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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…
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.
(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.)
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.
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… ♡
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.
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.
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.
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.
Serve. Serve warm and enjoy!
Stovetop Method:
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.
Add base ingredients. Add in the vegetable stock, wild rice, mushrooms, carrots, celery, sweet potato, bay leaf and Old Bay seasoning. Stir to combine.
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.
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.
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.
On a cold late summer day at our lake home in the Northwoods of Wisconsin, this soup was the perfect thing! I make alot of soup, and this was truly one of the best I’ve had! This recipe will be on repeat!
Completely LOVE this delicious soup! Used coconut milk and it’s divine! Our new family favorite soup recipe!
Thanks for sharing such an inspired recipe!
Question: If you are using coconut milk & an Insta-pot can you add the kale & coconut milk at the outset? Or, maybe just the kale & the coconut milk at the end still??? My family will object to raw kale in the soup & kale doesn’t wilt as quickly as spinach.
This has become our #1 favorite soup recipe! I discovered it last year and was so excited to pull it out again now that it’s starting to feel like fall. I’ve tried making this with almond sauce, and with coconut milk… but I can say with 100% confidence that the dairy cream sauce is by far the best. It’s worth it, even if you’re sensitive to lactose like I am ??
My husband and I absolutely loved the soup. Especially loved using Old Bay Seasoning. I made chicken in my hot air fryer and added that along with an additional 2 cups of broth (actually used chicken bone broth). I had butternut squash in the garden so substituted that for the sweet potatoes. Will definitely make again-there is lots of room for customizing with whatever veggies we have on hand. ?
This soup is beyond fabulous. Made it with spinach and the coconut milk. We even ate the leftovers – that’s saying something. Thank you for ths fantastic soup!!
You can definitely taste a hint of the coconut flavor, but it’s not overpowering at all. (Most of our friends have commented that it just tastes slightly sweet.) If you’re worried, though, you’re welcome to use the original cream sauce posted in the recipe.
Delicious! It is around 90 degrees here on the first day of autumn but I refuse to recognize the warm weather. This is perfect in the crockpot! I added a sprig of rosemary as I had it on hand and light coconut milk. I did whisk some of the warm broth with corn starch to help thicken. I was too impatient to let it thicken to eat it lol. Next time I would switch out the sweet potato for butternut squash to add some brightness to all of the heavy flavors. I had that on hand but it was harder to cut up than the sweet potato was.
This soup was delicious and so easy to make! I had some leftover rotisserie chicken, so I used that to make chicken stock and added some chicken. We also went the coconut milk route because we have some dairy sensitivities. So good! Thank you for this recipe. It’s totally going into our meal rotation for fall.
So amazing! It has a little bit of a bite. Love the flavor that the bay leaf and Old Bay Seasoning add. Next time I’ll add sausage for the meatlovers in my house but it’s perfect without any meat. Definitely a keeper!
The flavor is absolutely there but DO NOT put the rice in the crock pot. Mine turned into purple grool well before the cook time was finished. Deep down, I knew better and I put the rice in anyway along with the sweet potato. I really think this recipe is best using the stove top method. If one must use the slow cooker, then prepare the rice separately toward the end and add the potato half way into cooking if possible. Otherwise, the dish is excellent!
Per your ideas to switch it up, I added cauliflower & a diced rotisserie chicken. It was soooooo good. Will definitely be making this again. It was so easy in the instant pot. Now I just need to convince someone to do the chopping for me… ?.
Delicious!!! Perfect with warm, crusty bread on a crisp fall day!! I will definitely be making this again! I used the coconut milk and added shredded chicken. I used the stovetop method, but based on comments, cooked the wild rice separately the day before and added it to individual bowls when serving. My whole family LOVED it!
Not sure where I went wrong. I did it in the crockpot for 8 hours. All of the stock is gone. Think it absorbed all into the rice and everything got mushy, had to throw away :(. I may try it on the stove next time.
It’s our favorite soup! We found this soup last fall when you posted it and have made it at least 10 times since. Always making a double batch so we have plenty of leftovers. We use the coconut milk version as some (me) are plant-based. It is absolutely delicious and loved by vegans and omnivores alike. I can’t wait to make it again Monday night for friends on the first cool night of the year!
I had left over cashew cream from making vegan Alfredo so I stirred that in. It was a cup of thick cashew cream and it made the soup wonderfully delicious!! I wrote it down so I’d never lose it. Most definitely going to be a fall family staple!! ???
This is amazing soup and perfect for fall! I do a few things differently as I always make soups like this in my Dutch oven on the stove. For example, there’s no need to use a separate pan to make the cream sauce. Instead put in the full amount of butter initially, saute the onions, celery & carrots, when softened add the garlic and saute for a minute or two. Then add the flour and stir and cook 1 minute. Then add the broth, mushrooms, rice, etc. Add the cream in at the end when you put the kale in.
I’ve also put in a chicken breast or two with the rice, and it adds amazing flavor. After about 20 minutes take the chicken out. Shred it and add back in at the end. I’ve also made it with butternut squash instead of sweet potatoes, which is delicious as well.
My husband and I did not enjoy this at all. In fact, we didn’t eat it after we tasted it. We had never had old bay seasoning before, and I did add coconut milk. Maybe a different seasoning, and using the flour option would be better for us. I couldn’t understand why we didn’t like it because we love the other ingredients.
I have made several of your recipes, and absolutely LOVED them.
Holy deliciousness. I made this as is (stovetop version) and love it. I will try the coconut milk variation next time. This is going to be a go to recipe. So yummy!
I loved this recipe. I also added 1/2 cup of hard red wheat and a baked pie pumpkin cut up into chunks. I also recommend adding considerably more old bay seasoning. Snacking on the roasted pumpkin seeds while eating this soup, really brought everything together.
Oh WOW, this was delicious! I switched out Kale for Spinach, coconut milk instead of milk, flour and butter and I added ground Turkey! I also added some season salt! Was fantastic!
Excellent soup recipe. It has some of the most depth and richness I’ve tasted in a vegetarian soup. Perhaps it’s the umami from the mushrooms? I used skim milk for the creaminess since it was all I had but I can imagine how much the texture would change with something with more fat! Will definitely make again.
I just made this with the coconut milk and OH MY—I love it!! What great flavor combinations. I can’t decide exactly what it is that really makes it. The yam with the mushroom? The Old Bay? Who knows! But it’s really delicious. I loved having the yam/sweet potato in there to add the sweetness and fill me up.
This is delicious! I added a chicken breast and cooked it in the crockpot around 4 hours on high. I added coconut milk instead of the cream sauce! It was an easy recipe and I will definitely make it again.
I made this in the slow cooker with coconut milk and a wild rice blend. It was delicious and creamy and easy. My husband thought it was delicious and so did my 10-year-old. Great recipe.
This soup was amazingly good. Perfect for a cold winter night. I plan to freeze it for lunches. When I freeze soups that contain rice or pasta, I cook the rice/pasta separately. I freeze the base soup solid (leaving headroom) and then spoon the rice/pasta on top and return to the freezer. This way it does not get mushy or soak up all the liquid as it thaws. Thanks for sharing this great recipe.
On a cold late summer day at our lake home in the Northwoods of Wisconsin, this soup was the perfect thing! I make alot of soup, and this was truly one of the best I’ve had! This recipe will be on repeat!
Does this freeze well?
Yes! It is even better after freezing since all the flavors really blend together!
Delicious! I did it with coconut milk, cajun seasoning (the seasonings i had) and then added chicken breast. it was soooo amazing!!!
Completely LOVE this delicious soup! Used coconut milk and it’s divine! Our new family favorite soup recipe!
Thanks for sharing such an inspired recipe!
So good! I used the can of full fat coconut milk instead of dairy products. I just had a small bowl to check the seasoning and I can’t stop eating it!
Is it possible to turn this into a freezer meal? I know the cream sauce has the potential to separate if frozen…
I would just make the cream sauce fresh while the rest of the soup is heating back up.
Delish!!! The flavors are so good. Very filling. My only complaint is that when you reheat this, there isn’t a lot of liquid.
Question: If you are using coconut milk & an Insta-pot can you add the kale & coconut milk at the outset? Or, maybe just the kale & the coconut milk at the end still??? My family will object to raw kale in the soup & kale doesn’t wilt as quickly as spinach.
This soup is delicious!! I used a can of unsweetened coconut milk instead of making a roux. Paired with a baguettte and some red wine ?
This has become our #1 favorite soup recipe! I discovered it last year and was so excited to pull it out again now that it’s starting to feel like fall. I’ve tried making this with almond sauce, and with coconut milk… but I can say with 100% confidence that the dairy cream sauce is by far the best. It’s worth it, even if you’re sensitive to lactose like I am ??
My husband and I absolutely loved the soup. Especially loved using Old Bay Seasoning. I made chicken in my hot air fryer and added that along with an additional 2 cups of broth (actually used chicken bone broth). I had butternut squash in the garden so substituted that for the sweet potatoes. Will definitely make again-there is lots of room for customizing with whatever veggies we have on hand. ?
This soup is delicious! Very flavourful. I used Italian seasoning instead of Old Bay and it was so good.
I made this soup with wild Shaggy Mane mushrooms that we harvested from the forest and garden carrots. Simply delicious.
This is definitely a keeper! So flavourful!! Made it with kale and the dairy option. Next time I will try the coconut milk to keep it vegan.
Thanks for this wonderful recipe made with homemade cheese scones a perfect rainy day dinner ❤️
This soup is beyond fabulous. Made it with spinach and the coconut milk. We even ate the leftovers – that’s saying something. Thank you for ths fantastic soup!!
My boys are not a fan of coconut oil with that said if using coconut milk can you taste a hint of coconut flavor
You can definitely taste a hint of the coconut flavor, but it’s not overpowering at all. (Most of our friends have commented that it just tastes slightly sweet.) If you’re worried, though, you’re welcome to use the original cream sauce posted in the recipe.
This soup is amazing!! I made it in the slow cooker and opted for the coconut milk version! It is sooo tasty.
Delicious, hearty soup! I used almond milk and it turned out great!
Delicious! It is around 90 degrees here on the first day of autumn but I refuse to recognize the warm weather. This is perfect in the crockpot! I added a sprig of rosemary as I had it on hand and light coconut milk. I did whisk some of the warm broth with corn starch to help thicken. I was too impatient to let it thicken to eat it lol. Next time I would switch out the sweet potato for butternut squash to add some brightness to all of the heavy flavors. I had that on hand but it was harder to cut up than the sweet potato was.
Love this soup. I made it with the coconut milk and will make it again maybe increasing the amount of veggies.
This soup was delicious and so easy to make! I had some leftover rotisserie chicken, so I used that to make chicken stock and added some chicken. We also went the coconut milk route because we have some dairy sensitivities. So good! Thank you for this recipe. It’s totally going into our meal rotation for fall.
Too much old bay. Prob 1 TBL would be perfect. Celery is too flavor forward. Good concept though. Will try again with tweaks
So amazing! It has a little bit of a bite. Love the flavor that the bay leaf and Old Bay Seasoning add. Next time I’ll add sausage for the meatlovers in my house but it’s perfect without any meat. Definitely a keeper!
The flavor is absolutely there but DO NOT put the rice in the crock pot. Mine turned into purple grool well before the cook time was finished. Deep down, I knew better and I put the rice in anyway along with the sweet potato. I really think this recipe is best using the stove top method. If one must use the slow cooker, then prepare the rice separately toward the end and add the potato half way into cooking if possible. Otherwise, the dish is excellent!
Per your ideas to switch it up, I added cauliflower & a diced rotisserie chicken. It was soooooo good. Will definitely be making this again. It was so easy in the instant pot. Now I just need to convince someone to do the chopping for me… ?.
Fantastic Autumn soup! This will be a tradition!
( I used 1 TBSP of Old Bay and it was perfect for us)
This soup is FABULOUS! I made it on the stove top and added chicken and it’s delicious!! Will make this again and again.
Absolutely fantastic!! Used chicken broth and coconut milk…no chicken. The taste was incredible…many thanks!!
This soup is life! Hearty, creamy, delicious…just perfect! Thank you for this recipe!
Delicious!!! Perfect with warm, crusty bread on a crisp fall day!! I will definitely be making this again! I used the coconut milk and added shredded chicken. I used the stovetop method, but based on comments, cooked the wild rice separately the day before and added it to individual bowls when serving. My whole family LOVED it!
Not sure where I went wrong. I did it in the crockpot for 8 hours. All of the stock is gone. Think it absorbed all into the rice and everything got mushy, had to throw away :(. I may try it on the stove next time.
It’s our favorite soup! We found this soup last fall when you posted it and have made it at least 10 times since. Always making a double batch so we have plenty of leftovers. We use the coconut milk version as some (me) are plant-based. It is absolutely delicious and loved by vegans and omnivores alike. I can’t wait to make it again Monday night for friends on the first cool night of the year!
So amazingly delicious. Wish I had the nutritional info though !!!
I’m losing weight and would love to freeze this in one cup servings and keep it legal for my lunches!!
I had left over cashew cream from making vegan Alfredo so I stirred that in. It was a cup of thick cashew cream and it made the soup wonderfully delicious!! I wrote it down so I’d never lose it. Most definitely going to be a fall family staple!! ???
Can you use spinach instead of kale?
Sure thing!
Absolutely delish… I omitted the cream and coconut milk. I will make it again. The wild rice is very tasty when you cooked it right.
This is amazing soup and perfect for fall! I do a few things differently as I always make soups like this in my Dutch oven on the stove. For example, there’s no need to use a separate pan to make the cream sauce. Instead put in the full amount of butter initially, saute the onions, celery & carrots, when softened add the garlic and saute for a minute or two. Then add the flour and stir and cook 1 minute. Then add the broth, mushrooms, rice, etc. Add the cream in at the end when you put the kale in.
I’ve also put in a chicken breast or two with the rice, and it adds amazing flavor. After about 20 minutes take the chicken out. Shred it and add back in at the end. I’ve also made it with butternut squash instead of sweet potatoes, which is delicious as well.
My husband and I did not enjoy this at all. In fact, we didn’t eat it after we tasted it. We had never had old bay seasoning before, and I did add coconut milk. Maybe a different seasoning, and using the flour option would be better for us. I couldn’t understand why we didn’t like it because we love the other ingredients.
I have made several of your recipes, and absolutely LOVED them.
Delicious! I used coconut milk instead of the flour and milk and it was perfect. Will make again. Perfect autumn soup.
Holy deliciousness. I made this as is (stovetop version) and love it. I will try the coconut milk variation next time. This is going to be a go to recipe. So yummy!
I loved this recipe. I also added 1/2 cup of hard red wheat and a baked pie pumpkin cut up into chunks. I also recommend adding considerably more old bay seasoning. Snacking on the roasted pumpkin seeds while eating this soup, really brought everything together.
Oh WOW, this was delicious! I switched out Kale for Spinach, coconut milk instead of milk, flour and butter and I added ground Turkey! I also added some season salt! Was fantastic!
Excellent soup recipe. It has some of the most depth and richness I’ve tasted in a vegetarian soup. Perhaps it’s the umami from the mushrooms? I used skim milk for the creaminess since it was all I had but I can imagine how much the texture would change with something with more fat! Will definitely make again.
I just made this with the coconut milk and OH MY—I love it!! What great flavor combinations. I can’t decide exactly what it is that really makes it. The yam with the mushroom? The Old Bay? Who knows! But it’s really delicious. I loved having the yam/sweet potato in there to add the sweetness and fill me up.
This is delicious! I added a chicken breast and cooked it in the crockpot around 4 hours on high. I added coconut milk instead of the cream sauce! It was an easy recipe and I will definitely make it again.
LOVE this soup recipe!! It has amazing flavor. I’m vegan, so I made it with the coconut milk, and the whole family loved it, even the non- vegan ones!
Thank you for sharing. I’m making it again this weekend for a family get together.
I made this in the slow cooker with coconut milk and a wild rice blend. It was delicious and creamy and easy. My husband thought it was delicious and so did my 10-year-old. Great recipe.
This soup was amazingly good. Perfect for a cold winter night. I plan to freeze it for lunches. When I freeze soups that contain rice or pasta, I cook the rice/pasta separately. I freeze the base soup solid (leaving headroom) and then spoon the rice/pasta on top and return to the freezer. This way it does not get mushy or soak up all the liquid as it thaws. Thanks for sharing this great recipe.
Very flavorful and full of yummy veggies!