This delicious soup recipe is not your regular, run of the mill Mushroom Barley Soup. Instead, it is chock full of savory vegetables like carrots, celery and butternut squash. The broth is infused with umami rich shiitake mushrooms, white button mushrooms, vegetable bouillon and thyme. This cozy Autumn soup is healthy, hearty and easy to cook which will make it your new favorite recipe.
What is Mushroom Barley Soup?
Mushroom barley soup is a hearty and savory stew made from mushrooms, barley and other vegetables. This easy recipe is often accidentally vegan or vegetarian as the normal ingredient list is meat and dairy free. It's cozy and warming, which makes it perfect comfort food for the Autumn and Winter months. The chewy barley gives it a satisfying texture and makes it extra filling and the mushrooms give it a major depth of umami flavor.
Why you'll love this RECIPE
- Healthy and chock full of whole foods and nutritious vegetables
- Cozy and warming, perfect for Fall and Winter
- Easy to make in one pot
- Vegan and dairy free
- Super savory and umami rich broth to satisfy your cravings
- Smells incredible while cooking, the aroma of fresh thyme is intoxicating
Barley Tips
Choose your barley with care. There are three main types: hulled barley, pearl barley and quick barley.
All are delicious, nutritious and work for this soup but have different nutrition profiles and cooking times.
Hulled barley is considered the healthiest but takes about an hour to cook completely.
Pearled barley is the mid grade type, and cooks in about half the time.
Quick barley has been partially cooked and dried. It will cook in about 10 minutes. Despite being less nutritious than the others, it is a really great option for quick meals.
Mushroom Barley Soup Ingredients
This incredibly delicious soup recipe has a surprisingly short ingredient list.
- Pearl Barley: Barley gives this soup its distinct chewy texture and makes it super hearty and filling. Plus as barley cooks it thickens the broth.
- Onions and Garlic: These two form the savory base of many dishes.
- Carrots and Celery: Along with onions, these make up the magical trio of mirepoix which is the famous base of so many soups and sauces.
- Butternut Squash- This sweet and savory Autumn squash is perfect for soup. It infuses the broth with a delicious depth of flavor.
- Shiitake Mushrooms and Button Mushrooms- I love how savory and umami shiitakes taste, combined with a milder mushroom like white buttons, they are perfect in this soup recipe.
- Frozen Peas- These little green powerhouses add extra protein and color to the recipe.
- Fresh Thyme: Fresh thyme makes this soup really special. Of course you can use dried but use half of what the recipe calls for.
- Vegan Chicken Bouillon- Of course, this can be left out of the recipe but it does infuse the broth with a nice savory depth of flavor. I used this one from IHERB but you can use any type you like.
- Vegan Butter- I use vegan butter while caramelizing the vegetables to give it more flavor. You may omit for less oil preparation
Bonus tip: Be sure to remove the stems from the shiitake mushrooms. They have a woody and rubbery texture that is not pleasant. Instead twist or cut them off and discard or save them for stocks.
How to Make Vegan Mushroom Barley Soup
This is a fairly easy recipe to execute. It involves chopping, sautéing and layering flavors followed by an easy cooking and waiting time.
- First, chop all the ingredients
- Next, sauté them all in oil until softening and browning.
- Add spices and vegan butter to deepen the flavors and caramelize the vegetables
- Add the water, the barley, peas and the thyme leaves.
- Bring to a boil and cook for about an hour, stirring occasionally until all the ingredients are fork tender and the soup is thick and creamy.
Tips for Making the Best Mushroom Barley Soup
- Don't rush through the sauté step of the recipe. Cooking the onions and garlic until fragrant and the mushrooms until cooked is intrinsic to the delicious flavor of the soup.
- Stir occasionally to make sure the barley does not stick to the bottom of the pot. As it cooks it thickens, so it will require more stirring the closer it is to finish time.
- Taste as you go, adjust the salt to your liking once the soup is cooked.
- Get creative with the mushrooms! Use any type of mushrooms you like. Oyster mushrooms, lobster mushrooms, portobello mushrooms, lions mane mushrooms, cremini mushrooms are all possibilities for adding in. The sky is the limit.
- Add beans! To up the fiber and protein, add white beans or chickpeas to this mushroom barley soup. Why not?
- Experiment with the veggies. Other add ins or swaps could be kale or Swiss chard, chopped pumpkin or delicata squash. Corn or zucchini are also excellent choices.
FAQs
Unfortunately barley is not a gluten free food. So for people with an allergy it is a no go. But, it does have a typically much lower gluten content than wheat itself. If you have a gluten allergy I recommend substituting quinoa for barley in this mushroom barley soup. Quinoa makes a wonderful soup ingredient!
This soup has 2 tablespoons of oil and 2 tablespoons of vegan butter in the entire recipe that serves 6. That means each serving has less than 1 tbsp of oil which for me seems quite negligible. However, many people are on an oil free path and I send no shade. To make this oil free, just sauté the vegetables in a couple tablespoons of water or broth instead.
Absolutely not. If you prefer to make this soup with chicken, beef or mushroom bouillon cubes, do it. Another option is using a prepared broth in place of the water. Or just completely omit the bouillon, and season the soup a bit heavier. Taste it for salt and adjust. After all, cooking vegetables in water is essentially making a homemade vegetable stock.
This is a question that causes a lot of controversy among chefs and home cooks. Over the years I have changed my stance on this issue. I used to believe the hype that told me that washing mushrooms was unnecessary and that washing them would ruin the texture, as they supposedly would absorb the water. For decades, I would just brush off the dirt as I was told. But now, I wash my mushrooms and guess what? They don't absorb any water, they are just clean. So, in conclusion, I say wash them, just give them a rinse in cold water and pat them dry.
Other Delicious Vegan Soup Recipes
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Vegan Mushroom Barley Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp vegan butter
- 1 yellow onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic miced
- 4 oz button mushrooms sliced then chopped small
- 4 oz shiitake mushrooms woody stems discarded and chopped
- 4 carrots peeled and chopped
- 1 cup celery chopped
- 1 cup butternut squash cubed
- ½ cup frozen peas
- 2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves only
- 2 cubes vegan chicken boullion
- 12 cups water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 8 oz pearled barley
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium heat add the oil. Once hot, add the onion and the garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
- Add the chopped mushrooms and cook for 5 minutes stirring occasionally. Once the mushrooms are getting some color, add the celery, carrots and butternut squash and cook for about 10 minutes.
- Next add the salt, butter and smoked paprika and stir until combined. Cook for 5 more minutes.
- Add the water ,bouillon, peas and barley. Bring to a rolling boil, then simmer on medium for about an hour until all the ingredients are fork tender and the soup has thickened. The barley will be soft with a little chewy texture when it is cooked and will release some starch that makes the soup extra creamy.
- Enjoy for 4-5 days for best quality or freeze for up to 3 months.
Sally
Really delicious. Broth is so flavorful. Thanks for a good barley soup recipe!
Sara Tercero
Hi Sally, so happy you liked it. I also love this one so much, so perfect for Fall! I appreciate the 5 star rating!
Sam
My entire family LOVED this soup! Easy to prep and make and was devoured within minutes. Thanks for the recipe!
Sara Tercero
Hi Sam, thanks so much for the feedback and 5 stars. SO happy you liked it!