This Creamy Turkey Wild Rice Soup is full of comforting spices, cream cheese, leftover turkey, mushrooms, and more. Every bite is flavorful, rich, and bowl-licking good.
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You'll adore this comforting turkey rice soup, perfect for using up leftover turkey and clearing fridge space. While we also repurpose turkey in Creamy Turkey Dumpling Soup and Thanksgiving Tamales, this soup is my favorite.
Making this Creamy Turkey Wild Rice Soup can feel a bit time consuming, but that's mostly because it smells so fantastic, you have to find small snacks to enjoy while patiently waiting for that first bowl to be ready.
The wait for this soup is worth it though, because in the end, you get the best fall soup of your life, and that's saying something. Especially when it's coming from me- a girl who loves soups!
For more fall favorites, try our 5 Ingredient Instant Pot Chili, Cheesy Potato Soup, and Poor Man's Beef Stew.
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💛 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- Great for using up leftovers. Using leftover turkey or even leftover shredded chicken is a great way to repurpose your leftovers. This means tha you can save money by stretching the meat, and you can also stretch your grocery budget.
- It's a fall favorite. Packed with rich and creamy textures and great seasonal flavors, this recipe is perfect for fall and winter.
- You can stretch the recipe even more. By adding in some more chicken broth or water, you can increase the serving sizes to make more portions.
🛒 Ingredients
Seasonings- Garlic, lemon juice, Italian seasonings, salt, pepper, rosemary, and nutmeg all help to season this soup so that every bite is well-flavored. The nutmeg is a special secret ingredient I add to a lot of my creamy soups.
Wild Rice- We need 2 of those 4.3oz boxes of Rice a Roni (not the seasoning packet, just the rice).
Cream Cheese- 4 ounces of SOFTENED cream cheese will add the thick and creamy thing we want. You'll notice the color of the soup change as soon as the cream cheese begins dissolving.
Turkey- Grab some leftover cooked turkey from your Thanksgiving bird, chop or shred it, and set it to the side. You won't need it until you're close to the end of this recipe.
The cooking method of the turkey doesn't matter, so whether you made Dry Brined Turkey, Cajun Turkey Breast Recipe, or an Air Fryer Turkey Breast, this recipe works!
See the recipe card below for full ingredients and instructions.
🔀 Substitutions & Variations
Turkey: Swap the turkey for cooked chicken, rotisserie chicken, or even diced ham. If you're out of leftover protein entirely, sautéing a pound of ground turkey or chicken works perfectly too.
Rice: If you don't have boxed wild rice, use 1 cup of any wild rice blend or long-grain brown rice. Cooking time will vary slightly, but the hearty texture still shines.
Vegetables: Don't love mushrooms? Leave them out or replace with extra carrots or celery. You can also stir in spinach or kale at the end for more greens.
Add Bacon: A small handful of cooked crumbled bacon added at the end brings smoky, salty goodness.
💰 Budget-Friendly Tips
Reduce the Meat: This soup tastes fantastic even with half the turkey. Add a little extra rice or veggies to bulk it up without raising the total cost.
Use In-Season Produce: Carrots, celery, onions, and mushrooms are all budget-friendly year-round, but in fall and winter, they're especially cheap, perfect for stretching meals.
Skip the Name Brands: Store-brand broth, cream cheese, and rice mixes taste just as good, especially once everything simmers together.
🥄 Instructions for Creamy Turkey Wild Rice Soup
Step 1: In a large pot over medium heat, combine 2 tablespoons butter, mushrooms, and onions. (Image 1) Cook for 5-8 minutes, stirring often, until soft and browned. (Image 2)
Step 2: Add in the carrot and celery. Cook another 3-5 minutes. (Image 3)
Step 4: Add in the garlic, stir 30 seconds until fragrant.
Step 5: Add in Italian seasonings, salt, pepper, fresh rosemary, and nutmeg. Stir to combine. (Image 4)
Step 6: Make a well in the center of the pot, add 2 tablespoons of butter and melt. (Image 5) Add flour and stir until everything is well coated. (Image 6)
Step 7: Add in the chicken broth and water. Whisk until combined and flour looks dissolved. (Image 7)
Step 8: Bring to a boil. Add rice from boxes. (Image 8) We don't need the seasoning packets! Reduce heat and simmer 20-25 minutes. Stir every so often to mix it around.
Step 9: Add in cream cheese (Image 9) and stir until the cream cheese has been fully incorporated.
Step 10: Mix in lemon juice and turkey. (Image 10)
Step 11: Turn off the heat. Slowly add in the milk (Image 11), stir to combine. (Image 12)
Serve and enjoy.
👩🏻🍳 Expert Tips
- Make the Most of Leftovers: If you're using leftover turkey, don't worry about how it was cooked, roasted, air-fried, deli-sliced, whatever you've got. It all melts right into the soup and adds tons of flavor.
- Cream Cheese Magic: Let the cream cheese soften on the counter before adding it. Soft cream cheese melts in beautifully and gives you that smooth, velvety finish without any little specks floating around.
- Rice = Thick Soup Later: The longer the rice sits in the broth, the thicker the soup becomes. If it gets too thick the next day, just stir in a splash of broth or milk to loosen it up.
❄️ Storage & Reheating
Storage: Store leftover Creamy Turkey Wild Rice Soup in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days. It thickens as it chills (thanks, rice!), so don't be surprised if it looks more like stew on day two.
Reheating: Warm gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat or microwave in short bursts, stirring as you go. Add milk or broth as needed to thin it back to your desired consistency.
🥗 Side Dishes or Pairing Ideas
Perfect sides for this cozy Creamy Turkey Wild Rice Soup include warm biscuits, sweet cornbread, or a simple fresh salad to round out the meal.
- Jalapeno Cheddar BiscuitsRecipe $3.78 / Serving $0.47
- Sourdough CornbreadRecipe $2.14 / Serving $0.27
- Zucchini Cornbread CasseroleRecipe $5.04 / Serving $0.42
- Iceberg SaladRecipe $5.00 / Serving $0.83
❓ Recipe FAQs
Absolutely! You can use heavy cream, half and half, dairy free milk (like almond or soy), or even evaporated milk depending on what you have on hand. It's really just being added to help thin the soup a little more. Most of the creaminess comes from the cream cheese.
If you plan on freezing this turkey rice soup and reheating it later then I recommend not adding the dairy (cream cheese or milk) until after it's thawed and is ready to be eaten for real. This will help to keep it at its best and prevent the dairy from separating during the reheating process.
I'd recommend keeping any leftover soup in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 or 5 days. This soup tastes great when freshly made and again the next day, but the longer the rice sits in the broth, the thicker or starchier the soup may become. Reheat again before eating.
🍽️ More Recipes You'll Love
- Leftover Turkey LasagnaRecipe $5.52 / Serving $0.69
- Leftover Turkey EnchiladasRecipe $6.86 / Serving $1.72
- Creamy Turkey Dumpling SoupRecipe $4.47 / Serving $0.75
- Cajun Turkey Breast RecipeRecipe $9.14 / Serving $1.14
🐝 If you tried this Creamy Turkey Wild Rice Soup, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and share your buzz in the 💬 comments below. I'd truly appreciate it!
📖 Recipe
Creamy Turkey Wild Rice Soup
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided - ($0.37)
- 8 ounces mushrooms, chopped - ($1.86)
- 1 medium onion, diced - ($0.62)
- 2 large carrots, diced - ($0.42)
- 2 stalks celery, chopped - ($0.34)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced - ($0.08)
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning - ($0.08)
- 1 teaspoon salt - ($0.01)
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper - ($0.04)
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped - ($0.08)
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg - ($0.02)
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour - ($0.03)
- 4 cups chicken broth - ($1.00)
- 3 cups water - ($0.00)
- 2 boxes (4.3 ounces each) wild rice Rice-a-Roni, seasoning packets discarded - ($2.66)
- 2 cups cooked turkey, shredded or chopped - ($0.00)
- 2 teaspoon lemon juice - ($0.02)
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened - ($0.93)
- 1 cup milk - ($0.20)
Instructions
- Sauté vegetables. In a large pot over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Add the mushrooms and onion and cook until softened and lightly browned. Stir in the carrots and celery and cook until beginning to soften. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Season and thicken. Stir in the Italian seasoning, salt, black pepper, rosemary, and nutmeg. Make a well in the center, add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, and let it melt. Sprinkle in the flour and stir until all vegetables are evenly coated.
- Add liquids and rice. Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and water until smooth. Bring to a boil. Add the rice, discarding the seasoning packets, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rice is tender.
- Finish soup. Stir in the cream cheese until fully melted. Add the lemon juice and turkey and mix well. Remove from heat and slowly stir in the milk until creamy and smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
- Serve. Serve warm.
Notes
- Rice swap. Use 2 cups dry wild rice in place of Rice-a-Roni if preferred.
- Protein options. Cooked shredded chicken works in place of turkey.
- Creaminess. Soften cream cheese fully before adding to prevent lumps.
- Milk choices. Heavy cream, half-and-half, or dairy-free milk can be used.
- Storage. Refrigerate in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days.
- Freezing. Freeze without dairy and add cream cheese and milk after reheating.
Nutritional Information
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