Instant Pot Wild Rice Soup

Me? Wild Rice Soup? Obsessed? Pshhh.

Okay fine, I might be a little obsessed. There might be something like three variations of wild rice soup already on this blog. I don’t know. It’s not a problem, okay? It’s just… a love.

It might be helpful to do a quick recap of my wild rice soup journey over the course of my life.

My Mom’s Wild Rice Soup. I grew up in / still live in Minnesota. Wild rice soup was the food of my childhood. My mom still makes it every year for Christmas Eve dinner. It’s dark by 5pm and the evergreen trees are covered with snow and the soup has been simmering all day and the whole house smells like bacon and wild rice soup. And really, there is just nothing better. No electric appliances. Nothing being plugged in. It’s a purist version. In case you were wondering, I think the recipe comes from our church cookbook because obviously. This is how it gets done. God bless Minnesota, and mom, and the wild rice soup that raised me.

Crockpot Chicken Wild Rice Soup: Then came my need to make wild rice soup on the reg. I wanted to take it from Christmas dinner to an easier-to-make version of the classic. Like, crockpot level easy. This recipe was born and it became one of the most popular recipes on Pinch of Yum. It is also one of my personally most-made recipes in life. And that’s saying a lot, because I’m making new recipes ALL THE TIME. This became an excellent back-pocket recipe for making a quick dinner, having friends over last-minute, or bringing a meal to a friend. And now this

Instant Pot Wild Rice Soup (with mushrooms oh my gosh): This brings us to today. Yet another iteration of the wild rice soup that I so know and love. This time I ditched the chicken (although, to be fair, you can absolutely keep it around), added mushrooms, and put it in the Instant Pot (affiliate link). I know you want to hate me. But you do not hate me because this is going to blowyamind. The flavor of this soup, thanks to the mushrooms, I think, was so, so, so, so good. And think about how much wild rice soup I’ve had in my lifetime. I feel very qualified to tell you that this right here is how it’s done. This is yummy, earthy, middle-of-winter wild rice soup.

Instant Pot Wild Rice Soup

You will obviously need some extras to go with your wild rice soup.

If it’s just an average Sunday soup day, you better be making a loaf of crusty No Knead Bread.

If it’s Christmas (who else makes wild rice soup for Christmas except my family? I literally know zero people), you better have a fancy salad to round out the meal. May I recommend the Bacon and Brussels Sprouts Salad of years past? It never gets old, does it?

Instant Pot Wild Rice Soup

If you don’t like mushrooms for sure, don’t bother. Just use chicken. I have a recipe for that right here.

If you kind of don’t like mushrooms but you *might* like them sometimes, can I recommend that you give it a whirl? Cut up the mushrooms really small so you get the flavor without the texture bothering you as much. I think you’re going to fall hard and fast.

And my friends who are already on team mushroom? A) Good for you, and B) GET. AFTER. IT. This recipe has been elevated to my new favorite version of wild rice soup which is a major big deal. Warm, creamy, cold-weather mushrooms and wild rice for the eternal win.

Instant Pot Creamy Mushroom Wild Rice Soup

Description

Wild Rice Soup in the Instant Pot! So creamy and simple and ready in an hour. Perfect for fall/winter nights!

Ingredients

For the Instant Pot:

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5 medium carrots, chopped
5 stalks celery, chopped
half of an onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup uncooked wild rice (see notes)
8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning (see notes)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

For the Stovetop:

6 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup flour
1 1/2 cups milk (I used 2%)

Instructions

Instant Pot: Put all the ingredients in the first list into the Instant Pot (affiliate link). Cook for 45 minutes (manual). Release steam using the valve on top.
Stovetop: When the soup is done, melt the butter in a saucepan. Whisk in the flour. Let the mixture cook for a minute or two to remove the floury taste. Whisk the milk, a little bit at a time, until you have a smooth, thickened sauce. Throw a little salt in there for good measure.
Together: Mix the creamy sauce with the soup in the instant pot. Voila! Mushroom Wild Rice Soup.

Notes

Please use actual wild rice! (affiliate link) I know it’s on the expensive side, and hard to find, and I’m normally all about the substitutions, but in this case, it is not the same. Don’t use brown rice, don’t use white rice, and don’t use a “wild rice blend” which is just white or brown rice with a few flecks of wild rice. Use straight WILD RICE.
Chicken can be added – just pop it in the instant pot with everything else and shred it when it’s done.
Poultry seasoning is usually a mix of thyme, sage, garlic, onion, etc. I used a “chicken grilling spice” in one of my test batches and it tasted great. Anything with those earthy spices – thyme, sage, maybe even rosemary – will work nicely.
Crockpot version: Check out this recipe.
Stovetop version: Saute carrots, celery, onion, garlic, and mushrooms with oil. Add wild rice, broth, and salt. Simmer until wild rice is cooked (1-2 hours). Make the roux and mix it in.

Instant Pot Wild Rice Soup