If you love warming, hearty soups, this one belongs alongside our Hungarian Mushroom Soup and Chicken Pot Pie Soup in your cold-weather rotation.
When the temperature drops and you want something that genuinely satisfies, Wild Rice Mushroom Soup is the answer. The wild rice gives every spoonful a hearty chew, the mushrooms bring deep, earthy richness, and the lightly thickened broth pulls everything into something that tastes far more complex than its ingredient list lets on.
One of the best things about this recipe is the way it’s structured: the rice simmers in broth while you build the rest of the soup in a separate pot at the same time, so the steps layer together instead of stacking end to end. When the rice is done, you pour it — cooking liquid and all — right into the pot, so none of that savory depth goes to waste. A squeeze of lemon and some grated Parmesan at the end, and you’re ready to serve.
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Reader Love
This was a very delicious meal! I used plant based milk and cheese and it was still very tasty! This is a keeper.
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💛 Why you’ll love this recipe
- Earthy, savory depth — mushrooms cook until their liquid evaporates, concentrating their flavor into every bite.
- Real chew — wild rice holds its texture in the broth and makes this soup genuinely filling.
- Smart parallel cooking — the rice and vegetables cook at the same time, so you’re not waiting through sequential steps.
- Flexible broth — the recipe works with chicken broth or vegetable broth, so it’s easy to work with what you have on hand.
- Customizable finish — lemon juice, fresh parsley, and grated Parmesan are all optional garnishes you can mix and match.
- Feeds a crowd — the recipe makes 6 servings, enough for a full family dinner with room for seconds.
➡️ Ingredients
⏲ How to make this recipe
Here is the short version of the method, so you can see what you are in for before you start. The full measurements, temperatures, and timings are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Bring 4 cups of broth and 2 cups of water to a boil, add the wild rice, cover, and cook on low for 40 to 45 minutes until tender. Do not drain it — that cooking broth goes into the soup and carries most of the flavor.
- While the rice cooks, heat the olive oil in a large pot and cook the onion and garlic until translucent, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Stir in the carrots and celery and let them cook until the rice has about 7 to 10 minutes left.
- Melt the butter into the pot, sprinkle the flour over the vegetables, stir it through, and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the milk slowly, stirring the whole time so it does not go lumpy, and keep stirring as it thickens.
- Pour in the cooked rice along with all of its broth, bring it to a gentle simmer, and cook 5 minutes more. Taste it, season it, and stir in lemon juice if you want the edges sharpened.
- Ladle into bowls and finish with parsley and grated Parmesan.
👉 Easy ingredient swaps
- The recipe lists both chicken broth and vegetable broth as options — swap to vegetable broth for a fully vegetarian version.
- Whole milk and 2% milk both work; either gives the broth that lightly creamy, thickened texture.
- The lemon juice, fresh parsley, and Parmesan are all optional garnishes — use whichever you have and skip the rest.
- The recipe doesn’t call for a specific onion variety, so yellow, white, or sweet onion all work fine here.
✨ Variations
- Add all three optional garnishes — lemon juice, fresh parsley, and Parmesan — at the end for a bowl with brightness, color, and a savory edge.
- Stir in lemon juice gradually: the recipe suggests 1–3 teaspoons, so start with 1 teaspoon, taste, and adjust from there.
- Use vegetable broth in place of chicken broth to make this a fully meatless dinner.
- Serve in smaller portions as a first course before a heartier main dish like roasted chicken or a casserole.
〰️ How to serve
- This soup is excellent with something to dip — a thick slice of crusty bread or a warm roll is the natural move.
- Try it alongside Cheesy Garlic Pull Apart Bread for a bread-forward, cold-night spread that feels like a full meal.
- Pair it with Rye Dinner Rolls for a warm, substantial side that holds up to a full bowl of soup.
- A simple green salad on the side keeps the meal balanced if you’re serving this as a complete weeknight dinner.
🧊 Storing, freezing, and making it ahead
- In the refrigerator: up to 4 days in an airtight container. The wild rice keeps drinking up the broth, so by day two it is closer to a stew than a soup.
- Reheating: go gently, over medium-low on the stovetop, stirring as it comes up. A hard boil will split the milk-and-flour base. Loosen it with a splash of broth or milk to bring it back to the texture it had on day one.
- In the freezer: this is not a soup that freezes well. The milk base separates and the wild rice goes soft. If you want some in the freezer, stop after the vegetables are cooked and freeze that base, then add the butter, flour, milk, and rice fresh on the day.
- Making it ahead: the rice is the slow part, so cook it up to 3 days early and refrigerate it in its broth. The rest of the soup comes together in about 20 minutes.
💬 FAQs
Can I make this soup vegetarian?
Yes — the recipe lists both chicken broth and vegetable broth as options, so all you need to do is choose the vegetable broth. The flavor is built on the mushrooms, herbs, and vegetables regardless of which broth you use.
Why do the instructions say not to drain the rice?
After the rice finishes cooking, it’s still sitting in the broth and water it simmered in. That liquid is part of the soup base — it carries the savory flavor from the entire cooking process. You pour the rice and its liquid directly into the vegetable pot, so nothing gets left behind.
Can I use any type of mushrooms?
The recipe calls for 1 pound of mushrooms without specifying a variety, so use whatever is available to you. The key step is cooking them long enough — about 8 to 10 minutes — until they’re soft and their liquid has mostly cooked off.
Is the lemon juice necessary, and what does it add?
It’s completely optional, but stirring in 1 to 3 teaspoons at the end brightens the flavor and cuts through the richness of the broth. Start with 1 teaspoon, taste, and add more if you’d like.
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Wild Rice Mushroom Soup
Ingredients
- 4 cups chicken broth or vegetable broth
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup 180 grams wild rice, rinsed and drained
- 1 tablespoon 15 milliliters olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 pound mushrooms, sliced (cremini, baby bella, etc.)
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- ½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon pepper, plus more to taste
- 2 medium carrots, diced
- 2 stalks celery, diced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup 236 milliliters whole milk or 2% milk
Optional Additions/Garnishes:
- 1-3 teaspoon lemon juice
- Chopped fresh parsley
- Grated Parmesan cheese, omit for vegetarian
Instructions
- Cook Rice: In a saucepan over medium-high heat, bring 4 cups of broth and 2 cups of water to a boil. Add rice, reduce stovetop heat to low, cover saucepan with lid, and cook until rice is tender, about 40-45 minutes. (After cooking this, do not drain broth.)
- Sauté Onions and Garlic: While rice cooks, heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and sauté until translucent, about 3-5 minutes.
- Stir in Mushrooms and Herbs: Stir in mushrooms, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper and cook until mushrooms are soft and their liquid has mostly evaporated, about 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in Carrots and Celery: Stir in carrots and celery, and cook until timer for rice has about 7-10 minutes left. (Allow at least 5 minutes for carrots and celery to cook, but it can be longer.)
- Prepare Instant Roux: Add butter to pot and let it melt. Sprinkle flour over sautéed vegetables and stir well to combine. Cook for 1 minute.
- Add Milk: Slowly add milk to pot, stirring continuously to avoid lumps. Continue stirring as mixture thickens; simmer until rice has finished cooking.
- Add Rice Then Simmer: Once rice is done cooking, carefully pour or ladle scoops of cooked rice and broth into pot and stir to combine. Bring to a gentle simmer and let cook for additional 5 minutes to allow flavors to meld together. Remove pot from stovetop heat, then carefully taste and add salt and pepper, based on taste preferences. Optionally, stir in some lemon juice to brighten up the flavors.
- Garnish and Serve: Ladle soup into bowls, garnish with parsley and grated Parmesan cheese, then serve.
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