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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 1018 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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1,534 comments on “Cozy Autumn Wild Rice Soup”

  1. How many people will this serve? I have myself and four hungry guys to cook for. ?

  2. This soup is amazing!!!!






  3. Question for the folk who used coconut milk, are you still making the eye as well just substituting the coconut milk? Thank you.

    • No I just added the coconut milk alone at the end with the Kale. Delicious!

    • Andee
      I used coconut milk and the roux (using olive oil and rice flour). The soup came out very creamy and I believe it would have been fine to omit the roux. I am assuming that you are referring to the roux? Hope this helps.

    • I omitted the roux and used coconut milk . I didn’t care for the old bay seasoning with the coconut milk so I added curry and Garam Masala then sprinkled with fresh cilantro before serving and was really good.

  4. Followed the recipe per crockpot instructions. While flavorful, the wild rice is mush. I think next time I would add the rice half way through cook time. When I checked the first time potatoes were not done but the rice was already done.

  5. Made as directed for stove-top, though left out the kale because it seemed like there was already more than enough veggies for the amount of liquid I ended up with after simmering.
    Honestly, not a fan of this. There’s too much rice (used 100% wild rice, not a blend) and the texture is porridge-like. Flavor is bland and needs something to brighten it up/cut through the richness of all that flour and milk.
    Really disappointed. I made this with the intention of eating all week for lunch, but I don’t think I’ll be able to make myself eat all this :(






  6. I cannot wait to try this recipe. I will be subbing pumpkin for the sweet potato, so it might be slightly different, but I am sure it will be a good swap. I am hoping I am right. Can you tell me if you agree?

  7. This soup I made an all day event. I was home with no plans. I let the stock with seasonings simmer most of the day before adding vegetables and rice for another 3 hour simmer. At the end, I tossed in the kale and chicken I had precooked and let it simmer for another 15 minutes. It was so thick and creamy that I didn’t have to fuss with the cream. It was definitely yummly.






  8. Yummy! I added a chicken breast, used Trader Joe’s brown rice medley and for the milk I used 12 oz of evaporated milk.
    I added 2 min to the pressure cooker. I wasn’t sure on the frozen breast & a different rice. Came out great.






  9. This recipe looks promising. After reading the comments, I cooked my rice separately and added it into the soup at the end of cooking to prevent it from becoming mushy. I also added a bouquet garni with the bay leaf that included fresh sage, thyme, and parsley. Even with that, it seems like it is missing something. I let it sit overnight, so I am hoping the flavors developed a little more.






  10. Best soup ever!! First time I made it, I used a combo of long grain and wild rice, so it did come out a bit mushy…still delicious. Second time used wild rice from Trader Joe’s and it was perfect. Shared recipe with vegetarian and gluten free friends and they also loved it. (I made mine in InstaPot and they made theirs on stovetop.)






  11. Omgosh! This soup is absolutely delicious!!! I made the vegan version, and used spinach in place of kale, and cauliflower instead of sweet potato. It is INCREDIBLE!

    Since becoming vegan/plant-based just over a year ago, I have found good soup recipes difficult to make or find that fit within my diet and lifestyle. I used to frequent a nearby location in our downtown area that serves mainly soups, sandwiches, and salads. I miss the full-flavor hearty goodness of their soups, especially this time of year when the chill and dampness of the season begins to set in. This soup has remedied that for me; I would dare say it is just as wonderful (if not better!) than my old favorites. AMAZING! Even my 6-year-old loved this and named it her “new favorite soup.”

    My only complaint is that, in our home, this would yield closer to just 4-6 servings. lol So next time I will definitely be making a double batch. Keep it coming with such awesome recipes as this one, with gluten-free and vegan options, and you will have yourself a new devoted follower! Thank you!!!






  12. This sounds amazing and will be trying it but would caution against using cornstarch as a gluten free option, corn is actually a grain and not gluten free.

    • Fiachra,

      I am Gluten sensitive and therefore must eat a gluten free diet. Gluten is not in all grains and Corn would be one of the gluten free grains. There are other grains that are gluten free also. But thank goodness corn is gluten free because I would miss my beloved corn shelled tacos. BTW the soup is AMAZING!

  13. Tried this recipe, it was loved by all at home. Super easy and delicious. It’s a keeper!






  14. I made this soup today! Oh my wow!! it was yum yum yum, i used coconut milk as my hubby is gluten free! Thank-you for sharing sharing such an awesome recipe!






  15. This recipe turned out delicious! I didn’t have milk so used half and half. I cooked it in the Crock-Pot for 8 hours on low temperature. The house smelled amazing all day long. It was a family favorite!






  16. This recipe turned out delicious! I didn’t have milk so used half and half. I cooked it in the Crock-Pot for 8 hours on low temperature. The house smelled amazing all day long. It was a family favorite! Even my picky 11 year-old loved it. I served it with gluten free bread with butter.

  17. I followed the stove top directions, and used coconut milk. Oh lord. Very tasty. Will be putting it in the rotation!






  18. This soup was delicious, cooked one chicken breast in the broth , and then shredded it, added the rice and used spinach, found it to be a bit salty, so next time will not add any salt , even better heated up the next day, (added a bit more chicken broth to thin it down) , wonderful!!!!






  19. I just made this amazing soup. I used a Combination of wild and long grain rice and it turned out great I also put in extra kale and added 2 chicken breasts, a little extra chicken broth, and used 1 can of lite coconut milk. It is so good! Thank you for sharing this!






  20. This soup tastes amazing, I used coconut milk as I am not fond of flour in any of my food be it a stew or soup. The only problem I had was that it turned out black hahahaha, most probably because of the mushrooms but it’s still good. Thank you for the recipe!

  21. For some reason, I have never used old bay seasoning until now. This soup is AMAZING! I love soup more than anything and this recipe will be at the top of my rotation. I love the veggies and the flavor.






  22. I have been looking forward to making this all week and today was a great day to make it – it’s very cold here in the Midwest right now. I just tasted it and it’s great so far; I’m adding chicken and spinach to it. It’s very earthy, exactly what I was wanting. I’m also making garlic breadsticks with it. Perfect.






  23. For the Gluten free option.
    Instead of corn starch, will gluten free all purpose flour work?

    • the whole family LOVED this soup! So glad I found this recipe! I followed the Instant Pot recipe to a T + added about 1 lb of chicken breast to it & it came out perfect! Will be making again soon!






  24. Delicious soup! I used ingredients at hand to add to it (a great recipe to start!). I used the stovetop method using homemade chicken stock (simmered a whole chicken with a medium onion in water, and then shredded the chicken, discarded the onion). Made wild rice separately.

    Had some fresh sage and thyme to add, (about 2 tsp each). In addition, added 1/2 tsp. Penzys Fox Point Season (in lieu of half the salt in the recipe). I added flour (oat flour as we are celiac) to the sautéed vegetables. This creates a roux and then added the veggie mix to hot stock in a large stock pot. Broought all to a simmer and then added the dairy (mostly heavy cream and half and half) and kale and cooked wild rice. Family raved and demanded this be added to our winter favorite soups!






  25. This recipe is comfort in a bowl. I used real wild grain rice (black kind from Trader Joe’s) came out PERFECT. It’s healthy, delicious and comforting. I used coconut milk. Can’t say thank you enough.






  26. This was awesome! I will definitely be making this again. Thank you

  27. Absolutely fantastic soup!! Followed the recipe for the stovetop method, added rotissere chicken. Super easy and delious. Will definitely make again!






  28. I actually had a lot of leftover wild rice that I prepared the night before. I used a crockpot and let my veggies simmer until soft and added my kale and cooked rice at the end. I left out the flour but added a splash of half and half and a large dallop of greek yogurt (could also use sour cream). LOVED the final outcome!






  29. I am curious if this would hold up in the freezer? Trying to come up with hearty meals for my mother in law. Thank You!

    • If you could make freezer packets of cooked rice on the side to add when heated, that might prevent funky things from happening to the rice in the liquid in the freezer.

  30. I made this in the instant pot without sweet potatoes as I don’t like them. I used leeks instead of onion as I love leeks. I didn’t have old bay seasoning so I looked up the ingredients and made my own. I added 3 frozen chicken breasts and I cooked for 24minutes then NPR about 30 as I was busy doing something else. Then I made the sauce to thicken and added it with spinach. The rice was a blend of wild and brown, all our Walmart had and it was great. It wasn’t overcooked or mushy. I will definitely be making this again, it was wonderful and just what I wanted as it is a chilly 42° in East Texas tonight.?






  31. Does anyone have the nutrition information on this recipe? I keyed it in to My Fitness Pal and it came out to about 180cals per serving!

  32. This was majorly yummy. we’re not big sweet potato fans so i subbed butternut squash and fresh baby spinach for the kale. i also added chopped, cooked rotisserie chcken I served it with a green salad and it made a great dinner with leftovers for the rest of the week.






  33. Made this excellent soup recipe last night. Subbed spinach for kale and nonfat yogurt for the butter and milk. Everyone loved it and will definitely make this again!






  34. Is 1-1/2 tablespoons of Old Bay correct? Seems like too much.

  35. Wow, this was amazing! I will be making this again and again. Thank you for sharing with us. We have been vegetarian for over 25 yrs and I had to go gluten free and my daughter decide to go vegan. You made it so easy to adapt the recipe for everyone and still sooo delicious.
    Thank you,
    Rosemary from Shawnee,Ks






  36. Made this with butternut squash instead of sweet potatoes in slow cooker. It was amazing!






  37. This soup is delicious! And oh so easy to prepare. Thank you for sharing the recipe.






  38. LOVE LOVE LOVE this soup! Made it for the second time yesterday in the crockpot, first time all veges, this time with organic chicken breast. Used the can of coconut milk option which is super easy & meets requirements for dairy free daughter and gluten free hubs. Everyone loves it! ?






  39. This soup is very yummy and I don’t even like sweet potatoes!!
    I did add a shredded chicken breast for protien.
    Leftovers are equally good.






  40. This was so delicious! I did the coconut version. Yum!






  41. I loved everything about this recipe except for how spicy it is. I would reduce the old bay seasoning by at least half next time.






  42. I just made this soup !! It’s so good !! Definitely going to be a fall favorite at our house. My local grocery story didn’t have 100% wild rice but the blend worked just as good, probably could’ve cooked it for 35 mins instead of 45 ! But it’s thick and hearty, very delicious.






  43. So goooood! This is my second time making it and my new favorite fall soup recipe! I love a recipe that combines comfort and nutrition. Thank you!!






  44. Do you think cashew milk would work?

  45. I gambled in this for a potluck at work. I used the crockpot method overnight on low and discovered in the morning that 8 hours was too long! The rice was a bit too mushy, so I think I’d either try cutting back in the cooking time to 6 hours or stick with the stovetop. (I don’t have a pressure cooker…yet!) It was very aromatic and flavorful! I added the coconut milk so it could be vegan/GF, and it was yummy.






  46. This was truly, spoon-licking delicious. I diverted from the recipe slightly by using chicken thighs and browning the chicken and veg a little while the IP heated. I thought I could shorten my cooking time by prepping while it heated and add some more flavor? It made the soup slightly darker but no less delicious. Really happy with this! Fantastic find for a soul-warming, stick-to-your-bones, healthy meal. <3






  47. This is a wonderful recipe! I made the dairy version and made the bay spice at home. (It is hard to find in Canada) I added 3 teaspoons of parmesan cheese to the pot. I used what was in my fridge. Both kale and collard greens.
    Such a beautiful dish. I am very very happy.






  48. Thanks for the recipe.. yummy and filling..






  49. Made this in my pressure cooker. Followed the recipe and it came out mushy. Was really disappointed. Might try again but I will make the rice on the side and add it in the end.






  50. I have a couple alternative ingredients suggestions.
    Flour: cassava (I use nothing with corn…
    .most genetically modified crop on the planet).
    If more thickening is still needed, potato starch works just like corn starch.
    Milk: Ripple (it’s a pea protein. I cannot have coconut and found this stuff to be pretty good.)

    I’m looking forward to enjoying this scrumptious sounding soup. Thank you!