Hungarian Mushroom Soup (Szekelyderzs)

Hungarian Mushroom Soup is serious comfort eats! Rich, earthy flavors combine with fresh herbs in a thick cream base to create this deeply satisfying, umami-intense cold-weather soup! 

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A decade or so ago, there used to be a lovely little tea room in our town that served an absolutely stellar Hungarian Mushroom Soup. On Mushroom Soup days, the whole place filled with its thick, rich, earthy aroma; and try as I might, I could never bring myself order anything else. Their mushroom soup was just that good. 

Inspired by the Tea Room's deliciously cozy, umami-rich soup, I set out to create my own version. To start, I took my cues from Mollie Katzen's recipe by the same name in her original Moosewood Cookbook. Over the years, I've adjusted and adapted the recipe so many times it now barely resembles the original; however, I still like to give credit where it's due - so thank you, Mollie!

One of my favorite things about this mushroom soup recipe is how fast it all comes together and how dependable the results are. You can easily have it on the table in 40 minutes, start to finish, with very little effort.

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What's so Hungarian about this Mushroom Soup? 

Hungarian Mushroom Soup utilizes a wonderful combination of ingredients that are common to Hungarian cuisine, including paprika, dill, and sour cream. Of these, the star of this recipe is Hungarian paprika.

Paprika, at its core, is simply sweet pepper pods that have been ground into the iconic bright red powder we all know and love. It is believed to have originated in Hungary as early as the 15th century, and is today a defining flavor of Hungarian cuisine. Paprika comes in colors varying from a flaming orange-red to dark crimson, with the flavors ranging sweet to hot, and mild to bitter.

For Hungarian mushroom soup, a sweet, mild Hungarian paprika is the classic (and best) choice. Our favorite paprika to use when making this mushroom soup is a Hungarian Különleges paprika; a deep, bright red paprika with a very sweet flavor. (If you prefer your mushroom soup a little spicier, try this amazing Hungarian Sweet & Spicy Paprika!) 

When making Hungarian Mushroom soup, it is best to avoid using Spanish paprikas if possible. These are made from a slightly different type of pepper than Hungarian varieties, and in this case, its smoky flavor profile is not the paprika you're looking for. 

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Recipe Updated September 23, 2021 (Originally published September 18, 2014.)

How to Make Hungarian Mushroom Soup

Ingredient Notes & Substitutions

Onion - We usually use a plain old yellow onion for this soup, but a sweet onion will also work.

Butter - We use salted butter. If you use unsalted butter, you will likely need to add additional salt when you season it to taste before serving. 

Mushrooms - Use fresh, firm, high-quality mushrooms. We prefer to use crimini mushrooms; or a combination of crimini, portobello, and white (button) mushrooms. 

Paprika - A good, high-quality paprika is at the heart of this whole mushroom soup recipe. For this soup, we suggest using a sweet, mild Hungarian Paprika. 

Properly stored, ground paprika will generally retain its full flavor for 3 to 4 years. 

Dill - For this mushroom soup recipe, you want to use the dill leaves, or fronds.

The useable parts of a dill stem can be separated into two distinct parts: the fronds and the heads.

• Fronds refers to the delicate, fern-like leaves of the dill plant.
• Heads refers to the umbrella-shaped, flowering seed heads. (Dill seeds are a product of the flowering dill head.)

You can use dried dill for this recipe, but the dill flavor isn't as fresh or pronounced.

Wine - Use a light white wine, like Pinot Grigio, Riesling, or Sauvingnon Blanc. If you prefer to avoid wine altogether, substitute light white grape juice. 

Broth - Use a high-quality chicken or vegetable broth. (Our homemade chicken broth at half-strength works perfectly with this recipe.)

Dairy - Cozy comfort food is rarely low-fat. We suggest using real half-and-half and regular sour cream for this soup! 

Make the Soup!

In a large heavy saucepan or enameled cast iron Dutch oven, sauté onions in butter over MEDIUM, stirring frequently, until they are translucent and begin taking on a slight golden color; about 8-10 minutes.

Add the mushrooms and sauté 3-4 minutes more.

Reduce heat to LOW, and add the paprika, half of the fresh dill, wine, and soy sauce. Stir to mix, cover, and simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Remove from heat, and add remaining butter to mushroom mixture. Stir to melt the butter. 

Sprinkle flour over mushroom mixture and stir to thicken.

Add half-&-half and stock all at once, stirring until smooth, and then season to taste. I usually add a little more paprika at this time.

Turn the heat back to LOW-LOW, cover and simmer 10 minutes, then remove from heat. (Do not boil!!!)

This is totally optional, but if you prefer a creamier soup, you can use an immersion blender at this time to smooth things out a bit. If you choose to blend the soup, don't go crazy: leave some larger, meaty pieces of mushroom or texture and bite.

Just before serving, stir in the lemon juice and sour cream.

To serve, garnish with additional sour cream and chopped fresh dill.

Soup is one of our specialties! Be sure to check out these other deliciously satisfying cold-weather soup recipes:

• Chili’s Chicken Enchilada Soup (Copycat Recipe)
• Loaded Baked Potato Soup {with a Sweet Surprise!}
• Old-Fashioned Ham Bone Split Pea Soup {Slow Cooker}
• Smoked Salmon Chowder {with Leeks & Fresh Tarragon}
• Colonial Cream of Peanut Soup {with 21 Topping Ideas}

Do you love mushrooms? Check out our amazing Portobello Mushroom Stroganoff recipe! It's amazing! 

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