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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. Just so delicious!!! Used coconut milk and not familiar with old bay seasoning so added some warming spices (nutmeg, paprika, chilli) to taste – really loved it and total bonus that it’s vegan. Thanks so much for this cracker of a recipe, will be one of my regulars!x






    • I’m going to try the recipe tonight! Did you add the coconut milk at the end of cooking or along with everything else from the beginning?






  2. The rave reviews for this soup are fitting. It is absolutely delicious. The flavors are amazing. This has to be one of the best soups we have ever had. Made it exactly as shown, but I did add chicken. Thank you.






  3. Absolutely a hit! Flavors are amazing together! Make sure you follow the cream sauce being THICK. Never really used old bay so I cut back some n glad I did. It is pretty spicey but good. I actually did not have any vegetable broth and I like to make soups with a waterbase, so I used a vegan mushroom bullion and water and this was delicious. It’s a lot less expensive and I believe it’s just as good. And you never have to worry about having vegetable broth in the cupboard. I also cut back on the kale because I’m still learning to use it and learning to like it and I didn’t want to overpower it. So I put about a good handful and it was perfect. I cut every thing up very small pretty much like the picture and that was a great idea because it doesn’t cook very long and you want vegetables tender not overcooked.

    This is such a healthy soup. You could always cut up the vegetables ahead of hand to save time at dinner time.






  4. Hi
    I put in the requisite amount of OLD BAY-don’t know if I completely like it. Added some brown sugar, and coconut milk. My mini peppers and mushrooms were added at the end- not mushy.

    Will try again, with an Old Bay substitute.

  5. Freaking so good. New to instapot, vegetarian, and so nice to find a heart soup that isn’t lentos and curry based. Have you tried freezing this soup? Wondering if it holds up well. Thank you! Heather






  6. I just made this soup last night and it is yummy. My hubby loved it too! I did cook the wild rice mix separately and then added so it wouldn’t be mushy, and I added another carrot! I used heavy cream instead of milk! This was so flavorful! I will be making this again!






  7. Easy crock pot recipe…delicious and there are leftovers!! Thanks for sharing this…






  8. Very yummy! I added chicken to mine. Tastes even better the next day.






  9. This was easy and delicious! The coconut cream and mushrooms are everything !!






  10. Looks delicious! Can this soup be frozen? I like to make huge batches and freeze some for later….

  11. This recipe is AMAZING!! ?? I made it for the first time in my Instant Pot, added two chicken breasts (which I shredded) and opted for the can of coconut milk. Super easy and delicious! Already recommended.






  12. I have made this soup twice now and just love it!! The first time, I made it with milk and added chicken. The second time I made it into a Thai coconut curry version by using coconut milk and red Thai curry paste. Great recipe!

  13. I’m a well-seasoned cook, but I was so impressed with how user friendly you made this for readers with your thorough and well written adaptations for veg and chicken-added varieties, and for all cooking methods. This soup is really delicious. I’ve made it several times this winter already. I love the addition of sweet potato and greens, which are not usually associated with the typical wild rice soup. I am not a huge fan of old bay even though I lived in Baltimore and gobbled many bushels of crabs and shellfish liberally seasoned with it. But I did this with Emerils Cajun Seasoning, and it rocked. May try the za’atr and harissa too. Keep up the good work. Kitchen wisdom is such a great thing to share!!

  14. I grew to like this recipe, however with some changes. I used the stovetop version, used spinach instead of kale, added little heavy cream at the end to increase creaminess with the added 2 1/2 times broth. I would carefully add Old Bay seasoning to taste and put carrots, celery, sweet potatoes and mushrooms in the liquid later. I don’t think from the picture the vegetables are intended to be so soft or is this the way it is supposed to be?






  15. We love this recipe so much. I’ve made it for a couple of families and even the littles like it!I’ve been using GF flour and my roux is super lumpy- any suggestions?






    • The roux ratios are off a little funky from what I am used to, but the lumpiness may very well be because your roux is really hot and you are adding too much cold milk at once. You can take your roux off the stove for a minute, then place it back on while you at first drizzle in the milk as you whisk. Don’t stop the whisking! You can gradually start adding more quantities of milk at a time as the volume increases. From the time you first start a cream sauce until all ingredients are added and it’s chilling, you can’t walk away from it. This is why I used my girls each making an alfredo sauce from scratch before I left them alone in the kitchen to have at it. haha Good luck! I am trying this tomorrow.

  16. The rice won’t cook all the way… I cooked it for the full amount of time. It’s making the rest of the ingredients mushy yet the rice is still crunchy? I love the taste but not the texture. How do I fix this?

  17. This soup is now a staple! I make it the vegan way with some alternative flour, butter, and coconut milk. Super delicious. I like to add more kale, carrots and celery than called for :)






  18. Hands down the most delicious soup I’ve ever made!! Used coconut milk to keep it vegan. I was going to give some away to friends but decided to eat it all because it was so good! Lol Thank you!!






  19. Absolutely amazing! I used the can of coconut milk instead and 1 pound of cooked ground beef rather than chicken. I also used 6 cups of organic vegetable broth rather than just water.
    Wondering what the calories might be per serving… Any thoughts?






  20. This recipe is amazing. I made it with the coconut milk and it’s a definite must. I tasted it before I added it and the coconut milk (unsweetened) just adds a great flavor. I also added chicken meatballs for an Italian Wedding flare and added a breast of chicken of which I shredded. I love coming across great recipes.






  21. This one is getting added to my hand written recipe book… Its amazing. We tried it with coconut milk and chicken. The Old Bay seasoning is a must – It really takes this from a beautiful soup to a delicious soup.






  22. Our new go to soup. Bay seasoning is key to its delicious flavor. We like to add coconut milk at end.






  23. Delicious!






  24. Since people are buying stores out of such specific things, I made this using mushroom broth instead of vegetable, and regular potatoes instead of sweet. It turned out so good and hearty! And since this makes so much we now have dinner for a couple more days, and some in the freezer for later. Great meal to have on hand when everything is so crazy!

  25. I made a few substitutions as I didnt have everything on hand – wheat berries instead of wild rice, white mushrooms instead of cremini, skipped kale and added a dollop of coconut milk to my bowl to cool it down. Delicious!






  26. Would I be able to use barley instead of wild rice in this recipe? And if so, would it affect the broth and cooking time?

    • i used half barley and half wild rice since i didn’t have enough wild rice and it turned out so great! i also added a ton of my own spices until it hit the flavor just right :)

  27. It looks yummy yum already! Thanks for sharing this colorful and wholesome recipe.

  28. Good flavor, and filling!






  29. This is a fabulous soup – hearty, healthy, super easy to make and perfectly seasoned. My husband loves it and it is just as good the next day. I love the nutiness of the wild rice. I have shared this with my daughter and daughter-in-law and they both loved it also.






  30. This recipe is absolutely the best! Spring has been slow in coming on Cape Cod and, with the stay at home advisories, we have been yearning for dishes that are comforting, healthy and filling. I have only prepared the soup using the stove top method, so far. The coconut milk adds a lovely balance to the spices. Thank you for sharing this taste bud treasure!






  31. A fantastic surprise. Lots of recipes are disappointing. This will be a frequent flier. Thank you, I loved it.






  32. Absolutely great recipe! We usually HATE kale, but in this recipe it takes amazing! We did add some red pepper flakes just because we like things a bit spicy but we LOVED it, and thank you for putting the 3 different ways of making it! that definitely helped me time wise and figuring out the best way for me to make this awesome dish






  33. How do you get the yellow colour? Mine turned out just plain white and not as appealing!!

  34. We cannot stop making this recipe! We use the coconut milk version and add chicken due to a dairy allergy and it’s amazing. Thank you for this recipe! All of my friends make it now as well!!






  35. Hello! Wondering which step the coconut milk goes in? I’m making it now and wondering if I should put it 10 minutes until it’s cooked like the cream sauce would? Thanks so much

  36. This soup is incredible. I made it with coconut milk and added quite a bit more Old Bay seasoning at the end, but other than that made it exactly as written and it was perfect. This is like $$$ restaurant quality soup.






  37. this recipe is was delicious ? first time I made it my husband requested. He said I nailed ?

  38. This was a hit with the whole family! I accidentally got the long grain and wild rice (with seasonings) in my Instacart order, so I hoped that the seasoning would be good on its own…and it sure was! Everything else to the letter. Thanks so much for this one that I’ll make often!

  39. Just had to comment on this soup again since this is the second time making it, used coconut milk both times, OMG, it’s so delicious , It’s one of those soups that you just can’t stop eating. I will be making it more often ..thx again for the recipe!,,






  40. Have you tried to freeze batches? How well does it do with the cream base?

  41. As my daughter says sooo amazing, this wS super delicious esp on a damp cold autum/winter day in ireland. I am always lookin more ways to get the Vegas into my children and find it hard, but this was the biggest hit ever!!! Thank u! Only falt is I eid love to gave had a calorie estimate at end but done it myself. Thank u for sharing this amazing recipe!!!!?






  42. Can I make this soup with jasmine rice instead?

  43. So good! I didn’t have a can of coconut milk so did a cup of box coconut milk (not as rich) with a tablespoon of cornstarch and came out great. Store was out of Old Bay so I threw in similar seasonings. I used a wild rice mix and it needed about 35 min. I don’t mind the white rice getting a little mushy, it just made it thicker! Will definitely make again.






  44. substituted the milk for oat milk and the butter for earth balance to make it vegan. added some nutritional yeast as well. also added the kale 15 minutes before it was done cooking and i like greens in soup a little more cooked. was delicious! got my fiancé to successfully eat a bunch of veggies and mushrooms so that’s always nice! thanks for the delicious recipe will definitely make it again






  45. Easy to make and modify! Thanks for the great recipe!






  46. Yum – going to make it soon, real soon.

    Sincerely,
    Yum-Yum

    P.S. Never heard of Old Bay Seasoning (American thing?).
    I’ll have a look though when in my grocery store.






    • I think it is an American thing…Here’s a diy…

      1 tablespoon celery salt
      1/4 teaspoon paprika
      1/8 teaspoon black pepper
      1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
      1 pinch ground dry mustard
      1 pinch ground mace (may substitute a teensy pinch nutmeg)
      1 pinch ground cinnamon
      1 pinch ground cardamom
      1 pinch ground allspice
      1 pinch ground cloves
      1 pinch ground ginger

      Recipe from Leite’s Culinaria.

  47. This is amazing restaurant quality soup! I love it and have made it twice in two weeks. I will probably make it a bunch more this fall and winter. Thank you :)






  48. This! Tastes! Amazing! I used creole seasoning instead of Old Bay, and it turned out SOOO GOOD!!! I’ll be making this a lot. My husband loves it!






  49. Can anyone tell me roughly how many calories this soup is. Thanks

  50. Love the recipe as it’s easy to follow and prepare it.