Despite the widespread use of constructed wetlands (CWs) in the treatment of various industrial wastewater, there is a dearth of research assessing its efficacy in treating rice mill wastewater (RMW). In this study, a vertical-baffled horizontal subsurface flow constructed wetland (HSSF CW) planted with Canna indica was developed which on average resulted in 89%, 65% and 95% of chemical oxygen demand (COD), lignin and phenol removal, respectively, from synthetic RMW (initial COD: 1980 ± 26 mg/L, lignin:150 ± 4 mg/L and phenol: 15 ± 0.2 mg/L). Utilising a vertical baffled HSSF CW resulted in a significant increase in the flow path length for wastewater treatment, which increased the contact duration of the wastewater with the bed media and rhizosphere and improved the treatment efficiency. A combination of sand, vermicompost, and lightweight expanded clay aggregate (LECA) was used as the bed media in order to promote the degradation of lignin and maintain optimal hydraulic conductivity within the system. The implemented HSSF CW demonstrated reduced spatial requirements and maintenance demands, as well as improved treatment efficiency for less biodegradable rice mill effluent. The present work is the first study of its kind.