Kabocha Brown Rice Soup

This 1-pot Kabocha Brown Rice Soup is light yet hearty and perfect for the fall or winter weather. It's healthy, incredibly easy to make and so comforting. Vegan, dairy free & gluten free.

Ever since posting my Panera Black Bean Soup recipe, I've been on full soup mode. I've been making everything into a soup and this is how this recipe was basically made- it was kind of a blessed accident.

Threw some left over onions and kabocha into a pot and let that simmer in some kombu dashi stock. It was missing a little somethin' somethin' and found some left over Genmai (Japanese short grain brown rice) in the fridge and threw that in for a couple minutes. Added in some thyme for fun and added in a pinch of salt and wow, I didn't expect it to turn out this good.

Sweet yet savoury with a huge umami punch. My first batch I kept it kind of like a soup-porridge because I absolutely love the texture of chewy brown rice but I have also been enjoying it fully blended into a smooth soup. You gotta try this recipe ASAP-- now let's make some soup!

Ingredients for Kabocha Brown Rice Soup

There's so much flavour going on in this soup despite it being just 5-ingredients.

• Onions: adds savouriness
• Kabocha: the base of this soup and provides sweetness
• Kombu Dashi: for umami
• Genmai: or Japanese brown rice, gives the soup texture and makes it more hearty
• Thyme: for flavour!

How to Make Kabocha Brown Rice Soup

Soups in general are super duper easy to make but you really can't mess up this soup. 3-simple steps, plus it's made in just 1 pot. You simply just have to make sure the kabocha is fork tender and you're on your way to the yummiest kabocha soup, like ever.

1. Add the ingredients into a pot: Give the onions a quick fry. Then add the kabocha, dashi, brown rice, thyme and salt.
2. Simmer: Bring the heat up to a high and allow the dashi to come to a boil. Then turn down the heat to a medium low and let the soup simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until kabocha is fork tender. 
3. Blend: Use a immersion blender and blend until desired consistency.

Favourite Ways to Serve Kabocha Soup: Serve it up immediately and then garnish it with some black sesame seeds for a bit of nuttiness! It's absolutely delicious with thick slice of sourdough bread or toasted french baguette.

How to Store this Soup: Store any leftovers in the fridge in an air tight container for 3-5 days or in the freezer for months. To reheat, simply just microwave until heated through.

Tips & Tricks to Making Perfect Kabocha Brown Rice Soup

• Buy Good Kabocha: My secret hack to choosing the BEST kabocha is by weight. The heavier it is, the more sweet it usually is. The skin should be dark green and look out for a nice orange patch somewhere on the outside.
• Japanese Brown Rice (Genmai): Do not use regular long grain brown rice or basmati brown rice. If possible, select Japanese brown rice as it tends to be slightly softer. Adding the rice to the soup during the simmering process helps make it even softer.
• Caramelize the onions: For a deeper flavour, caramelize the onions. It does take a bit longer, but totally worth it if you have the time!

I hope you add this Kabocha Brown Rice Soup recipe to your fall cooking list and enjoy it as much as I do! It's seriously so delicious, light yet hearty and truly hits the spot when craving something cozy.

More Kabocha Recipes to Try!

• Kabocha Pumpkin Daifuku
• Kabocha Cinnamon Rolls
• Simple Kabocha Potage
• Kabocha Bagels with Cinnamon Cream Cheese
• Pumpkin Bread Twists

If you recreate this Kabocha Brown Rice Soup recipe let me know how you liked it by leaving a comment and rating below or by tagging me on Instagram @Okonomikitchen, I love seeing all of your tasty recreations!
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