This colorful vegan wild rice soup is loaded with veggies like kale and butternut squash and is easy to make in the Instant Pot or on the stovetop. Recipe includes three methods for achieving creaminess, with gluten-free and oil-free options.
This soup is pretty much autumn in a bowl, and I couldn't love it more.
I bought wild rice at Trader Joe's recently and had a craving to pair it with butternut squash and mushrooms in a soup. A quick Google search led me to this wild rice soup at Gimme Some Oven, which is pretty much exactly what I had in mind!
With just a few ingredient swaps I had a hearty vegan version that I think you'll love, too. This vegan wild rice soup is:
- creamy yet light
- deliciously warm and salty with a hint of sweetness from butternut squash and carrot
- loaded with nutrients
- versatile, with three options for making it creamy
- a blank slate for adding tempeh, tofu, beans, or seitan to make it extra satisfying (I've included tempeh in the instructions)
- and it can be cooked in the Instant Pot or on the stovetop
According to Ali's recipe at Gimme Some Oven, wild rice soup can also be made in a slow cooker, though I haven't tried that yet. I'm all about the Instant Pot for this one!
Ingredient Notes
Veggies - onion, butternut squash, mushrooms, garlic, carrots, and kale or spinach
Vegetable broth - the broth imparts a lot of flavor so use one you really like, whether store-bought or homemade.
Wild rice - you want 100% wild rice for this soup, not a rice blend.
Seasonings - I used dried thyme, rosemary, oregano, and black pepper, but feel free to play around with the herbs depending on what you have on hand.
Additions - to make the soup extra satisfying I added cubed tempeh; tofu is also a great option, or simply stir in cooked beans before serving the soup.
Creaminess (3 options) - for a gluten-free option you'll use canned coconut milk. This is the easiest of the three options and my personal favorite. For the best flavor and richness I recommend full-fat coconut milk for this recipe, but "lite" also works.
For those of you who avoid coconut milk and/or prefer a low-fat option, you'll make a dairy-free "cream" sauce on the stovetop by whisking together flour and your favorite unsweetened non-dairy milk, then heating it until thickened.
And finally, there's yet ANOTHER option to make it creamy! If you enjoy cooking with vegan butter, you'll make a typical vegan roux on the stovetop. Begin by melting ¼ cup vegan butter in a saucepan, then whisk in the flour, and cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the milk, and continue to whisk and cook the sauce until thickened.
How to Make Vegan Wild Rice Soup
The complete instructions are in the recipe below, but here's a summary just to get you started:
- Choose your cooking method (Instant Pot or stovetop), and cook the base of the soup, which includes all ingredients except the kale and coconut milk/vegan cream sauce.
- If not using coconut milk, about 10 minutes before the soup base is finished make the vegan cream sauce on the stovetop, either the low-fat version or the one using vegan butter (see the recipe Notes for this option).
- Stir in the kale and coconut milk (or cream sauce).
- Taste and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Serve and enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
Enjoy this hearty wild rice soup with your favorite crusty bread, Oil-Free Vegan Cornbread, or buttery Southern-Style Vegan Cornbread.
It also pairs nicely with Roasted Sweet Potato Salad With Lemon Vinaigrette or this fresh and crisp Bok Choy Salad.
More Vegan Soups:
Creamy Vegetable Noodle Soup
The Best Cream of Mushroom
Cream of Kale Soup
Tuscan White Bean Soup
Bok Choy Broth With Noodles
Spicy Chorizo Potato Soup
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Creamy Vegan Wild Rice Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 large onion, chopped - Any variety
- 10 ounces baby bella or white button mushrooms, sliced
- 1 pound butternut squash, cut into large cubes - The neck of one small squash is about 1 lb.
- 1 large carrot, peeled and sliced
- 5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 cup uncooked wild rice
- 8 ounces tempeh, cubed, or sub tofu - Can add up to 16 ounces; See Notes.
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- ¼ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 small bunch kale, chopped with thick stems removed
- 1 to 1 ½ cups canned coconut milk, full-fat (preferred) or "lite" - Or see below for lower fat "cream sauce" option.
- salt and pepper
Low-Fat "Cream" Sauce (if NOT using coconut milk); see NOTES for cream sauce made with vegan butter:
- ¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour - Sub white whole-wheat for whole-grain option.
- 1 ½ cups unsweetened plain non-dairy milk
Instructions
Instant Pot Method:
- Combine onion, mushrooms, squash, carrot, garlic, wild rice, tempeh, if using, vegetable broth, thyme, rosemary, and oregano in the insert of an Instant Pot. Stir to combine.
- Lock on the lid and set to sealing. Cook on high pressure for 22 minutes. Allow the pressure naturally release for 15 minutes, then quick release any remaining pressure. Carefully remove the lid.
- If using coconut milk, skip this step. Otherwise, during the final 10 minutes of cooking prepare the cream sauce (this is the low-fat version; see Notes for method using vegan butter): in a medium saucepan whisk the flour and milk until smooth. Place sauce pan over medium heat. Whisking constantly, cook until the sauce is thickened but hasn't reached a full simmer. Remove from heat.
- Add kale and 1 cup coconut milk (or full amount of vegan cream sauce) to the pot, and stir to combine. Taste and add more coconut milk, if desired. Season with salt and pepper.
Stovetop Method:
- Heat a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the onion and mushrooms, and sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the garlic, and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently, until fragrant.
- Add the vegetable broth, butternut squash, carrot, wild rice, tempeh, thyme, rosemary, and oregano. Stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, then cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 45 minutes, or until the rice is tender, stirring occasionally.
- If using coconut milk, skip this step. Otherwise, during the final 10 minutes of cooking prepare the cream sauce (this is the low-fat version; see Notes for method using vegan butter): in a medium saucepan whisk the flour and milk until smooth. Place sauce pan over medium heat. Whisking constantly, cook until the sauce is thickened but hasn't reached a full simmer. Remove from heat.
- Add the kale and 1 cup coconut milk (or full amount of vegan cream sauce) to the pot, and stir to combine. Taste and add more coconut milk, if desired. Season with salt and pepper.
Notes
Cream Sauce Option Made With Vegan Butter
This option is similar to the low-fat sauce included above, but with vegan butter added to the pan first, then flour, and finally milk. INSTRUCTIONS: When the soup base has 10 minutes left to cook, heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add 4 Tbsp vegan butter. Once melted, whisk in 4 Tbsp all-purpose flour, and cook for 1 minute, whisking constantly. Slowly add 1 ½ cups plain, unsweetened non-dairy milk, whisking until combined. Cook until thickened, whisking constantly. Reduce heat if necessary so the mixture doesn't boil. Add to the soup base as described in Step 4 above.Storage/Freezing
Store leftover soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The soup freezes very well, with the exception of the tempeh which is a bit mushy after thawing. So if you know you'll be freezing some or all of the soup, you may want to omit the tempeh or sub tofu. To freeze soup, allow to cool completely, then store in a freezer-safe container, making sure to leave a small amount of space for the liquid to expand.Estimated Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition information is an estimate and will vary depending on the exact amounts and specific products and ingredients used. We calculate this information using the online calculator cronometer.com.
Darlene Davis
I really enjoyed this soup! Perfect timing to post this recipe too as a lot of the ingredients I had to use up in my garden. I popped in a cayenne pepper too for a little zip. Thanks again!