Tender mushrooms and a delicious wild rice blend cook in a creamy, herb-infused broth. This Creamy Mushroom Wild Rice Soup is a hearty, soul warming soup for a cold fall or winter night.
I’ve made three batches of this soup over the past two weeks and there isn’t a stitch left. It is that good. It has a heavenly, velvet-like texture with a nice bite from the wild rice blend. The savory umami flavor from mushrooms cooked down in a bit of Worcestershire sauce take it to the next level.
And the best part, this Creamy Mushroom Wild Rice Soup is quick and easy to prepare in one pot on the stove. It’s the perfect post holiday comfort food for the days following Thanksgiving when you’re feeling a bit over the whole cooking thing.
I’m usually one to add protein to most everything but this soup doesn’t need it. Cremini mushrooms add plenty of “meatiness” and great flavor. That being said, if you’ve got leftover turkey from Thanksgiving, by all means, add some to this soup for a complete meal.
Table of contents
Ingredient Notes
- Look for a wild rice blend, like Lundberg or Rice Select Royal Blend. These blends contain and nice assortment of black, brown, red, and wild rice and work beautifully soups and rice dishes like my Wild Rice Pilaf with Cranberries and Pecans.
- Cremini mushrooms are sometimes labelled as “baby bella” or “brown button” mushrooms. They are just a slightly more mature version of white button mushrooms which makes them darker in color, a little firmer and more flavorful.
- Half and half is made up of equal parts cream and whole milk. I find it a nice compromise between the two and plenty rich enough to deliciously enhance creamy soups. If you want to lighten it up further, go with whole milk.
How to Make Mushroom Wild Rice Soup
- Cook sliced mushrooms in melted butter in a Dutch oven, stirring occasionally, until tender and brown.
- Add Worcestershire sauce and continue to cook until it is absorbed by the mushrooms. Transfer the mushrooms to a plate and set aside.
- Melt the remaining butter in the same Dutch oven and add the onion, celery, and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally until the veggies have softened. Add the garlic, thyme leaves, rubbed sage, smoked paprika, salt and pepper, and cook for another minute or two, stirring the mixture well to coat the veggies with the spices.
- Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables. Cook, stirring for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Slowly pour in the chicken broth, stirring as you add it to ensure the mixture is smooth.
- Add the uncooked rice and return the mushrooms to the pot.
- Increase the heat as needed to bring the soup to a boil. Cover, turn the heat down and simmer for 45 to 50 minutes or until the rice is tender.
- Stir in the half and half or whole milk and remove from the heat. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if needed. Garnish with additional thyme leaves and serve.
Adding Protein
If you have leftover holiday turkey or rotisserie chicken, dice it up and stir it in to the soup at the end of the cooking time.
Storing Soups with Rice
Refrigerator Instructions
Transfer leftovers to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Rice works as a natural thickener so you will notice the soup will thicken a lot when refrigerated. This is an easy problem to solve when you reheat the soup by just adding in a little additional broth and warming gently on the stove or in the microwave.
Freezer Instructions
Soups with rice are typically not the best candidates for freezing but wild rice is firmer and sturdier than white and typically fares better. Soups that contain dairy can also be tricky but since this Creamy Mushroom Wild Rice Soup contains far more broth then dairy, it shouldn’t be an issue. For the best quality, I recommend refrigerating leftovers but if you are determined to freeze it, transfer the completely cooled soup to freezer-safe containers and freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw frozen soups completely in the refrigerator before reheating.
More Soul-Warming Soup Recipes
- Cabbage Roll Soup
- Sweet Potato Coconut Curry Soup
- Roasted Cauliflower Corn Chowder
- Slow Cooker Vegetable Beef Barley Soup
- Check out all of my Soup, Stew, and Chili Recipes.
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Creamy Mushroom Wild Rice Soup
Video
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons butter, divided
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup yellow onion, diced
- 1 heaping cup chopped celery, (about 3 ribs)
- 1 heaping cup carrot, chopped (2 to 3 carrots)
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon rubbed sage
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon fine ground sea salt, plus additional if needed
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus additional if needed
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup uncooked wild rice blend, like Lundberg Wild Rice Blend
- 6 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup half and half or whole milk
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, for garnish
Instructions
- Add 2 tablespoons butter to a Dutch oven and place over MEDIUM-HIGH heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, occasionally, until they are tender and browned and have absorbed most of the liquid they've let off, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add Worcestershire and cook until it is absorbed by the mushrooms, 1 to 2 minutes more. Remove from heat and transfer the mushrooms to a plate and set aside.
- Melt the remaining butter in the same Dutch oven over MEDIUM-HIGH HEAT. Add the onion, celery, and carrot and cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes, or until veggies have softened. Add the garlic, thyme leaves, rubbed sage, smoked paprika, salt and pepper, and cook for another minute or two, stirring the mixture well to coat the veggies with the spices.
- Reduce the heat under the Dutch oven to MEDIUM and sprinkle the flour over the vegetables. Cook, stirring for 2 to 3 minutes. Slowly pour in the chicken broth, stirring as you add it to ensure the mixture is smooth. Add the uncooked rice and return the mushrooms to the pot. Increase the heat as needed to bring the soup to a boil, stirring occasionally. Cover, turn the heat down to LOW and simmer for 45 to 50 minutes or until the rice is tender.
- Add the half and half or whole milk. Stir until it is well incorporated and remove from the heat. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if needed. Garnish with additional thyme leaves and serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated using generic ingredients, and is an estimate not a guarantee. For more accurate results, please refer to the labels on your ingredients at home.
More Mushroom Recipes
Can I use all wild rice in this recipe? I am afraid it will absorb too much liquid. Maybe partially cook it first?
I can’t say for sure without testing, but the blend I use contains a good percentage of wild rice so the amount of liquid would probably be enough.
Good recipe. I think it needs more umami flavor, like maybe dried wild mushrooms or a cup on white wine or maybe some Parmesan rind. I think next time I will add a cup of wine to the veggies and flour before adding the chicken broth.
This is my favorite soup recipe of all time. I make it exactly as described, adding 1 lb cut up chicken and 1/2 jalapeno for a little spice. It is the perfect comfort food along with a piece of crusty bread.
We are such big fans of this soup I make it regularly – the extra work is well worth it! I make a double batch and leftovers are always gone in days. The best wild rice soup I’ve ever made!
I just made this soup tonight and it’s absolutely delicious. I did add some rotisserie chicken, and used heavy whipping cream (1/2 the amount). I’m going to make a double batch and freeze it for the winter, this is exactly the kind of soup I was looking for!
This soup is the best I have ever had and it’s simple. I think what makes it so is the process of heating/infusing the spices into the veggies. My husband and I have soup year around and he agreed…this recipe is a winner
Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a comment and rating, Cindy! So happy you both love the soup. 🙂
I want to add some meat – either chicken thighs or maybe tiny meatballs – any suggestions?
Yes, this soup is great with protein added. My favorite is shredded rosisserie chicken breast but thighs or tiny meatballs would both be great!
I roast chicken breasts with some seasoning and chop them up to add at the end of the recipe steps. I add some white rice since we’re big rice eaters and it’s perfect!