Given that it was 52° when I woke up this morning, I think it’s safe to say that soup season is officially upon us! While I am no fan of cold weather, I do appreciate the excuse to eat all the cozy comforting foods! Like this Instant Pot Wild Rice Mushroom Soup!
Unlike most wild rice mushroom soups, this soup also has white beans, which (a) adds to the creamy texture, and (b) makes it a heartier, well-rounded meal.
Plus, this soup couldn’t be easier to make! Once you chop up some veggies, you just toss everything into the Instant Pot and walk away! The cook time is pretty similar to the standard cook time on the stove for this kind of soup, but the beauty of the Instant Pot is you can set it and forget it! No need to occasionally check on the soup, stir it, or make sure it’s not bubbling over (or burning).
Table of contents:
1. Why you’ll like this recipe
2. Tips for making this recipe
3. Watch! How to make this soup
4. Recipe card with notes
Why you’ll like this recipe
Easy and Hands Off. It’s made with half of the effort of a traditional wild rice soup. The only real work is chopping up the vegetables! Then you get to dump everything in the Instant Pot and let the machine do its magic! While the Instant Pot is working, spend your free hour working on your side hustle, playing with your kids, hitting the gym, or whatever you don’t spend enough time doing.
The hands off nature of this recipe makes it a great choice for weeknight meals!
Hearty. This soup is protein-packed! In addition to wild rice (which has 6 grams in 1/4 cup, uncooked) and mushrooms (3 grams in 1 cup, uncooked, for just 21 calories), this soup has cannellini beans! So, unlike a traditional wild rice soup, this feels like a full, balanced meal!
These stats make it a great option for meal prep, in addition to the fact that this recipe makes a large quantity and stays good in the fridge for 4-5 days.
Surprisingly Creamy. This soup is incredibly creamy and, no I didn’t use the vegan superstar ingredients cashews or canned coconut milk! Or, of course, cream or milk, which is what traditional wild rice soup recipes rely on. It’s a creamy, stick-to-your-ribs kind of soup that’ll satisfy your cold weather cravings.
Wholesome. Despite being creamy and hearty, this soup is 100% wholesome and made with nourishing, whole food plant-based ingredients! It’s vegan, gluten-free, and oil-free!
Tips for making this recipe
Give the cannellini beans a quick 15-minute soak in water while you chop up the vegetables and prep any other ingredients. This improves the texture of the beans, making it less likely that some of your beans will have split skins.
Beans with split skins look wrinkly and craggly. There will likely be a small number of beans that didn’t fully cook through, but not to worry – just scoop them out with a ladle and discard them. You’ll reduce the likelihood of having a few beans with split skins if you quick soak them.
Don’t skip the bouquet garni! A bouquet garni is a fancy French term for a bundle of herbs tied together. It’s what infuses the soup with a deep aroma of fresh herbaceousness.
If you’ve seen some of my Instant Pot recipes or have my cookbook The Vegan Instant Pot Cookbook, you know that I typically like to sauté a few ingredients in the Instant Pot before pressure cooking them. This is because that initial sauté helps create layers of flavors.
However, with this soup, the bouquet garni (along with flavorful mushrooms) is sufficient to bring a rich depth of flavor to the soup. If you don’t have all of the specific herbs called for in the recipe, feel free to double up on another herb or use a similar herb (e.g., if you don’t have rosemary, add some oregano or add double the amount of thyme).
Pick a creamy plant-based milk. I wouldn’t use almond milk (or rice milk), which are on the thinner side. I used a carton coconut milk beverage from So Delicious (affiliate link), which is quite creamy. Another good option would be unsweetened oat milk. And if you want to go extra creamy, use a can of “lite” or reduced-fat coconut milk!
For the cornstarch or arrowroot powder slurry, make sure the milk is cold and hasn’t been sitting out. When making a slurry, you want want to make sure that your mixing liquid is cold. If you try adding cornstarch or arrowroot powder directly to the soup, you’ll get lots of clumps (eww).
Be sure to re-stir or re-whisk the slurry just before adding it to the soup, as it will congeal while it sits. If you use arrowroot powder, it will take less time for the soup to thicken.
Watch! How to make this soup
Instant Pot wild rice mushroom soup
And for full instructions, check out my Youtube video, which contains even more cozy vegan soups!
That’s about all for this creamy vegan Instant Pot Wild Rice Mushroom Soup! If you make the soup, be sure to leave a comment below!
Instant Pot Wild Rice Mushroom Soup (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 3 carrots, chopped
- 3 ribs celery, chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, chopped
- 10 ounces mixed mushrooms, sliced
- 8 ounces dried cannellini beans, soaked for 15 minutes
- 1 cup uncooked wild rice (not a “wild rice blend”)
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2 1/2 cups water (or more vegetable broth)
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
- Freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- Bouquet Garni: 2 dried bay leaves + a few sprigs each of fresh thyme, sage and rosemary, tied together in a bundle with kitchen twine (see the video for instructions)
- 2 cups cold creamy plant-based milk (I used carton/drinking coconut milk; you could also use oat milk)
- 1/4 cup cornstarch or arrowroot powder
Instructions
- Soak the cannellini beans for 15 minutes in cool water while you prep the rest of the ingredients.
- Lightly grease the inner pot of the Instant Pot. This is optional but helps prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom and makes cleanup easier. If you are oil-free, skip this step.
- Place the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, mushrooms, soaked cannellini beans, wild rice, vegetable broth, water, 2 teaspoons kosher salt, black pepper to taste, and bouquet garni in the Instant Pot. Stir to combine.
- Secure the lid and set the Pressure Release to Sealing. Select the Pressure Cook (or Manual) setting at high pressure and set the cook time to 45 minutes.
- Once the 45-minute timer has completed and beeps, perform a quick pressure release by carefully switching the Pressure Release knob from Sealing to Venting. Open the pot and remove the bouquet garni.
- While the pressure is releasing, make the slurry: whisk together the plant-based milk and cornstarch or arrowroot powder, whisking well until no clumps remain.
- Select the Sauté setting. Once the soup is starting to boil, add the cornstarch or arrowroot slurry to the Instant Pot, along with a few pinches of kosher salt and stir well to incorporate. Heat for approximately 5 minutes, or until the soup has thickened (arrowroot powder takes less time to thicken). The soup will also thicken as it rests.
- If you want the soup to be extra creamy, run an immersion blender through about half of the soup (or transfer half of it to a stand blender) and roughly purée. Stir well so the unblended soup is incorporated into the blended soup.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
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I can’t find dry cannellini beans at my local store. Could I use dry Great Northern Beans instead?
Hi Christina, yes that works!
Perfect for a snowy winter night. I had to run the IP for another 20 mins bc my beans weren’t cooked all the way through. Next time I’ll try soaking them for longer than the 15 mins. Otherwise, it was delicious and filling!
Glad you loved the soup, Purvi! The age of your beans could also play a role into how long they’ll take to cook. The older the bean, the longer they will take. Good luck next time!
Love this recipe. Made me love beans again. Just one question. How many calories is one serving?
Hi David, we are updating calorie counts starting this week and it will be an ongoing project. Hopefully the information will be available to you sooner than later.
This soup is so heavenly and comforting. I love all the flavors, so herby and savory. A great shortcut is the 10oz back of sliced mixed mushrooms from Whole Foods. I actually used 1.5 bags. Thank you!
Awesome, Ashley. Thanks for your comment and for taking the time to review!
Such a delicious and comforting recipe!! Nisha never writes a recipe that disappoints! I added a little liquid anions because I think it brings out the umami mushroom flavor. Thanks for all of your food inspiration!!
That’s so great to hear, Amy! Thank you for the kind words. Next time, would you mind leaving a rating alongside your review? Star ratings are big help to readers who are thinking of making the recipe. Thanks!
Once again you hit the nail on the head! I canned mushrooms last weekend and I’ve been craving mushroom soup! Ahh craving satisfied!
Jackie, So glad to hear you loved this recipe!
Very Delicious! I used what I had at home, so just had portobello mushrooms and substituted 2 cans of beans instead of dried and cooked for 15 minutes instead of 45. It turned out perfect! Thank you!
Thanks for sharing, Jeanne!
Best soup I have ever made and the first time using an Instant Pot.
Thank you for making this recipe available. I hope it is in your cookbook too.
My beans never fully cooked at 45 minutes so I put them for 8 minutes more and they still weren’t cooked. What should I do?
Hi Jay, I’m sorry to hear that you had trouble with cooking the beans. It could be the age of the beans. Fresher beans cook much quicker than older beans especially if your beans have been sitting in the pantry for a long time.
The closest thing I can get easily is brown rice… could it be done? Maybe adjust the timing and liquid amounts? Or am I just hoping too hard? :)
I used brown rice and it was delicious!
Hi Nisha,
What amount of dry herbs would you recommend instead of the Bouquet Garni?
Thanks!
I would like to know the answer to this question also.
Going to try this week. I noticed at my local Asian market there are soooooo many mushrooms I have never tasted or heard of. Any suggestions for new ones to try in this soup?
Enoki or oyster mushrooms could work in this! If you do pick up an extra batch of mushrooms, highly recommend trying my mushroom stroganoff or mushroom risotto – the different mushroom varieties really shine in those recipes!
Hi Nisha!
I’m new to the Instant Pot (Evo Duo Plus). This recipe looks amazing! I do have a question: It’s only two of us – and it looks like it makes a TON of soup just for two people. While I did read that it is freezer friendly – how would I go about making a smaller batch? Just halve everything? Does the cooking time change? Thank you so much for your help!
Hi did you make it? Did you freeze it? I am going to freeze, just have to watch when re-heating.
I’m from Minnesota and my mom use to make this all the time, it was always one of my favorites. But now that I’m eating mostly plant based, I haven’t been able to recreate those same savory and creamy flavors. This is it! I’m adding this to my meal prep list, thank you!
Terrific, easy recipe. Bravo!
Made this and loved it. My sister’s boyfriend who isn’t vegetarian didn’t even realize it was vegan and he really enjoyed it as well. It is also so quick and easy to make.
Hi, I want to make this but have a question about soaking the beans. Another one of your videos addressed soaking (to get rid of excessive gas), if I soak these for 8 hours instead of 15 minutes do I need to adjust anything? Or would it work better to do a shorter timeframe so the beans don’t turn to mush? I’m new at cooking beans so just starting to learn the in’s and outs of it. Thanks.
This was a wonderful soup for a cozy fall night. The flavor had so much depth. Looking forward to trying the mushroom and wild rice one next. Thank you, I have really learned a lot of great flavor building techniques by watching and following your recipes! Keep up the good work you are killing it!!! Shari
Amazing! Mine turned out pretty dark because of my wild rice but other then the color differences, this was perfect!! Just the dish I needed right now 🤤
I love this recipe! I made it at home for myself and it lasted me such a long time and I loved it as leftovers. I’m just curious how could I make this if I didn’t have an instant pot??? I’m currently at my parents and didn’t bring my instant pot. Trying to get my parents to try more vegan food and I know they’d love this.