Mushroom Wild Rice Soup

posted: 05/10/21 — updated: 01/07/23 by Deryn Macey Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.

This mushroom wild rice soup is is so creamy and flavourful you will love it for a nourishing, comforting meal or as the perfect starter to a holiday meal.

Bowl of mushroom wild rice soup with a spoon in it.

Table of Contents

Features

Dietary Features: Vegan, gluten-free and can be oil-free.
Flavourful and cozy, serve with crusty bread for the ultimate comfort food.
Completely dairy-free yet wonderfully creamy and hearty!
Involves a few steps but overall easy to make with simple, everyday ingredients.

Ingredients & Substitutions

Visual list of ingredients for making a wild rice and mushroom soup recipe.

This list is not complete. Please see the recipe card at the end of the post for the complete ingredient list with measurements and detailed instructions.

Mixed Dried Mushrooms: This recipe calls for mixed dried mushrooms that will get rehydrated in vegetable broth. I used a mix of porcini, shitaki, oyster and wood ear mushrooms but it doesn’t have to be that exact mix.
Stock: Any good vegetable broth or stock works. You can use store-bought carton borth, bouillon base, cubes or your favouriet homemade veggie stock.
Wild Rice Blend: A blend might include varieties like wild rice, red red, black rice and long-grain brown rice. Any kind will work, just note cooking times may vary slightly. You can also use 100% wild rice.
Coconut Milk: Canned full-fat coconut milk stands in for heavy cream or milk in this recipe. If you can’t do coconut milk, cashew cream would be a suitable substitute.
Olive Oil: For an oil-free recipe, substitute with water or broth.

Why Use Dried Mushrooms?

There are a lot of great reasons to use dried mushrooms in recipes!

There’s no need to worry about them going bad in the fridge. They store well in your pantry so you can grab some and keep on hand for when you’re ready to make this recipe.
They’re easy to use so don’t be intimidated! We’ll rehydrate them in vegetable broth with garlic and a bay leaf – this both adds extra umami flavour to the broth as it’s infused with mushroom and garlic and to the mushrooms as they absorb the flavours of the broth.
Dried mushrooms add earthy, umami flavour to vegan dishes without the need for beef broth, meat or dairy.
They’re versatile! From soups to risotto, pasta to sauces, dried mushrooms can do a lot!
Look for a mix with mushrooms like shiitake, porcini, oyster and wood ear mushrooms for the most flavour and variety of textures.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Soak the mushrooms. Bring the broth to a boil on the stovetop then remove from the heat and add the dried mushrooms, garlic and bay leaf. Let them soak for 20 minutes.

Vegetable broth in a pot with chopped wild mushrooms and a bay leaf.

Step 2: Rinse and soak the rice. Rinse the rice under cold water then add to a bowl and cover with water. Soak for at least 20 minutes. When it’s done soaking, drain.

Step 3: Strain the mushrooms and reserve the broth. Strain the mushrooms over a bowl so you can reserve the soaking liquid.

Make sure you don’t dump the liquid down the sink! Set the broth aside and chop up the mushrooms.

A variety of soaked pieces of dried mushrooms in a strainer.

A pile of chopped mushrooms on a cutting board.

Step 4: Saute the veggies. Using the same pot as you soaked the mushrooms in (or a new one, it doesn’t matter), saute the onions, thyme and oregano for about 5 minutes until fragrant.

Diced onions cooking in herbs in a soup pot.

Step 5: Cook the soup. Add the mushrooms, garlic, reserved stock, coconut milk and soaked wild rice.

Simmer for 20 minutes covered then remove lid and simmer another 15 minutes. Check on the rice. If it’s tender, the soup is done. If not, let it cook a few more minutes.

Chopped onion and mushroom cooking in a soup pot.

A thick mushroom wild rice soup in a soup pot.

Season with additional salt and pepper, if needed, and serve right away.

Ladle taking a scoop of mushroom wild rice soup from a pot.

Overhead view of a bowl of wild rice mushroom soup.

FAQs

Can I add additional veggies?

Sure. Celery and carrot work well in this recipe. You can use up to 1 cup of each and add them when you add the onions.

Can I use brown rice in this recipe?

Sure. If you’re using brown rice, skip the soaking and follow the recipe as written. You can also use white rice but note that the cooking time will be much less (approximately 15 minutes total) and the additional starch with make the soup thicker.

Can I store leftovers?

Yes but note the soup will thicken considerable after storing. You can either enjoy it as is, somewhat like a thick stew or risotto, or add additional broth or water to adjust the consistency to your preference.

Close up of a bowl of wild rice mushroom soup.

Storing

Let cool before storing.
The rice will continue to absorb liquid after cooking, so when reheating, add a little bit of vegetable stock or water to adjust the consistency, if needed.
Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Reheat as needed on the stovetop or in the microwave until heated through.

Did you try this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Scroll down to the comment section to leave a star rating and review.
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