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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!
The flavor is so much better than the condensed soups! Will be using this for all my condensed soup recipes going forward!
That contains a whopping am out of sodium.
I’ve been looking for a homemade cream of chicken recipe! Love it!
We’ve used a similar recipe for a daughter who is allergic to wheat. It is probably gluten-free, too. Now we can make recipes calling for soup as an ingredient. Great find.
This is amazing, simple to make and very flavorful. I use this as a base for my chicken pot pie. My family loves it!
Have you ever made with non dairy half and half
I haven’t but I’m sure it would work fine!
I made cream of mushroom with a fresh diced portabella mushroom. I am amazed at the flavor.
I made cream of shrimp and it came out very very good. Way better than canned one that i could not find. My shrimp dressing will be good this Year. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
We love soup around here! I made this tonight and added celery to make a “cream of celery” soup and it was delicious! I added some water to it to make it a little less thick and I was able to add more celery. I also made a “cream of potato” soup for my husband since he can’t have a lot of celery due to allergies and it also tasted delicious! I don’t use the “better than bouillon” because it has soy in it and people in my house are allergic to soy, so I was able to find a recipe to make homemade “better than bouillon” using spices I already have and it made a small container of it. This is an absolutely amazing soup recipe! It’ll be used in our house a lot!
Thank you Lauren!
Can you share yer recipe for bullion. Please
I’d be very interested in the “homemade “better than bouillon”” recipe. Any chance you can share it? I’ve tried all kinds of things to make my own bouillon cubes and have not cared for any of them yet. I appreciate your sharing.
have you tried this with arrowroot instead of cornstarch? just wondering if it would turn out ok.
I tried it but it tasted a bit like grain and I added a bit more salt in it for more flavours since I don’t really like arrowroot but those are the only ones I have in my house and I was lazy to go for groceries. So yeah. I think i like the taste but I think it needs more salt but I don’t know about you.