Wild Rice Soup

Looking for a comforting meal? Wild rice in soup brings a chewy texture and meaty mushrooms add depth. This Wild Rice Soup is the perfect hearty vegan meal!

Wild rice is a native plant in the Great Lakes region and has long been hand-harvested by native tribes, especially in Minnesota. This grain is hearty and holds up so nicely in a bowl of broth. I love combining foods with a story or historical significance with modern ideas (like adding coconut milk for a vegan twist on dairy!)

Wild rice soup is an amazing vegetarian or vegan meal, depending on which ingredients you reach for. It’s also easy to make gluten-free so that you can share a warm bowl with anyone that stops by your home. Mushrooms and poultry seasoning bring strong flavors that act as the meat of the dish.

Ingredients for Wild Rice Soup

It’s a kind of long list, but the end result is amazing (and it’s almost all pantry staples). Rice and mushrooms are the stars here and everything builds upon the previous ingredients.

• Rice: Stick with wild rice or a blend of hearty grains containing wild rice.
• Butter: Fat is always necessary to start building flavor!
• Mirepoix: That’s a fancy word for your aromatics – onion, celery, carrots, and garlic. Yum!
• Flour: Any all-purpose will do, whether it’s wheat or gluten-free. This will thicken our soup.
• Vegetable Broth: Use this to cook your rice and to make the soup.
• Mushrooms: I use button, but grab whatever looks freshest.
• Seasoning: No recipe is complete without these basics.
• Coconut Milk: This is my go-to for adding creaminess without dairy.

How to make Wild Rice Soup

There’s a bit of dicing, simmering, and waiting, but it’s all really simple! There’s something so inviting about a pot of soup gently bubbling on the stove while you prepare the remainder of the meal.

Step 1: Cook Rice
Read the package and cook up the rice as directed. I don’t include directions as often rice blends have different preparation instructions. Make sure and use broth instead of water – this will add a lot of flavor to the rice!

Step 2: Flavor Base
Melt some butter and cook up your mirepoix until the onion is beginning to turn translucent. You’ll see some amazing brown bits in the bottom of the pot – layers of flavor, baby!

Step 3: Flour
Add the remaining butter until melted, then stir in the flour. Stir it up to get everything coated in this roux as it will then thicken your soup. Make sure to keep things moving so the flour doesn’t burn.

Step 4: Soupify
I like to stir in the broth a little bit at a time – the first splash is most important. Use a wooden spoon to release all the flavor from the bottom of the pot into the soup. This will also help ensure the flour doesn’t clump up. Add mushrooms, bay leaves, and seasonings.

Step 5: Assemble
Add cooked rice and coconut milk to the pot and stir to heat through. Taste and season as needed, then serve!

Recipe tips

Leftovers: Soup is the perfect leftover because it reheats well. Just keep in mind that the rice will continue to soak up broth so you may need to add more to your serving when you heat it.

Make it Vegan: Is wild rice soup vegan? Use a vegan buttery flavored stick in place of dairy butter, or even use olive oil.

Switch it Up: Not everyone is a fan of just wild rice, so feel free to use a blend that contains hearty varieties mixed with wild rice. I don’t recommend just white rice as it doesn’t hold up as well in the broth.

Soup Sippin’ Season

Soup isn’t just for cold days. It’s perfect for any day you need a quick bowl of comfort.

• Vegan Garlic Bread is the perfect companion for dippin’.
• Vegetarian Caesar Salad would be a great choice to serve up with soup. There’s a reason restaurants serve “soup and salad” courses.
• Healthier Deviled Eggs can be made ahead and are a quick protein to fill you up.