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Cozy Autumn Wild Rice Soup

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This Cozy Autumn Wild Rice Soup is made with fresh seasonal vegetables and greens, hearty wild rice, and a deliciously zesty, creamy broth (made with either coconut milk or cream). Instant Pot and stovetop options included!

Who’s ready to warm up with a bowl of wild rice soup? ♡

This cozy autumn wild rice soup has become one of our readers’ favorite recipes here on Gimme Some Oven these past few winters and is also hands-down one of my personal all-time faves on the blog as well. It’s loaded up with lots of my favorite fresh seasonal produce, from sweet potatoes to kale, mushrooms, carrots, celery and onions. It’s made nice and hearty with the addition of wild rice, which just so happens to be lower in calories and higher in protein than many other rices. But best of all, it is made with the most irresistible broth, seasoned with garlic and “the bays,” as I call them, and made creamy with either the addition of coconut milk, cream or a roux-based cream sauce.

After having originally written this recipe with the cream sauce, I have to say that I — as well as so many of you readers — have become much more partial to the coconut version over the past few years, which I think adds the perfect hint of sweetness to the broth to balance out all of those savory flavors, and just so happens to make this recipe vegan too. So for any of you who haven’t tried that version yet, or this soup in general, I thought I would bump it back to the top of the blog today while we’re right in the heart of cozy comfort food season. I’ve included instructions below for how to make either the dairy or vegan versions, as well as instructions for how to make this soup in either the Instant Pot (my fave), Crock-Pot, or on the stovetop. And of course, if you’re craving some nostalgic chicken and wild rice soup, you’re always welcome to toss some shredded chicken in here as well.

More than anything, though, I just wanted to pop in and say how happy I am that so many of you have tried and loved this soup! It always means so much to me to read your comments and see photos of your dinner online. So cheers to the cozy recipes that keep us all warm this time of year…and now let’s make some soup!

Autumn Wild Rice Soup Recipe (Vegan Version) | 1-Minute Video

Wild Rice Soup Ingredients

Before we get to the full recipe below, here are a few quick notes about the ingredients you will need to make this wild rice soup recipe:

  • Wild rice: I love using 100% wild rice in this recipe, which is different than a wild rice blend or black rice (which, look out, will turn your soup purple!). That said, though, you are welcome to use whatever type of rice you prefer in this soup. Just note that different varieties of rice will require different cooking times.
  • Vegetable stock: You could use either vegetable stock or chicken stock as the base for this soup.
  • Autumn veggies: A seasonal blend of sweet potato, carrots, celery, onion, mushrooms and garlic.
  • The “bays”: I’m a big fan of using Old Bay seasoning and a bay leaf to season this soup. But if you don’t have Old Bay on hand, I have included some alternate seasoning options below.
  • Coconut milk or cream sauce: I prefer the vegan version of this soup made with coconut milk, which I believe adds the perfect touch of creamy sweetness to balance out all of those savory flavors. But alternately, you could choose to make a cream sauce (made from milk and thickened with a flour/butter roux), or you could just add in some half and half or heavy cream to taste.
  • Greens: I love adding lots of fresh kale to this soup, but baby spinach, collard greens, or any other soup-friendly greens that you have in the crisper drawer would do.
  • Salt & pepper: As always, for seasoning!

How To Make Wild Rice Soup

As mentioned, I have included detailed instructions below for how to make this wild rice soup recipe either in the Instant Pot (pressure cooker) or on the stovetop. But in general, the method is to…

  1. Cook the base of the soup. Whichever cooking method you choose, we will simmer the veggies and rice in the broth (sans cream) until the rice is completely tender.
  2. (Optional) Make your cream sauce. If you choose to use the cream sauce method, you can prepare the cream sauce in a separate saucepan while the soup cooks by melting the butter, whisking in the flour, stirring in the milk and cooking the mixture until thickened. (Or you can skip this step and add in a can of coconut milk or some half and half instead.)
  3. Add in the coconut milk (or cream sauce) and kale. Once the rice is ready to go, stir in the coconut milk (or cream sauce) and kale until combined. Then taste and season with salt and pepper.
  4. Serve. And serve it up nice and warm! I love serving this soup with some crusty bread and a simple green salad. Also, note that the soup will continue to thicken as it cools. So if it gets too thick, feel free to add in extra broth and Old Bay, to taste.

Recipe Variations

This recipe is quite flexible, so feel free to experiment with whatever ingredient variations sound good! For example, you could…

  • Add chicken: To make chicken and wild rice soup, you can either add pre-cooked diced or shredded chicken to the soup. Or you can poach a raw chicken breast in the soup while the rice cooks, then remove, shred, and add it back into the soup before serving.
  • Use a different seasoning: This soup would taste delicious with a variety of different seasoning blends (in place of Old Bay), such as Cajun seasoning, Italian seasoning or herbs de Provence.
  • Make it milder. Old Bay seasoning is mildly spicy, so if you prefer your soup with less heat, I would begin with just 2 teaspoons of Old Bay. Then you can always add more to taste later, if you would like.
  • Make it gluten-free: The vegan version of this soup is naturally gluten-free. But if you are making the dairy version and would like to thicken the broth a bit, I would recommend adding a cornstarch slurry (equal parts cold water and cornstarch mixed together) to the soup until it reaches your desired consistency.

More Vegetarian Soup Recipes

Looking for some more simple, cozy, vegetarian soup recipes this season? Here are a few more of our faves… ♡

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Cozy Autumn Wild Rice Soup

5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star 4.8 from 978 reviews
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 45 minutes
  • Total Time: 1 hour
  • Yield: 8 servings 1x

Description

This Cozy Autumn Wild Rice Soup features fresh seasonal produce, hearty wild rice, and a zesty creamy broth. The vegan version of the soup is listed here in this recipe, or see options below for the cream sauce version.


Ingredients

Scale
  • 6 cups vegetable stock (or chicken stock)
  • 1 cup uncooked wild rice*
  • 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 medium carrots, diced
  • 2 ribs celery, diced
  • 1 large (about 1 pound) sweet potato, peeled and diced
  • 1 small white onion, peeled and diced
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 1/2 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
  • 1 (14-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk (or see cream sauce option below*)
  • 2 large handfuls of kale, roughly chopped with thick stems removed
  • fine sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper

Instructions

Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker) Method:

  1. Combine base ingredients. Combine vegetable stock, wild rice, mushrooms, garlic, carrots, celery, sweet potato, onion, bay leaf and Old Bay seasoning in the bowl of an Instant Pot pressure cooker.  Stir briefly to combine.
  2. Pressure cook. Cover and cook on manual (high pressure) for 25 minutes.  Let the Instant Pot rest and naturally release the pressure for 10 minutes.  Then carefully open the vent and quick release the remaining pressure.  Remove lid and discard the bay leaf.
  3. Add final ingredients. Add the coconut milk and kale to the soup, and stir gently until combined.  Taste and season with salt and pepper (plus any extra Old Bay seasoning, if you would like) as needed.
  4. Serve. Serve warm and enjoy!

Stovetop Method:

  1. Sauté the veggies. Heat (an extra) 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat.  Add onion and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent.  Stir in the garlic and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fragrant.
  2. Add base ingredients. Add in the vegetable stock, wild rice, mushrooms, carrots, celery, sweet potato, bay leaf and Old Bay seasoning.  Stir to combine.
  3. Simmer. Continue cooking until the soup reaches a simmer.  Then reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes until the rice is tender, stirring occasionally.
  4. Add final ingredients. Add the coconut milk and kale to the soup, and stir gently until combined. Taste and season with salt and pepper (plus any extra Old Bay seasoning, if you would like) as needed.
  5. Serve. Serve warm and enjoy!


Notes

Wild rice: I used 100% wild rice which I love and recommend for this soup.  Cooking time may vary if you use a wild rice blend or a different type of rice.

Alternate cream sauce recipe: In place of the coconut milk, you can either add 1 1/2 cups half and half.  Or you can make a cream sauce by melting 3 tablespoons of butter in a (separate) saucepan over medium-high heat, whisking in 1/4 cup flour for one minute, and then whisking in 1 1/2 cups milk until the mixture is smooth.  Let the sauce cook until it nearly reaches a simmer, at which point it will thicken, then remove from heat and add the sauce to the soup once the rice has completely cooked.

Crock-Pot (Slow Cooker) Option: I decided to remove the Crock-Pot option from the recipe instructions because we have unfortunately found slow cookers to be too inconsistent in making this recipe. Different brands/models have proven to vary dramatically in terms of the cooking time required to fully soften the rice and vegetables, and too much of the broth can evaporate if the lid is not fully secure. I recommend the Instant Pot or stovetop options instead. But if you want to cook this soup in a slow cooker, just follow the Instant Pot method and slow cooker (instead of pressure cook) the soup as directed in Step 2 until the rice and veggies are tender.

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

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  1. Used crockpot instructions. Wasn’t soup at all, was a mushy gravy at best. Tasted good but consistency was off putting.






  2. This soup was delicious! I made it on a very cold winter day and I used broccoli instead of kale and I added chicken.






  3. Love this soup!! It is now officially our go-to cold weather soup. Delicious! I first made it in the crock pot and got and instant pot for Christmas, so I will cook it that way tonight for a friend. I’m wondering how long would i cook it for if I make the rice separately (so the instant pot would only have the veggies and broth)? I’ve had issues many times before with rice coming out weird consistencies, so I am going to cook it on its own and add it in to the soup with the kale.






  4. Loved the recipe! Though, I think I messed up by using regular rice……






  5. I used quinoa instead of rice (because I forgot to buy more rice and I had quinoa on hand) and I actually liked it even better! I’d recommend that substitute as well!

  6. I made this soup with chicken stock and I added shredded chicken breast. It was so good!!






  7. I made this soup on Sunday. It is literally one of the most delicious and comforting soups I have made. Thank you!!!






  8. I made this soup Tuesday, and am eating the leftovers now. So delicious! I used a combination of quinoa, brown and black rice, made it vegan with coconut milk and Better than Boullion vegetarian base. My niece picked out the mushrooms, but otherwise devoured it. This is definitely going into my regular rotation.






  9. Can you freeze this soup?

  10. I made this recently with some of the modifications (chicken broth, added chicken, used coconut milk, and gf flour in the creme sauce) that were mentioned in the recipe. We have eaten all of the leftovers and the soup was absolutely delicious! This recipe is going into my rotation of meals to make again. Thanks so much!!

  11. Love this recipe! Will make it again & again. Thanks for sharing

  12. This looks so good and I was so happy to see the substitution for dairy milk.

  13. I didn’t snap a picture but every one who ate it loved it. A friend wanted to know if she could move in with my family if I cooked like that all the time. My mom and brother thought I bought the soup and was trying to fool them. Giggles. It’s the best . I will definitely make this again

    Thank you!






  14. This soup is SO GOOD! Added some chicken, used spinach instead of kale and used the coconut milk – it was divine, and so easy!!!






  15. I made this for dinner & everyone is hungry. As instructed, I put the rice in the crock pot on high for 4 hours. The rice is nowhere near done & now I have hangry people, myself included, and no dinner we can eat. The instructions are not clear because first it says to cook the rice ahead of time, then it says put in uncooked rice, well which one is it. I am so annoyed right now, hopefully this will be done before midnight

  16. I made this soup using 1 can of coconut milk – my soup was visually not appealing (very dark both when coconut milk mixed in) and boyfriend complained it was too sweet. Would not make again.






  17. Delicious!






  18. This came out so good in the instant pot! I used almond milk instead of milk and Italian seasoning instead of old bay. YUM! For me, it wasn’t quite done after 25 minutes so I would do a half hour next time. My whole family loved it.






  19. Really delicious…I added cauliflower, broccoli, butternut squash and substituted spinach instead of kale. Love this recipe!






  20. This. Was. Delicious! My whole family loved it. It was even good for leftovers. I made the regular, stovetop version. Thanks for the recipe.






  21. I’ve made this recipe a number of times (using milk and coconut milk) and both are delicious. My personal favorite is using the roux, but you can’t go wrong either way.






  22. Delicious soup. Cut the Old Bay to 1 TBS. Used No-Chicken broth, almond milk and Melt brand vegan margarine. Great flavor!






  23. This is such a good soup! I love that you can add frozen chicken breasts too, and then just pull them out at the end to shred and add back. That’s what we did and it was a very hearty, filling soup. I will definitely be making it again. :)






  24. It took a little longer in prep, but OMG so worth it! I made it using my insta pot. Absolutely delicious. A keeper






  25. Absolutely delicious! I made it in the crock pot and added chicken, spinach, and butternut squash. Great to come home to on a cold night!






  26. I’m going to make this with coconut milk! Do you know about how many calories per serving?

  27. Made this in the slow cooker with coconut milk. Used turnips and chayote and acorn squash . Remarkable!






  28. Ali, the beautiful pic of your soup made me want to try it. Plus the fact that all the ingreds are what my husband and I like. It went together so easy, I used the stove top method. I don’t know how to add a pic but my soup looked just like yours and is another keeper for us.






  29. Omg. Thank you for this recipe. It’s the bomb of soups. I made it exactly like the recipe except I used 3 cups of chicken broth and 3 cups of chicken bone broth.






  30. Made on the stove with coconut milk and LOVED it. Next time I would maybe add the rice in for an extra 10 minutes before some other veggies but otherwise everyone loved it I will definitely make again!! :)






  31. Super yummy and very easy to make. My husband LOVED it.






  32. Took a bowl from the freezer and enjoyed for lunch yesterday. It is a great soup, hearty and delicious on these bitterly cold days. I made it with spinach rather than kale and a wild rice blend but otherwise followed the recipe. Friends and family approve so have just gone back to the recipe to make more today. Freezes well.






  33. My husband commented “this is the best soup you have ever made.” I made mine on the stove top using chicken broth and chicken stock. I didn’t change anything else. Will definitely make this soup again.






  34. This is my third time making the recipe, I used quinoa instead of wild rice and it turned out fantastic. In the past I have tried making it without rice, and with brown rice, but I found that adding brown rice made it too mushy. The quinoa held up perfectly though! I also went a lot heavier with a mix of spinach/kale that I had. The flavor gets a lot spicier/stronger after a day or two so beware!






  35. Made this tonight minus mushrooms and using the coconut milk. It was amazing! We’re stuck home due to snow in Seattle, and this hit the spot after playing outside in the cold all day.






  36. OH My Gosh! I LOVE this soup! I used organic free range chicken broth and the pioneer woman old bay recipe. I am going to keep a jar of old bay in the house, it doesn’t appear to have msg or any junk in it, and easier than making it myself. This is comfort food on steriods! I used coconut milk and a little gluten free flour to thicken. It made more than 3 quarts. so I shared some with my neighbor. So YUMMY! I toasted ezekiel bread english muffins into croutons, boy that was good. Thanks for the great recipe. I’ll post a picture.






  37. Made this soup two times in the last three weeks. Love it with the coconut milk!






  38. I made this soup last night for dinner and it was delicious! I couldn’t find wild rice at my local grocery store so I bought instant. I reduced the broth by 2 cup, but then ended up adding back 1 cup of water. It turned out great and I will definitely make this again!






  39. I made it soup in a crockpot. It is so good. Can I freeze it?






  40. Made this the other night – it was amazing. Great with corn muffins. Took the leftovers to work for two days. Thanks!






  41. Very delicious especially for not having no meat in it. definitely will make again






  42. I made this for a party last night and it was a hit! Nearly everyone had seconds and asked for the recipe! I used the coconut milk option and it made the final soup so luscious and creamy. This is headed straight into our regular dinner rotation. So, so good! Thank you!






  43. Best Wild Rice Soup recipe I have ever made. I have tried other recipes and none compare to this one. I made the soup with the Coconut Milk (I only had light coconut milk) and left out the mushrooms (because I don’t like them). I have made this many times because it is so good. I get requests from my family for this soup.






  44. I made this vegan by adding coconut milk instead of regular milk mixed with 2-3 tablespoons flour instead of making a roux and OMG IT’S SO GOSH DARN DELICIOUS! I also had no old bay and used 1 tablespoon creole seasoning instead and pure wild rice was a little pricey so I made it with a mix. Will be making this again soon!

  45. This was delicious! I used long grain brown rice (I could not find the wild rice) and simmered for 40minutes (as per the directions for the brown rice) and it came out great.






  46. I meant to give this 5 stars!






  47. Is this freezable?

  48. This was delicious! Didn’t change a thing. I love creamy, hearty soups like this that are loaded with vegetables. Will definitely make this regularly. Thanks for a great recipe!

  49. I was worried this soup might fall flat with just the old bay seasoning but is did not. I did add chicken and used coconut milk. I make soup every week for lunch. It was a nice change of pace for me.