Wild rice and mushroom soup is a hearty, vegetarian soup made from scratch. Enjoy this wild rice soup recipe with crusty bread for a cozy weeknight dinner. 
Why You'll Love this Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup
You truly can't beat homemade soup when the temps start dropping. It's miles ahead of anything canned in terms of nutrition and flavor, and often leaves you with plenty of leftovers. (And I'm sure we can all agree that soup is SO much better the next day!)
This wild rice soup recipe features meaty mushrooms, a wealth of aromatics, and rustic herbs. The wild rice adds hearty texture and earthy flavor, plus lots of essential nutrients. Wild rice takes longer to cook than most other rice varieties, however the finished result is always worth it.
Enjoy this bowl of bliss with crusty bread and fresh Parmesan, and experience healthy comfort food at its finest.
Recipe Ingredients and Substitutions
- Wild Rice: Technically, wild rice is not a rice, but rather a semi-aquatic grass native to North America. You can typically find it in the bulk bin section or grain aisle of most well-stocked grocery stores. Cooked wild rice has a cream-colored interior and deliciously nutty flavor. It’s fantastic in pilafs, stuffings, and casseroles, and also gives heft to chowders and soups.
- Mushrooms: I use baby bella (or cremini) mushrooms, however the options are endless here. You can use a mix of shiitakes, white button, or a more exotic blend. I don't suggest using only white button, though--they lack the umami and "oomph" factor compared to other varieties.
- Aromatics: All good homemade soups start with a mirepoix as the flavor base. I like using a traditional mix of onion, carrots, and celery, plus some minced garlic cloves.
- Spice blend: You want lots of earthy dried spices here to add a rustic backbone to the dish. I suggest using either Herbes de Provence or poultry seasoning, which include similar herb blends.
- Cream: To achieve a rich, creamy consistency, this soup requires either heavy cream or cashew cream. If making dairy free/vegan, use homemade or store-bought cashew cream. Otherwise, just ½ cup of heavy cream adds plenty of richness.
- To make homemade cashew cream, simply soak ⅓ cup raw cashews in ⅔ cup of hot/boiling water for 30 minutes (or longer). Once the cashews soften, transfer mixture to a high power blender and blend until smooth.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Sauté the Vegetables
Heat a glug of oil and a pat of butter in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onion, carrots, and celery, and cook for about 8 minutes, until softened.
Step 2: Add the Mushrooms
Next, add the mushrooms and garlic, and stir to combine. Cook this mixture for about 6 to 8 more minutes, until the mushrooms are soft and slightly golden.
Step 3: Add the Rice and Simmer Soup
Add the wild rice and stir to coat. Let the rice cook for 1 to 2 minutes to lightly toast the grains. Next, stir in the salt, pepper, and herb mixture.
Add the broth and stir well. Bring the mixture to a low boil, cover, reduce the heat, and simmer for 45 to 60 minutes, or until the rice is tender.
Step 4: Add Cream and Parmesan
Remove the lid and stir in the heavy cream. Gradually sprinkle in the Parmesan cheese, while stirring continuously to avoid clumping, until all is combined. Lastly, remove from heat, ladle into bowls, and top with garnishes of choice!
FAQs and Expert Tips
What to Serve with Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup:
I love serving this soup with a crusty French baguette for sopping up extra broth. Alternatively, you can make homemade croutons with day old bread and sprinkle them overtop.
As far as sides, this soup complements a fresh, crunchy salad beautifully. I particularly love this 10 Minute Shredded Brussels Salad or this Chopped Winter Salad with White Balsamic.
How to Store, Reheat and Freeze:
- To Store. Refrigerate leftovers for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
- To Reheat. Reheat gently on the stovetop over medium heat until warm throughout. You can also reheat this soup in the microwave, however be sure to stop and stir it every 30 to 45 seconds. This helps promote even reheating so the top layer isn't scolding and bottom is still cold.
- To Freeze. Store cooked and cooled leftovers in an airtight freezer-safe storage container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating.
Recommended Tools to Make Wild Rice Soup
- I use my Lodge Enameled 6-qt Dutch Oven for every single homemade soup recipe. It's a staple piece on my stovetop, and has endless functionality. Lodge is also quite a bit cheaper than Cuisinart, yet just as good quality, in my opinion.
- Using a quality wild rice blend, like this variety from Lundberg, will transform your soup. This rice is full-bodied in flavor with earthy aromas.
More Healthy Soup Recipes to Try:
Instant Pot Vegetable Soup
Nourishing White Bean and Lemon Soup
White Bean Enchilada Soup
If you give this wild rice soup recipe a try, snap a pic and tag #dishingouthealth so I can see your beautiful creations. Also, follow along on Facebook and Pinterest for the latest recipe updates!
Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup
Equipment
- Large Dutch oven or stock pot
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
- 1 yellow onion, finely chopped
- ¾ cup finely chopped carrots
- ½ cup finely chopped celery
- 8 oz. baby bella (cremini) mushrooms, sliced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup dry wild rice blend (such as Lundberg brand)
- 1 Tbsp. poultry seasoning (sub Herbs De Provence)
- 1 tsp. kosher salt
- ½ tsp. black pepper
- 4 cups (1 quart) lower sodium vegetable broth
- ⅔ cup heavy cream (sub cashew cream*)
- ⅓ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Measure out heavy cream and let it sit at room temperature while you prepare soup. Or, prepare cashew cream, if using (see notes for instructions). Heat oil and butter in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onion, carrots, and celery, and cook for 8 minutes, or until softened.
- Add mushrooms and garlic, and stir to combine. Cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring only occasionally, until the mushrooms are soft and slightly golden.
- Add rice and stir to coat. Let the rice cook for 1 to 2 minutes to lightly toast the grains. Stir in poultry seasoning, salt, and pepper.
- Add broth and 1 cup of water; stir well. Bring the mixture to a low boil, cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 45 to 60 minutes, or until the rice is tender.
- Remove the lid and stir in the heavy cream (or cashew cream). Gradually sprinkle in the Parmesan cheese, stirring continuously to avoid clumping, until all is combined. Remove from heat and ladle into bowls.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Kate Dixon
Excellent and easy!
Vanessa
Hi ! This looks heavenly ! Is it possible to sub brown rice for wild rice blend ?
Raana Zarea
so good and comforting!!! Love this for the colder months and super easy!
Jennifer Woiccak
My mouth was watering for this and the only ingredient I didn’t have was mushrooms so I picked some up and ended up making this for my lunch and my family’s dinner. I’ll have it twice because it was so good. If it thickens up in the next few hours I’ll add some more broth. Probably?
Roberta
Can this be cooked in the crockpot?
Jamie Vespa
Hi Roberta - I have not tested this recipe in the crockpot, I'm sorry!
Karen
I made this tonight, & it was SO good! And perfect on a cold & rainy night! The ingredient list does not call for 1 cup of water, but the instructions say to add the water with the 4 cups of broth, so that's what i did. The soup then simmered for 47 min, rice was perfectly tender. I added half & half, not heavy cream. So, not overly heavy/fattening. Oh, & I did not have poultry seasoning, so I used 1 Tbsp of the seasoning packet that was inside the box of Uncle Ben's Long Grain & Wild Rice. (That's the brand of rice I used. Much less expensive than Lundberg)
Highly recommend!!
Jamie Vespa
Hi Karen - I'm so thrilled it was a hit! Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and leave a review!
Liz
This was absolutely delicious! I don’t usually like mushroom soup, but this was fabulous. I didn’t have cream so I used unsweetened almond/coconut coffee creamer (it was all I had!) and it was great!
Kirsten
Probably the best soup I have ever made. I followed the recipe with the exception of doubling the mushrooms, and it turned out perfectly and is SO delicious. It is hearty, cozy, but also light even with the cream. I wish I could eat another bowl! While the soup was simmering, I made the Brussels Sprouts and Red Pear salad, which was also amazing and paired very well with the soup. Highly recommend!!!
Penny
Just might be the best soup recipe I have ever tried. Instead of cream, I used coconut milk and it worked beautifully . I wasn’t too sure how much I would like poultry seasoning but it’s delicious!! All the flavours really come together to make this our new favorite soup. Thank you so much for sharing; I can’t wait to check out your other recipes!
Jennifer
Unmade this soup for a group of 16 women and everyone LOVED it! They all wanted the recipe. I made it with the cashew cream and it was delicious!!!
Jamie Vespa
Oh I'm so thrilled to hear that, Jennifer! Thank you for taking the time to leave a rating and review!
sherri trossbach
I made this soup low fat by using low fat condensed milk and vegan butter. It was absolutely delicious. Next time I will try using vegan parmesan cheese. I didn’t have any on hand.
Sheila
Use nutritional yeast instead!
Judy Gorton
Delicious and so easy to make.
Jamie Vespa
I'm so glad it was a hit! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review!
Ashley
So yummy! I shared your recipe in my soup group on Facebook! Making again today for my mom.
Jamie Vespa
I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Ashley! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review!
Mel
A million stars! This might be the most delicious recent I’ve made or it could be that I’m dieting & all food is amazing. Seriously make it it’s so good! My kid liked it despite not liking mushrooms 🤷♀️ so good!
Jamie Vespa
Hi Mel - I'm so glad you enjoyed this one! Thank you for coming back and leaving a review!
Mary
Delicious! Thank you! I’ll definitely make it again. I used 1/2 & 1/2 and whole milk as that’s what was on hand and it was great but I have no doubt the cream will be a super treat! Thank you for this awesome recipe!
Jamie Vespa
I'm so glad it was a hit, Mary! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review!
Mary
This soup is excellent!
Jamie Vespa
Hi Mary - I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for taking the time to come back and leave a review!
Emily
Delicious! Doubled the recipe with success. Added some chicken to bulk it up a bit but enjoyed without it too.
Jamie Vespa
So glad you enjoyed this one, Emily! Thank you for leaving a review!
Liz
This was absolutely amazing! I received a “mushroom log” as a gift and suddenly found myself with more shiitake mushrooms than I knew what to do with. I used them in place of the baby bellas and it was great! I also didn’t have heavy cream or a rice blend on hand so I used coconut/almond milk and wild rice and it was delicious. Thanks!
Jamie Vespa
Hi Liz - I'm so so glad you enjoyed it! And thank you for taking time to come back and leave a review!
Sandy
Delicious!!! This will stand up against any restaurant soup!
Jamie Vespa
Woohoo! - I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Sandy! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review!