Wild Rice Mushroom Soup
I’m sharing one of my very very very favorite soups today! I love creamy soups. I love cream cheese. I love butter and heavy cream and all that (even though I don’t cook with those ingredients anymore). And even though this soup doesn’t have any dairy, you’d never guess. It’s undetectably vegan — which is the best.
This is the ingredient round-up right here (not picturing the vegetable broth):
Yes, it does involve quite a bit of chopping, but it’s worth every minute. I chopped my mushrooms very small to disguise them for anyone who doesn’t like mushrooms. If you love mushrooms, big meaty slices would be faster to cut and also visually appealing.
The crock pot version involves dumping that collection of chopped veggies, spices, and vegetable broth in and letting it cook. Then, pouring in that velvety cashew cream to transform into creamy soup perfection.
This is the perfect meal to serve to friends or take to winter potlucks. It’s perfect because it’s super nutritious and 100% plant-based, but not weird in the slightest!
Pair with homemade {sourdough} bread, some fruit or a salad, and you’re golden. Might I suggest this Pear, Pecan Green Salad as a delicious pairing!
November 2019: I have updated the recipe to indicate that raw sunflower seeds can be used instead of cashews, in case of tree nut allergy. Sunflower seeds have a slightly more earthy taste and are a little less creamy, but overall still make for a delicious creamy soup! The soup featured in the pictures of this post used sunflower seeds.
The ultimate creamy, nutritious winter soup.
- 3/4 cup raw cashews (can sub raw sunflower seeds)
- 1 onion, chopped
- 4 stalks celery, chopped
- 4 carrots, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 1.5 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp sage
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 cup wild rice blend
- 8 oz mushrooms, sliced or chopped small (any type)
- 5 cups vegetable broth (I like Better than Boullion vegetable base)
- 1/2 large bunch bunch of kale, sliced thin, stems removed (3 or 4 big leaves)
-
Soak raw cashews or sunflower seeds for at least 10 minutes in hot water. If your blender is not very good, soak at least 2 hours.
-
Meanwhile, cook onions, celery and carrots in a large pot or dutch oven. When the bottom of the pot begins to turn brown, add a few tablespoons of water. Cook until soft, about 8 minutes. Add garlic, salt, rosemary, and thyme. Cook about 1 more minute.
-
Add sliced mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are soft, brown, and have released a lot of their juices, about 5 minutes.
-
Add the wild rice and the broth, and cook about 40 minutes or until the rice is nearly soft and begins to burst. Add kale and cook about 5 minutes longer, until rice is very done and kale is also wilted. If a lot of water has evaporated as steam, you may want to add 1 cup of water.
-
Blend soaked cashews or sunflower seeds in a blender or bullet with 1/2 cup of broth, removed from the pot of soup. Stir it into the soup. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
-
Put all the ingredients in a crock pot EXCEPT CASHEWS in the order listed so that the rice is fully immersed in the liquid and the kale is on top to steam instead of simmering the whole time. Put cashews in a small bowl of water. Cook on high for 3 hours, or on low for 6 hours. When ready to eat, blend soaked cashews with a cup of the broth from the crock pot to create a cashew cream, and stir into the soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
If you're in a hurry, you can get the wild rice started in a separate pot and let it cook while the onions and mushrooms cook. Put the rice and broth in a separate pot and bring to a simmer, then add it in at step 4 to finish cooking.
Adapted from a similar recipe on one of my favorite blogs, WellVegan.com
I have tree nut allergic kids, would I sub a cup of soy milk for the cashew cream? I keep finding recipes with cashew cream! Ha
Hi Kelsey, yes you can just use soy milk. It won’t be as thick and creamy but I think the flavors will still be delicious. I recently found out I’m a little sensitive to cashews myself, which is sad since they are the best replacement for heavy cream.
We love this recipe! My husband was very surprised at the yummy creamy and meaty flavor with no meat or heavy cream. The cashew cream is a game changer. This recipe also makes for yummy leftovers! I love crockpot recipes and this one is a hit!
I’m so glad you both love it! Thanks so much for the comment, Candace!
This recipe was a total hit with the whole family! I was expecting it to taste good but it was exceptionally delicious. It was truly rich and well seasoned. I used fresh thyme which was my only adaptation. It was my first time using cashew cream and I loved how creamy it made the soup without adding any dairy. Thanks, Faith!! I will make this again!
That makes me so happy! Thanks, Danielle!
We loved the creamy texture and the depth of flavor! I prepped and sauteed all the vegetables when I had some time a few days before we ate the soup. It developed so much flavor while marrying in the fridge. I boiled the wild rice separately, so when I put it all together today it took five minutes, then let it all heat on low on the stove top. Thanks for the amazing recipe. We’ll come back to this one again!
So good to hear how you made this into a quick meal! Thanks, Cami!
Wow! What a delicious soup! When I was at the store, I happened across a pre-packaged mix of four different mushrooms–button, oyster, shiitake, and something else, so that’s what I used. I had heard that combining types of mushrooms makes for a delicious soup. I’m considering blending this soup next time just for fun because I usually see mushroom soup made that way. This recipe is a keeper for sure. We all loved it.
I need to try the vareity of mushrooms–sounds delicious and I’m sure they provide a wider variety of nutrients, too. Blending part of the soup would make it even thicker and creamier. So glad you like it!
We loved the food! Have you ever made it in an instant pot? I’m wondering what the times would be.
I haven’t tried it before, but since wild rice takes about 25 minutes in the instant pot, I would pressure cook it that long, and add about 2 cups extra liquid since so much of it steams out with the pressure release.
I love this recipe!! I made it and my children ate it all and said mom this is my favorite soup. I will definitely be making this again. The only I changed was adding some potatoes and I think that’s what made it so my kids really enjoyed it.
Thank you Shalyn! Potatoes are always a good idea. 🙂