Make Ahead

Vegan Cream of Mushroom and Wild Rice Soup

by:
April 18, 2016
20 Ratings
Vegan Cream of Mushroom and Wild Rice Soup
Photo by James Ransom
Author Notes

This is the perfect soup for bridging the gap between winter and spring, when fresh mushrooms and other market fare are calling but the temperatures are still hovering above forty. Coconut milk creates creaminess without weighing the soup down, and mushrooms add plenty of texture and umami. —Gena Hamshaw

  • Prep time 15 minutes
  • Cook time 1 hour 30 minutes
  • Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 large yellow onion, diced
  • 2 celery stalks, diced
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • 1 pound mushrooms, diced (I used a 50/50 mixture of baby bella and shiitake)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 cup white wine (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon crushed thyme
  • 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 cup wild rice
  • 1 cup full fat, canned coconut milk or cashew cream (https://food52.com/recipes...)
  • 1 pinch black pepper, to taste
  • 1 splash white wine or sherry vinegar
In This Recipe
Directions
  1. In a large soup or stock pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, and carrots. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the onions are soft and translucent. Add the mushrooms, garlic, and white wine, along with a pinch of salt. Cover the pot and allow the mushrooms to cook down for a minute or two. Uncover and cook, stirring frequently, for another 5 to 7 minutes, or until the mushrooms have released their juices and cooked down considerably.
  2. Add the thyme, rosemary, bay leaf, broth, water, and rice to the pot. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until the wild rice is tender.
  3. Remove the bay leaf from the soup. Stir in the coconut milk, black pepper, and a splash of vinegar, if desired. Adjust seasonings as needed and serve. The soup will thicken up considerably over time, so feel free to add a bit more water or coconut milk as desired.
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Gena Hamshaw
Gena is a registered dietitian, recipe developer, and food blogger. She's the author of three cookbooks, including Power Plates (2017) and Food52 Vegan (2015). She enjoys cooking vegetables, making bread, and challenging herself with vegan baking projects.

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18 Reviews

jsh
jsh January 25, 2021
Two full stalks of celery seems excessive. Should it be 2 ribs of celery?
 
Nicole
Nicole January 12, 2020
Made this exactly as described and it is delicious!!
 
Celi P.
Celi P. December 24, 2019
I made this tonight and I have to say...it came out AMAZING! One of the best soups I ever made! What I did...I cooked the veggies, blended it just a bit in the blender then I added the broth, water and rice with a pinch more salt, then once cooked I added the coconut milk...it was sooooo good 😋
 
Runi
Runi November 1, 2019
Omitted the milk and pureed a bunch of the cooked stock/veggie/mushrooms and added it back to the pot before adding the rice and it's perfectly creamy. I only had wild rice blend which is lovely but I'm looking forward to making the recipe with straight up wild rice. Delicious and rich. Serving it with cornbread and roasted veggies tonight.
 
gtraecy
gtraecy September 30, 2019
Absolutely loved this soup! Used a mix of baby bella, shiitake, and oyster mushrooms. Also added fresh thyme and rosemary since I had them both on hand in addition to the dried herbs and it was fantastic. Only thing I changed was that I did add a few more cups of stock and a few shakes of crushed red pepper. Will definitely make again!
 
jeff
jeff April 26, 2019
This was amazing. I did exactly as the recipe stated, except I think I added a bit more water/broth and since it didn't state in the ingredients, I used a splash of apple cider vinegar. I'll definitely be making this one again. Anything with wild rice is gotta get a try at least once.
 
Joanne F.
Joanne F. January 8, 2019
Made this for my book club and it was well received. I used a mix of rice (white/brown/wild) instead of all wild and did substitute chicken stock for vegetable stock because I already had it in the house. Would definitely make it again. It was on the thick side, but that was perfect for a cold night in Maine! Only got five servings, though, so if you want more, you probably need to thin it with additional broth, water and/or coconut milk.
 
Susan M.
Susan M. October 2, 2018
Love this soup! I've made this soup several times. This time I doubled the recipe and added chicken and lemon juice. However, I barely have any broth left as the rice expanded. Any idea as to how I can fix this? I used 2 cans of unsweetened coconut milk and 8 cups vegetable broth. SO much Soup!
 
Joel
Joel December 3, 2018
Anytime I do rice or pasta soup...I do it separately, and for this reason. That way, a noodle soup or a rice soup, I hold a quart container portion and just put my portion of starch in the center of bowl and ladle the hot soup over it to warm it and the pasta or rice's integrity is still where it should be. I have learned to do it with many soups and dishes, including proteins with some dishes...where a re heat of leftovers overcooks the most important of the dish.
 
Kristie P.
Kristie P. January 24, 2018
This turned out great! I omitted the herbs and used a bunch of black pepper and crushed red pepper instead. Definitely adding this to the rotation.
 
Shelby P.
Shelby P. November 10, 2017
We are not huge fans of coconut but the full fat milk was perfect in this. We just added some adobo spice at the end to cut through a little of that coconut sweetness. Super yummy and satisfying 😋
 
Trisha M.
Trisha M. November 5, 2017
Made this tonight! Oh. My. Word. This is my new favorite food. Period. See this a lot in my future. Husband loved it too!
 
Jill F.
Jill F. October 29, 2017
We loved this soup so much I am making it again less than a week later. Flavorful and satisfying. Will be in the rotation all fall and winter!
 
Jacob M.
Jacob M. October 10, 2017
We made this tonight and it is soooo amazing. I can’t quit going back for another spoonful. Well done!!!
 
SophieL
SophieL January 11, 2017
Made this last night and it was so easy and delicious. Used full-fat coconut milk; added 1 tsp salt with 1/2 tsp. pepper at the end. Leftovers are in the freezer to enjoy another day. Perfect meal for a rainy overcast afternoon.
 
BR95510
BR95510 January 8, 2017
Wonderful! Made this tonight and hubby went back for seconds. Mine came out with a stew-like consistency that begged for crusty bread for sopping! The flavors were spot on. I'm freezing the leftovers, with good results I hope. Excellent recipe, thanks so much!
 
Stephanie D.
Stephanie D. January 4, 2017
This was delicious! I made it tonight, but used short grain town rice since that's all I had, I also didn't have thyme or a bay leave and it still turned out great. I definitely recommend using the wine - will be making this again!!
 
jenny
jenny April 29, 2016
Made this today using cashew cream. It was yum and I'm not sure you'd know it was vegan it was so lush :-)