Lemon Rice Soup (Crockpot Recipe)

Rich and creamy lemon rice soup is a classic, and it’s one of my family’s most-loved soup recipes. Making it in the crock pot means that I can set it and forget it, and come home to a cozy bowl of lemony goodness at dinnertime. It’s the best!

If you’re looking for more ways to bring fresh lemon flavor to the table, try this lemon rice and this zesty lemon pasta.

Lemon rice soup is my mom’s favorite soup of all time. It’s a classic recipe with a rich, silky broth enriched with egg yolks and lemon juice, like Greek avgolemono soup (avgolemono literally means “egg-lemon”). While it doesn’t take long to make it on the stovetop, I love this crock pot version. I leave the soup to do its thing, while I do my thing. Fast forward a few hours and dinner is nearly ready. Just stir in egg yolks, lemon, and a touch of cream. Magic!

What Makes This Lemon Soup a Family Favorite

• It’s delicious any time of the year. While I love a hearty stew in the wintertime, I also love making this lemon rice soup year-round. It’s cozy in the cooler months, and bright and zesty enough for the summer. This crock pot recipe is especially summer-friendly since I don’t have to hover over the hot stove.
• It’s mostly hands-free. Made in the crock pot, there’s very little hands-on time needed to put this soup together. Let the rice cook over low heat for a couple of hours, then stir in the eggs and lemon juice at the end.
• The flavors are so fresh. Freshly squeezed lemons and freshly plucked thyme from the garden pack all kinds of bright, zingy flavor into the broth. It’s simple but so good! The rice soaks up all that flavor into a big ol’ bowl of sunshine.

Ingredients You’ll Need

This soup uses simple ingredients that I always have in the fridge and pantry. The trick is to let the rice and lemon shine! Here are some notes on the ingredients. Find a printable list with recipe details in the recipe card below the post.

• Vegetable Broth – Or stock. You can also use chicken broth if you’d like.
• Rice – I usually use long-grain rice, like jasmine or basmati, but most types of rice are good for soup. You can use wild rice, even arborio rice (like you’d use for risotto). If you’re using brown rice it’ll take a bit longer to cook. 
• Thyme Sprigs – I like fresh thyme since it rounds out the soup without overpowering the other flavors. Oregano or basil is another good herb choice.
• Egg Yolks – Separate the eggs from the yolks and use the leftover whites for an egg white frittata.
• Lemons – I like my lemon rice soup to pack a lemony punch. I use 2 lemons (or enough to make about ¼ cup when juiced), and slice up an extra lemon for garnish.
• Heavy Cream – Or milk, for a lighter soup.
• Seasonings – Fresh cracked black pepper and a little chili powder for kick. Cayenne pepper or crushed pepper flakes also taste nice here. You can adjust the spice to taste.

How to Make Lemon Rice Soup in the Crock Pot

Making fragrant, creamy lemon rice soup in the crock pot is super easy (look, mom, no hands!). But if you don’t have a slow cooker, I’ve included stovetop instructions, too, just in case. You don’t want to miss out on this soup, trust me!

• Combine. Add rice, vegetable broth, and thyme sprigs to the crock pot.
• Cook. Set the rice to cook on High for 3 hours (or on Low for 6 hours).
• Add the eggs. Whisk lemon juice into the egg yolks. Use a bit of the hot broth to temper the eggs, and then whisk them into the soup. Let that cook for another 10 minutes.
• Finish and serve. Lastly, stir in the heavy cream and season the soup to taste. Serve garnished with extra lemon slices and parsley.

What to Serve With Lemon Rice Soup

I like my lemon soup with a side of fluffy cloud bread or lavash bread for dunking. It’s a delicious light meal or lunch on its own, or I’ll round things out with a fresh and summery Zucchini Salad or this easy Mediterranean salad.

And if we’re still hungry, I’ll stuff a soft pita with homemade falafel and a drizzle of taratur for a satisfying sandwich wrap!

Storing and Reheating

• Refrigerate. Leftover lemon rice soup can be refrigerated in airtight soup containers for up to 3 days. The rice absorbs more of the broth as the soup sits, so you can either enjoy a thicker soup or add a little extra broth when reheating.
• Reheat. Give the soup a good stir and reheat it gently in a saucepan on the stovetop. Take care that the soup doesn’t boil, otherwise the eggs might cook. 
• Can I freeze it? I’ll be honest, between the eggs and heavy cream, this lemon soup isn’t great for freezing. The ingredients tend to separate once thawed. If you do freeze it, be sure to whisk it well before and after reheating for best results. For a freezer-friendly soup recipe, try my chicken orzo soup or this Italian wedding soup.

More Crock Pot Soup Recipes