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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 1015 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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1,531 comments on “Cozy Autumn Wild Rice Soup”

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  1. So yummy! We used coconut milk and sweet potatoes, mushrooms, carrots and onions and a Morton salt seasoning. We will definitely be making many more times. Thank you!






  2. YYYYYAAALLLLLL this soup is SOOOOOO good! I don’t normally comment on…..well really anything but this soup is so good, I had to. I made some modifications (because I always do) but the overall recipe is a staple.

    For those looking for less kale/extra spice on a vegan soup, I made the following adjustments to the crock pot cooking instructions:

    Add to main broth
    – 1.5 jalapeños
    – 1 tbs Old Bay Seasoning (Instead of 1.5 tbs)
    – 1/2 tbs Slap Ya Mama Seasoning
    – 1/2 tbs cracked red pepper

    30 Minutes prior to finish
    – 1.5 handfuls of fresh kale
    – 3 cups of water

    10 minutes prior to finish
    – 1.5 handfuls of fresh spinach
    – 1 can of coconut milk






  3. I read through all the comments before making this. It got such rave reviews I had to try it. I tweaked it and used butternut squash instead of sweet potato, I added 2 chicken breasts which I cooked in the broth while the rice was cooking, I added herbs de Provence and turmeric for seasoning, and did the coconut milk version with a little bit of wondra for further thickening. My husband picked up wild rice at the store for me and came home with a teeny weeny itty bitty box that cost a fortune. I supplemented with barley because I had it on hand. I love the texture the wild rice brings, will be looking for more affordable wild rice for next time. Everyone loved it, will be making it again and again! Thank you!






  4. Wonderful recipe! I followed the recipe as written for the pressure cooker, but used oat milk in the roux. Too late I realized that I didn’t have any spinach to stir in at the end, but the soup was fantastic without it. This is a keeper. Thank you for sharing the recipe!






  5. This soup was so delicious. I followed the exact recipe, except used chicken broth and lowered the Bay Seasoning from 1.5 tbs to 1 tbs (I didn’t want it to be too hot for my toddler). Though my toddler wouldn’t eat the soup (not a surprise-he is super picky), my husband and I both really liked it. I am a novice cook, but like to make soups. I always ask my husband for feedback on what to add/not add, or if I should make it again. Every soup is either too lemony, too salty, etc, but this one “it’s not too anything. It’s good, you should make it again.” Yay! Great recipe and will make again….maybe next time I will try the coconut milk instead of the flour/milk. Thanks!






  6. I made this stove top version with coconut milk. I put broccoli instead of kale. It turned out so good. Wish I had more room in my tummy (I had 2 bowls and honestly could have kept going if there was more room). Thank you for the recipe. I was a little hesitant using the coconut milk, but you’re right there was no coconut taste, although I do like coconut just wasn’t looking for that flavor in my soup. GREAT VEGAN SOUP!! Thank you for that option.






  7. I made the stove top version and made it vegan by using olive oil instead of butter for the cream sauce, using almond milk instead of dairy. It was on the spicy side, but just enough for us. I used a 4 oz. box of wild rice and cooked the soup for 60 minutes total. Delicious with slices of fresh ciabatta bread.

  8. Wow, this was fantastic! 8 servings….psst….whatever…. my husband and I had it for our one meal on Sunday afternoon and there is one big bowl left!
    I did change out a couple of things for what I had on hand: black rice for wild, a mix of most of the spices in Old Bay since I didn’t have Old Bay Seasoning, unsweetened soy milk for dairy milk, and a Costco mixed greens blend for kale. I served it in sourdough bowls. It was one of the best things I have made in a long while. Dangerously good soup!






  9. So easy and delish! We had to go to a few stores to find the bags of just wild rice, but so glad we did. Will definitely make again.






  10. This is one the of the best soups I have ever made or ate, ever. I sautéed all of the veggies, not the sweet potato, and I add chicken sausage, yum!!!! Tonight I have a baguette and some cheese to dip in it. Beyond yum!!!!






  11. This soup is SOOOOOOOO delicious and hearty! Perfect for a brisk, rainy, fall day. Definitely going to make again and again. Thank you for sharing!






  12. I made this for work. Doubled the recipe, added crumbled bacon and cut up chicken breasts. Minus the kale. When I went back to get my crockpot there was just a tiny bit left.






  13. This soup is definite keeper! My husband sent me the recipe, and begged me to make it. Well I’m glad he did, because we both LOVED it!!

  14. I personally dislike sweet potato (I’m a total killjoy) so I just ignored that part of the recipe lol. I think adding normal russet or yukon potatoes would work well, and next time I think I’ll add turkey sausage too.

    I also think that I could have added more mushrooms. They kinda got lost in the sauce lol.

    Idk what I did wrong, but it seems like my rice has kind of… liquified. Maybe I added too much vegetable stock without realizing it, or maybe I cooked it for too long. I dunno.

    Overall, it was a very lovely recipe and I’ll definitely play with it more in the future.






  15. It seemed like it was missing something so I added the following:
    More salt
    Couple drops Worcestershire Sauce
    Another bay leaf
    Pinch dried rosemary
    Pinch basil
    Pinch poultry seasoning






  16. This soup is so scrumptious! It received numerous compliments by the same people. Thank you for the recipe.
    I definitely will be cooking this again and again. I used spinach instead of kale since that’s what I had on hand. Usually, I don’t comment but this soup is super!!






  17. Delicious! I’m not a very good cook, so if this recipe tastes good when I make it, it’s a KEEPER!






  18. I added chicken and did it in the crock pot with the coconut milk. So good and so comforting!






  19. Yum!! This hit the spot for the first snowy day of the year. I did not have old bay, so I made my own spice blend with salt, pepper, paprika, bay leaf, ground mustard, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, and a pinch of New Mexico red chile powder. I added one diced red potato. I also cooked some sausage for the rest of the family to add to theirs. Even my husband liked it, and he usually only wants meatloaf. The only issue I had is that I live at high altitude, so the rice took a long time to cook. Next time I would let the rice simmer for 10-15 minutes before adding the veggies. that can of coconut milk makes this soup so satisfying. Will be making it again!






  20. This soup was absolutely delicious! I think it took me close to an hour to cut up everything, and I said “never again”! Well, after tasting this delicious soup I will definitely be making it again soon. We actually liked it better the following day. It’s definitely worth the work involved!






  21. This soup was EVERYTHING! I made it stove top, only difference is I included a diced bell pepper to it and we did use the coconut milk! It was savory, warm and delicious! My fiancé and I are obsessed! Great recipe thank you so much!!






  22. Made this on the stove top and it came out soooo savory and delicious, very happy with the recipe!!! I added two chicken breasts and used spinach instead of kale like you suggested. I had to use 1/2 light cream and 1/2 almond milk in the roux because I was out of milk but no bother.. also used 4 cups vegetable stock and 2 of chicken because I had a carton in the fridge to use up. Eating it now with little artisan breads and butter slices, omg so perfect for a fall day, thankyou!






    • Also I could only find a wild rice blend with basmati etc at the store, but I don’t think it mattered so much?? Is still so delicious.






  23. This looks so yummy! My kids won’t touch anything with mushrooms. Will it ruin the soup to leave them out?

  24. If you use Italian seasoning instead is it an equal amount to the old bay’s seasoning?

  25. I used a whole box of Uncle Ben’s Long Grain & Wild Rice and the seasoning that’s came with that instead of Old Bay. Delish!

  26. Delicious, my new favorite soup.






  27. I love all soups, and this one is definitely going to join the rotation. So delicious. I added two extra cups of stock so that it was a little thinner. It’s great with a roll on a cold day!






  28. Made this tonight on the stovetop in my Dutch oven while enjoying the fall weather. I added about a half cup dry white wine after the onions and garlic to deglaze the pan. Recommend! Thank you for this yummy recipe!






  29. Does this freeze okay?

  30. I made the recipe mostly as written with the ingredients just one extra each of them (love veggies) and it was very satisfying. I added the shredded rotisserie chicken minutes from serving and did cook the kale longer as that is how we like it. I always par-cook my wild rice in a broth made with carrots, celery and onion and that just sits on the stove waiting to be used. My husband thought the one cup was not enough but I did and I put wild rice in lots of dishes. The soup was not blended, I cooked it on the stove top and the sweet potatoes melt into the broth and gives a lovely orange color, like if I had used turmeric. We will be making this again, we bought a pumpkin to add to it (more flavor, color and healthy ingredients) but it was so filling I just couldn’t justify opening it up to add it. I used whole milk and homemade chicken broth and cajun spices instead of Old Bay.






  31. Made this without the sweet potato and added fried chicken tenderloins, chopped up and added 10 min before time was up. Check your wild rice as mine took about 60 minutes for it to soften up. Really a wonderful and warming recipe.






  32. I followed the recipe to a tee, but opted to use coconut milk and it was DELICIOUS!!! My four year old loved it. I prepared it on the stove top and will definitely make it again.






  33. I don’t know, I followed the recipe completely but I just wasn’t impressed. Very salty with the old bay seasoning and not a very good flavor combination with coconut milk, may make again with curry paste or some other seasoning. Sad because I wasted so many veggies, and I usually like most things.

  34. I never comment about recipes but I absolutely had to for this one. This soup is DELICIOUS! I made the vegan version with coconut milk. I also used Cabender’s seasoning instead of Seasoning Salt (by accident). I reduced it to 1TBS and it was the perfect amount of seasoning.

    I’ve shared this recipe with as many people who will listen. It’s that good!






  35. Absolutely delicious! The whole family loved it. I took some shortcuts – using pre-diced onion, carrot, celery and sautéing them all together. Also couldn’t find wild rice in the local market, so used a brown and wild rice blend. I added shredded chicken breast with the kale at the end. Will be making this again!






  36. Oh my goodness this is so good!! I put chicken in mine, left out mushrooms (my fiance hates them even though I love them), used a little Italian and no salt seasoning, and spinach. Delicious!






  37. If you follow the recipe exactly, approximately how large are the servings? 1 cup?

  38. Can anyone tell me how many quarts this makes or how much a single serving measures out to be?

    • Autum Dent and Sarah. I followed the recipe quantities, except I added two more cups of chicken broth, and I used Almond Breeze Coconut milk in place of milk. It made 8 cups. I added my own spices for the Old Bay.

      This recipe was DELICIOUS. I made it on stove top in my dutch oven. I didn’t put a timer on it, but I would highly recommend it. I sauteed my onions really well before adding the garlic, veggies, chicken, rice and broth.
      My chicken breast weren’t quite thawed so I cut them into cubes so they would cook faster. It was amazing. There are several variations that could be used depending on your personal likes. Spinach or Broccoli in place of Kale, butternut squash or even pumpkin in place of sweet potato, etc. You can vary the seasonings to be mild or spicy. I didn’t want to use the Old Bay because I didn’t know if it had MSG or other ingredients that I wouldn’t want to use. This is definitely a keeper.






  39. Made this soup for dinner; it was delicious! Had some fresh made corn bread and viola, dinner done. Thank you!






  40. Added chicken and used spinach. Added in a handful of fresh parsley also. Came inside after an afternoon raking leaves to this yummy soup! The name “Cozy” Autumn Wild Rice Soup is absolutely fitting!! I would give it 6 stars if I could!






  41. So yummy! I made this with added chicken breasts, chicken stock, butternut squash instead of sweet potatoes, and the coconut milk. I ended up adding turmeric during seasoning bc it just felt right based on the flavors. I put it in the crockpot on high for 4 hours. The squash ended up kind of dissolving into the soup, which ended up okay because it just made it creamier. The flavors get better with time. I just had another bowl a couple days after making it and my boyfriend and I agree it’s a winner. Thanks! ???






  42. I too am not the best cook and my husband is an excellent cook…we both loved it! I used our instapot, added precooked chicken breast with the kale and used a can of lite coconut milk in place of milk. Perfect! A definite keeper!

  43. Absolutely delicious. Thank you. I used half leek and 1/2 onion.






  44. I made the vegan version using coconut milk and threw in a little fresh tarragon that I needed to us up. Love the Old Bay. Wasn’t sure how it would work but it complements nicely. The soup is so easy to make and to vary. I had some leftover roasted fennel, onions, brussel sprouts and garlic that I added after the fact….also very good. I think when I make this soup again I will try roasting the carrots and sweet potato and/or butternut squash. My vegan daughter loved it so I will definitely be making it again.






  45. This soup is incredible! I made the coconut milk version on the stovetop and I can’t get over how tasty it is. I shared it on Facebook and 4 friends have written to me saying they tried and loved it too, thanks for the amazing recipe!






  46. Do you add the coconut milk in at the beginning or at the end like you would have the cream?

  47. I have never reported on a recipe but this one is so delicious i could not skip commenting. I have made both the regular and vegan versions. Both are delicious but i actually prefer the vegan version and i use butternut squash as well as the sweet potato. Both are equally delicious!! So which ever i have on hand ( sometimes its both) i throw in.






  48. Made recipe as directed rice kinda mushed up , used whole milk for cream sauce and tony chacheres as well as black pepper, onion powder garlic powder and Himalayan sea salt instead of old bay And collards instead of kale it was good but something was missing looked like a nice chowder we at it will probably try again one day with a few tweaks overall pretty good






  49. I like to cook rice separately for soups—it tends to get mushy. How much would you decrease the vegetable stock in this case?

  50. The recipe calls for vegetable stock, but did you mean vegetable broth? I used stock and the flavor was great, but the color was a lot darker than in your photos.