Me? Wild Rice Soup? Obsessed? Pshhh. comment icon 1742 more comments Okay fine, I might be a little obsessed. There might be something like three variations of wild rice soup already on this blog. I don’t know. It’s not a problem, okay? It’s just… a love.
In This Post: Everything You Need For Wild Rice Soup
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Variations Of This Wild Rice Soup
It might be helpful to do a quick recap of my wild rice soup journey over the course of my life. My Mom’s Wild Rice Soup. I grew up in / still live in Minnesota. Wild rice soup was the food of my childhood. My mom still makes it every year for Christmas Eve dinner. It’s dark by 5pm and the evergreen trees are covered with snow and the soup has been simmering all day and the whole house smells like bacon and wild rice soup. And really, there is just nothing better. No electric appliances. Nothing being plugged in. It’s a purist version. In case you were wondering, I think the recipe comes from our church cookbook because obviously. This is how it gets done. God bless Minnesota, and mom, and the wild rice soup that raised me. Crockpot Chicken Wild Rice Soup: Then came my need to make wild rice soup on the reg. I wanted to take it from Christmas dinner to an easier-to-make version of the classic. Like, crockpot level easy. This recipe was born and it became one of the most popular recipes on Pinch of Yum. It is also one of my personally most-made recipes in life. And that’s saying a lot, because I’m making new recipes ALL THE TIME. This became an excellent back-pocket recipe for making a quick dinner, having friends over last-minute, or bringing a meal to a friend. And now this Instant Pot Wild Rice Soup (with mushrooms oh my gosh): This brings us to today. Yet another iteration of the wild rice soup that I so know and love. This time I ditched the chicken (although, to be fair, you can absolutely keep it around), added mushrooms, and put it in the Instant Pot (affiliate link). I know you want to hate me. But you do not hate me because this is going to blowyamind. The flavor of this soup, thanks to the mushrooms, I think, was so, so, so, so good. The prep and cook is SOS-level easy. And think about how much wild rice soup I’ve had in my lifetime. I feel very qualified to tell you that this right here is how it’s done. This is yummy, earthy, middle-of-winter wild rice soup.
How To Make This Wild Rice Soup
This is a dump and cook situation. It’s mostly hands-off (except for a short little step at the end to get that creaminess). And it’s weeknight and freezer-friendly. Let’s get to it! You have options:
The Best Flavor Option (this is how the recipe is written): Sauté onions and mushrooms to start. Add wild rice and cook for a bit to make a soup base. Add veggies just at the end, so they don’t get mushy. Add heavy cream, a bit more broth, and some sherry and umami seasoning to finish. OOF. So good.
The Easiest Option: Add everything to the Instant Pot. Add heavy cream to make it creamy. The end.
The No-Heavy-Cream Option: Same as either of the above to start, but instead of heavy cream, make a flour-butter-milk mixture as your creamy base. (This is how I’ve always made the recipe in the past, but more recently I’m finding that I like the heavy cream option better because the flavor is a bit richer and more developed.)
What To Serve With This Soup
You will obviously need some extras to go with your wild rice soup. If it’s just an average Sunday soup day, you better be making a loaf of crusty No Knead Bread. If it’s Christmas (who else makes wild rice soup for Christmas except my family? I literally know zero people), you better have a fancy salad to round out the meal. May I recommend the Bacon and Brussels Sprouts Salad of years past? It never gets old, does it? Or my family’s latest favorite, a Simple Green Salad.
Adding Other Proteins / Making Swaps
Protein options that you can add in or out:
Shredded or cubed chicken – I have a recipe for that right here. Crumbled cooked bacon Cubed ham Throw a whole ham bone in there
About The Mushrooms
If you kind of don’t like mushrooms but you might like them sometimes, can I recommend that you give it a whirl? Cut up the mushrooms really thin so you get the flavor without the texture bothering you as much. I think you’re going to fall hard and fast. And my friends who are already on team mushroom? A) Good for you, and B) GET. AFTER. IT. This recipe has been elevated to my new favorite version of wild rice soup which is a major big deal. Warm, creamy, cold-weather mushrooms and wild rice for the eternal win. ❤
Something brand new we recently added: a button to add all your ingredients to your Target cart! Just tap the button to get all these ingredients – it’ll create your list and pop you over to the Target app where you can just order it all for Drive Up. It’s literally the easy button! ♡ View the freezer meal version of this recipe here. 4.7 from 983 reviews
2 tablespoons butter half of an onion, chopped 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced 1 cup uncooked wild rice (see notes) 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth 1 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme 3 cloves garlic, minced 5 medium carrots, chopped 3 stalks celery, chopped (optional)
Make a Creamy Base on the Stovetop:
6 tablespoons butter 1/2 cup flour 1 1/2 cups milk (I used 2%) OR replace all of the above with 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
Optional For Finishing / Flavor:
1 teaspoon umami mushroom seasoning 1–2 tablespoons sherry (it seems forgettable but it adds a lot)
Crockpot version: Check out this recipe. Stovetop version: Saute carrots, celery, onion, garlic, and mushrooms with oil. Add wild rice, broth, and salt. Simmer until wild rice is cooked (1-2 hours). Make the roux and mix it in (or add heavy cream). Thin the soup to desired consistency with broth. Freezer Meal Version You might also like our full freezer meals post.
More Instant Pot Soup Recipes To Love
Instant Pot Minestrone Soup (like a saucy, warm hug in a bowl) Instant Pot Sweet Potato Tortilla Soup (the BEST vegetarian tortilla soup) Instant Pot Chicken and Dumplings (comfort food at its absolute finest) Instant Pot Pumpkin Walnut Chili (my favorite twist on vegetarian chili) Spicy Peanut Soup with Sweet Potato and Kale (Instant Pot directions in the recipe card!)
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This recipe is part of our best Instant Pot recipes page. Check it out!
