This hearty vegetarian crock pot rice soup recipe is the perfect food-for-your-soul! Made with vegetable broth or if you are not a vegetarian add chicken for added protein!
This vegetarian soup is just like your basic chicken noodle soup only without meat and noodles. When you want noodles, make my rainbow chicken noodle soup; when you want something hearty, try my sweet potato stew.
Quick Look
- 🕒 Prep Time: 15 minutes
- 🌡️ Cook Time: 2 to 6 hours on low in the slow cooker, adding the rice for the last hour
- 🍽️ Serving: 4 to 6
- ⚡ Calories: 368kcal per serving, per the recipe card
- 🥣 Ingredients: vegetable broth, brown or wild rice, sweet potatoes, celery, carrots, onion, garlic, turmeric, ginger, parsley, bay leaves, thyme, oregano, apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper
- 🌶️ Flavor Profile: Light, savory and herby with warm ginger and turmeric
- ❄️ Freezer Friendly: freeze flat in bags for quick thawing
- ✋ Difficulty: Chop, add, slow cook
Quick Answer
Turn the slow cooker on low. Add 6 cups vegetable broth, 3 small peeled and diced sweet potatoes, 3 chopped celery stalks, 3 sliced carrots, ½ diced white onion, 2 minced garlic cloves, ½ teaspoon turmeric, ½ teaspoon ground ginger, ¼ cup chopped parsley, 2 bay leaves, ¼ teaspoon dried thyme, ½ teaspoon dried oregano, 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon Himalayan salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper. Cook for 2 to 6 hours, adding 1 cup of uncooked brown or wild rice 1 hour before serving, and add more broth if needed. It serves 4 to 6.
Jump to:
We love to make a big batch of this soup and freeze some for the next time a cold hits the household.
Why This Slow Cooker Rice Soup Works
Click to see why it works
- The slow cooker does the work. Everything but the rice goes in at once on low.
- Rice goes in last. Adding it 1 hour before serving keeps it from turning mushy.
- Sweet potatoes add body. They make the broth hearty without cream.
- A splash of apple cider vinegar brightens the broth.
- Extra broth on hand. You may need more depending how long you cook the soup.
Why You'll Love This Rice Soup
- Light and packed with vegetables.
- Vegetarian, made with vegetable broth, or add chicken for added protein.
- Gentle on the belly. I wanted to use a rice base instead of noodles since it is a bit calmer on the belly.
- Freezer friendly for busy or sick days.
- Brown or wild rice, whichever you have.
Key Ingredients
- Vegetable broth - or chicken broth if you are not vegetarian.
- Brown rice or wild rice - uncooked.
- Sweet potatoes, celery, carrots, onion and garlic - the vegetable base.
- Turmeric and ground ginger - for warm flavor and color.
- Parsley, bay leaves, thyme and oregano - fresh and dried herbs.
- Apple cider vinegar, Himalayan salt and black pepper - to season.
See recipe card for quantities. Love sweet potatoes in soup? Try my turkey chili with sweet potatoes.
A Soup for Flu Season
Welcome to the flu season my friends. Not sure if that really needs a standing notation. When the weather is cooler there seems to be a lot of little bugs running around. I'm not talking about those adorable little kiddos. I am talking about the bugs that make us lay in bed all day unable to be our best selves. I happen to have two little men under the age of 6 (not at all running) in my home with a stomach bug followed by all 4 of us also having another nasty respiratory virus. Sorry for the details, but I'm sure you have been there... so not fun.
It started right after Thanksgiving. My toddler came down with a stomach flu. Well if you are a large family you know where this story is going. Once he was better my 5 year old got the bug. Then the bug just could not resist attacking my hubby and myself because we were so drained being up with the boys all night... EVERY NIGHT. Once the stomach bug cleared a nasal virus hit the house. Literally the next day!
All I could think about was healing rice soup, chicken noodle soup or vegetable soup ASAP! Since the stomach bug produced a lot of aches and pains we needed a soup to heal our bodies. A soup that is light and packed with nutrition since we skipped a day or two of eating.
The best soup for the flu or any common cold are usually chicken stock or broth based, but if you are vegetarian you can totally go with vegetable broth. I think both are just as equal. Just remember this rule of thumb, "Plants are healing and fruits are cleansing." So when sick, it is best to stick with vegetables so the body can focus on healing. Once healed add lots of fruit to continue to cleanse out the toxins.
Rice soup has rice, ginger, garlic and turmeric for extra anti inflammatory properties and to combat viruses. Find more ideas in my immune boosting recipes and natural remedies for cough, cold and flu, or warm up with my bone broth.
How to Make Slow Cooker Rice Soup
1Add everything but the rice. Turn the slow cooker on low. Add 6 cups of broth, sweet potatoes, celery, carrots, onion, garlic, turmeric, ginger, parsley, bay leaves, thyme, oregano, apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper.
2Slow cook. Cook for 2-6 hours on low.
3Add the rice. Add the rice 1 hour before you are ready to serve. You may need to add additional broth depending how long you cook the soup.
4Serve. Remove the bay leaves, taste for salt, and serve hot.
As always, be sure to check out the full recipe details in the recipe card below.
Expert Tips
- Freeze it flat. Pour any extra soup in a freezable baggie and lie it flat in the freezer. The next time a cold or flu hits it thaws quickly and is easy to serve.
- Keep extra broth nearby. The rice drinks up liquid the longer the soup cooks.
- Want protein? Add chicken if you are not vegetarian.
- Season at the end. Start with 1 teaspoon of salt and add more later if needed.
- Swap the rice. This can also be made into wild rice soup. Just replace brown rice with wild rice.
Brown Rice vs. Wild Rice
What is the difference between brown rice and wild rice? Brown rice is not milled and all that is removed is the husk. Wild rice contains more nutrients such as protein, zinc, and potassium. Wild rice is also significantly higher in folate and B vitamins. So I favor wild rice for this rice soup on any other occasion than when we are sick. Because brown rice is milder.
More cozy soups: Easy Vegetable Soup, Healthy Curry Chicken Soup With Rice, Creamy Vegan White Bean Soup and Spicy Ginger Vegetable Zoodle Soup.
Rice Soup FAQs
Add the uncooked rice 1 hour before you are ready to serve, so it cooks through without getting mushy.
Cook it on low for 2 to 6 hours, then add the rice for the last hour.
Yes. Just replace the brown rice with wild rice to make wild rice soup. Brown rice is a bit milder.
Yes. If you are not a vegetarian, add chicken for added protein, and use chicken broth if you like.
Pour any extra soup into a freezable bag and lay it flat in the freezer. It thaws quickly and is easy to serve.
The rice keeps absorbing broth as it cooks. Add additional broth depending how long you cook the soup.
More Soup Recipes
Keep the soup pot going with Rainbow Chicken Noodle Soup, Easy Vegetable Soup, Curry Chicken Soup With Rice and Sweet Potato Stew. I hope this slow cooker rice soup warms you up! Follow along with me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter for a feature and more recipe inspiration! And don't forget to leave a comment below!
Healing Slow Cooker Rice Soup With Vegetables
Would you like to save this?
We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later!
Plus get latest recipes and emails.
Ingredients
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup brown rice or wild rice uncooked
- 3 small sweet potatoes peeled and diced
- 3 celery stalks chopped
- 3 large carrots peeled and cut into slices
- ½ white onion diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ cup freshly chopped parsley
- 2 bay leaves dry
- ¼ teaspoon thyme dry
- ½ teaspoon oregano dry
- 1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Himalayan salt add more later if needed
- ½ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- Turn the slow cooker on low. Add 6 cups of broth, sweet potatoes, celery, carrots, onion, garlic, turmeric, ginger, parsley, bay leaves, thyme, oregano, apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper. Cook for 2-6 hours. Add the rice 1 hour before you are ready to serve.
- *You may need to add additional broth depending how long you cook the soup.
Sam says
Any clues on storage if batch cooking?
Danielle Fahrenkrug, Certified Health & Nutrition Life Coach says
If you batch cook, just have it in the fridge in a sealed container and consume within 5 days. You can also freeze it in freezer bags. Close them and lay them flat in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Nicole says
I just set this in the crockpot. How would adding a can of pinto beans with the rice, 1 hour before serving, work out? I have 5 hours left so hopefully I'll see a response before then! Thanks in advance.
Danielle Fahrenkrug says
Hi Nicole! Adding a can of drained and rinsed beans an hour before serving works great!
Xan says
Is the added rice cooked or uncooked?
Danielle at Delightful Mom Food says
Uncooked.
Hannah says
Hi! I’m making this soup tonight for dinner and it just finished up. The only thing I changed was that I used wild brown rice instead of brown rice. Why is your soup that is pictured significantly more yellow than mine? Thanks!
Danielle at Delightful Mom Food says
Hi Hanna, so glad you are making this! Did you add the turmeric? If you did and it is still not as yellow I think it is from the chicken broth I used. It might be the Costco brand that is super vibrant compared to other brands.