Instant Pot Wild Rice Soup with mushrooms and spinach- a healthy vegetarian soup recipe that is easy, fast, and vegan adaptable! Gluten-free.
Hey friends, if you are like me, you probably have some wild rice hiding out in your pantry along with a hundred other things. Here is an easy recipe for Wild Rice Soup, made even easier in the Instant Pot. It’s kept vegetarian and loaded up with mushrooms, with a couple of handfuls of fresh baby spinach, tossed in right at the end.
Creamy and earthy, this is a stick to your ribs kind of soup, and vegans will have an easy way of adapting it. And of course, you can make this on the stovetop, just go to the recipe notes.
Because wild rice takes about 45 minutes on the stovetop, I really do like using the Instant Pot for this recipe.
We kept the soup pretty basic, with simple ingredients you most likely have, but what I love about this recipe is how you can just as easily toss in other veggies to the mix.
Veggies like fennel bulb, parsnips or other root veggies would work well here too. Comb through your fridge and see what you have.
How to make Instant Pot Wild Rice Soup (see full recipe below):
- The essential step to getting the most flavor is browning the onions and garlic in the instant pot, but after that, you are basically good to go.
- Add the remaining ingredients, pressure cook on high for 24 minutes, then stir in the creamy component, in this case, sour cream (or coconut cream or cashew cream).
- Right before serving toss in the fresh baby spinach.
No need to make a roux here with butter and flour, we are simplifying it with the sour cream.
Creamy delicious, goodness.
More recipes you may like:
- Instant Pot Chicken Artichoke Soup with Wild Rice
- Instant Pot Risotto!
- Our 25 Best Instant Pot Recipes | Easy Pressure Cooker Meals
- 25 Delicious Vegetarian & Vegan Soup Recipes
- Creamy Mushroom Soup
On the homefront: Many of us have been experiencing a little cabin fever as of late, myself included. The days are short and nights are long. By the time 5 pm rolls around, it feels like it should be bedtime. I miss being able to go out to dinner, and see friends if only to break up the week a little – I’m feeling a little stir-crazy. Anyone else? 😉
The thing that helps me most besides getting outdoors, is finding a way to be creative in some small simple way. Cooking and baking does this for me. It’s surprising how much satisfaction this brings, and thankfully Brian doesn’t mind too much either. Somehow cookie baking seems perfectly reasonable this time of year- if only for the pure act of it.
Hope you enjoy this simple Instant Pot Wild Rice Soup with Mushrooms and Spinach – a simple weeknight dinner that is easy to put together. Let us know what you think in the comments below.
xoxo
Sylvia
Print
Instant Pot Wild Rice Soup with Mushrooms and Spinach
- Prep Time: 20
- Cook Time: 35
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 6
- Category: vegetarian soup
- Method: instant pot, stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
Instant Pot Wild Rice Soup with mushrooms and spinach- a healthy vegetarian soup recipe that is easy, fast and vegan adaptable! Gluten-free! (Inspired from Pinch of Yum)
Ingredients
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (or butter or ghee)
- 4 garlic cloves, rough chopped
- 16 ounces mushrooms, sliced (cremini, button, portobellos)
- 1 cup wild rice
- 1/4 cup white wine (optional)
- 3–4 cups carrots, chopped large
- 3–4 cups celery, chopped
- 4 cups veggie broth (or 4 cups water plus 2–3 teaspoons veggie bouillon)
- 1 cup water
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme ( or 1 teaspoon dry thyme)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon cracked pepper
- 1/8–1/4 teaspoon turmeric, for a golden color.
- ————
- 1/2 cup sour cream (or sub coconut milk, or cashew cream-see notes)
- 4 cups baby spinach, chopped (optional)
- Optional Garnishes: chopped flatleaf parsley and parmesan or try Gremolata or Arugula Pesto
Instructions
Set Instant Pot to Saute Function and add the oil and onions, stirring for 2-3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic and saute, stirring, 4-5 minutes, until fragrant.
At the same time, chop the carrots and celery. When the onions and mushrooms soften add the rice and saute for one minute. At this point, you could deglaze with white wine, scraping up any browned bits, (or skip it), and cook this off for 1-2 minutes.
Add the carrots, celery, veggie broth, water, thyme, bay leaves, salt and pepper and turmeric. Give a good stir, again, scraping up any browned bits.
Set Instant Pot to High for 24 minutes. Naturally release, for 10 minutes, then manually release.
Stir in the sour cream (or coconut milk or cashew cream), and taste, adjusting for salt and pepper.
***If going the vegan route– keep in mind, sour cream adds a nice tanginess- which you can replicate by adding a few drops of lemon juice or AC vinegar to the soup to brighten it up.
Stir in the fresh chopped spinach just before serving.
Serve with crusty bread and a sprinkling of fresh Italian parsley, parmesan or other optional garnishes.
Notes
Cashew cream: Blend 1/2 cup soaked cashews with 1/2 cup water until smooth and creamy. (If no time to soak, simmer cashews in boiling water 10-15 minutes before straining and blending.) You may not need all the Cashew cream in the soup – so add incrementally to taste. Add a few drops lemon juice or AC vinegar.
Stovetop Version: In a large dutch oven or heavy bottom pot, saute onions and garlic until golden. Add mushrooms, release their liquid and begin to caramelize. This will take a little time. Add the rice and saute for one minute. Add the wine if using and deglaze the pan, scraping up any browned bits. Add the remaining ingredients- carrots, celery, veggie broth, water, thyme, bay leaves, salt and pepper and turmeric. Bring to a simmer, cover, and simmer gently on low heat until the rice is tender about 35-45 minutes. Stir in the sour cream or vegan alternative. Taste, adjust salt and pepper to taste.
If your soup lacks depth or flavor- it is most likely your veggie stock-try adding another bouillon cube, more salt or even a little miso paste. 😉
Keywords: wild rice soup, instant pot wild rice soup, vegetarian wild rice soup, gluten free wild rice soup, healthy wild rice soup, wild rice soup with mushrooms,
Thanks for another great recipe! I used everything according to directions except for rice: only had 100% wild rice and that added a wonderful little bite. I made it on the stove top since wild rice takes 60 min to cook instead of a blend like you have in the recipe, so I cooked everything together, but celery went in about 15 minutes later after the carrots. It looked initially as if there were too many veggies (4 cups of carrots and 4 cups of celery), but it was perfect and not too thick. It reminded my of a Russian soup with dried porcini and potato with addition of sour cream before serving. Both are delicious in their own way. I love all the veggies in this one. It’s a keeper!
★★★★★
Great to hear!
Delicious, easy, and full of flavor. This was my first time using the saute function on the Instant Pot, so great. This will definitely be a staple for us as it’s such a nice hardy meal.
So glad you enjoyed this!
Nice recipe! It is little like a risotto without the heavy/stodgy feel. Light and easy to make, full of veggies and rice adds a nice creaminess to it. Thanks Sylvia!
★★★★★
Absolutely love this recipe!! I added wild mushrooms (dry and rehydrated) and used coconut milk. Thank you, your recipes are always so good!
★★★★★
In the process of making it now! Does this soup freeze well?
I haven’t tried freezing this Rachael….. sorry.
This is SO good. Made it exactly as listed and I’m so happy with how it turned out. A perfect soup to eat after the holidays – healthy and delicious.
Highly recommend!
★★★★★
Do the veggies become too soft after 24 minutes of pressure cooking? Im worried that they will disintegrate!! Can i reduce the time? or will the rice not be cooked?
Hi Milly- I hear what you are saying. I’ve tried it for less time and the rice was not cooked. But I think every wild rice blend is different. The veggies were soft, but they did not fall apart.
This was a most delicious recipe. I made it on stovetop and used a black rice instead of the wild rice and it was just so good. Love that it has a lot of veggies in it and that is uses a little white wine. The broth makes this soup. I will share the recipe with friends.
Another wonderful recipe. The sour cream really elevates the flavor with a wonderful tangy kick. Perfect hearty soup for a cold night. Thank you!
★★★★★
Does this soup keep ok in the fridge, or does it turn to sludge as the rice soaks in the liquid? Most soups containing rice, pasta or barley will turn to sludge, so just wondering.
I hear you. The wild rice holds up a little better than regular rice. It does thicken some, but it didn’t seem unpleaseant to me.
★★★★★
I made this in the instant pot for a cozy, quiet Christmas eve dinner and it was absolutely delicious. Thanks again for another keeper! Merry Christmas!
★★★★★
Wow- I am not sure what happened but I made this and it is inedible. Every recipe I have made from this site has been fabulous but this one felt like a waste of great ingredients and of time. Perhaps because I tried to make it stove top instead of in and instant pot, or perhaps the vegetable broth I used was not high quality. I tried numerous ways to “doctor” it up, to improve upon it so it is edible but I fear it is going to the compost bin. So disappointed!
★
Sorry Cindy. Not sure what could have happened?
Yum! My husband was craving some comfort food, but also likes to eat healthy. This was perfect! We eat mostly vegan, and didn’t have any sour cream or substitute. Instead, just before adding the spinach, I slowly whisked in a 1/4 c. of back-of-the-fridge sourdough discard. It thickened up the soup a bit and created a nice texture, and lovely sour taste. Thank you, Sylvia, for another great recipe!
★★★★★
Wow! Interesting!
Unbelievably delicious! I’m bringing this to an outdoor dinner tomorrow but I may or may not have had a “tester bowl” this afternoon. 😁
★★★★★
😉
Hi!
Do you sauté the mushrooms at all with the Instant Pot version? Your image looks like they are carmelized.
Thanks for all the great recipes!
I did for this photo, yes. I’ve done it both ways, and flavorwise both are very similar.
On a cold, blustery day in central NY, I wanted to make something hearty, warm, and delicious. This recipe hit the spot with ingredients that came together beautifully and resulted in an aroma that just screamed “comfort food.” Highly recommend for a winter’s day or any occasion that calls for a soup to soothe the soul.
★★★★★
Great soup! Love having a weeknight option for wild rice soup. Husband raved. Sylvia’s recipes always deliver.
★★★★★
WOW!! Just made this tonight, it is delicious and a great addition to my soup recipes. I was out of celery so I used zucchini instead, and a nice selection of mushrooms that I had gotten in my CSA box. I used a bit of sour cream and it was
wonderful.Thank you so much for all your wonderful posts.
★★★★★
WOW!! Just made this tonight, it is delicious and a great addition to my soup recipes. I was out of celery so I used zucchini instead, and a nice selection of mushrooms that I had gotten in my CSA box. I used a bit of sour cream and it was
wonderful.Thank you so much for all your wonderful posts.
I loved this recipe. I made it on my stovetop and am considering purchasing an instapot. I am curious to know which model you use. Your recipes are inspirational. I love thinking about which one I will make next. Thank you for the encouragement to keep cooking.
Thanks Harriet, I have an older 6 quart.
Is there a slow cooker adaptation? Thank you!
Not yet, but great idea!
I was feeling in a rut eating the same soups over and over, so I decided to try this soup, and it is delicious!
I used 2.5 cups of carrots, 1 cup of celery, 1 cup of chopped collard greens, and 1 cup of green peas for the veggies, so feel free to play with the different veggies that you include. I also used 1/2 cup brown rice and 1/2 cup wild rice. I like to make large quantities of food ahead of time and then re-heat, so I decided to add a bit of sour cream to each small batch after the re-heat rather than all at once. I also added extra water when reheating as it became more of a thick stew than a soup after setting. I will definitely make this again–thank you for giving me a terrific new soup to add to my repertoire!
★★★★★
This was delicious! Made vegan and added the cashew cream. I used brown rice because I did not have wild. Will try with farro and barley too. Defintely will make this again and again! Thanks for another perfect recipe!
Thanks Suzanne!
really liked this….used vegan sour cream for our vegan, and the rest of us used regular. Delicious!
★★★★★
Thanks Rebecca, Did the vegan sourcream dissolve well?
I would like to try this, but I’m assuming (although not stated) that this recipe is for a 6 litre IP. I have the Mini, therefore can I halve all the ingredients?
Yes a 6 quart. I would halve it.
This looks amazing! I saw you used a wild rice blend vs wild rice – is that okay? A few other wild rice recipes I’ve tried said to only use Wild Rice so just wanted to confirm! Thanks 🙂
I think either would work!
Could you confirm that it should be 3 to 4 cups each of carrots and celery as stated in the recipe or should it be 3-4 individual carrots and 3-4 stalks of celery. Just wanted to confirm because 6 to 8 cups of veggies seems like a lot when there’s only about 5 cups of liquid for this soup. Thanks, can’t wait to try this soup!
3-4 cups. I use 4 cups each. I know it seems like a lot. 😉
Thanks for clarifying, looking forward to trying it!
Hi,
I’m getting ready to make this and wondered if cream cheese would good instead of sour cream?
I’m not sure how it would disintegrate into the soup. It should be fine, but my hesitation is it might get granular. Could you do a little tester bowl first?
I am always looking for instant pot recipes. I just made this soup, and it is very tasty. I went the vegetarian route, and you are right about the lemon. A few drops of lemon makes a big difference. Thanks again, Sylvia!
★★★★★
Can’t wait to try this!! I’m curious — any thoughts on whether I could sub greek yogurt for the sour cream?
I was actually wondering the same thing, but wasn’t sure if it would get granular? If you try, let us know!