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.
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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. These types of rice hold up better in a soup situation!
- 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.
Spice tip
Poultry seasoning? For vegans? Definitely! This blend usually contains sage, thyme, rosemary, and marjoram and pairs nicely with chicken. Using it in vegan dishes will emulate that same sort of cozy, hearty feeling you get from dishes like chicken pot pie, casseroles, and soups.
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.
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“Making it for the 4th time now and will make it until the end of time. Easy and quick (compares to other soups and stews) it is a fan favourite.” —Tabitha
Ingredients
- 1 cup wild rice or wild rice blend 210 g
- 4 Tbsp butter or margarine divided, 56 g
- 2 cups diced carrots about 3 carrots
- 2 cups diced celery about 4 stalks
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour 30 g
- 6 cups vegetable broth divided and warmed, 1.4L
- 8 oz sliced button mushrooms 236 g
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 tsp poultry seasoning
- 1 13-oz can full-fat coconut milk can sub 1 cup half and half, 368 g
Instructions
- Cook Rice: Cook rice according to instructions on package, using broth instead of water to cook the rice (it should be a ratio of about 1 cup wild rice to 2 cups broth).
- Flavor Base: Heat 2 Tbsp of the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, onion, and garlic. Cook, stirring often, until onion is soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Flour: Add remaining butter, stirring until melted. Sprinkle in flour and stir to evenly coat everything.
- Soupify: Stir in remaining 4 cups of warm broth, mushrooms, bay leaves, and poultry seasoning. Cover and bring to a gentle simmer for 10 minutes.
- Assemble: Stir cooked rice and coconut milk into the pot of broth. Taste and season with salt as needed. Serve hot with crusty bread!
Pamela Joy says
So perfect! We had a guy staying with us this summer, and he gave us a bunch of wild rice from his hometown in MN!
Very excited to try it in this soup, as I have everything I need to bring it together.
Sarah Bond says
Yummm, I love wild rice! Enjoy! 😀
Marianne says
YUM! So tasty and easy to throw together!
Miyako says
Hearty and delicious soup that is easy to make! Made it with vegan butter and wild rice mix. It was so warming after cross-country skiing and paired well with your “Best Damn Vegan Biscuits”!
Kim says
My fiancée flipped over this soup. It is so decadent! I substituted. Vegizest for the poultry seasoning since I didn’t have any, and used a wonderful Minnesota wild rice from Thousand Lakes. We got about 6 large bowl servings out of it, and paired it with sourdough bread dipped in olive oil. Wonderful!
Sarah Bond says
Sounds amazing with that wild rice and sourdough bread combo! Enjoy! 😀
Anne-sophie says
We made this soup on a very cold December day last year and it’s one of the best comfort foods we ever had! And so easy to make!
Kari ward says
Yum yum in my tum tum! It was another cold yet sunny Colorado day, so this is a perfect meal for tonight. I’m originally a Minnesota girl, so wild rice soup is a thing! My family hadn’t really bought into it until tonight. Thank you, Sarah! Thank you for this challenge and we plan to continue making some of your yummy recipes.
David B says
Hello Sarah. My question is: 4Tbsp butter is 112g or 56g? Online conversion tables show 1 Tbsp as 14g, I made thia with plain steam rice plus 2 Tbsp = 56g – Came out great. Also I had less than 236g button mushroom [about 150g] but the qty was plenty. Finally, I found it made enough soup for 6! Final Finally: I’m not “vegan” but just love your recipes. Thank you
Sarah Bond says
Oops, 4 Tbsp of butter should be 56 grams – thanks for pointing that out! Happy you enjoyed it, David!
Tabitha says
Making it for the 4th time now and will make it until the end of time. Easy and quick (compares to other soups and stews) it is a fan favourite. Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe!
Sarah Bond says
That makes me so happy to hear, Tabitha! Enjoy! 😀
Rowena says
What proportions/amounts should be used for the poultry spices? I’m very excited to make this recipe!
Sarah Bond says
Hi Rowena! This recipe for homemade seasoning should work well! 😀
Amanda says
I added chicken, now it’s perfect.