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

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

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  1. This soup was delish. I added 2 chicken breasts and used chicken broth instead of veggie broth. The wild rice took forever to cook. I had my slow cooker on high and it took the rice a good 4 hours to cook. I had to take the chicken out after 2 hours and set it aside while the rice finished cooking. Next time I make this, I will either soak the rice overnight or precook it in the slow cooker halfway before putting the chicken and veggies in.






  2. Your recipes just keep getting better! Perfect ‘fall’ timing on this yummy soup – the flavors are wonderful. I sautéed crumbled sausage in the olive oil to start – removed it then followed the recipe – and added the sausage back with the kale. Thank you for taking the time to – share variations, include stove top, instapot and crockpot instructions and automate the number of servings – so thoughtful and helpful to us!






    • This was a 5 STAR for us! Husband is loso and type 2 diabetic, so I used a no salt greek seasoning instead of the old bay and subbed extra mushrooms for the potatoes. I used low sodium chicken broth for the whole thing and added leftover turkey. This was amazing in the crockpot after 4 hours! I WILL be putting this into our regular rotation, Thank you!






  3. I made the stovetop version and it was really good! I didn’t have old bay so I used Cajun and a little creole seasoning. Didn’t add any salt at the end since my seasonings were already salt heavy. I also did 4 cups veg and 2 cups chicken stock since that’s what I had on hand. I noticed other people saying the rice took forever to cook on the crockpot or instapot versions but this was perfect after 35 min in a Dutch oven.






    • Agreed! I used my dutch oven and it was perfect. I have found that wild rice doesn’t cook well in my Instant Pot. My dutch oven never fails me.






  4. I really needed this recipe, Ali! I have been looking up for some yummy yet filling soup recipes to keep me cozy and this seems to be it. I’ll be trying this with coconut milk and more mushrooms. How long will I be able to store this in the fridge? I’m planning to cook a bigger batch so I can just heat it up. Thanks for this!

  5. I love the soup, but I wish you showed the nutritional facts. I am following the ww plan & I don’t know how many oints per cup.

  6. As a Marylander, I’m on board with pretty much all things Old Bay. This soup was delicious!

    Pro tip: it’s worth soaking your wild rice before you put it in the pot with the veggies. I used a Lundberg wild rice, brown rice, and red rice blend and soaked it for 30 min. before adding it to the soup pot.






  7. I’m not sure if this meant raw sweet potato or cooked but it took forever for the sweet potato to soften. I cooked it more like 4-5 Hours not 1-2. Still waiting ……I’ll let you know how it turns out.

  8. I make meal preps each week for lunch and dinner. I used this recipe for my lunch. It was creamy and comforting. I didn’t use Old Bay or celery. I didn’t have it on hand. I found the recipe to be easy and delicious. I would recommend vegans try this one.






  9. I just got done making this and it is wonderful. I had to use yellow potatoes because my husband doesn’t like sweet potatoes. But other than that I kept everything the same and we both are so enjoying it!






  10. So good! I couldn’t find Old Bay seasoning at 2 conventional grocery stores. I used a garlic herb spice mix I had on hand. I will try Old Bay next time!






  11. Hi Ali!
    I made this soup for dinner, and it was delicious! We loved the blend of creamy liquid and chewy rice. The sweet potato and mushrooms were also excellent additions. Thanks!

  12. Amazing!! New favorite soup! so cozy and flavorful!

  13. did you mean 4 hours for the crock pot/slow cooker? I’m afraid my family didn’t get to eat this for dinner because I planned on 2 hours :(

  14. I am making this as I type. I feel so confident that I will like it because I have liked everything you’ve taught me to make! I’m someone who has never been into cooking and I’ve always had esteem issues over it. Your website and your recipes are given me confidence and motivation to cook and I appreciate you so so much. Thank you.






  15. I really enjoyed this soup. Filling and tasty. I made it with Herbs de Provence as I didn’t have Old Bay seasoning and I used the coconut milk. I think the coconut milk gives it a little Thai flare, which I enjoyed. Very simple to put together.

  16. This soup is absolutely delicious!!! It’s become a staple in our house now. Thank you soo much!!

  17. Delicious hearty soup! Made exactly per recipe, on stovetop.






  18. Can I freeze this soup?

  19. Although I made many changes based on what I had on hand the Bay Seasoning is the key to this recipe.
    Made it stovetop so it was done in no time. Excellent recipe !

  20. I made this soup many times and have reviewed it in the past, but I just wanted to update because I froze it to see how it would turn out. Overall the flavor is still great, but the sweet potatoes didn’t hold up well. I don’t think I would freeze again.






  21. Holy Molie DELICOUS! I used veggie broth and coconut milk! Also added spinach with baby kale.
    The coconut milk, a total winner! Oh yeah, I did stove top cooking. I think a mild fish, or shrimp might be a great partner.
    I went vegan this round, sharing with my vegan daughter. Please try, This soup will not disappoint.






  22. I make this on the stovetop in my Dutch oven. It’s a family favourite! Perfect as written (well, I add extra garlic but I do that to every recipe!) thanks for a great healthy and filling recipe!






  23. Lovely. Stovetop worked great. I added the sweet potatoes 20 minutes after simmering for the remaining 20 minutes so they wouldn’t get too mushy. 3/4 cup half-and-half is all you need for nice creaminess. Thanks for the great recipe!






  24. Love this recipe. I did not have wild rice, but it was still good with what I had. Will definitely make again.






  25. This soup was amazing with great depth of flavor! I followed the recipe for stovetop, used 3/4 cup wild rice and 1/4 cup long grain white rice. I cooked the soup for 45 minutes as the wild rice took longer. I added sweet Italian sausage that I cooked seperatly and drained of grease on paper towels. I can’t wait to make it again!






  26. I am in LOVE with this soup!! Super easy to put in my pressure cooker! I also add chicken & use chicken stock, and I use a brown rice wild rice blend. The coconut milk with the sweet potato flavor – amazing!! Making it for the second time right now – added extra mushrooms because I LOVE mushrooms. Can’t wait to have my health conscious man-boy try it :). Going to try to freeze some for when I’m on my own again!

  27. Turned out excellent! Made in instant pot and added chicken. Based on other comments, i made the rice separately. I sauteed the veggies in veg oil for 4 minutes, then added seasoning and broth and boneless, skinless chicken breasts – 3. Pressure cooked on high 14 minutes, quick release, removed and shredded chicken, then added coconut milk, Kale, rice and chicken back in. REALLY YUMMY!






  28. My coworker gushed about this recipe so I decided to give it a try. I made the instant pot version. It came out quite liquidy and all the stuff sank to the bottom but I guess it’s a soup. My toddler enthusiastically helped me make this but turned up her nose at it when it was in her bowl. I expected the result to be saltier because of the Old Bay but it wasn’t as salty as I had feared. However it was bland as all get out. I don’t know what would fix it, perhaps some lemon juice or something acidic? Because my toddler wouldn’t even try it, obviously I’m not making it again, but it’s edible.






  29. Made so many times, absolutely delicious. My favorite variation is to use chicken broth, halve the Old Bay, add boneless skinless chicken thighs to cook with the rice, and use half milk and half cream for the coconut milk. Just a fantastic recipe all around.






  30. Best soup I’ve ever tried! Like…seriously, we made it again the next day because we were so sad it had all been eaten.






  31. This is a delicious and beautiful soup! I did not have wild rice on hand so subbed in farro which worked nicely. Thank you so much for sharing this cozy autumn soup! I’ve been very happy with all your recipes, Gimme Some Oven!






  32. This was delicious soup! I made it in the slow cooker on low for about 6 or 7 hours, but the wild rice did not cook thoroughly. I will make it again and pre-cook the rice on the stove. That was the only downfall to this recipe, and I know it was mentioned in the notes by the author. Still, this was very flavorful and I will make it again. Also, I added sliced smoked sausage and chicken for protein.






  33. I follow the stove top directions and this soup is absolutely delicious! I make it at least once a month and have it for lunch throughout the week. Sometimes, I’ll use a regular potato instead of a sweet potato. Thank you for this recipe – one of our household faves for sure!!

  34. This soup is a winner and always receives rave reviews! The secret is the Old Bay seasoning. I had to cut it back from 1.5 Tbsp to just 1 Tbsp. Perfecto!






  35. just made this amazing soup for dinner. Absolutely loved it, so yummy and comforting. Only difference is I added cooked chicken that I had on hand and used spinach that I had. Thank you for sharing this recipe, is a keeper :)






  36. Oh wow! Just made this tonight and it was incredible! I didn’t have Old Bay seasoning but used smoked paprika and a little hot sauce. This will become a family favorite! Thanks so much!






  37. This soup is amazing! I can actually eat it everyday for a week and never get sick of it! SO YUMMY! 🤤






  38. I have to echo what other commenters have been saying about using the crock pot method – the cooking time is way off, the instructions should be high for 4-6 hours. Not only is the rice not cooked, the sweet potatoes are still too hard after 2 hours on high.

  39. Love this soup so much! I’ve been trying to eat more seasonally and this is the perfect fall soup.






  40. This is our new favorite soup! Even my 15 year old son liked it! I made it on my Instant Pot and it came out amazing. I did add butternut squash as well. Will be making it again!






  41. Delicious!!! Just made this now in my dutch oven (stove top) same as some others. No problem with rice, in fact I didn’t have a full cup of wild rice so I added some dry lentils, and it all cooked well in 35-40 min. Used turkey stock leftover from thanksgiving. This is a perfect fall soup!

  42. This was amazing. Thank you so much for the wonderful recipe.






  43. Love this soup with sausage. Trying to be healthier this year so adding pulled chicken.






  44. Absolutely delicious! Will be making it a lot this winter. Even picky kid gave it a thumbs up 😉






  45. This was really good. So good that it’s one I will make again. I used the Instant Pot and the rice came out perfectly.






  46. After reading other reviews I made it on stovetop. It is delicious. I will definitely be making this a lot.

  47. One of the best vegan soups I’ve ever had. I wish the nutritional information was listed.






  48. This soup was a flop for my family of 7. I followed recipe exactly except I omitted the kale, and I used my dutch oven on the stovetop. Everyone thought the Old Bay was overpowering. I double checked: I had used the 1.5 Tbsp listed in the ingredients. Too much! It was too bad, as most of us liked the other ingredients.






  49. I love this soup and have been making it for years in my crockpot! I love mixing up the vegetables I use depending on what I have or what is in season. Coming back to it again this winter and wanted to sing its praises!