- PREP TIME: 15 minutes
- COOK TIME: 45 minutes
- TOTAL TIME: 1 hour
- YIELD: 6 servings (1 1/2 cups per serving) 1x
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We’re making cozy Instant Pot Wild Rice Soup and it’s everything! Packed with mushrooms, carrots, celery, wild rice, cream, and seasonings. It’s so creamy, so cozy, and perfect for a night in.
INGREDIENTS
For the Soup Base in the Instant Pot:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- half of an onion, chopped
- 8 ounces fresh mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 1 cup uncooked wild rice (see notes)
- 4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon rubbed sage
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 5 medium carrots, chopped
- 3 stalks celery, chopped (optional)
Make a Creamy Base on the Stovetop:
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 cup flour
- 1 1/2 cups milk (I used 2%)
- OR replace all of the above with 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
Optional For Finishing / Flavor:
- 1 teaspoon umami mushroom seasoning
- 1–2 tablespoons sherry (it seems forgettable but it adds a lot)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Instant Pot soup base: Using the sauté function, melt the butter and sauté the onions and mushrooms until softened. Add the wild rice, the broth, the salt, and the spices; cook on high pressure for 35 minutes. Release the steam, add carrots, garlic, and celery, and cook on high pressure for another 10 minutes. Release steam using the valve on top.
- Make it creamy: You have two choices for making it creamy – A) Add 1 1/2 cups heavy cream to the soup (plus more broth as needed) and you’re done! This is slightly thinner / more brothy, but so rich and flavorful thanks to the cream! B) To avoid using heavy cream (some people don’t like to use it), you can thicken the soup with a flour-butter-milk mixture, in which case you will start by melting 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. This will be very thick (especially if you did the flour-butter-milk method), so use broth to thin it out to your desired consistency!
NOTES
A note about wild rice: Please use actual wild rice*! 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 usually just white or brown rice with a few flecks of wild rice in there. Use straight WILD RICE.
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 (or add heavy cream). Thin the soup to desired consistency with broth.
Freezer Meal Version
- Freeze Together:
3 cups mirepoix, fresh or frozen
8 ounces mushrooms, fresh or frozen
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup uncooked wild rice
4 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 lb. chicken breasts (optional) - Instant Pot Instructions: High pressure 30 mins + 10 mins natural release
- Slow Cooker Instructions: High setting 4 hours (thaw first if using chicken)
- Final Step: Melt 6 tbsp butter in a pan, whisk in 1/2 cup flour, whisk in 1 1/2 cups milk until creamy and thick. Add to the soup
