Gimme Some Oven

Cozy Autumn Wild Rice Soup

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

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… ♡

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon

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.

Share this Post

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

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

1 9 10 11 12 13 28
  1. This is absolutely delicious! The prep time, for me, was a lot longer as you’re cutting up so much, and I told my husband “well enjoy it now because I’m not making it again”. A week later I made a double batch because I wanted to share it with family and didn’t want to be without it. My new favorite soup. Thank you!






  2. This soup was amazing! Wonderful flavors and vivid colors. My husband enjoyed it as much as I did.






  3. coming from an Italian family who makes everything from scratch, I’m a picky eater and This soup is delicious!

    I took one of her tips and used some cooked rotisserie chicken breast I picked up From the grocery store but I followed her recipe only With slight variations and it came out great!

    Before you judge and say I changed the recipe, I didn’t. I just add a few extra of the existing ingredients.

    Here’s what I did differently; I used 8 cups of broth instead of 6, 5 large cloves of garlic instead of 4 and added 1 more stick of both celery and carrots than suggested.

    I also found that cooking the wild rice for 45mins did not cut it and I had to cook it 60-70mins instead. But that’s not a big deal.

    This is my go to soup from now on!






  4. Do you add the coconut milk at the beginning or after the soup has cooked in the instapot for 25 mins??

  5. Unbelievable Soup. Temps dropped and we needed something thick and full of veggies. I doubled the recipe, added one entire head of garlic and added spinach instead of kale.
    We could not eat this fast enough. Served with load of crusty baguette. Thanks for sharing this gem!






  6. 5 star recipe. Delicious! Perfect soup for the fall. I made this stovetop. I sautéed the onions, mushrooms and garlic and put them aside. I was concerned that they might get mushy. I cooked the sweet potatoes and carrots in the broth and then added the veggies. I made my own Bay Seasoning which was Ok. It needed more broth since it seemed thick. I used spinach instead of Kale. Because it seemed thick (probably because I used more veggies than the recipe called for) I used less of the cream sauce. The sauce was a nice addition to make it creamy.
    Will definitely make again. Thank you for the recipe.






  7. This is absolutely one of the best soup recipes I have ever made! I added vegetarian sausage and it was delectable.






  8. I’ve only ever used old baby seasonings for seafood, but not anymore. Loved this soup! Skipped the butter and used a can of unsweetened full fat coconut milk. Excellent!!






  9. Can you make the cream sauce with coconut milk. I’m using coconut milk, but I love the idea of the cream sauce.

    Thanks






  10. The bomb! I did the coconut milk option and added a whole rotisserie chicken and 8 cups of chicken stock because I didn’t have vegetable stock. I also used used creole seasoning because I didnt have old bay! Freaking awesome!!! My picky eaters love it! OMG. THIS IS WONDERFUL!!!






  11. absolutely delicious! i used stove top method, added 2 extra cups broth, the coconut milk, Italian seasoning blend & added parnips






  12. I made one substitution of using red-skinned potatoes instead of sweet potato, which I did not have on hand. I made the mistake of tasting the soup while very hot. It did not seem to have enough flavor, so I added a little more Old Bay; oops, now it has a bit too much of a kick, but is still delicious.
    I will definitely make this again and will enhance the recipe just a bit by sweating the other vegetables with the onions and deglazing the pan with some wine before adding the rest of the ingredients. Thank you Ali!






  13. We made this with some venison and it was pretty great. I used the coconut milk with some chia seeds for thickener instead of the milk and flour.






  14. This soup was delicious! I used cajun seasoning instead of Old Bay, and a combo of kale and spinach. So good! Will try it next time with Old Bay.






  15. This was absolutely delicious! The only change I made was I used butternut squash! I will be making this again!






    • Did you remove anything (carrots) when you added the butternut squash? I’m planning to make it in my instant pot tomorrow.

  16. Can cozy autumn wild rice soup be frozen?






  17. Oh my warm, cozy, flavorful, autumn GOODNESS!!! This is just phenomenal soup. The flavor from the Old Bay MAKES it, in my opinion. I followed the recipe (went with the chicken stock) with the exception of throwing in a small bit of diced red bell pepper that was leftover in the fridge. As suggested, I will make this with various vegetables (whatever is on hand) in the future. This is definitely going into my soup rotation. THANK you for sharing this so-good-for-the-soul dinner delight!






  18. Made the stove top method according to the recipe but substituted 1/2 can coconut milk for the butter, flour & milk….it was AMAZING!! So delicious! Thank you!!






  19. This was awesome! I substituted Kale for spinach. Topped with shaved parmesan.

  20. What can I use instead of Old Bay Seasoning? I am in the UK and can’t get that over here x

  21. I also used baby new potatoes , and spinach instead of Kale.

  22. Yum, this was so good. I’m glad I bought extra ingredients to make it again! I used the coconut milk option instead of cream, and I also used white rice instead of wild (just my boyfriend’s preference). When I make it again for just myself I’ll use the wild rice. I also did this on the stove top, and to keep it simple I did not sautee anything first, just added the garlic and onions to the soup at the same time I added all the other veggies. I liked the Old Bay seasoning, but I think it would have been good without it too. Next time I might try the cajun seasoning instead just because I like a little extra spice.






  23. I made the vegetarian version. And it tastes delicious. My daughter eats not so much vegetable. She loved the soup. Thanks for the recipe.






  24. This was amazing. It was so comforting and warm on a cold autumn night. I used the suggestion to add chicken. I added about a pound of boneless chicken thighs with the broth and other ingredients. I brought it to a boil and simmered for 15 minutes. Then took the chicken out and shredded it and put it back in. Fantastic and even better on the second night.






  25. Wild rice isn’t readily available here in Nepal… but this soup looks like the perfect antidote to the shivering cold of winters here… we have lots of varieties of white rice, a few brown rice options, and occasionally can find black rice available… which would you recommend as a replacement?

    • I would recommend brown or white rice as a replacement. Unfortunately black rice will turn the soup purple! ;)

      Hope you enjoy it!

  26. Made this for the first time today! So easy and simple and my house smells heavenly!! I finished it with a little bit of fresh squeezed lemon juice to cut the sweetness of the canned coconut milk.
    Thank you for my new favourite soup recipe!!






  27. Great soup! My husband doesn’t care for kale so I added small broccoli florets. Delish!






  28. Very yummy but…..just a heads up Old Bay seasoning (which I’ve never used before) has some heat. A little too much for us. Next time I make it I will cut it by 2/3 if not more.






  29. I have just this recipe for the second time in 2 weeks. It has become a new family favorite. What i really need is the nutritional breakdown; calories, fat, carbs, sugar, protein, sodium.






    • I am cooking it now so I can’t rate it yet, but I logged it in My Fitness Pal and with spinach and chicken broth rather than kale and vegetable broth it is:
      Cal – 215
      Fat – 14g
      Carbs – 19g
      Sugar – 5g
      Protein – 11g
      Sodium – 59mg

  30. Thank you so much!!!! My family LOVED this soup! It is a cold snowy night here, and this was perfect. It will be a regular rotation on our menu. I did add two extra cups of vegetable broth and a little more sweet potato. It is so easy to make, and so pretty!






  31. Yum! I made something similar once back but this was so much better. The sweet potatoes and wild rice are so good together. I followed the recipe exactly, and my hubby and I ate it up! I will so remake this. I used a food chopper so prep was a breeze and put it all in the instant pot. I love dump and go meals. Next time I’ll try it with the coconut milk instead of normal milk and flour.

  32. This soup is amazing! I have made it several times and freeze it in individual portions for a quick lunch. Today I added leftover Thanksgiving Turkey and it was fabulous as usual.






  33. Could this be halved?

  34. I’m cooking this on my stovetop now. It smells amazing, but spicy to taste! What can help cut down the spice?

  35. Really Great, easy recipe. Made it as is and it turned out great. Nice job!






  36. Made the stovetop version with butternut squash instead of sweet potato. Really easy to prepare, very flavorful, rich and delicious.






  37. Absolutely delicious! I made the vegan option with coconut milk and I also added broccoli and white cannelloni beans for more protein. Seriously so good and I can’t wait for the leftovers!






  38. Wow this was beyond expectations (even after reading all of the rave reviews)! We followed the Instant Pot recipe as written BUT since it’s the weekend after Thanksgiving, we added a turkey twist. We made stock from the carcass of the turkey we had dry brined for 3.5days then smoked on our Traeger and used that in this recipe which gave the stock great flavor on its own. We added bits of turkey meat (about 3c) at the same time as the kale and cream sauce. So. Good. We decided we would smoke another turkey soon just so we could make this soup again and freeze it for cold winter nights. Thank you!!

  39. I’m not sure in whose world the prep time on this soup would be 15 minutes; it took me that long PER VEGETABLE (perhaps a little shorter on the onion and garlic, since I chopped them in the food processor, but then of course it has to be washed . . .) which added up to well over an hour. Nonetheless, delicious. I used wild rice/brown rice mix, coconut milk, and a box of frozen spinach, since those were what I had on hand. I also seasoned mine with za’atar with some extra sumac and a bit of harissa powder for kick.






  40. Excellent soup! And beautiful to look at too. Will make this again!






  41. I never comment on recipes but this one was unbelievably good. I did the coconut mild prep and added a little yellow curry powder. It was a great cozy soup and we’ll be having it a lot more this winter!






  42. Wow! I made this tonight and it is delicious! The flavors are so yummy. I used 1 tablespoon of vegan butter for my onions. I also used the coconut milk and Cajun seasoning instead of old bay because it is what I had on hand also added extra of my own seasonings such as onion powder and a little basil and extra garlic because why not. I also ended up adding extra cajun seasoning at the very end, and of course salt and fresh ground pepper. My favorite soup I’ve made so far.






    • I also forgot to mention I added a can of white beans and 2 tablespoons of nutritional yeast to the soup for extra protein and skipped the sweet potatoes so I don’t have to many carbs in the soup. I will defiantly try it with the sweet potato next time.






  43. my fiance is trying to eat more veggies (less red meat – yay, finally!)… and this was one of the first recipes i made for us – HE LOVED IT! literally ate the leftovers so fast i almost didn’t get any at all (and i’m not usually a huge fan of leftovers). the old bay seasoning was perfect in this. might add tofu next time. will definitely be making again soon!

    was great with pieces of asiago bagel tossed in right before eating, or even a kings hawaiian roll!

    made with coconut milk sub (no cream sauce); added at the end with the kale. instant pot version.






  44. SO good!!
    Is freezing an option?






  45. Wow.. I hardly ever review things but this is one of the best things I’ve ever made! My husband loved it just as much as I did. If I got this at a restaurant I would be very impressed so it was great to be able to make something that tasted so good at home! I used the stovetop method and maybe added in extra onion just cause I love onion and I ended up adding two cups of water at the end since it wasn’t soupy enough for me without it. It was still incredible! Thank you SO much for this!!!






  46. Just made this soup and absolutely delicious. A nice hearty soup. Put spinach instead of kale and did not add sweet potatoes ( as my husband is not a fan) Would definitely do again. On a cold day…. this soup is perfect.






  47. Sooo good! Unfortunately the market I went to didn’t have wild rice so I looked up what I could substitute. Used long grain brown rice and turned out great! Followed the instant pot recipe for the most part (used half veggie and half chicken broth instead of all veggie) but added one frozen chicken breast. Such a comforting soup! Will definitely be making again.






  48. This soup was sooooo freakin delicious. HIGHLY suggest making it! The only thing I think I’ll do different next time is squeeze a little lemon on top. Very tasty soup, especially for a meat loving husband who is learning to love vegetarian! Delish






  49. Is the coconut milk sweetened or unsweetened?

  50. Loved it, I made one change, I added 1 lb. of Beyond Beef, just to make it a bit more protein hearty. But it was delicious and probably not needed. SO, yummy and will make again for sure.