Vegan wild rice soup is creamy and comforting like the Minnesota classic, only made with whole-food, plant-based ingredients. It's easy to prepare in an Instant Pot or on the stove.
When I first visited Minnesota in my 20s, I could not wait to try wild rice soup. It's basically the unofficial state soup. I wasn't vegan yet, but I was lactose intolerant, so discovering it was cream based was a letdown.
Now I know how to make traditionally creamy soups dairy free, like my vegan potato corn chowder and potato leek soup, by blending raw cashews instead of adding heavy cream. Swap the chicken for chickpeas and you get all the cozy flavors and textures you love, no dairy required.
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I can't believe I haven't rated this soup yet! I've made it at least 10 times now and it's a full 5 stars, for sure. I grew up in Minnesota and adore wild rice. If I'm making this soup for company, I prefer to cook it on the stove as I feel like the rice stays intact better, and the total cooking time really isn't that much longer. When I make it in the Instant Pot, I'll let the pressure release naturally for about 20 minutes, and then quick-release the rest. Either way, it's an amazing cozy fall soup that couldn't be easier to prepare. Pure wild rice (instead of blends) can be tricky to find out west, but it's worth searching out. Trader Joe's and Sprout's sells it if you have those stores in your area.
- Kristen
Ingredients for making vegan wild rice soup
- Raw cashews: For a nut-free version, use canned full-fat coconut milk, pureed white beans, or pureed silken tofu in place of the cashew cream. You will need about ½ cup.
- Wild rice: If you can't find 100% wild rice, substitute a wild rice blend made with a mix of wild rice, brown rice, white rice, and/or red rice.
Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete ingredients, measurements, and instructions.
Instant Pot instructions
Even though wild rice soup takes 25 minutes to cook, keep in mind that it takes additional time for the Instant Pot to come up to pressure and to release the pressure. Allow approximately 90 minutes from starting to when it's ready to eat. Use the Keep Warm function in case you want a second helping.
- Select the Saute function. Saute the onions in a splash of water until they are softened and slightly translucent.
- Add the garlic, carrots, and celery and saute for a few minutes more until the vegetables are softened.
- Add the chickpeas, wild rice, bay leaf, thyme, vegetable broth, and water and stir to combine.
- Close the lid and set the timer for 25 minutes high pressure using the Pressure Cook/Manual function. Allow the pressure to release naturally.
- Meanwhile, in a high-speed blender, prepare the cashew cream by blending the raw cashews with water until very smooth.
- Open the lid once the pressure has released. Pour in the cashew cream and stir well. Add salt and pepper to taste and enjoy.
Stovetop instructions
To make vegan wild rice soup on the stove, you can use cooked chickpeas or canned. You will need 3 cups cooked (from 1 cup dried) or 2-15 ounce cans.
- Cook the wild rice by adding it to a saucepan with and 4 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes. Check the rice. It should be chewy, and some of the grains will have burst open. Continue cooking 10 to 15 more minutes, as needed. When done, drain off the excess water using a fine mesh strainer.
- Saute the onions in a little water in a large pot over medium heat until soft and slightly translucent.
- Add the garlic, carrots, and celery and saute for a few minutes until tender.
- Add the cooked chickpeas, cooked wild rice, bay leaf, thyme, and vegetable broth.
- Simmer until heated through.
- Meanwhile, in a high-speed blender, prepare the cashew cream by blending the cashews and water until very smooth.
- Discard the bay leaf. Pour in the cashew mixture and stir well. Add salt and pepper to taste and enjoy.
Leftovers
Store any leftover wild rice soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. It will thicken, so you may want to add a little water when reheating it on the stove or in the microwave. For best results, do not freeze.
Made this recipe? Have a question? Please leave a comment below. 💙 And for even more recipes, join my email list for community, inspiration & to chat directly with me!
Love and Veggies,
Amy
📋 Recipe
Vegan Chickpea Wild Rice Soup (Instant Pot + Stovetop)
Equipment
- high speed blender
Ingredients
- 1 cup diced onion
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup diced carrots
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1 cup dried chickpeas, soaked for a few hours or overnight, then rinsed
- 1 cup wild rice, rinsed
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 4 cups vegetable broth , or water
- 1 cup water
- salt and pepper, to taste
For the cashew cream:
- ½ cup raw cashews, (soaked for 30 minutes in hot water if you don't have a high speed blender)
- ½ cup water
Instructions
Instant Pot instructions:
- Using the Saute function, saute the onions in a splash of water until they are softened and slightly translucent.1 cup diced onion
- Add the garlic, carrots, and celery and a few more splashes of water, as necessary, if the pot is dry. Saute for a few minutes until the vegetables are softened. Hit the cancel button.2 cloves garlic, 1 cup diced carrots, 1 cup diced celery
- Add the chickpeas, wild rice, bay leaf, thyme, vegetable broth, and 1 cup water and stir to combine.1 cup dried chickpeas, 1 cup wild rice, 1 bay leaf, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 4 cups vegetable broth, 1 cup water
- Close the lid and set the timer for 25 minutes high pressure on the Pressure Cook/Manual function. Allow the pressure to release naturally.
- Meanwhile, in a high-speed blender, prepare the cashew cream by blending the cashews and ½ cup water until very smooth.½ cup raw cashews, ½ cup water
- Remove the lid once the pressure has released. Discard the bay leaf. Pour in the cashew cream and stir well. Add salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!salt and pepper
Stovetop instructions (Use cooked chickpeas or canned. You will need 3 cups cooked (from 1 cup dried) or 2-15 ounce cans.):
- Start by cooking the wild rice. Add the rice and 4 cups water to a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes. Check the rice. It should be chewy, and some of the grains will have burst open. Continue cooking 10 to 15 more minutes, as needed. When done, drain off the excess water using a fine mesh strainer.1 cup wild rice
- Saute the onions in a little water in a large pot over medium heat until soft and slightly translucent.1 cup diced onion
- Add the garlic, carrots, and celery and saute for a few minutes until soft.2 cloves garlic, 1 cup diced carrots, 1 cup diced celery
- Add the cooked chickpeas, cooked wild rice, bay leaf, thyme, and vegetable broth. (You won't need the extra cup of water.)1 bay leaf, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 4 cups vegetable broth
- Simmer until heated through.
- Meanwhile, in a high-speed blender, prepare the cashew cream by blending the cashews and ½ cup water until very smooth.½ cup raw cashews, ½ cup water
- Discard the bay leaf. Pour in the cashew mixture and stir well. Add salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!salt and pepper
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Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimation only.
Karen Ebersold says
I have a version of the Instant Pot that doesn't have a manual button. I have a "pressure cook" button, where you select low pressure or high pressure and then set the time. Would I use high or low pressure?
Amy says
Hi Karen, you would select high pressure. Thanks for asking!
Carrie says
This recipe was soooo delicious, I couldn’t believe it. I used farro instead of wild rice and loved the chewy texture. The flavor was amazing. This was the first time I have used my instant pot for soup. Usually I only use it for making beans or brown rice. Thank you for bringing this yummy dish into our lives!
Amy says
I'm so happy you enjoyed it, Carrie! And it's good to know it works well with farro, too!
Ashley Warner says
Hi Amy,
Could you use brown rice instead of wild rice? Sometimes my kids get strange about things that "look weird" to them, like black rice for example. Also, I tend to have brown rice on hand more often... would I need to change something with the time cooked?
Thanks,
Ashley
Amy says
Hi Ashley, You could definitely use brown rice. Brown rice will vary based on the variety and if it's long or short grain. I would try it with the same cooking time as indicated in the recipe. It should be similar. Please let me know how it turns out!
Amanda says
Very good recipe! Very comforting. Makes me want to visit Minnesota! Wild rice may be my new fav ingredient. My soup broth was darker, probably due to the veg stock I used. Next time I would like to have more broth so it looks more like the photos. Thanks for a great recipe!
Amy says
I'm so happy you enjoyed it, Amanda!
Becki says
Severe nut allergy in the house; any suggested substitutes for the cashew cream, or is this recipe going to be a non-starter for me?
Amy says
I have a few suggestions. You can leave out the cashew cream entirely if you want. The soup won't be creamy, but it will still taste great. Or you can use unsweetened soy milk or soy creamer. Another option would be to add canned coconut milk although this will change the taste a little bit. I hope this helps!
julie says
This looks wonderful! can I use canned beans instead of nuts. I can't eat any fat right now.
Amy says
Thanks, Julie! I haven't tried using beans instead of the cashews. But you can leave out the cashew cream if you want. It will still taste delicious as a clear soup.
Sandy Steele says
I can't do nuts of any kind either. It's now in my Instant Pot and my plan is to take ⅓ of the soup and blend it, then put it back with the other remaining ⅔. I hope this will thicken it up!
Ariane says
Hi, as my son and I are eating this, I was wondering how long it is good for in the fridge, and if I can reheat it all before serving? My IP is full of this yummy soup 😀
Amy says
Hi Ariane, yes, you can reheat it. It should be find for a few days in the refrigerator. I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Karen says
I made this yesterday and it was delicious! I added some mushrooms because I had some to use. I didn’t have much leftover but used what I had as filling for stuffed peppers! So good! Thanks for the recipe.
Amy says
I'm glad you enjoyed it, Karen!
Chels says
Can I sub white beans for cashews? I cannot eat cashews at all but really want to try this recipe. What would your suggestion be?
Thanks 🙂
Amy says
Can you have nuts other than cashews? Something like almonds or macadamia nuts would work.
Chels says
I had not seen your reply until just now. I will certainly try this with almonds instead. I will let you know how it works out as I am making it for dinner tonight 🙂
Thanks!
Amy says
Great, thanks!
Chels says
It worked phenomenally well with almonds in place of cashews👌 I will definitely make this one often!
Thank you so much for the recipe!
Amy says
I'm so happy to hear this, Chels! Thank you for letting me know!
Teresa Sterns says
I have used kite hill brand cream cheese to add creaminess of cashew cream. It’s delicious too.
Judy Blankenship says
If I use canned beans should I wait to add with the cream?
Amy says
Yes, that's exactly right. 🙂
KG says
Can I double this receipre? How much additional cook time would it meed? I can't wait to make this!
Amy says
Yes, you can double it. The cooking time will be the same, but it will take the Instant Pot longer to come up to pressure.
TG says
This soup looks wonderful! I'm new to making soups in the IP. Could I make it in the morning and leave it on warm until we're ready to eat it for lunch? I assume I would need to wait to add the cream until right before serving, but I'm wondering if leaving it on warm for a couple hours would change the consistency. Thank you!
Amy says
Thank you so much! Yes, that should work. Just add the cashew cream before serving like you said. Enjoy!
Doug says
Love this recipe. It was awesome to make it in just the Instant Pot. It was chilly last night and this Vegan soup did the job. It was so good, we finished it off the next day for lunch. We will make it again. Thanks. I did post on Instagram with your hashtag.
Amy says
That's wonderful to hear! Thank you so much, Doug!
Rakefet says
I made this dish today and it was delicious! I put in a little extra rice so it turned out to be more of a creamy stew. Thumbs up from me and my 9 year old daughter. Thank you!
Amy says
I'm so happy to hear this, Rakefet! Thank you so much!
Kelly Sweeney says
Looks amazing. And I'm craving hot soup!! I don't have a Vitamix or high speed blender. Will a NutriBullet work?
Thanks,
Kelly
Amy says
Hi Kelly! Yes, just soak the cashews for 30 minutes in hot water before you blend them. Enjoy!