Vegan Wild Rice Soup With Jackfruit

Creamy vegan wild rice soup with jackfruit! Thick, filling and satisfying, this soup is made with no dairy, no nuts, and no coconut milk, making it a super easy dinner that's lower in fat. Gluten-free and oil-free. 

I'm craving soup all the time nowadays. In particular, veggie-packed soups that are full of flavour and healthy ingredients. When I first went vegan, soup was actually my lifesaver. It's so easy to throw delicious ingredients into a pot, leave them to simmer away and have dinner ready to go for a few days.

I'm SO excited to share this creamy vegan wild rice soup with jackfruit recipe with you. If you make it and love it, please do give me 5 stars so I know to make similar recipes in the future!

Vegan wild rice soup with jackfruit

Vegan wild rice soup is an ideal demonstration of what you can create with plants. No fancy ingredients, no hours of needless preparation. Just good, wholesome comfort that's also good for you.

I have to admit that I don't use wild rice in my cooking nearly as much as I would like to. That's gonna change going forward, because it's such a great way to switch up ordinary white or wholegrain rice. If you've never tried it before, the flavour is distinctively nutty and the rice grains have a chewy texture. While the cooking time is slightly longer, the result is 100% worth it!

Chicken wild rice soup alternative

One of the key ingredients is jackfruit. A lot of traditional wild rice soup recipes are made with shredded chicken, and jackfruit makes a great replacement, just like in my vegan pot pie recipe.

Use a canned jackfruit variety, making sure to shred it thoroughly beforehand to ensure a realistic pulled chicken texture.

Wild rice soup with no cream, coconut milk or cashews

Typically, wild rice soup is based on cream. It's not a super creamy soup, kinda like what you'd make in a blender, but not a 'watery' one either. The cream helps binds the flavours together and make it a really satisfying meal.

When developing this soup, I wanted to avoid cashews or coconut milk as the base for the cream. This is for two reasons: first, a cashew-based cream is hard to make if you don't have a high speed blender. Secondly, the version I made is much lighter and lower in fat, while still being filling.

The 'cream' I made uses just two ingredients: plant based milk and buckwheat flour. You can use any plant based milk of your choice, just ensure it's unsweetened. Ordinary gluten-free flour works too to thicken the cream.

Main ingredients and substitutions

• Onion.
• Garlic.
• Carrots.
• Red bell pepper. Or, use any other colour.
• Celery.
• Mushrooms. I used ordinary baby button mushrooms, but any other variety works too.
• Jackfruit. Use a canned variety, preferably in unsalted water. If you want to, you can use beans or lentils instead.
• Cumin.
• Onion granules.
• Wild rice.
• Sweet potato. I've tried this with ordinary potatoes and they work really well too.
• Vegetable stock/broth.
• Plant based milk for the cream. I like to use unsweetened oat milk.
• Buckwheat flour. I really like the flavour of this, but ordinary gluten-free flour works too.
• Tamari. Use soy sauce if not avoiding gluten, and coconut aminos for a soy-free version.
• Kale. Spinach works really well too, although I prefer the texture of kale.

How to make vegan wild rice soup

STEP 1: Sauté the onion and the garlic in a non-stick saucepan for around 3-4 minutes, until fragrant.

STEP 2: Add the carrots, red bell pepper, celery and mushrooms. Continue to sauté, adding a splash of water if necessary, for a further 3-4 minutes, until the vegetables soften.

STEP 3: Add the jackfruit, cumin and onion granules, stirring for 2 minutes to coat.

STEP 4: Add the wild rice and the sweet potato, also pouring in the vegetable stock. Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered over a medium heat for around 45 minutes, until the rice is tender. Add more vegetable stock if necessary.

STEP 5: Around 10 minutes before the end of the cooking process, prepare the cream. Add around ¼ cup of the plant based milk to a non-stick frying pan and stir for a minute to combine. Then, pour in the rest of the milk and whisk until the cream thickens. This should take around 5 minutes.

STEP 6: Transfer the cream to the saucepan and stir it in to combine together with the tamari and kale. Continue stirring until the kale wilts. Season to taste with more salt if necessary before serving.

Reasons to love this creamy vegan soup with rice

It's ...

• Filling.
• Low in fat.
• Comforting and cosy.
• Effortless and easy.
• Perfect for a weeknight dinner.
• Made with wholesome ingredients.
• Full of flavour.
• Gluten-free.
• Oil-free.

Tips and modifications

• Feel free to add any vegetables you have on hand. Pretty much anything works!
• Instead of making the cream, you can use a can of coconut milk per 1.5 cups plant based milk (you won't be able to taste the coconut). This version requires less hands-on preparation.
• Add smoked paprika for a kick of spice if that's your thing.

Other delicious vegan soup recipes

• French onion soup
• Curry soup with tofu
• Chunky potato soup
• Vegan pho
• Borscht
• Noodle soup with roasted chickpeas

Let me know in the comments: do you cook with wild rice often? If you give this vegan wild rice soup with jackfruit recipe a go, be sure to tag me on Instagram (@ohmyveggies) so I can see your creations, and leave your feedback in the comments below.

📖 Recipe