk, and finish with an unsweetened dairy-free sour cream. Choose a plant milk with enough body to make a creamy soup; a very thin one will give a lighter result. This version will not have quite the same buttery, cultured-dairy finish, so taste carefully and add lemon in small increments.

Add more herbs or vegetables: A little extra dill is the simplest adjustment, while a teaspoon of dried dill can be used when fresh is unavailable. A small amount of chopped carrot or celery can be cooked with the onion, but it will make the soup sweeter and more vegetable-forward. For a more pronounced mushroom flavor, replace up to ½ pound (225 g) of the cremini mushrooms with shiitake mushrooms, removing their tough stems before slicing. Keep the total mushroom quantity about the same so the broth-to-mushroom balance stays consistent.

Make it spicier: Stir in a pinch of hot Hungarian paprika or cayenne with the sweet paprika. Start small; heat can build as the soup simmers, and the sour cream softens the perception of spice without removing it. For a smoky variation, replace up to ½ teaspoon of the sweet paprika with smoked paprika rather than substituting it all, since a strong smoky flavor can overshadow the dill.

Storage and Reheating

Cool leftovers promptly and refrigerate them within 2 hours in a covered, shallow container. The soup keeps for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator. For best texture, reheat only the portion you plan to eat, slowly, in a saucepan over low to medium-low heat, stirring often. Bring leftovers to 165°F (74°C), the USDA FSIS safe temperature for reheated leftovers, and avoid letting the soup boil hard because the sour cream may separate. Add a splash of broth or milk if it has thickened in the refrigerator.

You can freeze the soup, but its dairy-based texture may become grainy or separate after thawing. For better results, freeze it before adding the sour cream, then thaw it overnight in the refrigerator, reheat it to 165°F (74°C), and stir in freshly tempered sour cream off the heat. If already-finished soup is frozen, thaw it in the refrigerator and whisk gently while reheating; the flavor should remain pleasant, although the texture may be less smooth. For best quality, use frozen soup within about 2 months.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Hungarian mushroom soup traditionally made with sour cream?
Versions vary by cook and region, but sour cream, paprika, mushrooms, and herbs are common features of Hungarian-style mushroom soup. Some recipes use different dairy, thickeners, or herb combinations. This recipe uses milk and flour for body and sour cream for a tangy finish; it is one practical home-style version, not the only way to make the dish.

Can I use dried dill instead of fresh?
Yes. Use 1 teaspoon (1 g) dried dill in place of 1 tablespoon (3 g) fresh dill. Dried dill has a more concentrated, slightly different flavor, so begin with the listed amount and add a pinch more at the end if you want a stronger herbal note. Fresh dill is especially nice as a finishing garnish, but it is not essential.

Can I make the soup ahead?
Yes. Make it up to 2 days ahead and refrigerate it promptly. The flavor settles as it rests, and the soup will thicken in the refrigerator. Reheat it gently to 165°F (74°C), stirring often, and loosen it with a little broth or milk. If you are planning ahead specifically for the smoothest texture, wait to stir in the sour cream until just before serving.

What can I use instead of soy sauce?
Soy sauce adds salt and savory depth rather than a distinct soy flavor. Use the same amount of tamari for a similar result, or use 1 teaspoon (5 ml) of Worcestershire sauce and check the label if you need a vegetarian option, since some versions contain anchovies. You can also omit it and adjust the salt, though the broth will taste a little less rounded.

Why did my soup turn out thin or grainy?
A thin soup usually needs a few more minutes of gentle simmering after the flour mixture goes in, or the flour may not have been whisked smoothly into the milk. A grainy or separated finish is often caused by boiling after adding sour cream, using very cold sour cream, or reheating too quickly. Temper the sour cream, finish off the heat, and warm leftovers slowly while stirring.

More recipes to cook

Safety notes: safe minimum internal temperatures from USDA FSIS; raw and undercooked fish guidance from the U.S. FDA. Food safety notes

Spotted an error? Tell us and we will correct it (corrections policy).