Wild Rice Soup

Wild rice soup is a hearty and comforting meal made wild rice, vegetables, herb, broth, and cream. It comes together easily on the stove top or in the instant pot.

The soup made with flavorful wild rice, carrots, mushrooms, and almonds is the perfect spring meal.  One of our favorite traditions this time of year is to open all the windows, make a big pot of soup, and cozy up on the couch to enjoy it while watching a movie together.

Wild Rice Soup

Wild Rice Soup Ingredients

• Vegetable oil – I like to use olive oil, but any mild vegetable oil or even animal fat (like bacon drippings!) would work.
• Garlic – Fresh is going to give you the most potent flavor, but there’s nothing wrong with using pre-minced garlic to save time.
• Nutmeg – Ground nutmeg adds a lovely depth of flavor.
• Paprika – This spice packs both flavor and color! Want to get super crazy – use some smoked paprika.  Yum!
• Dried mustard – If you don’t have any dried mustard, you can substitute for a dollop of dijon mustard.
• Slivered almonds – The perfect way to add a little ‘bite’ to your dish. Also adds protein!
• Mushrooms – I’m partial to baby bella mushrooms for this dish, but white mushrooms will work too.
• Onion – I like to use sweet yellow onion or vidalia, but white onion is good also.  If you need a shortcut, grab some pre-diced frozen onions from the market.
• Carrot – You can also grab pre-cut frozen carrots!
• Broth – Chicken or vegetable.
• Fresh parsley – Adds a beautifully earthy flavor as well as some gorgeous color.
• Wild rice blend – You’ll want to prepare this before adding it to the soup, otherwise the rice will soak up all your broth. If your rice comes with a seasoning packet, use it!
• Heavy cream – Heavy cream adds a deep richness to the soup, but if you’re in a pinch or trying to watch your waistline, this can be substituted for half & half or milk.
• Salt & fresh cracked pepper – To taste. This will depend a lot on how heavily your rice was seasoned.
• Optional – Flour or corn starch for thickening.

How do you make wild rice soup? (Step-by-step)

⭐ First, in a large stock pot, saute olive oil, flour, garlic, nutmeg, paprika, and mustard over medium heat for a few minutes until fragrant, being careful not to burn.⭐ Next, add almonds, mushrooms, carrots, and onions.  Continue to saute until onions are translucent. Add broth and bring to a gentle simmer until carrots are tender.⭐ Then, stir in cooked rice and parsley (reserving a little bit of parsley for garnishing). Finally add heavy cream in small increments, until you reach the desired finish. (I’m partial to one cup of cream).⭐ Finally, finish with salt, pepper, and remaining parsley.

Preparation

Can you make wild rice soup in the instant pot?

You absolutely can make this recipe in the instant pot! You’ll want to use the saute feature to start and then after adding the broth cook on manual (high pressure) for 5 minutes.  Do a careful quick pressure release (or a 10 minute natural pressure release), then stir in cooked rice and heavy cream.

How do you thicken wild rice soup?

The soup can be thickened with either flour at the beginning, corn starch at the end or potato flakes at the end. The amount of flour we recommend in the directions does not create a thick soup, it just adds a little body to the soup. If you want it thicker, double the amount of flour and increase an equal amount of oil (e.g. + 2 tablespoons flour and 2 tablespoons oil).

• To thicken with cornstarch, create a slurry of 2 tablespoons cornstarch + 2 tablespoons cold water. Stir it in and simmer. You can repeat this until desired thickness is reached.
• To thicken with potato flakes, stir in plain potato flakes in 1/4 cup increments until your preferred consistency is reached.

Can you make the soup ahead of time?

You can prepare wild rice soup up to a few days ahead of time and store it in the refrigerator. If you want to prepare it farther in advance, store it in the freezer. Reheat on the stove top over medium-low heat or in the microwave on high power in 60 second increments.

Leftovers and storage

How long will wild rice soup last in the fridge?

Leftovers will last 3 – 4 days in the refrigerator when stored in an airtight container.  If leftovers have been left out at room temperature in excess of two hours they should be disposed of.

Can you freeze the soup?

You can freeze the soup by allowing it to cool and then storing in a sealed container (make sure to leave adequate head space in the container as the liquid will expand when it freezes.  It will keep in the freezer for several months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat on the stove top over medium-low heat or in the microwave on high power in 60 second increments.

Tips and tricks

🟢 Make it a full meal by adding some pre-cooked oven baked chicken.🟢 Lighten up by swapping the heavy cream for light milk and skipping the almonds.🟢 Make a double batch and freeze half for an easy homemade lunch or dinner later.

More awesome soups to try

• Creamy mushroom soup
• Homemade spinach soup
• Easy split pea soup
• Asparagus soup recipe
• Pot roast soup recipe
• See all our soup recipe ideas!

Suggested tools

• • Enameled cast iron pot – This is a great and super versatile pot that can be used in both the oven and on the stove top.
  • Santoku knives – My favorite knife for cutting vegetables! This knife is the perfect size and shape, handles great, and is super reasonably priced. Also, I just love that it’s fun and colorful!

How to Make Wild Rice Soup