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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”

  1. I just made this soup and it was really good! I used two tsp. Of old bay and it was spicy enough for me. Next time I would add more rice and/or veggies but otherwise yummy.

  2. I’m so sad you removed the slow cooker recipe!! I made it all the time :(

    • I made it on the stovetop and it was a big hit with my girlfriends!
      What is the nutritional information?

    • Totally agree! I wish the original crockpot time was still included in the note. I think everyone knows to take crockpot instructions with a grain of salt (food pun) so it’s not hurting anyone having it here.

  3. Made this in my instant pot last night. It is delicious and filling. Will make again! Thanks for the recipe!






  4. I love this soup! I like more liquid, so I add 8 cups chicken bone broth and add cooked chicken to increase the protein and also use 2 cans of lite coconut milk in place of one can of full fat coconut milk and a little more carrots/celery/kale than this calls for. I go all in on the Old Bay! I accidentally forgot to add it once and was amazed at how critical an ingredient this seasoning is for this soup…..it makes ALL the difference!






  5. Do you think this would work with butternut squash instead of sweet potato?

    • I use butternut squash with this recipe regularly. Everyone loves it.

    • I made it with butternut squash tonight! It was so good. Made it in my Dutch oven though not IP and I added stew beef and cream of mushroom instead of coconut milk (cuz I love mushrooms but no one else in my family does so I snuck it in that way).






  6. How many carbs per serving?

    • I added ground sausage and it really topped it off for us. Even my toddler thought it was good and she’s normally rather picky! Definitely a new favorite.






  7. This soup was amazing!!! So hearty and filling on a cold Fall day! I made it with the unsweetened coconut milk and ended up using almost twice as much as directed. I also added chicken and had multigrain harvest bread along with it. My daughter also loved it!! Thank-you for the very delicious recipe!






  8. Made this about a month ago, had a couple of servings, froze the rest.
    Just defrosted and eaten this evening, so tasty…
    Thank you.






  9. I’ve been making this soup on a regular basis for about a year now, it is a favourite in my house! The recipe is very versatile, I’ve been able to use whatever veggies I have on hand in a pinch if needed. I will add in cooked shredded chicken or turkey for the meat eaters and leave it vegetarian for myself. One thing I absolutely do not ever change is the old bay! It makes the soup.






  10. This soup is great and easy! It makes a large amount so I used my souper cubes and have been able to have it when we want it. Also took it to a potluck and it was a star. I subbed spinach for the kale as kale and I aren’t friends. Thanks so much fo this non fatty non cream based soup!

  11. So good!! I made it in the Instant Pot and it is perfect! Thank you for this easy and absolutely yummy soup!

  12. I enjoyed this soup on a rainy autumn day! Used the instant pot. Used wild rice blend, left out the kale (cause I didn’t have any), and only poured half of the coconut milk, and it was yumma!!! Nice and soft, hearty flavor.






  13. The best soup EVER! This will be my “go to” recipe when I’ve run out of dinner ideas and just anytime! I am definitely making this for dinner guests; it looks so wonderful and impressive. It had amazing tastes in every spoonful. Thank you for this.

  14. About to make this for the second time it’s so great.

    I use the Herb de Provence option.

    Autumn in a bowl!!!






    • Love this recipe. Curious if people have frozen the leftovers and how long they can last in the freezer?






  15. is this soup good for freezing?

  16. Next time I will make this soup on the stovetop and just make the wild rice in my instapot. It tasted fine, but it wasn’t nearly as appetizing looking as the photos. It was muddy and lacked the flavor achieved by sautéing. Will make again though, as I love the combination of ingredients.






  17. Amazing recipe!! So so good!! Even my picky eaters ate it!! Thanks for the recipe! I did a double batch and added cooked rotisserie chicken and it was delicious! I only could find the wild rice in the box and I added the seasoning packet from that and substituted the coconut milk with whipping cream. Definitely will make this again!!

  18. With the weather getting colder this looked like the perfect soup to make. And I had all the ingredients which made it perfect! Even tasting it before adding the coconut milk was delicious. My husband thought it was interesting….so more for me. I’m sure it was the Old Bay seasoning that made him say that but I grew up with it and use it when I can.






  19. Made the soup! Very very good! Only changes were, left out the celery and bay leaf, used low sodium Old Bay seasoning and added sliced Smokey sausage links. Very good!

  20. So delicious! Warm and filling and perfect for a cold night!






  21. This is my FAVORITE soup recipe! I usually add a can of chickpeas for some extra protein. If you’re making it on your stovetop, I highly recommend getting the wild rice started with half the stock in a separate pot while you prep & saute the veggies (it usually takes me 45-60 min of simmering for the rice to fully cook) then just add the rice in per the instructions with the rest of the stock. This should cut down the cooking time by 10-15 min.






  22. Excellent, will definitely make it again! We threw in a parm rind at the start for some extra depth, added extra Old Bay, used a can of coconut milk, and only wilted the kale into individual servings (not a fan of reheated greens in soups). We used the “browning” setting for the onions/garlic/spices in the pressure cooker to start, then cooked as directed. It only got better as time went on and the rice soaked up the broth, almost like risotto!






  23. Superstar Soup Recipe!! I have made this soup numerous times in my crockpot. It’s healthy and flavorful. I love the idea of using the coconut milk from a can instead of cream. Plus – I add rotisserie chicken.

  24. This recipe was missing a ton of flavor with the regular recipe. I had to doctor it quite a bit with other seasonings, some heavy cream, and some acid (lemon juice). I also added cooked lentils to it.






  25. Have made this recipe multiple times and it always comes out amazing!






  26. I saw this recipe and was excited to try it, especially since it has Old Bay yum. Liked in pantry to use what I had. Needed to substitute with wild mushroom mix, Brussel sprouts, added yellow and Orange peppers and White Sweet potato Also added tbl of white miso and chickpeas. What a great taste and can’t wait until tomorrow when flavors get more pronounced.






  27. One of the best soup recipes I’ve made!!






  28. I make this every year and now with leftover Turkey and Turkey broth…. It also freezes well!






  29. The soup is delicious. I made some mistakes such as I forgot to buy the mushrooms, I used a wild rice mix including other rice, and when it was done I was too hungry to thicken it with milk and flour. It tasted really good anyway. I am sharing it with my neighbors tomorrow. Thank you for such a delicious recipe!






  30. The flavors were awesome, but I tried to do a shortcut and used Uncle Ben’s precooked wild rice and it ended up much too “liquidy”. So words of advice to those who try that route, use about 2 cups less broth. Otherwise, delicious!






  31. If I use butternut squash instead of sweet potato should I cook the squash before adding it?

  32. This is now saved to my favorites! I’ve never had wild rice soup before. This is amazing!! My husband and I both loved it and I’ve shared the recipe with several. I read all of the comments and the only things I did different was add shredded chicken thighs and replaced the kale with spinach! We will definitely be having this again!!!

  33. It’s been a while since I’ve made this recipe, so can someone remind me how big the serving size is? I will be scaling this up for use in a soup kitchen and its super to know how many cups of soup a recipe makes because “serving size” varies widely (anywhere from 8-16 oz).

  34. This has become a staple in our kitchen! I sometimes add corn and chickpeas at the end.






  35. This soup is awesome, perfect list of ingredients perfect instructions taste is absolutely perfect thank you so much I had to have a cup right after I made it I couldn’t wait to serve it for dinner

  36. Love it. Increased simmer time to 60 minutes to fully bloom the wild rice. Awesome recipe! Thank you for all the great recipes.






  37. This was just ok for me. I found the coconut milk made it too oily and that was the only fat used. I also don’t understand putting the carrots & sweet potato in with the wild rice for the entire time. Unless you like pure mush for vegetables? They only need about 5-10 mins of simmering, not 30-40.






  38. This is our new favorite soup!! Even my picky son in law loved it!






  39. My family and I loved this soup! Instead of sweet potatoes, I used butternut squash, spinach, chicken, chicken bone broth with the coconut milk along with all the other items in the recipe. So yummy!

  40. This has become one of my staple fall/winter recipes. It can be doubled/tripled easily without risk of ruining the soup’s integrity. Many compliments from all who I’ve made it for– meat eaters and vegans alike.

  41. Can I freeze this? Does this soup reheat well? Can I use coconut cream rather than coconut milk. Do I get sweetened or unsweetened?
    Thank you

  42. I didn’t have any old bay so I used some red curry paste I had on hand and it really helped add flavor and a nice color!

  43. I made this soup for my coworkers (most are not vegetarian or vegan) and they all loved it!
    I doubled the recipe and added precooked lentils from trader Joe’s, and only did half of the recommended coconut milk.
    I’ll definitely be making this again!






  44. This soup is so good! Does it work to freeze it?






  45. I LOVE this!!! Thank you so much

  46. I added some browned hot jimmy dean sausage and it’s delicious. This recipe is a keeper. I really love the coconut milk. It works! Thank you for sharing…






  47. How many people can eat from one recipe of this soup ( I know it says 8 servings but how much is a serving just curious

    • This an OMG so good soup/stew!!! Used butternut squash in place of sweet potatoes. A real winner of a recipe on a cold winter day! Thanks for posting it!!






  48. Love this soup! Always a hit! Making it again and wondering if anyone has tried it with a regular potato instead of a sweet potato?






  49. Its January, and ive made this 6 times since November ‘22. Such a good and comforting recipes for cold nights or sick days! I add 2 tble spoons instead of 1 1/2 of old bay And I add red chili flakes to taste when served :) thank you sm for this staple!

  50. I have a friend who can’t eat onions, any suggestions?