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Cozy Autumn Wild Rice Soup

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This Cozy Autumn Wild Rice Soup is made with fresh seasonal vegetables and greens, hearty wild rice, and a deliciously zesty, creamy broth (made with either coconut milk or cream). Instant Pot and stovetop options included!

Who’s ready to warm up with a bowl of wild rice soup? ♡

This cozy autumn wild rice soup has become one of our readers’ favorite recipes here on Gimme Some Oven these past few winters and is also hands-down one of my personal all-time faves on the blog as well. It’s loaded up with lots of my favorite fresh seasonal produce, from sweet potatoes to kale, mushrooms, carrots, celery and onions. It’s made nice and hearty with the addition of wild rice, which just so happens to be lower in calories and higher in protein than many other rices. But best of all, it is made with the most irresistible broth, seasoned with garlic and “the bays,” as I call them, and made creamy with either the addition of coconut milk, cream or a roux-based cream sauce.

After having originally written this recipe with the cream sauce, I have to say that I — as well as so many of you readers — have become much more partial to the coconut version over the past few years, which I think adds the perfect hint of sweetness to the broth to balance out all of those savory flavors, and just so happens to make this recipe vegan too. So for any of you who haven’t tried that version yet, or this soup in general, I thought I would bump it back to the top of the blog today while we’re right in the heart of cozy comfort food season. I’ve included instructions below for how to make either the dairy or vegan versions, as well as instructions for how to make this soup in either the Instant Pot (my fave), Crock-Pot, or on the stovetop. And of course, if you’re craving some nostalgic chicken and wild rice soup, you’re always welcome to toss some shredded chicken in here as well.

More than anything, though, I just wanted to pop in and say how happy I am that so many of you have tried and loved this soup! It always means so much to me to read your comments and see photos of your dinner online. So cheers to the cozy recipes that keep us all warm this time of year…and now let’s make some soup!

Autumn Wild Rice Soup Recipe (Vegan Version) | 1-Minute Video

Wild Rice Soup Ingredients

Before we get to the full recipe below, here are a few quick notes about the ingredients you will need to make this wild rice soup recipe:

  • Wild rice: I love using 100% wild rice in this recipe, which is different than a wild rice blend or black rice (which, look out, will turn your soup purple!). That said, though, you are welcome to use whatever type of rice you prefer in this soup. Just note that different varieties of rice will require different cooking times.
  • Vegetable stock: You could use either vegetable stock or chicken stock as the base for this soup.
  • Autumn veggies: A seasonal blend of sweet potato, carrots, celery, onion, mushrooms and garlic.
  • The “bays”: I’m a big fan of using Old Bay seasoning and a bay leaf to season this soup. But if you don’t have Old Bay on hand, I have included some alternate seasoning options below.
  • Coconut milk or cream sauce: I prefer the vegan version of this soup made with coconut milk, which I believe adds the perfect touch of creamy sweetness to balance out all of those savory flavors. But alternately, you could choose to make a cream sauce (made from milk and thickened with a flour/butter roux), or you could just add in some half and half or heavy cream to taste.
  • Greens: I love adding lots of fresh kale to this soup, but baby spinach, collard greens, or any other soup-friendly greens that you have in the crisper drawer would do.
  • Salt & pepper: As always, for seasoning!

How To Make Wild Rice Soup

As mentioned, I have included detailed instructions below for how to make this wild rice soup recipe either in the Instant Pot (pressure cooker) or on the stovetop. But in general, the method is to…

  1. Cook the base of the soup. Whichever cooking method you choose, we will simmer the veggies and rice in the broth (sans cream) until the rice is completely tender.
  2. (Optional) Make your cream sauce. If you choose to use the cream sauce method, you can prepare the cream sauce in a separate saucepan while the soup cooks by melting the butter, whisking in the flour, stirring in the milk and cooking the mixture until thickened. (Or you can skip this step and add in a can of coconut milk or some half and half instead.)
  3. Add in the coconut milk (or cream sauce) and kale. Once the rice is ready to go, stir in the coconut milk (or cream sauce) and kale until combined. Then taste and season with salt and pepper.
  4. Serve. And serve it up nice and warm! I love serving this soup with some crusty bread and a simple green salad. Also, note that the soup will continue to thicken as it cools. So if it gets too thick, feel free to add in extra broth and Old Bay, to taste.

Recipe Variations

This recipe is quite flexible, so feel free to experiment with whatever ingredient variations sound good! For example, you could…

  • Add chicken: To make chicken and wild rice soup, you can either add pre-cooked diced or shredded chicken to the soup. Or you can poach a raw chicken breast in the soup while the rice cooks, then remove, shred, and add it back into the soup before serving.
  • Use a different seasoning: This soup would taste delicious with a variety of different seasoning blends (in place of Old Bay), such as Cajun seasoning, Italian seasoning or herbs de Provence.
  • Make it milder. Old Bay seasoning is mildly spicy, so if you prefer your soup with less heat, I would begin with just 2 teaspoons of Old Bay. Then you can always add more to taste later, if you would like.
  • Make it gluten-free: The vegan version of this soup is naturally gluten-free. But if you are making the dairy version and would like to thicken the broth a bit, I would recommend adding a cornstarch slurry (equal parts cold water and cornstarch mixed together) to the soup until it reaches your desired consistency.

More Vegetarian Soup Recipes

Looking for some more simple, cozy, vegetarian soup recipes this season? Here are a few more of our faves… ♡

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Cozy Autumn Wild Rice Soup

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.8 from 978 reviews
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 8 servings 1x

Description

This Cozy Autumn Wild Rice Soup features fresh seasonal produce, hearty wild rice, and a zesty creamy broth. The vegan version of the soup is listed here in this recipe, or see options below for the cream sauce version.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 6 cups vegetable stock (or chicken stock)
  • 1 cup uncooked wild rice*
  • 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 medium carrots, diced
  • 2 ribs celery, diced
  • 1 large (about 1 pound) sweet potato, peeled and diced
  • 1 small white onion, peeled and diced
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
  • 1 (14-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk (or see cream sauce option below*)
  • 2 large handfuls of kale, roughly chopped with thick stems removed
  • fine sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper

Instructions

Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker) Method:

  1. Combine base ingredients. Combine vegetable stock, wild rice, mushrooms, garlic, carrots, celery, sweet potato, onion, bay leaf and Old Bay seasoning in the bowl of an Instant Pot pressure cooker.  Stir briefly to combine.
  2. Pressure cook. Cover and cook on manual (high pressure) for 25 minutes.  Let the Instant Pot rest and naturally release the pressure for 10 minutes.  Then carefully open the vent and quick release the remaining pressure.  Remove lid and discard the bay leaf.
  3. Add final ingredients. Add the coconut milk and kale to the soup, and stir gently until combined.  Taste and season with salt and pepper (plus any extra Old Bay seasoning, if you would like) as needed.
  4. Serve. Serve warm and enjoy!

Stovetop Method:

  1. Sauté the veggies. Heat (an extra) 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat.  Add onion and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent.  Stir in the garlic and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fragrant.
  2. Add base ingredients. Add in the vegetable stock, wild rice, mushrooms, carrots, celery, sweet potato, bay leaf and Old Bay seasoning.  Stir to combine.
  3. Simmer. Continue cooking until the soup reaches a simmer.  Then reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes until the rice is tender, stirring occasionally.
  4. Add final ingredients. Add the coconut milk and kale to the soup, and stir gently until combined. Taste and season with salt and pepper (plus any extra Old Bay seasoning, if you would like) as needed.
  5. Serve. Serve warm and enjoy!


Notes

Wild rice: I used 100% wild rice which I love and recommend for this soup.  Cooking time may vary if you use a wild rice blend or a different type of rice.

Alternate cream sauce recipe: In place of the coconut milk, you can either add 1 1/2 cups half and half.  Or you can make a cream sauce by melting 3 tablespoons of butter in a (separate) saucepan over medium-high heat, whisking in 1/4 cup flour for one minute, and then whisking in 1 1/2 cups milk until the mixture is smooth.  Let the sauce cook until it nearly reaches a simmer, at which point it will thicken, then remove from heat and add the sauce to the soup once the rice has completely cooked.

Crock-Pot (Slow Cooker) Option: I decided to remove the Crock-Pot option from the recipe instructions because we have unfortunately found slow cookers to be too inconsistent in making this recipe. Different brands/models have proven to vary dramatically in terms of the cooking time required to fully soften the rice and vegetables, and too much of the broth can evaporate if the lid is not fully secure. I recommend the Instant Pot or stovetop options instead. But if you want to cook this soup in a slow cooker, just follow the Instant Pot method and slow cooker (instead of pressure cook) the soup as directed in Step 2 until the rice and veggies are tender.

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1,471 comments on “Cozy Autumn Wild Rice Soup”

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  1. Coconut milk could also happily make this gluten free, and you can easily make a vegan roux with vegan butter or olive oil and non-dairy milk from a carton. Lots of ways to make this GF and Vegan!

  2. Looks so delicious! I’m allergic to mushrooms… Do you think that the soup will be lacking without them? Or what would you recommend I use instead? Thank you in advance!

    • No problem! I think there are enough good flavors going on here that the soup would be just fine without them. :) Enjoy!

  3. Ali, this look soooo comforting and delicious!!! Great recipe!!!






  4. What is Old Bay seasoning? I have never heard of it.

    • It’s a savory blend of herbs and spices, somewhat similar to Cajun seasoning. Feel free to sub in a different favorite seasoning that you might already have on hand! (I’ll list a few options above — this is a great question.)

    • I didn’t have Old Bay seasoning but the ingredients is just paprika, celery salt, red pepper flakes and pepper. I just used those and those flavors make a tasty soup! One of the best soups I’ve had! Great recipie!

  5. I really dislike Old Bay. What else might you recommend? I’m wondering if Penzey’s Northwood spice blend would work?

  6. Any good substitution options for sweet potato? Not sure whether I’d like them in a soup..

    • Sure thing! Butternut squash would be a similar substitute. Or you’re welcome to substitute a Yukon gold potato, or just leave the potatoes out altogether. :)

  7. Another idea to make this GF and dairy free cream to add would be to roughly chop an onion and add olive oil. Then use your immersion blender to make it creamy. I cannot wait to make this!

  8. Will this soup freeze well?

  9. I’ve never been much of a soup eater, but this one sounds really good. I would definitely add the chicken, and I would use Herbes de Provence (purchased in Nice, France) for the seasoning, because I have and like that. Old Bay comes in too large a container for a spice mix I wouldn’t use much. If you keep going like this, you’re going to make a soup eater out of me… :-)

    • I swapped Herbs de Provence for the Old Bay based upon what I had in my on hand. The end result was heavenly!

  10. I made this today for lunch! Left out mushrooms and celery and used a combo of cumin/coriander/smoked paprika/turmeric/cayenne instead of the Old Bay. Also used non-dairy milk! So so good.






  11. I am sick with a horrible cold & am so excited to make this tonight, just what I need to make me feel better! I love all of your recipes & look forward to your emails, the recipes are always clear & easy to understand, & the pics are perfection. You’re the best! Happy cooking!!! All the best, Karen.

  12. This looks great! I really appreciate how, not only have you been including tweaks in your recipes to make them friendly to lots of diets, but you’re so go-with-the-flow about it. Vegan? No probs! Gf? Got you covered. Thanks!

  13. The recipe inspired me today so I picked up the groceries to make it on the way home for dinner tonight! It was truly awesome. Hearty and warm with lots of veggies to keep it light. I’m not a huge Old Bay fan myself but I think it works great in this recipe. It’s got a subtle little kick that is delicious! I’m a Minnesota girl and it’s hard to lure me away from the classic creamy wild rice and ham soup of my youth…but this one might just do it!






  14. Love how you included so many different ways to make this soup; so helpful! Love how this contains kale and sweet potatoes too :)

  15. Do you have any nutrition information on this recipe? This does not appear to be diabetic friendly. Do you have any suggestions to make this diabetes or carb friendly?

  16. This looks so delish! I can’t wait to make it. Thank you for sharing the recipe!

  17. Made this soup last night – YUM!! I added chicken for a bit heartier soup. My entire family loved it!!






  18. I made this today and it was SO good! I can’t wait to have it for lunch this week! I especially like it when the wild rice kind of pops :)






  19. I made this for dinner tonight and it was so good! Mummy and I really enjoyed it. Subbed pumpkin for the sweet potato, had no celery and used almond milk. I’m looking forward to leftovers :) Thank you so much!






  20. Could I use a wild rice blend?

  21. Looks so yummy, can’t wait to try it when our weather cools down a tad!

  22. Ooooo we got an Instant Pot at my bridal shower this summer and it has been sitting in its box in my kitchen since – intimidating me from the corner. HA! I had no idea where to start! Well, this looks like a goodie to practice with! YUM! Time for some soup!

  23. I love this soup, filling and comforting. I made mine with coconut milk, Italian seasoning, and thyme. Great recipe.






  24. This bowl of comfort looks absolutely amazing! I’ve printed the recipe and hope to try it soon. MMMMMMM!!

  25. Awesome. Just made this today.

  26. I made this for dinner tonight and I loved it! Made it on the stovetop and gluten-free. I will definitely recommend this recipe.






  27. Hi Ali, Do you know how many people this recipe serves?

  28. It looks so nourishing, I have to ask my bf to cook some for my flu discovery as soon as possible ?
    – Natalie

  29. Would this work with jasmine rice or even with farro? I’m not sure if the farro would take too long to cook or if the jasmine rice would get too mushy?

  30. Ali – you did it again! This is so delicious!
    My man always knows when it’s an “Ali Receipe”. Keep them coming!






  31. This was outstanding! I made it exactly as printed for the stove top. I will be making this again and again. Thanks so much for sharing.






  32. Wow! This looks amazing. Definitely going to give this one a try. Thanks for sharing :)

  33. Hi, has anyone made this with wild rice blend, if so can you share the cooking times? Thx!

    • I made mine with a blend and just did it for the 25 minutes. It may vary depening on the blend of rices, but that worked for me.

  34. This soup is delicious! The Old Bay makes it.






  35. Thanks so much for having different version’s to make this soup. I have a pressure cooker and don’t use it that much. So now with this recipe I am willing to try out this soup. It looks delicious and fairly easy.

  36. I made this as per the insta-pot instructions. It turned out very well!! Packing it up for my lunches this week. Thanks!

  37. How many servings of what size ( 1 cup, 1 1/2 cups, or whatever) does this recipe make?

  38. Thank you so much for sharing gf and vegan alternatives! I’m so excited to try this!

  39. Can this soup be made without milk or cream products for kashrut dietary reasons? I can sub parved margarine for the butter

  40. So good!!






  41. I made this tonight. I changed to Basmati Rice, added 12 oz mushrooms, Bone Broth. I used Arrowroot and grass fed whole milk. I also added ground turkey pasture raised and finished seasoned with Trader Joes 21 Seasoning Salute which I cooked seperate and added when the soup was finished. I also added another 8 oz of raw mushrooms when it was finished and added Spinach not Kale. To kick it up I added garlic goat cheese.
    It was awesome! Nest time I will cut down the Instant Pot cook time to 8-10 min.






  42. Can this recipe be made without a pressure cooker?

  43. Just saw the stovetop instructions. Thank you!

  44. This soup was just OK. It was edible, but there just wasn’t enough depth of flavor. The only flavor was the Old Bay which wasn’t all that great and just imparted kind of a dull, back of the throat, paprika heat coming through. The flavor was definitely lacking something, I can’t put my finger on what. The carrots and sweet potato were indistinguishable from each other. There are only 2 of us and I made the entire recipe and unfortunately the leftovers somehow got more bland and turned into a gummy mass of goop. I had to thin it out with water, which didn’t really help.






  45. Made this last night, perfect for a rainy fall night. I did the stove top version, and cooked my chicken breast (with rib meat) in with the soup. I don’t care for mushrooms so just left them out. I used the old bay seasoning and loved it. Made 8 good size servings and heated up well for my lunch today. Recipe is a keeper; thanks!






  46. This is delicious!






  47. Mine didn’t look as appetizing as your lovely photo, but it did taste good and that’s what’s important. I used butternut squash instead of sweet potato, only used a teaspoon of Old Bay, a wild rice blend, and did a vegan version using cornstarch and soy milk. My whole family enjoyed it. My husband is going to have the leftovers for lunches for the remainder of the week.






  48. A new favorite! Subsituted sweet potato for butternut squash because I had some to use up, left out celery (because I really don’t like lol), and added red pepper flakes because I love a little heat. So tasty!






  49. So I was super excited to make this recipe on a day off. Used the instant pot, added chicken, came out awesome. 3/4 of the way through the bowl, I realize I forgot to add the rice. ??‍♀️ Still delicious!!






  50. This was so good!
    I made a vegan version. I followed the stove-top directions except I used 2 tablespoons vegan butter, 1 tablespoon light yellow miso paste and I used plain, unsweetened soy milk. Otherwise all same ingredients and technique. Even my non-vegan husband liked it!