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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 that good.
This wild rice soup is pretty incredible, if we do say so ourselves. 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.
It’s perfectly seasoned, and you might not be able to stop eating it. Over the years, it’s been made and loved by hundreds of readers. Per my sister, who we made it for first (and who makes it regularly to this day): “This is really the best soup ever.”
Featured reader comments
“This soup is the bomb! I’ve made it many times for my family over the past couple of years.” -Lisa
“This soup is a 10/10!!! It’s rich, flavorful, and comforting. My whole family loved it!” -Jessica
“This recipe is amazing! I’ve made this several times and both me and my husband are obsessed!” -Sonja W.
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! Our secrets to how to make the best wild rice soup:
- Use cashews. Blended cashews can stand in for dairy! You’ll let them soak while the soup simmers. Then you’ll take 2 cups of the soup out, veggies and all, and blend it with the soaked cashews. It makes for the creamiest base, and you’ll swear there’s dairy in it. (For a nut allergy, go to Wild Rice Mushroom Soup.)
- Add white beans and mushrooms. Because there’s no chicken in it (sorry, meat lovers!), this wild rice soup features white beans as a plant-based protein. It’s a unique addition and seriously good. Mushrooms also bring in big flavor and texture.
- Simmer until the rice pops. Wild rice notoriously takes quite a while to cook: upwards of 50 minutes. You’ll cook this soup until most of the rice grains burst and are tender. It might feel like a long time, but it’s important that the rice is perfectly tender.
Ways to serve wild rice soup
What to pair this wild rice soup with? We first made this soup for a dinner party in honor of my sister, who had just moved back to the US from living abroad. 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
Instant Pot variation
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.
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
*We used raw cashews. 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.
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
Love your Wild Rice soup recipe. Made it many times in my Instapot – always a winner!!