This vegan Creamy Butternut Squash Wild Rice Soup is autumn in a bowl! Cozy, utterly delicious, and made with healthy, wholesome ingredients. (Vegan, gluten-free, oil-free.)
This cozy soup is absolutely brimming with autumn goodness!
It's thick, creamy, comforting, and utterly delicious. Plus it's made with simple, healthy, wholesome ingredients.
We'll combine butternut squash, nutrient-rich kale, tender mushrooms, wild rice, and fresh rosemary. Then whip up an easy, dairy-free cashew "cream" sauce to stir in towards the end of cooking time. The sauce is so rich and tasty with savory, umami flavors.
I'm crazy for this fall soup, and hope you will be too!
Ingredients for Butternut Squash Wild Rice Soup
For this recipe you'll simmer in a large pot on the stove:
- Onion & garlic: You'll need one yellow onion (or white or sweet), and several cloves garlic.
- Mushrooms: I use either cremini or white button, but portobello or shiitake would be great too. If you don't care for mushrooms, then simply leave them out. Or replace them with other veggies like carrot or celery.
- Butternut squash: We'll use 4 cups (about one pound cubed) fresh butternut squash for this recipe. In general, I usually need about a 3 lb. squash to yield 4 cups cubed. Or for convenience, look for pre-cut squash in the produce section of your grocery store. Frozen cubed butternut squash could work as well.
- Vegetable broth: Be sure to use low sodium if desired.
- Wild rice: I use straight wild rice for this recipe, but you can use a wild rice blend if you prefer.
- Lacinato kale: You can also stir in fresh baby spinach for extra greens.
- Dried oregano: Or change it up with thyme, Italian seasoning, etc.
- Fresh rosemary: This adds really beautiful flavor and vibrant, woodsy aromatics to the soup. We'll stir it in towards the end of cooking time.
- Cashews: We'll use raw cashews as the base of the creamy sauce to achieve a thick, rich, luxurious texture. I use a "quick soak" method to soften my nuts before blending. (See notes below recipe for guidance.)
- Tamari: Or you can substitute soy sauce, but use tamari for gluten-free if needed.
- Apple cider vinegar
- White miso: I highly suggest including this in the cashew cream for umami, salty flavor, but if you don't have any then simply salt to taste.
- Cornstarch: A couple teaspoons of cornstarch is optional to add even more thickness to the cream sauce. I like to include it, but feel free to leave it out if desired.
Customizing
Vegetables: Feel free to include other veggies like carrot, celery, leeks, potato, sweet potato, cauliflower, or whatever else sounds good.
Beans: Add a can of white beans or chickpeas (garbanzo beans) for added protein if desired.
Cashew cream substitute: Omit the cashew cream, and stir in a 14-ounce can of full-fat coconut milk towards the end of cooking time instead. The result won't be quite as thick, but I've tested this version as well and it's great!
Blending tip: I use a small NutriBullet for sauces which works great.
Serving
Serve this soup warm with salt & black pepper to taste, garnished with additional fresh herbs, or toasted pecans for crunchy texture. You could even serve it out of a bread bowl if that's your thing! Be aware the soup will continue to thicken as it sits.
Storing
After it cools, store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Simply reheat in the microwave when ready to enjoy.
For more inspiration, also browse all vegan soup recipes or fall recipes.
Creamy Butternut Squash and Wild Rice Soup (Vegan!)
Ingredients
- 1 yellow onion
- 4-5 cloves garlic
- 8 oz. mushrooms
- 4 cups butternut squash (about 1 lb. cubed)
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 2/3 cup wild rice
- 3 cups lacinato kale
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
For the cashew cream:
- 3/4 cup raw cashews, soaked*
- 1 cup water
- 1 Tbsp. tamari
- 2 tsp. apple cider vinegar
- 2 tsp. white miso
- 2 tsp. cornstarch (optional, for extra-thick)
Instructions
- Prepare veggies: Dice onion, mince garlic, and slice mushrooms. Peel and cube butternut squash.
- Prepare soup: In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, sauté onion for 7-8 minutes. (I use 3 Tbsp. veggie broth/water for no-oil sauté method, adding more as needed.) When onion is translucent, add garlic and dried oregano. Stir and sauté 1 minute. Add mushrooms, butternut squash, vegetable broth, and wild rice (rinsed and drained). Bring to a light boil. Then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes.
- Chop greens: Roughly chop kale, large stems removed. Finely chop rosemary. Set aside. (I also use this time to quick-soak the cashews* for the sauce.)
- Make cashew cream: Towards the end of simmering time, add all cashew cream ingredients to a high-speed blender. (I use a NutriBullet.) Blend for 20-30 seconds until smooth.
- Combine: When wild rice is tender, add cashew cream, kale, and fresh rosemary. Simmer 5 minutes to combine. Serve warm. Salt & pepper to taste before serving.
Notes
Nutrition Per Serving (Estimate)
Sodium: This is omitted as I cannot provide an accurate number. I encourage you to calculate your own to provide a much more precise reading based on the exact ingredients, brands, and amounts you're using.
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