Wild Rice Soup

Craving something that's comforting, but healthy? Make this creamy wild rice soup! Autumn veggies and herbs pack it with rich, savory flavor.

Wild rice soup

The next time you have a day when all you want to do is pull on your biggest sweater and curl up on the couch, make this creamy wild rice soup. If you ask me, it’s the best kind of comfort food. It’s creamy and cozy, but it’s nourishing too. Colorful autumn veggies like carrots, celery, and mushrooms fleck its surface, and nutty wild rice and white beans make it nice and hearty. And as for that creamy broth? Well, there’s actually no heavy cream or dairy hiding inside it. Instead, it’s a wholesome, flavorful blend of white beans, cashews, almond milk, and white miso paste. It’s not at all traditional, but you’ll be heading back for a second bowl before you know it.

Wild Rice mushroom Soup

Wild Rice Soup Recipe Ingredients

If you’ve gotten this far, you know that this isn’t your average wild rice soup recipe. Classic creamy chicken and wild rice soup is filled with ingredients that I don’t usually use – chicken, of course, chicken broth, and even heavy cream. At its core, though, traditional wild rice soup contains a base of delicious fall vegetables and rice, so it’s not hard to imagine a vegetarian version. Here’s what I use in mine:

  • Wild rice! I love its nutty flavor with the savory broth and hearty autumn veggies.
  • White beans – I blend some into the soup’s creamy base and leave the rest whole. They add plenty of plant-based protein to this nourishing soup. No chicken necessary!
  • Cashews and almond milk – They blend together with the white beans to create the soup’s delicious creamy texture.
  • Miso paste and Dijon mustard – They might be unconventional, but they make this recipe really exceptional, adding savory, umami flavor to the lightly creamy broth.
  • A whole lotta veggies – You’ll find scallions, mushrooms, celery, carrots, garlic, AND kale in this creamy wild rice soup! The kale adds a wonderful fresh pop of color, while the rest of the veggies deepen the soup’s rich, savory flavor.
  • Fresh rosemary and thyme – Their cozy flavors make this wild rice soup perfect for fall!
  • Lemon juice – To brighten it all up.

Finish it off with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to make all the flavors pop!

Find the complete with measurements below.

Wild Rice Soup Recipe

Wild Rice Soup Serving Suggestions

Thanks to the rice, beans, cashews, and mushrooms, this wild rice mushroom soup is a satisfying vegetarian main course. We often pair it with a big hunk of crusty bread or rosemary focaccia and call it dinner, but if you’re in the mood for a larger meal, you have plenty of options. It’d be wonderful with a side of maple roasted acorn squash, roasted butternut squash, or my Delicata Squash with Apples and Sage. Pair it with a classic baked potato or baked sweet potato, or serve it with a hearty autumn salad like one of these:

For more salad ideas, check out this post!

If you have leftover wild rice soup, you’re in luck! This recipe tastes fantastic on days 2 and 3. It also freezes perfectly for up to 2 months. Check out this post for my best tips on freezing soups and stews!

creamy wild rice soup in a Dutch oven

More Favorite Soup Recipes

If you love this recipe, try one of these nourishing soups next:

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Wild Rice Soup

rate this recipe:
4.95 from 60 votes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Serves 4
This creamy wild rice soup recipe is hearty, cozy, and comforting. Filled with vegetables like carrots, celery, and mushrooms, it's the perfect nourishing meal for a cool fall night.

Ingredients

Creamy base

Soup

Instructions

  • Make the creamy base: Place the almond milk, cashews, white beans, miso paste, and Dijon mustard in a blender and process until smooth. Set aside.
  • Make the soup: Heat the olive oil in a medium-large Dutch oven or large pot over medium heat. Add the scallions, celery, carrot, mushrooms, and salt and stir. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are tender, 8 to 10 minutes.
  • Add the garlic, rosemary, thyme, cannellini beans, pepper, and water and stir. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
  • Remove the thyme bundle and stir in the cashew mixture, rice, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and kale. Simmer over low heat until the kale is wilted, about 5 minutes. Season to taste and serve with more lemon juice, parsley and pinches of red pepper flakes, if desired.

Notes

Note: If you're not serving the soup right away, it'll thicken as it sits. If desired, stir in up to 1 cup additional water if it gets too thick.

 

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77 comments

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Rate this recipe (after making it)




  1. Wendy
    02.19.2024

    5 stars
    This soup is just lovely with a very earthy flavor of mushrooms and wild rice. I topped ours with Swiss chard as I had it in the house. This makes for a hearty bowl of soup for lunch or dinner. Delicious!

  2. Julie Myn
    02.17.2024

    5 stars
    Exceptionally good! I loved the end result! The only thing I’d do differently next time is to not let it simmer for another 20 minutes since everything else, even the beans are pre cooked, to preserve the freshness and keep the end composition intact and not smashed. I can’t wait to try it again and manage to get the soup a bit clearer like the one shown in the photo. Thank you so much for the idea of rosmary focaccia!! Insanely good combo with the soup, I totally recommend it!

  3. Daisyheadfayzie
    02.14.2024

    5 stars
    OMG!!! This soup is the absolute BEST. I didn’t have thyme but didn’t need it. The flavors are so beautiful and rich especially the lemon. I can’t believe it’s actually healthy too. I am so in love with this soup.
    Thank you for this recipe!

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      02.16.2024

      Hi, I’m so glad you loved the soup!

  4. Elizabeth
    02.12.2024

    4 stars
    This was good but not our favorite – very rosemary forward and tasted too piney – if we make again I would add the rosemary to the thyme bundle and remove from soup. The broth was delicious though!

  5. arifa shamsheer
    01.28.2024

    5 stars
    Wow, this is amazing! …

  6. Michele
    01.27.2024

    4 stars
    A little too rosemary forward for me. Next time, I’d cut the amount in half or more. Otherwise delicious!

  7. Linda
    01.17.2024

    5 stars
    I just made this today! I used Bella’s since that’s what Costco had. I also subbed in spinach cas hubby doesn’t love kale.
    It came out EXCELLENT!
    Thank you for the plant based recipes, this is how I chose to eat! 🙂

    • Phoebe Moore (L&L Recipe Developer)
      01.19.2024

      Hi Linda, I’m so glad you enjoyed the soup!

  8. Betsy L
    01.06.2024

    5 stars
    Oh my gosh, this was the first vegan meal I’ve tried to make and it was delicious! I made the recipe as written and it was the perfect thing for the first snowstorm of the year.

    • Jeanine Donofrio
      01.09.2024

      I’m so glad you loved it!

  9. Jan from loveandlemons.com
    11.05.2023

    Can I skip the cashews or substitute with something else?

    • Ali M
      12.25.2023

      I successfully substituted a whole can of butter means for the cannellini beans and cashews in the creamy base…mostly because I didn’t have any cashews. Was very good! Not as thick, probably, as if it had been cashews, but the soup was wonderful.

  10. Nerri
    10.19.2023

    Hello! I can’t eat mushrooms so what would be the best substitution for this ingredient in this recipe?

  11. Julia
    10.02.2023

    This was a very unique soup to make and I loved how it turned out! Sadly, I didn’t have any miso paste, but I added some soy sauce to the mixture and it turned out well enough. Loved adding mushrooms to the soup.

  12. Beth
    09.29.2023

    Can you freeze this soup?

    • Isabelle
      11.04.2023

      4 stars
      I did, whatever happens next. I wouldn’t have done it with cow milk, but I don’t think it will be a problem with almond milk. We’ll see.
      next time, I will try with spinach instead of kale.

      • stacey
        11.25.2023

        I freeze it all the time, and I usually use non fat milk (cow) because that’s what I have.

A food blog with fresh, zesty recipes.
Photograph of Jeanine Donofrio and Jack Mathews in their kitchen

Hello, we're Jeanine and Jack.

We love to eat, travel, cook, and eat some more! We create & photograph vegetarian recipes from our home in Chicago, while our shiba pups eat the kale stems that fall on the kitchen floor.