Creamy Wild Rice Mushroom Soup is the definition of comfort food! You will go back for bowl and after bowl of this hearty yet healthy soup.
“Perfect for a fall or winter night. It’s satisfying and the perfect type of creamy, with being overly heavy. Try it!”
This past weekend was filled with all the meaty meats! My husband slapped no less than 15lbs of whole chickens onto the smoker for college game day on Saturday, and on Sunday I made slow-braised beef tacos which made enough to feed a small army.
Translation: I’m in need of something hearty yet healthy, and most definitely meat free. Creamy Wild Rice Mushroom Soup fits the bill!
Meatless + Creamy Soup
I wish I could deliver a big bowl of this thick and creamy wild rice soup to you because it is so, so delicious! It tastes like a bowl of soup you’d get from a local deli or cafe, is packed with vegetables and healthy whole grains, and reheats like a dream.
Make a big pot on the weekend then scoop into individual containers for healthy, easy lunches all week long.
Creamy Yet No Cream Needed
A base of deeply caramelized garlicky mushrooms and sauteed vegetables are simmered with rich chicken stock and a wild rice-brown rice blend, then thickened slightly with a combination of milk and flour.
Rich and creamy but there isn’t a drop of cream in sight – I’ve made this mushroom soup with 2%, skim, and unsweetened almond milk with perfectly delicious results.
What Kind of Mushrooms to Use
I like using cremini mushrooms, also called “baby bella” mushrooms, in this wild rice mushroom soup because they caramelize beautifully and the sliced brown caps look pretty bobbing in each bowl, but white button mushrooms work just as well too.
- Fun fact: Cremini mushrooms are just the slightly older “teenager” version of white button mushrooms! Truly you can use whatever type of mushrooms you like, or even a blend. Shiitake mushrooms would be delicious.
I like to serve each bowl with a fresh side salad and crispy crostini, gluten free flatbread, or gluten free focaccia to soak up all the rich broth. Ready to dive in?
Serve with Gluten Free Focaccia
How to Make This Recipe
Step 1: Saute the mushrooms.
Start by melting butter in a large soup pot over medium-high heat – I like my big bubba 7.25 quart Dutch Oven so the mushrooms don’t become over crowded.
Once melted, add sliced mushrooms then saute until they release their liquid, the liquid cooks off, and the mushrooms start to turn golden brown, 10 minutes. Add minced garlic and plenty of salt then continue to saute until the mushrooms turn deep golden brown and are slightly dry/tacky.
Scoop the mushrooms into a bowl or plate then set aside (and try not to eat them all)!
Step 2: Saute the vegetables.
Turn the heat down to medium then melt a bit more butter in the pot and add chopped carrots, celery, and shallots or onion. Season with salt, pepper, and dried thyme then saute until the vegetables become tender, 8-10 minutes.
Recipe Tip
I tend to get impatient waiting for carrots, especially, to soften, so I often add a glug of broth then place a lid on top of the pot for the last 5 minutes or so of cooking, which speeds up the softening process.
Step 3: Add a wild-brown rice blend.
Once the vegetables are tender, add a wild-brown rice blend to the pot, along with the cooked mushrooms.
As always, I choose Lundberg brand rice for all my rice-related needs. Please note that this is a brown rice wild rice BLEND vs being straight wild rice, or straight brown rice.
Step 4: Simmer the soup.
Add chicken stock then turn the heat up to high to bring to a boil, place a lid on top, and then turn the heat down to low and simmer until the rice is tender, 45-60 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Step 5: Thicken the soup.
Last step is to stream in milk (any kind – I like 2%) thickened with a bit of gluten free flour (or AP flour if you don’t need to eat GF) then stir and simmer for 10 more minutes.
Let the Creamy Wild Rice Mushroom Soup sit off the heat for 20 minutes or so to thicken and cool – truly you can taste the flavor SO much better when it’s not screaming hot! – then add more salt and pepper if necessary.
Scoop into bowls then serve with a side salad or crispy crostini. I hope you LOVE this cozy, hearty soup recipe – enjoy!
More Cozy Soup Recipes
- Chicken Stew
- Loaded Baked Potato Soup
- Pastina Soup
- Creamy Chicken Wild Rice Soup
- Vegetable Soup
- Crock Pot Chicken and Wild Rice Soup
- Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup
- Easy Chicken and Rice Soup
- Ham and Bean Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter or vegan butter, divided
- 1 lb mushrooms, thinly sliced, I like cremini/baby bellas
- 3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
- salt and pepper
- 2 small carrots, finely chopped (~1 cup)
- 2 ribs celery, thinly sliced
- 1 large shallot or small onion, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 cup Wild Blend Rice, Lundberg Farms recommended
- 6 cups chicken stock or broth
- 3 Tablespoons gluten free flour, or AP flour if you don’t need to eat GF
- 1 cup milk, any kind
Directions
- Heat a large soup pot or Dutch Oven over medium-high heat. Once hot, add 2 Tablespoons butter and allow to melt. Add mushrooms then stir to coat in butter and saute until the mushrooms release their liquid, the liquid cooks off, and they begin to turn golden brown, 8-10 minutes, stirring often and turning the heat down slightly if they begin to burn. Add garlic and season with salt then continue to saute until the mushrooms are deep golden brown and become dry/tacky, 7-8 more minutes. Scoop into a bowl or plate then set aside.
- Turn heat down to medium then melt remaining 2 Tablespoons butter in pot. Add carrots, celery, and shallot/onion then stir to coat in butter and season with salt and pepper. Saute until tender, 8-10 minutes, placing a lid on top of the pot to speed up the softening process if the vegetables are taking a long time to cook. Add dried thyme then saute for 1 more minute.
- Add rice, chicken stock, and cooked mushrooms into the pot then stir to combine. Turn heat up to high to bring mixture to a boil then place a lid on top, turn heat down to low, and simmer until rice is tender, 45-60 minutes (depending on the brand you use), stirring occasionally.
- In a small dish, whisk together flour and 1/4 cup milk until smooth. Add remaining 3/4 cup milk then stir to combine, and then stream mixture into soup and stir well. Simmer, uncovered, for 10 more minutes. Remove pot from heat then let sit and thicken for 20 minutes. Taste and add additional salt and pepper if necessary then scoop into bowls and serve.
Notes
- Use vegetable broth, vegan butter, and non-dairy milk like unsweetened almond milk to make this recipe vegetarian/vegan.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
Excellent! Made this on New Years Day and again yesterday. I don’t usually repeat recipes this soon, but my friend is in need of some comfort food. I have added chicken both times, the first time I thawed 20 Jones Dairy Farm GF chicken meatballs, quartered (2 cups), yesterday I used leftover rotisserie chicken. Adding chicken creates a stew like consistency so I add extra broth at the end to make it more like soup.
That sounds awesome, Chris! Love the convenience of those meatballs, too!
Wow this was good and hearty on a cold winter day! But very thick the next day-my husband called it “porridge.” To be expected with the rice, I know, but I didn’t want to dilute the yummy mushroom flavor with more liquid. I wonder if it needs the flour at all (which would also make it gluten-free.) Next time I’m going to omit it and have it thinner the first day and thicker the second day, because I’m definitely having leftovers!
I hope it’s a hit the next time too, Jane!! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Second time making it, I do add chicken. Delish!
Fabulous!! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating, Suzanne!
Can this be made and then frozen?
That should be ok! I don’t recommending freezing soups with white rice, but the heartier wild blend should be ok. Mushrooms might be a little rubbery so I’d chop them for this recipe vs slice.
I never seem to get around to leaving comments to recipes I’ve tried from the many food bloggers on the web. But, my goodness! this soup is nothing short of fantastic. I think since winter is here now, I’m going to make as many Iowa Girl Eats soup recipes as I can, knowing that they will be just as delicious!
LOVE to hear this, Becky! Soups are my favorite type of food, so I can relate. :) :)
Loved it! Had about 8 oz mushrooms that I needed to use and this recipe came to mind immediately. Added cooked diced chicken to make up rest of mushrooms.
Love, love, love!! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating, Sue!
I started Whole-30 about a week ago and tweaked the recipe just slightly to accommodate that. Ghee for butter, cauliflower-rice for the wild rice combo, xanthan gum for the thickener, and coconut cream for the milk.
Absolutely DELICIOUS! A KEEPER! Like you, I like the cremini mushrooms the best!
So glad you were able to tweak this recipe to fit your lifestyle – thanks so much for sharing, and for your recipe rating, Debbie!
Sounds amazing but if I wanted to add a protein, what would you suggest?
I have added shredded chicken in at the end a few times – delicious!
This soup is absolutely amazing! The only thing I changed was I omitted the celery because i don’t like it and i cut the thyme in half. I will make this over and over again. I want to try adding chicken as well. Thank you so much for this delicious recipe.
I am so thrilled you loved it, Carmin! Thank you so much for your feedback and recipe rating!
Delicious soup that’s thick, creamy and full of flavor. We’re vegan so used vegan butter/broth/oat milk. We tossed a few dried mushrooms we had on hand but it didn’t really need it. We’ll definitely make this again. This would be great anytime but will be a yummy comfort food favorite when the weather gets cooler. A+
So happy you loved the soup and were able to make it work for your diet preferences/needs! Thank you so much for the review and recipe rating – I truly appreciate it!
This was delicious!
I’m so glad you enjoyed, Deb!!
So excited to try this! Looks delicious!!
I hope you love it, Bonn!
What a delightful recipe just ordered Lundberg dice blend from Amazon. will be making this soup soon
Awesome! I can’t wait for you to try it. :)
This soup looks delicious! I can’t wait to try it!
I hope you love it, Val! It really hits the spot!