Creamy Mushroom Wild Rice Soup
Soup Season is my favorite season, and THIS one tops them all. Creamy Mushroom Wild Rice Soup has all the good stuff – wild rice, plenty of veggies, and a creamy roux to bring it all together.
Soup Season at our home looks like a constant rotations of flavors and textures. We love a spicy Chicken Tortilla Soup, a creamy Autumn Squash Soup, or a hearty Beef Barley Vegetable Soup on any given night of the week!
Wild Rice Soup
What’s for dinner, y’all? If you ask me, I’ll probably say soup (if it’s “winter”) because we pretty much live on it. Now that we are almost empty nesters, I’m making fewer casseroles and big meaty meals, that’s for certain. My hubby and I are pretty happy with soup, salad, and maybe a sliced-up mixture of oranges and apples.
THIS soup. It’s SO good!
My Creamy Mushroom Wild Rice Soup is:
- nutty
- creamy
- hearty
Ingredients Needed
- Wild Rice – Use actual wild rice, not the mix of wild and brown rice. The wild rice produces the best, nutty taste for this soup.
- Broth – Lower sodium chicken broth is constantly being restocked in my pantry, and is what I use for all of my MANY soups. 😀
- Fats – I used a combo of olive oil and butter, but you could definitely use all butter as well.
- Veggies – Use onions, carrots, celery, mushrooms, and garlic. Using white mushrooms or Baby Bella both work, and I’ve used them interchangeably in this recipe.
- Seasonings – Onion powder, rosemary, thyme, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
- Flour – Three-fourths of a cup of all-purpose flour is needed to thicken the soup.
- More Broth – More chicken broth please.
- Dairy – I use a combo of 2% milk and heavy cream to help get the soup nice and creamy.
Making a roux is the key to creaminess in soups and other dishes. Skip the canned “cream of whatever” and make it with real ingredients.
How to make a roux:
- Start with fats (like butter and oils) and heat until melted.
- Add flour and whisk to absorb and smoothen.
- Then add liquids, and simmer until thickened.
The longer you whisk the fats and flour, the thinner the thickening agent becomes, and the darker it gets. For this soup, I whisked for just a couple of minutes.
How to make Creamy Mushroom Wild Rice Soup:
Step 1
Cook the rice. In a medium stockpot, bring about 3 cups of chicken broth to a boil. Add the rinsed wild rice and turn heat down to a simmer. Place the lid on the pan so that it’s almost fully covered (but not quite) and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour. You want the rice to be al dente, or have a little bite to it. Remove from heat, and strain any excess broth.
Step 2
Sauté the veggies. In a large stock pot, melt the butter and oil over medium-high heat, and add the veggies – the onions, carrots, celery, and mushrooms. Cook for 5-6 minutes or until slightly softened.
Step 3
Add garlic and seasonings. Next add the garlic and seasonings – onion powder, rosemary, thyme, and salt and pepper. Stir for about one minute.
Step 4
Incorporate flour. Add the flour to the pan, and stir constantly over medium heat. Stir until the flour is fully absorbed for a couple of minutes.
Step 5
Add broth. Next add the remaining chicken broth (about 8-9 cups) and turn up heat slightly. Bring the mixture to a rolling simmer, and cook until thickened, approximately 15 minutes.
Step 6
Add back the rice and dairy. Pour in the cooked wild rice and the milk/half and half to the pot. Stir well, and simmer for another 10-15 minutes to get everything nice and hot.
Step 7
Let rest. Remove the pan from the heat and let it sit for about 20 minutes so that the soup continues to thicken. Serve.
Benefits of using wild rice:
- The nutty flavor is amazing.
- It provides three grams of fiber in every serving.
- Wild rice has lots of protein – this soup has five grams in every bowl.
If desired, add ham or chicken to this Creamy Wild Rice Soup for a full meal.
What to serve with this soup
- Chewy French Bread – To dip and soak up all of that goodness!
- Arugula Caprese Salad – The easiest salad.
- Frozen Vodka Slush Recipe – A great large-batch cocktail to serve before dinner!
Other soup recipes
Enjoy soup season. It’s the best!
Kitchen Tools Used: (affiliate links)
xoxo ~Sue
Creamy Mushroom Wild Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 10 oz. Wild Rice
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- ½ large onion – chopped
- 4 large carrots – chopped
- 3 large celery stalks – chopped
- 3 cloves garlic – diced
- 16 oz. sliced mushrooms – either regular white or Baby Bella
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper – to taste
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon rosemary
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 8-9 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cups milk
- 1/2 cup half and half
- extra broth for leftovers (if needed)
Instructions
- In a medium stock pot, bring 3 cups chicken broth to a boil. Add wild rice, and reduce heat to a fast simmer (medium low heat). Place lid on tightly and cook until rice is el dente, or approximately 45-50 minutes (or possibly a few extra minutes). Check towards the end to make sure there is enough broth and that the pan doesn't burn. You may need to add just a bit more broth. Fluff with a fork.
- In a large stock pot, heat olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add onion, carrots, celery, mushrooms, and spices (onion powder, rosemary, thyme, kosher salt and pepper). Sauté for 5-6 minutes or until the veggies begin to soften. Add garlic during the last 30 seconds.
- Then add flour and stir for 3 minutes, to fully incorporate the flour. Add approximately 8 cups chicken broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and stir until thickened, approximately 15-20 minutes.
- Add cooked wild rice to the soup, along with the milk and the half and half, and let simmer for another 10-15 minutes.
- Serve hot.
Notes
- In the roux, you could change up the ratio of milk to half and half, depending on how rich you like your soup.
- Keep some extra broth handy, because the rice expands, and your leftovers may need some liquid.
- Leftovers are great for up to four days!
This is excellent!
Happy to hear this Mary!
Love this soup! Can it be frozen??
Thanks
Yes, you can freeze this soup. The vegetables may be a little mushy but it should be ok.
Delicious soup! I will definitely be making it a lot during the winter.
Thanks Lori!
Made this yesterday and it turned out perfect! Absolutely delicious!
So good to hear this, Leah!
Made this last night and it was delicious! Thanks Sue.
Thanks for your feedback, Stacey!
hardly wait, to try this, looks, fantastic…..
Great!
I have to tell you how much my family enjoys your creamy wild rice and mushroom soup. It’s become a favourite in our household, and where everyone works. We share your recipe and your website with whomever asks. I’m looking forward to trying your other soup recipes.
Thanks so much for sharing them.
Karen H
Winnipeg, Canada
So good to hear, Karen! Enjoy!
Wonderful soup!!! I live in a small place, hard to find wild rice but I used the wild rice blend that was available. Also added a diced jalapeño when I made a double batch for a little spice…
Thanks so much Stahr! So glad you enjoyed the soup!
Dear Sue! My most favorite soup ever…Wild Rice and Mushroom!!!
I have access to wild mushrooms here in Colorado so I made a 1 1/2 batch and added about a pound of mixed oyster and walnut mushrooms along with white and baby Bella variety….just so amazingly yummy! Thank you for doing ALL YOU DO!
Stahr*
I’m so glad you enjoyed this soup, Stahr! Thanks for your review!
How do you make this soup gluten free?
I have not tested this recipe without regular flour.
Sue this was absolutely amazing!!! Made it last night and enjoying now for lunch – we loved this!!!
Oh I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Melissa! Thanks for letting me know!
Excellent! I made it this morning and couldn’t wait until lunch to try it. This recipe is going in my “All-time favorite” category if my cookbook.
I’m so glad, Maddie! It’s my hubby’s favorite too! 🙂
Made this for dinner tonight! (Cut everything in half.) It’s being added to our winter rotation. Yummy!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this like we do, Sarah!
I’m wondering why this is under the heading Meatless Recipes when there’s chicken stock is an ingredient.
Because the meal doesn’t have MEAT in it. I’m not saying it’s vegetarian.
I like creamy wild rice soups and this one is very good. I do add a rotisserie chicken to it as my husband likes meat in his soup. One of my favorites, especially in this cool Iowa weather.
Adding chicken sounds great, Lauri! Thanks for your feedback! 🙂
5 stars and wouldn’t change a thing!
Thanks for your feedback, April! We love this soup too. 🙂
Never gets old and tastes great every time! Perfect for my meal prep lunches!
Yup, great for meal prep!
Hi Sue!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. It has immediately become one of my family’s favorites. Thank you for such thoughtful instructions and nutrition information too. Delicious!
Hi Heather! I’m so happy that you enjoyed this soup. It’s definitely one of our favorites too! 🙂
I’ll be making this on Monday! Wish it was today!!!
Yay! Let me know how you like it, Stahr! 🙂
Good morning! Are the amounts listed in the recipe for rosemary and thyme for fresh or dried? I have everything chopped and prepped to make this tonight. Can’t wait! Thank you!
Those are for dried spices! This soup is one of my absolute favs! Let me know how you like it, Lucy. 🙂
Wowza, loved this one!!! Soups are good food!! 🙂
Thanks Shari! This is one of my favs!! 🙂
I cooked this soup over the weekend. It was outstanding! I’m trying to eliminate dairy from my diet, so I used cashew milk and it was very good! This soup is on the monthly rotation!
Hi Karol! I’m so glad you enjoyed it. 🙂
Yep. The wild rice is awesome in this recipe. Love the balance of protein and fiber!
Thanks! I know you love it. 🙂