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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 1013 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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1,528 comments on “Cozy Autumn Wild Rice Soup”

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  1. This was absolutely delicious! I only had white rice and that made it almost more risotto like, which was delish too! I paired it with naan bread!






  2. I was unable to find 100% wild rice, ended up using a blend instead. It turned the soup base brown. But this recipe is delicious!






  3. Loved it! Made it with coconut milk and old bay in the instant pot following the directions exactly but subbed butternut squash for sweet potato. Wouldn’t change a thing!






  4. I’d made this recipe as is several times and it was a huge hit! I wanted to make it heartier this last time and did the following: doubled the recipe, replaced the rice with two 20oz bags of cheese tortellini, added 2# of browned Italian sausage. Sprinkled w/Parmesan. It was out of this world!






  5. This soup is my favourite to make in fall/winter. It is so cozy, full of flavour, filling and delicious. I personally prefer to make it with milk or cream over coconut milk. I’ve tried adding in chicken, sausage or meatballs for protein, but prefer to have it vegetarian. This recipe introduced me to Old Bay Seasoning and I’m in love, it gives this soup so much flavour!






  6. Best soup I’ve ever made!!!!
    Calories per serving?






    • Using the MFP recipe calculator, this soup is 147 calories per serving using the coconut milk method.

    • How many cups is a serving size?
      I make a big batch version of this recipe with a little more of everything to fill my soup pot and use the coconut method.

  7. Good, simple recipe. I changed it a little:
    First, I added chicken, diced and cooked along with the onions and garlic.
    I also cooked the rice, then, when adding the coconut milk and kale at the end, stirred in the cooked rice. I felt it became too mushy when cooked in with the veggies and stuff. Putting it in at the end helped keep its texture.






  8. Instant fall favorite recipe for my whole family. Even my 4 year old niece gave it 2 thumbs up!!! This is staying in my rotation every fall for sure! And don’t skimp on the Old Bay seasoning it really makes the broth. Also used the unsweetened coconut milk suggested and it just puts it over the top, absolutely delicious !!!!! I think this might be my favorite soup recipe of all time!






  9. Has anyone tried freezing this soup?

  10. I am planning to make this for a youth group and need to make ahead – it looks like I could do the veggie/broth/rice step the night before and just heat up with coconut milk and kale just before serving? Has any one tried this? Need a GF / vegetarian option and this looks amazing!

    • I did this and it worked great for a work potluck! I used a crockpot the following day to heat up and added the kale and coconut milk shortly before serving. It was a hit with everyone :)

  11. I just wanted to drop a note in case anyone is watching their fat intake like I am. I’ve made this before with coconut milk and it was fabulous! I’m now trying to keep my saturated fats low for cholesterol, so I did not use any creams.. Made this last night with autumn lentils instead of rice and added some butternut squash zig zags and it was fantastic! The lentils always get mushed when I add in soup so it gives a creamy essence without the fat of the creams. It was awesome! Will be making a few times a month.






    • Hi! I was looking to see if someone did this because I too am trying to watch my fat intake….So my question is did you replace the liquid amount for the coconut milk with more broth/stock? Thanks!

  12. Old Bay seasoning contains egg, so not vegan. I wouldn’t have expected it, but happened to look at the ingredients. Thank you for providing alternative seasonings!

    • My bottle of Old Bay doesn’t have egg, so if you happen to want to use it you may want to check again or look for a different one

  13. Cooking in a crock pot, no recipe on high cooks in 2hr it’s either 8hr on low or 4hr on high. This is way off, flavor is good but that time needs to be edited…






  14. Delicious. Thank you! Such a cozy yum yum soup!

  15. I’ve made this recipe so many times since I found it in 2019 and I must say this is an autumn/winter staple in my household. This is my favorite comforting soup! Thank you Ali!!!!

    Also just curious, can coconut cream be substituted for the coconut milk??? I’ve always used the milk, but this time all I have on hand is coconut cream and wanted to know if it is recommended before making another grocery trip.

  16. Really delicious! Only problem was dumping the rice in with veggies in the stovetop method. Veggies were done long before the wild rice blend from whole food. Wound up with mushy veggies and firm rice, but the flavor was great. I have never cooked with a store spice like Old Bay before and it was great and easy!

  17. Great flavor. I love using the insta pot however I will adjust cooking the carrots and sweet potatoes because they were softer than I would prefer.






  18. This was a fantastic soup recipe! Ideal for Fall weather. My husband kept saying with each mouthful, “This is so good”. I made it following the recipe except using less Bay Seasoning & using heavy cream. This is a good company dish too! Thank you for sharing this r recipe!!






  19. A neighbor in CO gave me this recipe a few years ago. It’s difficult to cook in high altitude (10K feet) but this turned out perfect. I have also made this soup in my KC area home and, again, it did not disappoint. I highly recommend you use the coconut milk in this recipe– my favorite change to the recipe. I had forgotten about your site until a neighbor used your Everyday Salad Dressing on the salad, she brought to a dinner I was hosting. I will continue to follow your site.






  20. Looks amazing. Plan to make it soon..I’m currently making lots of soups, pasta dishes etc n freezing them in single serve containers. Just husband n I n will love the handy great meals thru upcoming months. Must know please: can this be freezed? I would think so but wanna check

  21. Not sure where I went wrong, but my sweet potato was so soft it fell apart and my mixed rice, since I could not find straight up wild rice ate up all the broth. The word “porridge” comes to mind. We ate 1/2 just to have dinner and totally threw out the rest.

    • This is exactly what happened to me. The flavor was good but the texture is so off putting, I doubt I’ll want leftovers. Next time I’m going to make the rice separately and add at the end, and cook the broth and veggies just until the sweet potatoes are done.

  22. I made plans to try to make the vegan option for lunch at a ladies conference I am attending. I am so disappointed to find that the slow cooker method has been completely removed from this page, rather than posting a notice that slow cookers can vary in their temperatures and cook times. I’m going to try to wing it now.

  23. Taste amazing! Easy to assemble. I added ground chicken for a one pot meal. Definitely will make again.






  24. This soup could not be named more appropriately. I made mine in the crockpot, put all the ingredients except the kale and coconut cream in a crockpot on high. I checked it at the 3 and a half hour mark and all the rice and veggies were cooked. I added the kale and coconut cream and let it cook for another 15-20 minutes. Was DELICIOUS!! keep in mind that not all crock pots heat the same and are at the same power level. Make it once and see how your crock pot does and make notes for next time. This recipe it DEFINITELY a keeper!!!






  25. This was delicious and my kids all loved it too and asked me to make it again! One of my kids said it tastes exactly like fall. Made on the stove. The only thing I changed was adding only 1 tablespoon of old bay so it wouldn’t be too spicy for the kids and adding a second bay leaf to make up for that, and it was enough to add flavor without spiciness. I had trouble finding wild rice but eventually found it at Trader Joe’s.






  26. Fantastic! I’ll be making this again and again and again!!






  27. SO GOOD!! Threw in some polish sausage. It is a cold weather favorite.






  28. Would this soup freeze and then defrost nicely?

    • Yes it freezes and defrosts perfectly!
      I make a huge batch and freeze in Glad plastic containers into portions that fit my big soup cup.
      It’s just as delicious in flavor and texture after thawing…I thaw in a microwave usually.
      I’ve never been so impressed with a soup recipe as this one, so different and delicious!

  29. I was a little skeptical that the Old Bay seasoning would do the whole job, but it does! Yummy soup!






  30. Is it possible to us FF plain yogurt for the cream sauce?

  31. Made it today using stovetop method as I was making a double batch. The only chance I made was adding some squash from the garden. It is wonderful!

  32. Can you make on stove top? If yes, how does it change?

  33. This is one of my favourite soups and I have always made it in my Crock Pot. You should leave the Crock Pot recipe up and just add a note about it. Seriously, how hard i it to just say “Crock Pot Method: Add all ingredients but kale and coconut milk and cook on high for 4-6 hours, depending on your slow cooker and brand.






    • Hi Melissa! I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed the recipe and that it has worked well in the Crock-Pot. We’ve had readers report that it has taken anywhere from 2-8 hours to cook in their various brands/models of Crock-Pots, so no longer feel like we can make an accurate recommendation for that method. Still, it definitely works well for some! :)

  34. does this recipe fit in a quart Instant Pot?

  35. Does this recipe fit and cook in a 6 quart instant pot since that’s the size you linked?

  36. Obviously not an option for those with soy allergies, but to up the protein and provide the creaminess, I blended a block of silken tofu in 1 cup water, and added that as if it was the cream part.

    Otherwise, no changes (well I had a rice blend so a bit darker than wild rice), and absolutely delicious!

  37. I had super high hopes for this soup because of all the positive reviews. Am I the only one that didn’t care for this soup…? I used the Cajun seasoning instead of Old Bay but other than that I followed the recipe exactly. My kids hardly touched it. I tolerated it but was super disappointed. It felt like a waste of time and ingredients. 😞






  38. As someone who lived in Maryland for many years, I was a little skeptical of using Old Bay in such a non-traditional way, but this soup is truly tasty and doesn’t at all remind me of eating crabs (this is a good thing).

  39. My absolute FAVORITE SOUP EVER!

  40. So easy to make! I added chicken to my batch and it was great!






  41. Absolutely delicious! I sautéed some chicken and apple smoked sausages to add to the soup. It added a bit of sweetness that both my husband and I thought worked amazingly with this soup. We will definitely be making this again.






  42. I love soup, it is delicious ! I was scrolling through Pinterest and saw this and realized I had all of the ingredients! This will definitely be one of my staples now! Thank you!

  43. I want to try this tomorrow! My family hates mushrooms unfortunately, so is there another good substitution? Maybe just sweet potato and white potato or a squash? Thanks!

  44. The flavor is fabulous. The only thing I would change is the cooking time. Way too soft and mushy for our taste but was so good I will try again with less cooking time in pressure cooker or on stove top. Yum yum






  45. This has become a Halloween tradition in my house! It is an amazing filling and nourishing soup in between the buckets of candy my children eat. Halloween where I live is typically cold and rainy, a nice warm soup is the perfect dinner to fortify us before a night of trick or treating. I make mine in the slow cooker all the time, it always turns out perfect. This years version I used mushroom broth, half and half instead of coconut milk and spinach instead of kale. I also added cooked chicken at the end. A great recipe all in all that I continue to use over and over again.






  46. I’ve used the crockpot version several times and love it, but have zero memory skills. Is there a way you can send me the crockpot version? Standing here with all my ingredients and my crockpot only to see it’s gone 😢 Thank you.

  47. Fantastic recipe…and so hearty! Am looking forward to trying more of your recipes! Love the blog, too!






  48. I made this twice last year; first with added shredded rotisserie chicken– super yummy. The second time I made it as written (except I used long grain and wild rice because that’s what I had). So delicious. I am making it again tonight for lunch the rest of this week. I’ll freeze the other four portions to leave at work so I will never be tempted to go get fast food for lunch :) I was cruising through the soup recipes saved on my pinterest board and found it again. This soup is how I discovered how much I love sweet potato in soup.






  49. This soup is perfect for a cold rainy day. I made it with brown rice because that’s what I have. I added chicken. This is a keeper.






  50. Great flavor. I didn’t have wild rice in the house, so I used brown. If you do this, steam the rice separately and it per bowl as you serve so that the rice does not get overly soft.