Cozy and warming, this butternut squash wild rice soup is packed with tasty veggies, fragrant herbs, spice and coconut milk and is perfect for the fall and winter months! So easy to make on the stovetop as a creamy vegan soup, serve it up to all the family for a hearty lunch or dinner.
Love a hearty vegan soup? Do check out my cauliflower potato leek soup or my butternut squash soup with leeks for next time!
Now if you ask me, soup is the ultimate comfort food for colder days and my vegetable gnocchi soup and celery leek soup are on repeat in my home. Cozy, warming and full of veggies, we can make a tasty stovetop meal so easily!
This hearty, comforting butternut squash and wild rice soup makes the most of fall produce with a range of colorful veggies and leafy greens. To keep it a vegan rice soup we use coconut milk for creaminess and a good pinch of herbs and spice for extra flavor. So let me show you how to make this vegan butternut rice soup with all simple recipe steps!
Do check out my root vegetable soup and my broccoli and cauliflower soup with coconut milk as more veggie-focused meal ideas!
This recipe was updated on March 27, 2024 with an updated title, slight amendments to the recipe, new photos and recipe tips.
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⭐ Why this recipe is so good
- Packed with veggies. We use butternut squash, carrots, zucchini and cabbage for a colorful meal!
- Hearty. Using wild rice makes this vegan soup a little more hearty for lunch or dinner. And if you reduce the broth a touch, we can make this into more of a wild rice butternut stew!
- Easy to make. No complicated recipe steps, it comes together so easily on the stovetop.
- Vegan and gluten free. This easy recipe is suitable for both diets as well as being a low histamine soup.
🍲 Ingredients
All the ingredients, and their quantities, are set out in the recipe card below.
Some notes on a few of them:
- Butternut squash - for all the cozy fall feels, I simply peel and dice the squash for this soup recipe but you can roast it beforehand if you like for more sweet flavor.
- Cabbage - I like to use a Savoy cabbage, but for lower histamine options, napa cabbage and green cabbage are both delicious.
- Wild rice - I like to use a wild rice blend, but feel free to use all wild rice if you prefer!
- Coconut milk - this gives us a creamy vegan soup without using dairy.
- Vegetable broth - I suggest to make your own and freeze in portions using suitable ingredients if looking to make low histamine recipes.
- Thyme, basil and sweet paprika - the herbs and spice that give flavor and color too!
🔪 Step by step instructions
Making this creamy butternut squash wild rice soup is very simple, and all you need is your fresh veggies, pantry staples and a large soup pot!
All the instructions are in the recipe card below, but these step by step photos should help guide you.
Step 1: Cook veggies and herbs
Drizzle olive oil into a large soup pot and saute diced onion and garlic on a low heat for 3-4 minutes. Add the diced butternut squash, carrots and zucchini, along with the dried herbs and sweet paprika. Cook for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally (image 1).
Step 2: Add wild rice
Tip in the rinsed wild rice (or wild rice blend) and shredded cabbage and stir to combine (image 2).
Step 3: Add vegetable broth
Pour in the vegetable broth and bring the soup to a boil. Then reduce the heat so it is very lightly simmering (image 3).
Step 4: Add coconut milk
Pour in the coconut milk, and add salt and black pepper (optional) to season. Cook for 20-25 minutes until the vegetables are fork tender and the rice is cooked through (image 4). Once ready, ladle into your bowls and enjoy!
💭 Recipe tips and notes
- I suggest to dice the vegetables into small pieces of roughly the same size for an even cook time.
- Personally I like to use a wild rice blend, but you can use all wild rice if you prefer.
- You can easily swap out the vegetables and herbs for those of preference, if kept to around the same quantities. Rosemary, oregano and small amounts of sage are all delicious.
- Add more water or stock if the soup feels too thick, to taste preference.
📋 Frequently asked questions
No need to pre-cook the rice. Simply rinse, then add to the pot along with the vegetables and we cook from there.
Yes, you can roast the squash and it will give a lovely flavorful sweetness. It will of course add some extra cook time to the recipe.
Yes, we don't use dairy for the soup and use coconut milk instead for a creamy vegan wild rice soup.
🥣 More soups to enjoy
Find so many flavorful soup recipes here, including my tasty turmeric chicken soup and my popular butternut squash and apple soup. Some recent recipes to enjoy:
I’m always in the kitchen, so come join me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest to be the first to hear of new recipes. And please do leave a star rating ⭐⭐⭐ if you've tried the recipe!
📖 Recipe
Butternut Squash Wild Rice Soup
Equipment
- Soup pot
- Vegetable peeler
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ white onion diced
- 1 garlic clove minced or finely diced
- 2 large carrots diced
- 1 zucchini diced
- ½ small butternut squash peeled, diced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- ½ cup wild rice dry weight, rinsed, or wild rice mix
- ½ cup cabbage tough stems removed, shredded
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- ½ cup coconut milk
- pinch salt
- pinch black pepper optional
- fresh parsley to garnish
Instructions
- Drizzle olive oil into a large soup pot, and saute onion and garlic on a low heat for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add the diced butternut squash, carrots and zucchini, along with the dried basil, thyme and sweet paprika. Stir well, then cook for 4-5 minutes for the vegetables to soften.
- Tip in the wild rice and shredded cabbage.
- Pour in the vegetable broth and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat to a very light simmer and pour in the coconut milk. Add salt and (optional) black pepper and cook for 20-25 minutes until the vegetables are fork tender and the rice is cooked. Ladle into your serving bowls and enjoy!
Notes
- Personally I use a wild rice mix, but you can also use all wild rice.
- I suggest to dice the veggies into small pieces of a similar size for an even cook time.
- You can easily swap out the vegetables and herbs for those of preference, if kept to around the same quantities.
- Add more water or broth if the soup feels too thick, to taste preference.
- Nutritional information is auto-generated and should be understood to be an estimate.
- garlic, which scores 1.
- black pepper, which scores 2.
- vegetable broth is not rated, and will depend upon ingredients and preparation method.
- napa and green cabbage score 0, but Savoy cabbage scores 1 with a ? as a liberator. Only use the latter if you know you tolerate well.
Veronika says
Delicious!
Claire says
So glad you enjoy it!
Jeanne says
This soup is SOOO delicious! I left a message earlier, but I forgot to give this soup a 5 star rating!!
Claire says
So glad you enjoyed the soup Jeanne! And thanks so much for taking the time to comment.
Rachel says
I can’t use coconut milk. Would almond milk sub well?
Claire says
Hi Rachel, yes it's fine to use almond milk to make soup!
Kara says
I've made this several times. I sometimes change up the veggies to suit what I have on hand and often add some quinoa just for fun. Very creamy and comforting!
Claire says
So glad you like it Kara! It's a good soup to swap veggies in and out of isn't it - I do the same.
Tans says
Doesn’t frying vegetables increase histamines?
Claire says
Yes, frying and grilling can increase histamine. If you are sensitive to the cooking method then you may prefer to add the vegetables and then the stock immediately after, and cook that way.
Kristina says
Is rinsing the rice in cold water a personal preference or is it for LH or other purpose?
throughthefibrofog says
It doesn't affect histamine as far as I know. Rinsing rice helps slightly reduce the starch content and create fluffier rice, but is optional.
Amanda says
This is really yummy soup! I used homemade veggie broth and it turned out delicious. Thank you for the recipe!
throughthefibrofog says
So glad you like it Amanda! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment 🙂