Creamy Wild Rice Soup with Mushrooms (Vegetarian Recipe)

Wild rice soup with mushrooms will warm you up and fill your belly on a cold fall or winter night. Two pounds of mushrooms, plenty of fresh veggies, and perfectly cooked wild rice come together to create this creamy and delicious vegetarian soup. It’s a Minnesota staple my family has been making for decades! 

If you’re born and raised in Minnesota (like me), you know wild rice is a staple at every family dinner table, restaurant, and grocery store. As Minnesota is one of the main producers of wild rice, you can even find it at gas stations up north! Wild rice is the official state grain, and there was a proposal to declare wild rice soup as the official state soup of Minnesota.

Wild rice soup was a staple at our annual ‘Souper New Year’ lunch. But when I spent a decade as a vegetarian, wild rice soup was one of the Midwest classics that I missed most (it often has meat in it).  I’ve done lots and lots of experimenting with classic soup recipes, and this vegetarian wild rice soup with mushrooms is just as good as the original and veg-friendly too!

Like my Tuscan White Bean and Lentil Soup, Vegetarian Tortellini Soup, and Vegetarian Three Bean Chili, this vegetarian wild rice mushroom soup is loaded with whole foods, fresh flavors, and it’s pretty darn nutritive, too!   

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Wholesome ingredients. Midwesterners get a bad rap regarding the nutritional content of traditional, local recipes. Well, I’m here to change that! This mushroom wild rice soup incorporates high-fiber veggies, vegetable stock, wholesome dairy, and NO canned cream of anything! 

Easy to make. While the wild rice is cooking, you’ll prepare the rest of the soup in just a handful of recipe steps. Cooking wild rice is hands-off, and there’s a lot of hands-off time while the mushrooms cook down and the soup simmers. 

It’s a crowd pleaser! You don’t have to be from Minnesota to fall in love with this recipe. I’ve made this soup for plenty of non-native Minnesotans, and they all give it five stars! From the tender, caramelized mushrooms to the hearty and rustic wild rice, it hits the spot! 

Great texture. Mushrooms have a meaty texture that pairs perfectly with the smooth and creamy consistency of the soup. 

Ingredients Needed

Wild Rice. Wild rice is perfect for soup because of its hearty, chewy texture and nutty flavor. It doesn’t get soft or soggy and holds up well to multiple rounds of reheating. Stick with 100% wild rice, and don’t try to make any substitutions with brown rice, white rice, forbidden rice, or a wild rice blend.

Yellow Onion. Onions form a flavorful foundation for the soup. They add to the rich and savory taste and caramelize while they cook down with the mushrooms. 

Carrots. Carrots are another soup staple. They contribute to the heartiness of the soup and provide a very mild, sweet flavor.  

Mushrooms. Choose either white, baby bella, cremini, or shitake, or use a mixture of all four types of mushrooms. Look for mushrooms that are firm to the touch without any brown spots. Avoid any mushrooms that appear to be slimy or mushy. Clean mushrooms by rinsing them in water and gently wiping them with a damp paper towel to remove any surface dirt. Avoid soaking them in water. 

Garlic. I add fresh garlic for its robust, earthy taste, complementing the flavor of the onions.

All-Purpose Flour. Flour acts as a thickener for the liquid ingredients. Milk or heavy cream will help to thicken the soup as well. 

White Wine. White wine deglazes the pan, ensuring all those yummy brown bits are mixed into the soup! Choose dry varieties like Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio. An unoaked Chardonnay would also work well. If preferred, you can use additional vegetable stock as an alcohol-free alternative. 

Vegetable Stock. Either vegetable stock or vegetable broth will work. If preferred, pick a low-sodium variety, so you have better control over the amount of added salt. You can always add more salt to taste!  

Fresh Herbs. Fresh oregano and rosemary enhance the overall flavor of the dish. Remove the oregano leaves from the stem and finely chop before adding them to the pot. The rosemary should stay on the stem.  

Whole Milk or Heavy Cream. Whole milk or heavy cream will thicken the soup, giving it a rich and creamy texture. Heavy cream will thicken the soup better than milk, but if you want to save some fat and calories, whole milk will work just fine.   

Apple Cider Vinegar. Apple cider vinegar adds a little bit of tang and balances the rich and savory flavors.  

See the recipe card below for a full list of ingredients and measurements.

Recipe Variations and Substitutions 

• Add celery. If you can only bring yourself to make soup after starting with the classic Mirepoix base, go ahead and add celery! Either replace the carrots with celery, or add them in. Use 3-4 stalks, finely diced.
• Add protein. While I prefer vegetarian wild rice and mushroom soup, there’s no reason you can’t include cooked chicken, turkey, or sausage! Use either diced or shredded meat and mix it in towards the end when you’re adding the cooked wild rice. 
• Try using different herbs. My favorite herbs are rosemary and oregano, but thyme and sage would be delicious as well! If it’s a savory herb traditionally used in Thanksgiving recipes, it’ll mix well with this soup.    

Step-by-Step Instructions for Wild Rice Soup with Mushrooms

While the wild rice cooks, you can prepare the rest of the soup. 

Step 1: Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the rinsed, uncooked wild rice along with 1 teaspoon of salt, then reduce to a simmer. 

Step 2: Cook the rice for 40-50 minutes, until the rice is tender and the grains burst open. Drain to remove any excess liquid. 

Step 3: Warm olive oil over medium-high heat in a stock pot or Dutch oven. Add the onions and carrots and cook until soft, about 3-5 minutes. 

Step 4: Reduce the heat to medium and stir in the diced mushrooms and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook the mushrooms for about 15-20 minutes, until they’ve released all their liquid and become dark golden brown.

Step 5: Add the garlic and oregano to the pot and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. 

Step 6: Sprinkle the flour over the veggies and stir until the vegetables are thoroughly coated, sticky, and no dry flour remains. 

Step 7: Increase the heat to medium-high, then pour the white wine into the pot. Stir and scrape up the brown bits while the wine deglazes the pan. Continue simmering the wine until it has reduced by half and the liquid has started to thicken. 

Step 8: Add the bay leaf and vegetable stock, bring it up to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Let the soup simmer for 20 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. 

Step 9: Add the sprigs of rosemary, milk (or heavy cream), and cooked wild rice to the soup. Continue simmering the soup for another 10-15 minutes, until the soup has thickened to your liking.   

Step 10: Pour the apple cider vinegar in, give it a taste, and add more salt or vinegar if desired. Enjoy! 

Possible Dietary Restrictions?

This wild rice soup with mushrooms recipe is vegetarian as it’s written. To make this recipe vegan and dairy free, substitute the milk (or heavy cream) with coconut cream or cashew cream. Please note that this will change the flavor of the recipe.

This soup can easily be gluten free by substituting the all-purpose flour with gluten free all-purpose flour. 

Expert Tips

Use authentic, Minnesota-grown wild rice. Minnesota wild rice, harvested from the lakes and rivers in northern Minnesota, will have the best taste, texture, and quality.

Thoroughly rinse the rice. Rinsing dry rice before cooking with it removes excess starch, prevents the rice from clumping, and slightly speeds up the cooking time.This is especially important with wild rice because it’s so earthy. When rinsing, the water should run clear (which can take a few minutes) before cooking.

Don’t rush the mushrooms! To get the deep, rich, umami flavor from the mushrooms, they need to release their liquid and cook down thoroughly. This will take up to 20 minutes. I promise, your patience will pay off and result in one heck of a good soup!

Add garnishes. Just before serving a hot bowl of wild rice soup with mushrooms, add garnishes such as fresh herbs, grated parmesan cheese, homemade croutons, or a drizzle of olive oil. 

Storage and Reheating

Divide any leftover soup into small, airtight storage containers, then transfer them to the refrigerator. Leftovers will stay fresh for up to a week. 

You can freeze wild rice soup with mushrooms for up to 3 months. Transfer the soup to freezer-safe storage bags, squeeze out any air, and seal the bag tightly. Freeze in individual serving sizes for easier thawing and reheating!  

Reheat leftovers on the stovetop over low heat, stirring frequently, until heated through. 

Recipe FAQs

Is wild rice soup high in carbs?

While a cup of plain wild rice is high in carbs, wild rice soup only has a moderate amount of carbohydrates. Thanks to the broth and non-starchy veggies, the carb count is around just 25 carbs per one-cup serving. 

Can you cook wild rice in soup? 

Quick-cooking rice, like white rice, is perfect for cooking in soup. Due to wild rice having a much longer cooking time, it’s best to cook wild rice separately. 

How do you add rice to soup without it getting soggy?

Cook your rice separately from the soup to prevent the rice from becoming soggy. Add the rice at the end of the cooking time after the rest of the soup ingredients have had time to simmer. You could even leave the rice out of the soup until you’re ready to serve it.  

What is the difference between cream of mushroom and creamy mushroom soup?

Cream of mushroom is a canned, condensed soup made with mushrooms, cream, cornstarch, and various seasonings. It’s often used in casseroles and added to semi-homemade soups to make them creamier. Creamy mushroom soup is made from scratch mushroom soup that is less thick than the condensed canned version. Creamy mushroom wild rice soup is an alternative name for this wild rice soup recipe.