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This wild rice soup recipe is impossibly creamy, packed with flavor and full of tender veggies and hearty rice. Everyone asks for the recipe: it’s just that good!
This wild rice soup is something special. It’s creamy, it’s cozy, it’s savory: and yet somehow, it’s made 100% of plants. You’ll swear that somehow a little heavy cream got mixed in, but it’s all wholesome, nourishing vegetables.
Over the years, this cozy soup has been made and loved by hundreds of readers. Per my sister, who I made it for first (and who makes it regularly to this day): “This is really the best soup ever.”
5 Star Reader Reviews
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “This soup is the bomb! I’ve made it many times for my family over the past couple of years.” -Lisa
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “This recipe is amazing! I like to add shredded rotisserie chicken. I’ve made this several times and both me and my husband are obsessed!” -Sonja W.
Key Ingredients You’ll Need
- Wild Rice: Look for pure wild rice, not a wild rice blend. Pure wild rice has that distinctive dark color and takes longer to cook, but the texture and nutty flavor are worth the wait. You’ll know it’s done when most of the grains have “popped” open.
- Cashews: These are your secret weapon for creaminess. I use raw cashews, though roasted unsalted cashews work in a pinch. If you have a nut allergy, check out my Wild Rice Mushroom Soup for a nut-free alternative.
- Baby Bella Mushrooms: Also called cremini mushrooms, these add meaty texture and savory depth. I slice them rather than dice them so you get nice substantial pieces throughout the soup.
- White Beans: Cannellini or great northern beans work beautifully here. They practically melt into the broth, adding creaminess and protein.
- Vegetable Broth: Quality matters here since it’s the base of your soup. I prefer regular sodium broth for best results.
Chicken adder: While this recipe is vegan, you can also add cooked shredded chicken if you like for a protein-packed variation. Add it during the last 10 minutes of cooking.
How to Make Wild Rice Soup
This wild rice soup takes about 1 hour to make, but it’s a healthy dinner recipe that is 100% worth the effort. Since most of that time is hands off, it works as an easy dinner idea, too! Here are the basic steps to make the best wild rice soup (or jump to the recipe):
- Place your cashews in a bowl of water to soak. They’ll soften while you prepare everything else.
- Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven and sauté the onion, celery, and carrots for about 5 minutes until they start to soften and develop some golden color. Add the mushrooms and cook for a couple more minutes, then stir in the garlic and dried herbs.
- Add vegetable broth and wild rice and simmer until it pops. Bring everything to a simmer, then let it bubble gently uncovered for 20 minutes. Add your drained beans and continue simmering for another 30 to 35 minutes, until the wild rice grains have burst open and are tender.
- Make the creamy base by blending. Carefully ladle 2 cups of the hot soup into a blender, then blend with water, soaked cashews, and more seasonings. Pour this mixture back into the pot and stir well, then watch as the entire soup transforms into something impossibly rich and velvety!
Instant Pot Option
If you have an Instant Pot, this soup is modeled after our Instant Pot Wild Rice Soup one of our most fan-favorite recipes. Head to that recipe to make this using a pressure cooker.
Serving Suggestions
What to pair this wild rice soup with? I first made this soup for a dinner party in honor of a visit from my sister. It was delicious paired with a fresh salad, a signature cocktail, and crusty bread. Here’s how we served it:
- Salad like Beet Salad, Apple Salad, Pear Salad, or one of these fall salad recipes
- Fall drink like Fall Sangria, Mulled Cider, or one of these fall drinks
- Bread or muffins: try Artisan Bread, Dutch Oven Bread, Homemade Cornbread, Cornbread Muffins or Buttermilk Biscuits
Storage and Reheating
Leftover wild rice stores well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The soup thickens as it sits because the wild rice continues to absorb liquid. When reheating, add a splash of vegetable broth or water to reach your desired consistency, then warm over medium heat on the stovetop, stirring occasionally.
This soup also freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat gently on the stovetop, adding liquid as needed.
Dietary Notes
This wild rice soup recipe is vegetarian, gluten-free, vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free.
Best Wild Rice Soup (Family Favorite!)
This wild rice soup recipe is impossibly creamy, packed with flavor and full of tender veggies and hearty rice. Everyone asks for the recipe—it’s that good.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 6 to 8 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Plant Based
Ingredients
- ½ cup cashews*
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 2 celery ribs
- 3 medium carrots
- 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms
- 6 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 8 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup wild rice (not a wild rice blend)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 2 15-ounce cans white beans, drained and rinsed
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons dried sage
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce, tamari, or liquid aminos
Instructions
- Place the cashews in a bowl and cover them with water. Leave them to soak while you make the recipe.
- Dice the onion. Thinly slice the celery. Cut the carrot into rounds. Slice the mushrooms. Mince the garlic.
- Add the olive oil to a Dutch oven. Add the onion, celery and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes until lightly browned. Add mushrooms and saute for 2 minutes. Add garlic, thyme and oregano and stir for 2 minutes.
- Add the broth, wild rice, 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt, and black pepper. Bring to a simmer. Simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Then add the beans (drained and rinsed), and continue to simmer uncovered for 30 to 35 minutes more, or until rice breaks open.
- Using a liquid cup measure, carefully remove 2 cups of the hot soup (including broth, veggies and rice) to a blender. Add 1 cup water. Drain the cashews and add them to the blender, along with the dried sage. Blend on high for about 1 minute until creamy. Then pour the creamy mixture back into the soup.
- Add the soy sauce and the remaining ½ teaspoon kosher salt. Taste, and adjust seasonings as desired. Garnish with fresh ground pepper.
Notes
*I like to use raw cashews, but roasted also work. If your cashews are salted, you may need to adjust and add a little less salt at the end. For a nut allergy, go to Wild Rice Mushroom Soup.
Leftover storage: Leftover wild rice soup stores well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The soup thickens as it sits because the wild rice continues to absorb liquid. When reheating, add a splash of vegetable broth or water to reach your desired consistency, then warm over medium heat on the stovetop, stirring occasionally.
Freezing info: This soup also freezes well for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat gently on the stovetop, adding liquid as needed.
Chicken adder: While this recipe is vegan, you can also add cooked shredded chicken if you like for a protein-packed variation. Add it during the last 10 minutes of cooking.
A few more soup recipes
Here are a few more soup recipes we’d recommend to embrace the season:
- Try our favorite Lentil Soup
- Go for other cozy soups like Vegan Broccoli Soup or Chickpea Soup with Rice
- Make hearty Cabbage Soup, Classic Bean Soup or Kale Soup
- Mix up Potato Leek Soup
This is delicious. I made it exactly like the recipe and it turned out perfect and looks just like the picture. I wouldn’t change anything. I will definitely make this again.
Very good! I only have one comment- mine didn’t look as creamy as the picture attached to the recipe. It was still delicious but much thinner. Any tips for a creamier texture next time?
Finishing the daniel fast and used many of your recipes but this one is my fav! Only substitutions I made was I didn’t add a cup of water to the blended mixture, and I didn’t have dried sage on hand so I added fresh sage. It came out perfect. Many thanks for the amazing recipes!
So glad! Thank you for the omment.
Love your Wild Rice soup recipe. Made it many times in my Instapot – always a winner!!