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This homemade Cream of Chicken Soup Substitute is creamy, flavorful, and SO much better than what you get from a can. Best part is, it only takes 10 minutes to make!
Looking for more from-scratch cooking staples? Try my homemade Dry Onion Soup Mix, Taco Seasoning, Ketchup, or BBQ Sauce!
Why I love this recipe:
- Quick – This cream of chicken soup substitute only takes 10 minutes. That's faster than a trip to the grocery store!
- Healthy – You know exactly what ingredients are added, including fresh pantry ingredients, nothing artificial, and it's definitely lower in sodium than the canned version.
- Delicious – The taste of this homemade cream of chicken soup is outstanding! It's creamy, full of flavor, and will make any meal that calls for canned cream of chicken soup, taste way better.
Ingredients Needed:
- Milk
- Cornstarch
- Butter
- Chicken Bouillon Paste or Cube
- Seasonings
How to make Cream of Chicken Soup:
Combine Ingredients: In a small saucepan whisk together milk and cornstarch. Add butter, bouillon, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and parsley.
Boil: Bring to a gently boil, stirring frequently. Once boiling, simmer for 30 more seconds to thicken.
Use this cream of chicken recipe in any recipe to replace one 10.75 oz can of cream of chicken soup. For other flavors, look at the recipe variations below.
Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions:
To Make Ahead: This is a great recipe to make ahead for quick dinner prep. Make the recipe as directed, and keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
To Freeze: The texture may change a little bit through the freezing/thawing process. Store in a freezer safe container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let thaw completely in the fridge before using in a recipe.
Recipe Variations:
- Cream of Mushroom: Stir in one (4 oz) can of mushroom pieces to the finished recipe. Use vegetable bouillon instead of chicken, if desired.
- Cream of Celery: Stir in ½ cup sautéed, chopped celery to the finished recipe. Use vegetable bouillon instead of chicken, if desired.
- Cream of Broccoli: Stir in ½ cup of finely diced steamed broccoli. Use vegetable bouillon instead of chicken, if desired.
- Add Chicken: Stir in chopped cooked chicken at the end, if desired.
- Dairy-Free: Use dairy-free butter, and your favorite plant based milk. The flavor will be a little different depending on what milk you use.
Use Cream of Chicken Substitute In:
- Easy Beef Stroganoff
- Funeral Potatoes
- Easy Instant Pot Stroganoff
- Slow Cooker Creamy Ranch Pork Chops
- Chicken Tetrazzini
- Beef Noodle Soup
- Chicken and Rice Casserole
- Loaded Chicken Enchiladas
Cream of Chicken Soup Substitute
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk, , cold
- 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon paste, , or one cube
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- ⅛ freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon dried parsley flakes
Instructions
- In a small saucepan whisk together milk and cornstarch. Add butter, bouillon, salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and parsley.
- Bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Once boiling, simmer for 30 more seconds to thicken.
- Use in recipes to replace one (10.75 oz) can of cream of (anything) soup.
Notes
- Cream of Mushroom: Stir in one (4 oz) can of mushroom pieces to the finished recipe. Use vegetable bouillon instead of chicken, if desired.
- Cream of Celery: Stir in ½ cup sautéed, chopped celery to the finished recipe. Use vegetable bouillon instead of chicken, if desired.
- Cream of Broccoli: Stir in ½ cup of finely diced steamed broccoli. Use vegetable bouillon instead of chicken, if desired.
- Add Chicken: Stir in chopped cooked chicken at the end, if desired.
- Dairy-Free: Use dairy-free butter, and your favorite plant based milk. The flavor will be a little different depending on what milk you use.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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I originally shared this recipe March 2015. Updated September 2022.
My husband is dairy free. I made this soup with coconut milk. Then, I didn’t have any bouillon cubes or paste so I used 1 cup of low sodium chicken broth. WOW!!!!!!!!!!!! It came out beautifully! I’m so happy to have a dairy free cream of any kind of soup now. 🙂
I followed your recommendation and I agree WOW!!! Delicious!
Do you suppose that this could be frozen for future use?
Sure! Use a can of low sodium V-8 juice and just add some herbs and garlic! I have been doing this for 30+ years! Yum!
Could you suggest how to modify the recipe to make it Cream of Tomato
I would replace the milk with tomato juice, leave out the chicken bullion, parsley and onion powder, and add a little tomato paste or ketchup and a pinch of sugar to balance out the acidity in the tomatoes.
I’m confused. You said replace the water, but there isn’t water in the recipe.
Did you mean the milk, as it is the only liquid?
yes the milk
perfect! I used the ‘better than bouillon’ paste, a little pepper, no salt because bouillon has enough for me. thank you for this recipe- I look forward to using many more!
How long would this last in the fridge?
This recipe is perfect! I’ll never buy the canned stuff again! Thank you for sharing💜
I recently found out I am allergic to gluten and was wondering how I was going to make all of my cheater recipes that call for cream of “whatever”. I found my answer! This was sooooo easy, I already had everything on hand and it took no time at all! I feel like even if I wasn’t gluten free now I would use this recipe, mainly because I know everything that is in here!! Thank you for a great sub!
Can you use almond milk?
I’m sure that would work fine!
This was excellent . I made cream of onion soup with this base.
Could you make more and can it for later use?
I can’t recommend this recipe for canning as there are certain ph level requirements that need to be followed to make food shelf-stable. I would suggest looking into to a safe-canning website for a similar recipe or information on how to safely adapt this one.
I would suggest showing this recipe in a bowl not a canning jar. When I looked at it I thought I could make a batch and can them. Do you know of any soup recipes that can be frozen or canned?
Carol Wilcox