Slow cooker sweet potato wild rice soup is a cozy blend of flavors that’s just right for fall!
Well, I did it. I busted out my crock pot the other day and made a soup.
I was pretending it was fall, I guess, even though there are not any colored leaves on the trees or anything, and it wasn’t too chilly outside. I just couldn’t resist anymore – I needed to throw a bunch of stuff in the crock pot and have it turn into a warm, hearty soup.
And it was very nice to get back into that routine again. There’s something so rewarding about chopping up the vegetables, adding the broth and spices, then putting the lid on, turning up the heat and letting it go until it’s a warm, simmering, comforting soup.
And it’s so handy for me, especially because this week we’re trying to get into our home school routine for first grade, and when I start concentrating on one thing, I tend to forget other things. You know, minor things such as cooking and eating. ;)
This is a super easy recipe, and you probably have most of the ingredients in your pantry. You can use any kind of beans that you have on hand, and either chicken or vegetable broth is just fine for this recipe.
Serve this slow cooker sweet potato wild rice soup with a salad and cornbread and you have a hearty, healthy fall meal!
This slow cooker sweet potato wild rice soup is:
- vegan and gluten free
- full of delicious savory flavor
- perfect for fall meals!

Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Wild Rice Soup.
Ingredients
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 3 large sweet potatoes peeled and diced
- 4 ounces canned green chiles
- 32 ounces vegetable broth or chicken broth
- 15 ounces pinto beans drained and rinsed
- 1/2 cup short grain brown rice
- 1/4 cup wild rice
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 teaspoons sugar
Instructions
-
Put the olive oil and the diced onions in the bottom of the slow cooker. Turn it to high, and let the onions warm in the oil for about five minutes.
-
Add all of the other ingredients EXCEPT the pinto beans, salt, and pepper. Make sure all of the rice is covered with liquid.
-
Cover and cook on high for three hours.
-
After three hours, remove the lid and add the beans, salt, and pepper. Stir. If it looks like it needs a little more liquid, add some room temperature water and stir. (You should never add cold liquids to a hot crock pot).
-
Cover again and cook for another hour.
-
Add more salt and pepper if needed. Serve with cornbread.
-
add beans one hour before end
-
add more liquid if needed
Have you used your slow cooker yet this season? Is it too soon?
Follow along:
I have been making this for at least 3 years now…and I wanted to send a very belated THANK YOU!! My family of 5 loves this recipe…it’s super easy to throw together…a great way to get in a lot of nutrients for little ones and really delicious. Thanks again for sharing it!
What can I use instead of the green chilies? I can’t have nightshades? This soup looks delicious, but know that all the components put together make it what it is. Thanks for you helpl
Delicious recipe!
This was great, my husband and toddler liked it too. Thanks!
So glad to hear that! :)
I really enjoyed this recipe! It hit the spot perfectly for what I needed: makes great in big batches, simple, protein rich, and delicious! This is great to eat for any meal of the day, stores and reheats well. Definitely adding this to my main rotation of weekly batch cooks.
Yay! So glad you liked it!
Hi,
Do you think I could just cook it on low all day (8 hours)? It sounds great but I like slow cooker recipes for convenience during the work week.
Thanks!
I think so – but I haven’t tried that. You may want to add a little more liquid to make sure the rice doesn’t dry out.
I have just been diagnosed with wheat, soy, milk, corn, egg whites, walnut, peanut, shellfish, sesame seed allergies. Trying to find recipes that do not have these contents is challenging to say the least. The first day of looking my diet consisted of rice cereal, coconut milk & stuffed green peppers……as much as I love these items, I would like to expand my diet!!! I like many of the recipes I have found on your website. Any help you can give me would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Patti Keefer
Would this work with arborio rice? Or would any adjustments have to be made?
I have never tried cooking arborio rice in the slow cooker, so I don’t know if that would work. Sorry!
can you just throw everything in the pot so you can leave the house.
Yes, this is for a slow cooker, just be sure to follow your manufacturer’s instructions.
This looks great! Probably a really dumb question, but do you use cooked or uncooked rice? Thanks!
I’m guessing uncooked because she says to make sure the rice is covered in liquid. Four hours with already cooked rice would probably cook to mush. If you have leftover cooked rice, I would add at the end with the beans. That’s what I plan to try tonight with leftover wild rice! We’ll see how it goes.
Uncooked rice is what you need for this recipe. :)
Has anyone tried freezing this? Would it turn out ok after do you think??
I have not tried freezing it…I’m not sure if the texture of the rice would change after freezing. If you try it, let me know what happens!
Have you tried using regular Idaho potatoes instead of sweet potatoes? We ended up using the sweet potatoes I bought for this recipe to go along with another meal and I thought I would check and see if Idaho potatoes have been used before and if the soup was successful?
I haven’t tried it, but I think it would be good that way! Let me know how it turns out!
Kelly – I’m making this today for a potluck this evening. I think it’s going to be a knock-out! Instead of brown rice, I used white hominy, which gives it a chunkier feel. And I spiced it up with just a touch of habanero chili sauce. Yummy!
Oooh, it sounds yummy! love those changes you made!
I’ve been meaning to come by and comment for a few days now and I have finally gotten around to it! I made this over the weekend and it was delicious. I’m a sucker for a good, healthy slow cooker meal (and the bowls are perfect :)). Thank you!
Thank you so much for letting me know, Gwen! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
It’s on the meal plan for this week! Thanks for sharing!! YUM!
This looks delicious! I can’t wait to try it. I love sweet potatoes. Thanks for sharing…pinned!
Didn’t have any chicken broth on hand, so added canned tomato juice from our garden instead. Was amazing!
That sounds wonderful! Glad you liked it!
I made this today and it is wonderful!
Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Awesome, thanks for letting me know, Susan!
Looks delicious and I can’t wait to try it but I don’t use canned anything, so do I need to cook the beans separately and add at the end per the recipe or can I soak them overnight and add along with everything else?
I think it would work to soak the beans and then put them in the crockpot, but your cooking time might be longer. Just keep an eye on it, and if it takes longer and you need more liquid, then just add some more broth!
Made this last night and it was great!
Thanks for letting me know, Jen! So glad you liked it! :)
This recipe sounds fabulous!! It’s going into my must-try pile!!
Debi @ That Crafty Lunch Lady
I made this recipe in my 6-qt slow cooker and it turned out really well! I just added maybe another half cup of water at the end while it was still hot to thin it out a little. It looks just like your beautiful pictures! Thank you :)
Awesome, Maddie! Thank you for sharing that, I’m glad you liked it! :)
Those pots are so adorable (and such a great deal)! I’ve been looking for something like that! :] I love sweet potatoes, and this recipe looks delicious! :D
What a deal on those bowls!! I need to go to a charity shop to get more food props, too. This soup looks delicious – another slow cooker recipe to add to list!
This is definitely comfort food in a bowl, Kelly! This looks incredible! I love using my slow cooker, but haven’t made any soups in it yet. This sounds like the perfect one! Pinned!
Those little bowls are so CUTE! Such a steal finding them at the thrift store. I’m always keeping my eye out for cute little kitchen accessories. These bowls were definitely begging to be filled with soup. I am quite obsessed with wild rice lately, especially in soups. I can’t wait until it cools off here in California and I can start making soups for dinner. Yesterday it was 98 degrees! Definitely ready for some cold, cozy nights.
Cute cute bowls – great idea to look for food props at the Salvation Army! This soup looks so comforting – love that it’s vegetarian yet totally hearty. Can’t wait to get these ingredients in my crockpot and have a meal to look forward to during the work day :)
Your recipe looks delicious. I would be honored if you would stop by and share at Foodie Fridays this evening (Thurs 9pm EST). Hope to see you there.
Blessings,
Shari
http://puregracefarms.com/
Yes! I’m totally stocking up on good slow-cooker recipes for this fall & winter and am excited to add this one to the list! Love those adorable bowls too, btw.
Thank you so much, Kara!
Oh my gosh! What a deal for such cute little pots! This soup sounds and looks so good, Kelly! Wild rice soup is one of my winter favs and I love love your addition of sweet potatoes! Pinned. :)
I know, I was so happy to find them for next to nothing! Thanks for pinning!
It certainly doesn’t feel like fall here this week, with temperatures in the 90’s, but once it cools down a little I will be trying this soup! I love the combination of the wild rice and sweet potatoes. Pinned!
Thank you so much, Kristine! 90’s still? Wow!
I adore wild rice and it sounds like a great combination with sweet potatoes. I also wanted to say that I just love the photos.. the color of the sweet potato really pops and gives a nice contrast with the brown from the beans and rice. So pretty!
Thank you so much, Shannon! :)