Creamy Mushroom Wild Rice (Printable)

Earthy mushrooms and nutty wild rice combine in a creamy, satisfying dish ideal for warming up.

# What You'll Need:

→ Vegetables & Herbs

01 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
02 - 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
03 - 3 celery stalks, diced
04 - 2 medium carrots, diced
05 - 4 garlic cloves, minced
06 - 1 pound mixed mushrooms (cremini, shiitake, or button), sliced
07 - 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
08 - 1 bay leaf
09 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, plus extra for garnish

→ Grains

10 - 3/4 cup uncooked wild rice, rinsed

→ Liquids

11 - 6 cups vegetable broth
12 - 1 cup whole milk or unsweetened non-dairy milk (e.g., oat or soy)
13 - 1/2 cup heavy cream or non-dairy cream

→ Seasoning

14 - 1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
15 - 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
16 - Pinch of nutmeg (optional)

→ Thickener

17 - 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour or gluten-free flour blend

# Directions:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and carrots, and sauté for 5 minutes until softened.
02 - Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant. Add mushrooms and thyme leaves; sauté for 6 to 8 minutes until mushrooms are browned and have released their juices.
03 - Sprinkle flour over the vegetables and stir for 1 to 2 minutes to eliminate the raw flour taste.
04 - Add wild rice, bay leaf, and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 40 to 45 minutes until rice is tender.
05 - Remove bay leaf. Stir in milk and cream, then simmer uncovered for 5 minutes to heat through. Adjust seasoning with salt, pepper, and optional nutmeg.
06 - Stir in chopped parsley. Serve hot, garnished with additional fresh parsley.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It's the kind of soup that feels like a warm hug in a bowl—creamy enough to be luxurious, but made with simple ingredients you probably already have on hand
  • Wild rice gives it a nutty depth that makes people ask for the recipe, and the mushrooms develop such rich flavor that no one will believe it's vegetarian
  • The whole thing comes together in about an hour, meaning you can have something restaurant-worthy on the table on a busy weeknight
02 -
  • Don't skip browning the mushrooms properly—I once rushed this step and the soup tasted pleasant but flat. That caramelization is non-negotiable if you want the depth that makes people ask for seconds.
  • The flour needs to cook for at least a minute after you add it, otherwise you'll taste raw flour in the finished soup and it won't thicken properly. This taught me that shortcuts in technique matter more than shortcuts in ingredients.
  • Taste the soup before you add all the salt—wild rice and vegetable broth both contain sodium, and you might need less than you expect. It's always easier to add more salt than to fix an over-salted pot.
03 -
  • Toast the wild rice briefly in a dry pan before rinsing it—this deepens its nutty flavor and makes the soup taste more complex and intentional, not just delicious but memorable
  • If your soup seems too thick after sitting overnight, thin it with a splash of vegetable broth or milk rather than water, which keeps the flavors concentrated and true

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