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It seems like every awesome recipe I find uses canned cream soup! Tasty. Delish. Slow Cooker recipes. I love to reference sites like these and watch the videos to figure out what’s for dinner. However, it seems like every “easy” recipe I’ve ever found includes a can of cream soup, such as chicken, celery or mushroom. “Just dump it into the slow cooker,” it says as I sigh.
In our gluten and dairy-free world, we can’t use an off-the-shelf can of soup. It seems that every great recipe I find includes a can of cream of mushroom, chicken or celery soup, so as a result, I decided to make my own.
I’m going to show you how to make a simple substitute 5 different ways that you can use in a multitude of recipes such as chicken and rice casserole, green bean casserole, chicken pot pie and beef stroganoff. Want to pour it over egg noodles? Check out this gluten, dairy free (and EASY) recipe!
Be sure to use certified gluten free ingredients.
Canned Cream of Chicken Soup Substitute – Gluten & Dairy Free
This is a recipe to make a canned cream soup substitute that's gluten and dairy free – 5 different ways
- ⅓ cup Olive Oil (We use a mild flavored EVOO)
- ¼ cup All purpose Gluten free flour
- ⅓ cup Chopped onion
- ½ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Pepper
- 1¾ cup Chicken broth
- ⅔ cup Non-flavored, dairy-free milk substitute
- 1½ cup Cubed (cooked) chicken (I've used 2 chicken breasts or leftovers from a chicken roast)
In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat
Stir in gluten free flour, onion, salt and pepper
Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is bubbly; remove from heat
Stir in broth and milk substitute
Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir for 1 minute
Stir in chicken. Remove from heat.
Making Variations
Cream of mushroom
Use the cream of chicken recipe. Substitute the chicken broth for mushroom broth. Substitute the cut cup chicken for mushrooms.
Cream of Celery
Use the cream of chicken recipe. Substitute the cut up chicken for finely chopped celery. If not being used in a recipe that will be baked, cook the celery first in a frying pan with a bit of olive oil until translucent.
Cream of Beef
Use the cream of chicken recipe. Substitute the chicken broth for beef broth. Substitute the cut up chicken for cubed pieces of beef.
Gravy
Any of the above can be adapted to make different types of gravy. Simply add less flour (1 1/2 TBSP) and omit the added meat. Use meat drippings with broth when available. I do this at Thanksgiving when I make our turkey dinner – and everyone raves about the gravy.
In conclusion, I use a variation of this gluten, dairy-free cream soup recipe a lot! My family loves them all, and it doesn’t take more than about 15 minutes to whip together to add to a slow cooker or casserole recipe.
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How do you store it and what do you store it in?
It generally makes enough for whatever recipe I’m using – but if there are leftovers, I store them in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
Just want to say thank you for this recipe! It has made my dinners worth looking forward to again!! Being gluten free and dairy free is hard but this helps so much!!
Thank you so much for taking the time to comment. I try to make family friendly gluten and dairy free recipes (that my kids will eat!) Glad to hear you like it!
What have you found to be the best milk substitute to use for this recipe? Thanks in advance
I use rice milk. It’s similar to skim milk in consistency and doesn’t change taste (like coconut milk for example).
Have you tried to make in larger quantities and freeze? Even though this seems super easy, there are times I don’t have extra chicken, mushrooms, or celery on hand. I’d love to make it in advance and freeze it to be pulled out when I need it. Any additional considerations to think about?
Hi Dawn! This is a great question. Generally speaking, I would say no to freezing or canning any dairy-based cream soup. This, however, is made with rice milk, which does freeze well. The short answer is that I don’t know – I’ve never tried to freeze or can these recipes. In our family of 4, we usually don’t have too much left over.
If a recipe would call for 2 cans of something would you double your recipe for the above soup substitutes?
This recipe makes about 2 and a half cups (20 oz). A can of soup is 10-and-a-half ounces (until you add water or milk – then it makes 21 oz).
Thank you so much for this – I just found out that I’m a severe celiac at the age of 45 and now that I’m gluten free, I am finding it hard to find substitutes for the “old” standbys. I love your blog BTW – as a family with different autoimmune diseases I am enjoying learning new things.
Thank you so much! Having kiddos, I have learned to replicate all kinds of family favorites – hope you enjoy them as much as we do!
I need dairy free, but not gluten free. Could I still use regular flour in this recipe?
I have not made it with regular flour, but generally speaking you need to use more liquid with gf flour, so I would use a little bit less to start.
My grand daughter has celiac disease and I am trying so hard to search out receipt and to learn what she can eat. And what to buy in grocery stores. I just want to thank you for your help and the receipt on substitute for cream soup.
Thank you so much!