Wild Rice With Mushrooms

Recipe from Shellie Holmes

Adapted by Ligaya Mishan

Updated Nov. 10, 2025

Wild Rice With Mushrooms
Tony Cenicola/The New York Times
Total Time
50 minutes
Rating
4(959)
Comments
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In Wisconsin, wild rice is truly wild, not cultivated as in other states, the tassels rising and swaying over rivers, lakes and floodplains come late August and September. Called manoomin by the local Chippewa, it is a protected crop that can be harvested only by state residents holding a valid license. And only by hand, as the Chippewa have always done, using wooden flails gently (the grains should fall from the stalk without great effort) from canoes propelled by paddles or push poles.

Shellie Holmes of Rhinelander, Wis., who shares her recipe here, likes to cook wild rice just until it pops open. This is a break with her family’s tradition, which favored a chewier texture and did not allow popping.

“Do not mix with other rice,” she urged, lest you lose the flavor of the wild. —Ligaya Mishan

Featured in: The United States of Thanksgiving

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings
  • 8ounces long-grain wild rice, preferably Wisconsin rice
  • 8tablespoons (1 stick) butter
  • 1pound cremini or button mushrooms, sliced
  • ½teaspoon salt, more to taste
  • Black pepper, to taste
  • ⅓cup dry sherry, such as Dry Sack (do not use cream sherry)
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

299 calories; 16 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 5 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 34 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 2 grams sugars; 5 grams protein; 201 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Bring 5 cups water to a boil. Stir in rice, then reduce heat so liquid is just simmering. Cover and cook until grains just begin to pop, about 40 minutes. Drain excess liquid from rice and set aside.

  2. Step 2

    Meanwhile, melt 4 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add half the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until they have released their liquid and are golden brown, about 8 minutes; remove to a plate. Repeat with remaining butter and mushrooms.

  3. Step 3

    Return all the mushrooms to the skillet and season with the salt and pepper, to taste. Very carefully add sherry to deglaze the pan, and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated but mushrooms are still moist.

  4. Step 4

    Mix mushrooms into prepared rice and season again with salt and pepper.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
959 user ratings
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Comments

Michael

We've been making this in our family for over 60 years, but without the sherry. I prefer to cook it a little longer so the grains open more fully.

Two important points
* Add salt only after the wild rice is done -- i.e. cook in unsalted water.
* Never, for this or any other wild rice recipe, mix wild and white rice. The white rice dilutes the flavor of the wild rice and is done in less than 20 minutes, while the wild rice takes 2-3 times as long, destroying the texture of the white rice.

Jeanne Barker

This looks delicious. Can you make it ahead a day or two?

Vickey Ohm

I grew up in Minnesota. We also added onions and celery. Used half that amount of butter.

Neil

I would use a little less butter next time. Maybe ¾ of a stick instead of a full stick. I also used mirin to deglaze the pan instead of sherry. It gave the mushrooms a really nice, sweet flavor that went nicely with the Fiery Sweet Potatoes ( also NYT Cooking) and the rest of our Thanksgiving dinner.

Deirdre

I followed the recipe exactly (even ordered MN wild rice-couldn’t find WI) and thought it was just ok. Received no compliments and no one seemed interested in the large amount left over, so I had plenty to take home after Thanksgiving. Would consider trying again with modifications to amp up flavor-perhaps by cooking rice in broth and/or adding other veggies and/or seasonings.

Kevin

Made rice in pressure cooker, 1 cup with 3.5 cups water. Sautéed everything else, added to rice. Added 2 sticks of celery. No sherry, used marsala instead. Excellent

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Credits

Adapted from Shellie Holmes of Rhinelander, Wis.

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