Creamy Mushroom & Wild Rice Soup

I’m a big fan of soup recipes, especially during the fall and winter months. To me, there’s nothing cozier than a warm bowl of cream of broccoli or butternut squash soup paired with homemade popovers for dunking. This creamy mushroom and wild rice soup is another recipe that always hits the spot!

This mushroom and wild rice soup is hearty and comforting, with nutty rice, savory mushrooms, carrots, and celery. And it’s bursting with flavor thanks to garlic, lemon, and herbs. It’s a staple in my kitchen during the colder months!

Why You Should Make This Creamy Mushroom and Wild Rice Soup

• It's vegan and gluten-free. My creamy mushroom soup is vegan, made with coconut milk instead of heavy cream. I thicken the soup with gluten-free flour, and if your rice is certified, this soup is also 100% gluten-free, too.
• A little bit of everything. This vegan mushroom and wild rice soup is packed with a delicious blend of savory flavors and wholesome veggies.
• Easy to make. This creamy wild rice soup with mushrooms comes together in about an hour on the stovetop. It's perfect for quick weeknight meals and cozy weekend lunches.

You’ll Need These Ingredients

Here are all the ingredients that you need to make this cozy and hearty vegan mushroom and wild rice soup. Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the page to see the exact amounts for each ingredient.

• Olive oil – Use your favorite good-quality olive oil or cooking oil.
• White onion – If you don’t have a white onion, you can use a yellow onion, red onion, or 3 shallots. 
• Carrots and celery – Along with the onions, these veggies create the aromatic flavor base for the soup.
• Button mushrooms – Or any kind of mushrooms you'd like. Good options are brown mushrooms, chopped portobellos, cremini, or even exotic varieties, like shiitakes and oyster mushrooms.
• Garlic – Use freshly minced garlic, or replace each fresh clove with one tablespoon of jarred garlic if needed.
• Italian seasoning – You can make your own from a blend of Italian herbs, like basil, thyme, oregano, marjoram, and rosemary. Use equal parts of each.
• Wild rice – If needed, make sure the wild rice you're using is certified gluten-free. You can make this soup with regular long-grain rice, too, like basmati or jasmine rice.
• Vegetable broth – Use your favorite store-bought veggie broth, or you can make this soup with homemade broth or stock for even more flavor. If you're not making this soup vegan, feel free to use homemade chicken broth instead.
• Flour – I like to use a gluten-free flour, but you can use all-purpose flour if you're not making a gluten-free soup.
• Coconut milk – Full-fat coconut milk is best, as it makes the soup extra creamy and rich. You could also use cashew cream.
• Lemon juice – Use freshly-squeezed lemon juice if possible. 

Wild Rice vs. Regular Rice

Fun fact: Wild rice isn't actually rice at all. Traditional white rice is a cereal grain. Wild rice is the seed of an aquatic grass that grows in North American rivers and lakes. It has a chewy texture and nutty flavor, and it's often cooked and prepared like rice. I love it in wild rice soup recipes, and it's delicious cooked and added to salads and casseroles.

How to Make Wild Rice and Mushroom Soup

Here’s how to make this easy soup recipe in a few quick steps on the stove. Alternatively, you can make Instant Pot wild rice soup.

• Sauté the veggies. Heat some oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, and celery, and cook until the onions are translucent and just starting to turn brown. This should take 3-4 minutes.
• Add the seasonings. Put the mushrooms, garlic, Italian seasoning, and some salt and pepper in the pot, and stir to combine. Cook until the garlic is fragrant, which should take about 2-3 minutes.
• Add the rice. Place the wild rice in the pot, and pour the vegetable broth in.
• Cook. Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Cover the soup and let it cook for 30 minutes.

• Make the roux. When there are 5 minutes left for the soup, heat the rest of the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the flour and whisk to combine. Keep whisking constantly until the flour and oil clump up. 
• Add the coconut milk. While continuously whisking, pour the coconut milk into the roux slowly. It should turn into the consistency of a thick sauce. 
• Add the mixture. Pour the mixture into the soup, stir to combine, and cook for 5 more minutes.
• Finish seasoning. Add the lemon juice and stir to combine. Taste the soup, and add more salt and pepper as necessary, then serve.

Recipe Tips for the Best Soup 

• Use homemade broth. My favorite way to get the most out of a soup recipe is to use homemade stock. You get so much more flavor out of homemade broth than you do out of the store-bought kind. For the best-tasting mushroom and wild rice soup, I recommend using my recipe for mushroom vegan bone broth. 
• Upgrade your mushrooms. I usually use button mushrooms for this recipe because they’re cheap, easy to find, and delicious in this soup. However, if you want to take your soup to the next level, you can use a mix of mushrooms, like cremini, baby bellas, etc., for even more flavor.
• Have fun with the toppings. Every soup is better when garnished with something tasty. I love to top this wild rice soup with a sprinkling of fresh herbs. You can add any toppings you want, such as lemon zest, gluten-free croutons, vegan parmesan cheese, olive oil, and chili flakes. 

Serving Suggestions

My favorite way to serve this creamy mushroom and wild rice soup is with thick slices of quinoa almond flour bread or pumpkin cornbread and a green salad on the side. This warm farro salad is another cold-weather favorite, as is my roasted Brussels sprouts salad with quinoa.

How to Store and Reheat Leftovers

• Refrigerate. Store this vegan mushroom wild rice soup in the fridge for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
• Reheat. Reheat the soup on the stove over medium heat until warm all the way through, or in the microwave on 80% power in 20-second increments.
• Freeze. This is a great soup to freeze, and it will last in the freezer for up to 3 months in an airtight container. Defrost in the microwave or thaw in the fridge before reheating.

More Vegan Soup Recipes

• Vegan Tortilla Soup
• Creamy Tomato Soup
• Ginger and Turmeric Carrot Soup
• Moroccan Lentil Soup
• Roasted Red Pepper Soup