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Creamy, cozy, and made for busy nights, this Instant Pot Wild Rice Soup comes together with pantry staples and hearty wild rice. Finished with a splash of cream for richness, this hands-off soup delivers big comfort with minimal effort. Includes easy instructions for adding chicken if you want to make it extra filling.
Kristen's Keys for Instant Pot Wild Rice Soup
I have a few tips to keep in mind when making this wild rice soup to help ensure the best flavor and consistency.
- Rinse the rice. It removes dust AND surface starch, which helps to ensure the grains stay chewy and tender, rather than clumped together or mushy.
- Don't skimp on the seasonings. A combination of thyme, onion powder, onion flakes, garlic powder, crushed red pepper flakes, kosher salt, and pepper helps to develop a rich and flavorful soup without relying on a lot of additives.
- Wine builds depth, but is completely optional. Adding a splash of dry white wine helps the flavors to pop and be nuanced. But even without it, the soup will be delicious!
- Plan for a natural pressure release. Whenever cooking a large volume soup or starchy item, like rice, you want to avoid doing a quick release of pressure, which will result in a starchy mess all over your kitchen AND leaves the soup with a less than ideal texture.
How to Make Wild Rice Soup Using the Instant Pot
Whether you are just learning how to use your Instant Pot or a seasoned pro, this section will walk you through the process, ensuring perfect results.
Step One: Sauté Onions and Celery
Start by turning on the sauté function on your Instant Pot. Add the butter and let it melt. Once melted, add in the diced onion and celery. Cook for about 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened and the onions look translucent.
👉🏻Don't care for butter? Swap it out for extra virgin olive oil. I like the rich, nutty undertones it adds in this particular recipe, but olive oil works here too.
Step Two: Toast Rice and Spices
Add the garlic and rinsed rice to the inner pot and cook for 1 minute, stirring often, to lightly toast the garlic and wild rice.
👉🏻Love mushrooms? Add up to 8 ounces of diced cremini or baby bella mushrooms along with the rice and garlic.
Step Three: Deglaze Inner Pot
Anytime you sauté anything in the Instant Pot, you must add thin liquid and scrape up the bottom of the inner pot to prevent a burn notice. For this recipe, I like adding in a dry white wine for depth, but water works as well.
- Add the wine (or water) to the inner pot, and use a spatula and scrape up any bits off the bottom of the inner pot.
- Let that mixture cook off for a minute or two for the flavors to concentrate and the alcohol to cook off.
- Then hit cancel to turn off the inner pot.
👉🏻Why water instead of stock? You certainly can use stock or broth in place of the wine, but the soup also calls for using a full 4 cups of stock, which is one full carton. Rather than opening a new carton for just a tiny bit of broth, it makes more sense to use a bit of water.
Step Four: Add Stock and Seasonings
Stir in the broth, seasonings, and carrots.
Step Five: Pressure Cook
Place the lid on the Instant Pot, lock the vent knob into the sealed position, and set to cook for 35 minutes on high pressure using the pressure cook or manual button. Once the cook time has elapsed, let the pressure release for at least 15 minutes.
👉🏻What is a natural pressure release? That simply means to leave the Instant Pot alone. Once the cooking time has elapsed, the Instant Pot will default to keep warm and begin to count upwards.
Step Six: Add Cream and Thicken
To thicken the soup and give it a rich and creamy finish, we are going to finish this soup with a bit of cream whisked with cornstarch, which will help to thicken the soup.
- Turn the sauté function back on the Instant Pot.
- In a glass measuring cup, whisk cornstarch into the half and half (or cream) until dissolved.
- Slowly whisk into the soup, and cook, stirring often, until thickened. Remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs as you come across them.
👉🏻Want to add chicken? Stir in up to 2 cups of cooked, chopped or shredded chicken into the soup along with the addition of half and half.
Step Seven: Serve
Give the soup a taste, and if needed, add a pinch of salt or pepper. Then serve as desired. In my book, this soup pairs perfectly with crusty bread or homemade rolls.
Recipe Modifications
- No Fresh Thyme? Replace it with 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves. Do NOT use ground thyme, which is overpowering.
- Dairy-Free: Sauté the veggies with olive oil instead of butter and use oat milk or coconut milk for a creamy finish, or use additional stock.
- Corn-Free: Replace cornstarch with arrowroot powder or tapioca starch.
- Add Chicken: Add up to 2 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken (or any leftover cooked chicken you have on hand) to the soup when you add in the half and half.
- Lower the Sodium: Use low-sodium or salt-free broth and reduce or omit the kosher salt.
- No Instant Pot? Sauté the veggies in a small skillet. Add the garlic and rice to briefly toast, then deglaze the pan with wine (or water). Transfer this mixture the base of a slow cooker. Stir in the broth, carrots, and seasonings, and cook on low heat for 6 to 8 hours or high heat for 3 to 4 hours, or until the rice is tender. Turn the heat to high, stir in the half and half mixed with cornstarch, and cook for 30 minutes, until thickened.
More Cozy Instant Pot Soup Recipes
If you are in the mood for soup, be sure to browse all my Instant Pot Soup recipes or add a few favorites below to your must-try list.
Instant Pot Wild Rice Soup
Video
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 small yellow onion, minced
- 2 large stalks of celery, diced
- 1 cup wild rice, rinsed and drained
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ cup dry white wine, or additional broth or water
- 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, or chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, or 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 2 small bay leaves, or 1 large
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried onion flakes
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 3 large carrots, peeled and sliced into boin
- 1 cup half and half, or milk or cream
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Instructions
- Hit the sauté function on the Instant Pot. Add 2 tablespoons unsalted butter and let melt. Once melted, add in the minced onion and celery and sauté for 3-4 minutes, stirring often, until softened and the onion is translucent.
- Add in the rinsed rice and minced garlic, and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Add ½ cup dry white wine (or water) to the inner pot and use a spatula or wooden spoon to scrape off any browned bits off the bottom of the inner pot. Let this mixture cook for 1 minute, then hit cancel to turn off the sauté function.
- Add 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth, 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, 2 small bay leaves, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon dried onion flakes, 1 teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, and sliced carrots to the inner pot and stir to combine.
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot, ensure the vent knob is sealed or locked, and then use the pressure cook or manual function to set to cook on HIGH pressure for 35 minutes. After the cook time has elapsed, let the pressure release naturally for at least 15 minutes. After 15 minutes you can opt do a quick pressure release if desired, by using the handle of a long utensil to knock the venting knob from seal to vent. Stand back to prevent yourself from being burned by steam.
- Turn the Instant Pot back to sauté, by hitting cancel then the sauté function. Whisk together the 1 cup half and half with 1 tablespoon cornstarch until the cornstarch dissolves. Whisk that mixture into the soup, and cook for 2-3 minutes until thickened. Remove the bay leaves and sprigs of thyme as you come across them.
- Once thickened, hit cancel to turn off the Instant Pot. Give the soup a tastes and adjust seasonings if needed. Serve as desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Can you substitute the wild rice with barley?
Hi Leeana! Pearl barley and wild rice have similar cook time, so it will work. I would reduce to 3/4 cup as barley expands a bit more than wild rice. And be sure to use pearl barley NOT quick-cook. Hope that helps.
Thank you, it came out delicious!!