Vegan Wild Rice Soup Recipe (2024)

If you have never had vegan wild rice soup, you are in for a real treat!

It is the perfect hearty and healthy meal that is full of creamy flavor and tasty veggies!

Vegans often don’t get to enjoy creamy-based soups unless we make them ourselves, as they are incredibly hard to find out in the world!

Wild rice is the base for this savory and flavorful soup and you really should not skip it!

Many places sell a wild rice blend which is wild rice and mostly brown rice, but I highly recommend NOT doing that!

In order for this recipe to come out right, you need to use 100% wild rice.

In case you didn’t know, wild rice is actually a seed, not a grain! It originates from the Great Lakes region of the USA and was once harvested by the Indigenous peoples that lived in the area!

Some varieties of wild rice also grow in China although wild rice is eaten far more in North America than in China.

Trust me when I say, that when making this recipe for wild rice soup, you 100% do not want to use a blend!

I love making mushroom and wild rice soup with no cream during the fall and winter when you are wishing for something comforting and heavier, but it is perfect for all times of the year!

In fact, it is easy to digest and while it is hearty, it doesn’t contribute to making you feel heavy or gross the day after. You feel full yet light and the flavors are incredible!

It is truly one of my favorite Vegan Soup Recipes and you shouldn’t skip it any time of year!

This is one of the best wild rice vegan recipes, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Why You Will Love This Recipe

• There are Instant Pot and stovetop variations. Whether you make this recipe in an Instant Pot, slow cooker, or on the stovetop, it is easy with a short prep time.
• It is cozy and warm for the holidays. This recipe is the perfect comfort food for fall and winter. The warmth and coziness it creates will bring to mind the holiday season. This meal is sure to warm you up when it is cold outside.
• It is great for meal prepping. You can easily make a big batch of this vegan wild rice mushroom soup and freeze it then dish it out over the course of fall and winter. This is perfect for a quick and easy meal.

How To Cook Wild Rice

So, the first thing is you need to know how to cook wild rice!

As I said above, wild rice is not a grain like regular rice, it is a seed.

For vegan wild rice recipes, I strongly advise against a wild rice blend which also has brown rice, as 100% wild rice holds up better and tastes better in this soup!

Now, unlike regular rice, wild rice takes around 45 minutes to fully cook on the stovetop.

When making this wild rice soup vegan, I usually cook the wild rice earlier in the day or the night before and then add it to the soup. I rarely cook it at the same time as the soup, but you easily can!

I prefer to cook wild rice in TONS of water in the same way you would cook pasta, and then drain the remaining water out so that the wild rice has enough water to continue to expand.

• How To Cook Wild Rice On The Stove: To cook wild rice on the stove, I usually do 1 cup of wild rice to 4-5 cups of water. You can always add more if necessary. It will take 45-55 minutes for the wild rice to be fully cooked. Put the rice in a pot and add the water. Then bring it to a boil and simmer until cooked!
• How To Cook Wild Rice In The Slow Cooker: If you want the wild rice to cook while you are at work, you can use the slow cooker! Place 1 cup of wild rice with 4-5 cups of water in the slow cooker and cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 7-8 hours. The result depends on the heat of your slow cooker. Some newer slow cookers will cook faster!
• How To Cook Wild Rice In An Instant Pot: You can also cook wild rice in the Instant Pot! Place 1 cup of wild rice to 4 cups of water in the instant pot. Close the lid and cook on high pressure for 15 minutes and then turn off the heat and do a full natural release for 10 minutes until done!

And there you go! Three very easy ways to prepare the base for your vegan wild rice soup! Don’t worry if your rice is a little underdone, it will finish cooking in the soup.

How To Make Vegan Wild Rice Soup (Stovetop Version)

Once you make the rice, preparing vegan rice soup is actually pretty simple!

My favorite way to do it is on the stove and that is how I will explain it here. I also offer variations for the Instant Pot, but for speed, the stovetop is my favorite way!

First, you are going to saute your veggies in a little bit of oil or butter in the bottom of your stockpot.

You will want to saute until the carrots and celery are soft. Then, you will want to add your seasonings and spices and continue to cook for a little bit. This will all take about 5-7 minutes.

Once the veggies are soft, you will add the water. I am a huge fan of cooking with water instead of broth because it takes on the flavor of the spices and takes much less time to make and prepare and saves you money from buying it!

Once you add the water to the vegan wild rice soup base, you will make the roux.

The roux adds a creamy nature to the soup and allows it to thicken. You do NOT want to skip this or the wild rice soup won’t come out right.

While I do usually like to use only flour to thicken soups such as my Vegan Clam Chowder, to make a properly creamy wild rice soup, you need to do the whole bit and make the roux.

For the roux, you are going to add 3-4 tablespoons of Vegan Butter to a small saucepan.

Swirl it around until it is melted, then add in your flour and mix together until a paste is formed.

Now, you want to add in your 1 cup of vegan milk and stir.

Once you add the vegan milk, the mixture will be very thin. You want to continue to stir for about 1 minute until the roux thickens greatly! You will notice a huge difference.

Now, add your wild rice to the soup base and stir in the roux. Mix until the roux is combined throughout.

Go ahead and bring the vegan wild rice soup to a boil and then reduce the heat.

Toss in a handful of greens such as spinach, kale, collard greens, and more, then stir until combined. Toss your greens in at the very end!

And now you are ready to eat your delicious and easy vegan mushroom wild rice soup! Make sure to serve with a piece of crusty bread.

Instant Pot Variation For Wild Rice Soup

Sometimes you may not want to use the stovetop to cook your vegan wild rice soup! That is okay!

To make wild rice soup in the instant pot, you want to add all of the ingredients other than the roux and greens to the instant pot.

This means the veggies, uncooked wild rice, water, and spices.

Cover the lid of the instant pot and seal the vent. Pressure cook the wild rice soup on high heat for 45 minutes and then do a manual quick release of pressure!

During the last 5-10 minutes of the instant pot cooking, you want to make the roux by melting the vegan butter and then stirring in the flour until a paste is formed. Then add the non-dairy milk and whisk for about 1 minute until the mixture turns creamy.

Once the soup is finished in the instant pot, pour the roux into the pot and add the greens. Give it a stir and serve!

Slow Cooker Variation For Vegan Wild Rice Soup

If you don’t have an instant pot and you don’t want to use the stovetop, you can make this vegetarian wild rice soup using the crockpot as well!

To do this, add everything other than the roux ingredients and the greens to the crockpot.

Cover and cook on low heat for 4-6 hours. You know your crockpot better than me so adjust for the heat of your pot!

During the last 20-30 minutes of cooking, make the roux as directed above by combining vegan butter, non-dairy milk, and flour over the stove.

Pour the roux and cook the soup for the remaining 30 minutes. Once done, stir in the greens and serve!

As you can see, there are many ways to make and enjoy this vegan wild rice soup recipe!

How To Store And Reheat The Vegan Wild Rice Soup

The dairy-free wild rice soup is perfect for meal prep and stores and freezes wonderfully!

However, the wild rice does absorb the liquid so it becomes more of a rice dish than a soup!

This is okay! To reheat the wild rice soup, all you have to do is add a little bit of non-dairy milk or water until the desired thickness is achieved. Reheat over the stove until warm.

I am not going to say how much liquid you should put in as everyone is different! Some people like thin soups and some people like thick soups! However you do it is up to you! But just add a little bit of liquid at a time!

The vegan wild rice soup can be stored in an air-tight container in the fridge for 5-7 days.

You can also freeze the soup but I suggest freezing it without the roux and making the roux the day of as the frozen wild rice soup with the roux comes out funky when you defrost it!

You will love eating this plant-based wild rice soup recipe again and again.

Did You Try This Recipe?

If so, I would love to keep in touch! I enjoy seeing photos and comments about the recipes that you make! You can follow me on Instagram and I will repost your goodies in my stories and comment on it too! Just tag me at @wowitsveggie and hashtag #wowitsveggie. I can’t wait to see what you make!