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Home » Recipes » Soups

Wild Rice Soup

Published: Sep 16, 2021 · Modified: Sep 16, 2021 by Lexi

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This vegan wild rice soup is packed with vegetables, herbs and bright lemon juice for a super easy and flavorful soup. Thanks to the richness of wild rice, this is the perfect soup to enjoy on a cold winter or fall evening. It's also great for meal prep and can be customized with your favorite protein for a well-rounded meal.

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Jump to:
  • 🥣 Why We Love This Recipe
  • 🥘 Ingredients
  • 📋 Ingredient Notes
  • 🔪 Step-by-step Instructions
  • 💭 Expert Tips and FAQs
  • 🍽 Related Recipes
  • 📖 Recipe
  • 💬 Reviews

🥣 Why We Love This Recipe

  • Easy and filling: there's not much hands on prep for this vegan wild rice soup. Simply chop the veggies, measure the spices and let it cook! Perfect for a busy weeknight.
  • Meal prep friendly: this vegan wild rice soup tastes just as delicious the next day (and the day after that!). You can also add in a protein of choice for a more balanced meal.
  • Naturally vegan and gluten free: this recipe is fully dairy and gluten free. However, if you're not vegan, feel free to use regular butter and chicken broth instead of vegetable if preferred.
  • No complicated ingredients: all you need are some basic veggies, dried herbs & seasonings and broth to make this wild rice soup. Nothing fancy or hard to find!

🥘 Ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make this vegan wild rice soup:

Overhead shot of wild rice soup ingredients, including carrots, celery, onions, and parsley.

📋 Ingredient Notes

  • Vegetable broth: Use a low sodium vegetable broth so that you can better control the salt content in the soup. If you'd like, you can also try this recipe to make homemade vegetable broth from leftover veggie scraps!
  • Dried herbs: we use a combination of parsley, thyme, basil and oregano. You can also use Italian seasoning or Herbes de Provence blend, both of which contain similar ingredients! You can also stick with just one or two herbs of choice, and feel free to use fresh if desired. (Just be sure to multiply the quantity x3 if using fresh!)
  • Wild rice: We used black wild rice, which is slightly different from wood-parched wild rice, which is much lighter in color. Black wild rice is (obviously) much darker than its wood-parched counterpart and has a richer flavor. You can also use a wild rice blend, which can be easier to find. Brown rice is also a fine alternative!
  • Spinach: feel free to sub with another leafy green like kale or swiss chard.

🔪 Step-by-step Instructions

PREP: Cook 1 cup of wild rice according to package directions. Add in 1 tablespoon of vegan butter and ½ teaspoon of salt. Set aside.

(1) Add ⅓ cup of dairy free butter to a soup pot over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add the onion and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes. Add celery, carrots, salt, and pepper. Stir well and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

On the left: onions cooking in the pot. On the right: carrots and celery in the pot.

(2) Pour in vegetable broth, lemon juice, and dried herbs. Stir well and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.

On the left: vegetable broth being added to the pot. On the right: herbes de provence added to soup.

(3) Add in cooked wild rice, spinach, and parsley. Stir well and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes.

On the left: spinach and parsley added to pot. On the right: finished soup.

💭 Expert Tips and FAQs

  • Make it in a slow cooker: since wild rice is firmer and doesn't break down as quickly as other varieties of rice, this soup is well suited for a slow cooker. If using a slow cooker, there's no need to cook the rice ahead of time. Simply sauté the vegetables, then add all remaining ingredients except spinach and parsley and cook on low for 4-6 hours. Stir in the spinach and parsley just before serving.
  • Add a protein: if you're vegan, try adding the poultry-seasoned tofu from this recipe. If you're not vegan, this would work well with leftover shredded rotisserie chicken or Italian sausage.
  • Our favorite soup pot: we always use a Staub 5 or 7 quart cocotte/dutch oven for soups and stews! It's made from enameled cast iron, meaning it heats evenly and even better, cleans easily. They're such high quality and an absolute must in our kitchen – we use them almost daily.
  • Storage: store leftovers in an airtight container for up to a week. Reheat in the microwave or on stovetop.
  • Freezer: let the soup cool completely before transferring to a freezer safe container. You can freeze for up to 6 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight, then heat in a pot over low until fully warmed.
  • More uses for wild rice: leftover wild rice? Use it in this Mushroom Soup, this Fall Roasted Vegetable Grain Salad, or Stuffed Pumpkins/squash.
  • What to serve with vegan wild rice soup: you can't go wrong with a crusty baguette or sourdough! We also like serving ours with a simple salad or sandwich, like this Italian Chopped Salad or this Chickpea "Tuna" Melt.
Does wild rice get mushy in soup?

Wild rice tends to be firmer than other varieties of rice, so it holds up pretty well in this soup. We also cook our rice ahead of time and add to the soup just before serving to prevent mushiness.

How long does it take to cook wild rice?

Most varieties of wild rice take anywhere from 45 minutes to 1 hour to cook. That's why we cook ours ahead of time, so you can prep most of the soup while the rice is cooking and add it in at the end.

Wild rice soup in a bowl seen from above.

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    Three-Bean Vegetable Soup
  • Overhead view of red lentil soup with a garnish of chickpeas, cream, and herbs.
    Red Lentil Vegetable Soup
  • Overhead view of white bean and kale soup in a bowl.
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Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. You can also stay in touch with us through social media by following us on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook or by subscribing to our newsletter.

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📖 Recipe

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Overhead view of wild rice soup in a bowl.

Wild Rice Soup


5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

5 from 2 reviews

  • Author: Lexi
  • Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
  • Yield: 6-8 servings 1x
  • Diet: Vegan
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Description

This wild rice soup is packed with vegetables, herbs and bright lemon juice for a super easy and flavorful soup. Thanks to the richness of wild rice, this is the perfect soup to enjoy on a cold winter or fall evening.


Ingredients

Units Scale
  • ¾ cup dry wild rice, cooked according to package directions
  • ⅓ cup butter, divided (we used vegan)
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 2 teaspoons garlic, finely minced
  • 1 ½ cups celery, diced
  • 1 ½ cups carrot, diced
  • 6 cups vegetable broth
  • 3-4 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon dried herbs (we used a combination of thyme, oregano, parsley and basil)
  • 1 ½ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
  • ½ teaspoon black pepper
  • 3 cups spinach or kale
  • ⅓ cup fresh parsley, finely chopped

Instructions

  1. Cook wild rice according to package directions. Stir in 1 tablespoon butter and ½ teaspoon salt. Set aside.
  2. Add remaining butter to a large soup pot over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add the onion and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes. Add celery, carrots, salt, and pepper. Stir well and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
  3. Pour in vegetable broth, lemon juice, and dried herbs. Stir well and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.
  4. Add in cooked wild rice, spinach, and parsley. Stir well and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes. Taste and add more lemon juice or salt if desired. 

Notes

Rice: any variety of wild rice or a wild rice blend works here. You can also sub with long grain brown rice.

Spinach: feel free to sub with another leafy green like kale or swiss chard.

Make it in a slow cooker: If using a slow cooker, there's no need to cook the rice ahead of time. Simply sauté the vegetables, then add all remaining ingredients except spinach and parsley and cook on low for 4-6 hours. Stir in the spinach and parsley just before serving.

Storage: store leftovers in an airtight container for up to a week. Reheat in the microwave or on stovetop. 

Freezer: let the soup cool completely before transferring to a freezer safe container. You can freeze for up to 6 months. Defrost in the refrigerator overnight, then heat in a pot over low until fully warmed. 

  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 50 minutes
  • Category: Soup
  • Method: Stovetop
  • Cuisine: American

Nutrition

  • Serving Size: 1 Bowl
  • Calories: 223
  • Sugar: 5.4 g
  • Sodium: 1191.3 mg
  • Fat: 12.6 g
  • Carbohydrates: 25.2 g
  • Fiber: 3.4 g
  • Protein: 4.4 g

Did you make this recipe?

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Comments

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    Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

  1. Christin says

    July 18, 2024 at 6:29 pm

    Just made this for dinner & it was excellent! The fresh lemon really took it to the next level. Thank you Lexi & Beth! Xoxo.

    Reply
    • Lexi says

      July 23, 2024 at 9:35 am

      So glad to hear that, thank you so much!

      Reply
  2. Leslie says

    October 23, 2023 at 5:22 pm

    So delicious! The lemon and herbs pack it full of flavor and it’s also really healthy. It’s become a regular in my soup rotation.

    Reply
    • Lexi says

      October 27, 2023 at 11:30 am

      Thank you so much, Leslie!

      Reply
Lexi and Beth toasting with wine.

Hi, we're Lexi and Beth, a mother-daughter team from Michigan. The recipes you'll find here are a reflection of how we bring our family together around the dinner table despite various dietary differences.

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