Mushroom Barley Soup
Mushroom Barley Soup is a rustic, comforting soup packed with mushrooms, veggies and hearty pearl barley. Includes Instant Pot instructions!
**This post was originally published in July 2013. The photos, text and recipe have been updated to include more recipe information as well as instant pot instructions.
My love for Mushroom Barley Soup started in a Whole Foods Market years ago. I’d done my shopping and picked up some soup at the soup bar to eat when I got home.
I absolutely loved it, and to this day I always check the soup bar for it when I’m in the store.
My favorite soup wasn’t available all the time, so I took it upon myself to create my own mushroom barley soup recipe, which can be made in both the Instant Pot and on the stove top.
It’s nice to have options right? 🙂
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- Mushroom barley soup rustic, hearty and flavorful, and filled with good for you ingredients
- It’s easy to make with a few simple ingredients
- It can be made on the stove top or in the Instant Pot
- This soup is perfect for meal prep meals and it’s freezer friendly
What is barley?
Barley is a whole grain that’s chewy and nutritious. It’s a good source of protein, fiber and potassium.
The most commonly used form of barley is pearl barley, which is a bit less nutritious as the outer husk and bran layers have been removed.
Is barley gluten free?
Barley contains 5-8% gluten, so it’s not safe for people with celiac’s or gluten intolerance.
Brown rice is a great gluten free substitute for the barley in this recipe.
How long does barley take to cook?
The cooking times for barley is as follows:
Stove top: 30-40 minutes
Instant Pot: 20 minutes
Slow Cooker: About 8 hours
Does barley thicken soup?
Barley not only thickens soup, but it adds a nice creaminess as well. It also adds flavor and texture to your soup.
Recipe ingredients
- Barley
- Olive oil
- Onion
- Carrots
- Celery
- Garlic
- Mushrooms
- Bay leaf
- Thyme
- Worcestershire sauce (optional)
- Vegetable or beef stock
- Tomato Paste
How to make this recipe
I’ve included stove top and Instant Pot instructions for this mushroom barley soup.
Note: the stove top version requires that you pre-cook the barley, and the Instant Pot version does not.
Stove top instructions:
- Pre-cook the barley according to package instructions.
- Cook the onion, carrots, celery and garlic until tender.
- Add the mushrooms and cook until the liquid has evaporated.
- Add the stock, bay leaf, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, salt and pepper to taste and stir well to combine. Bring to a boil.
- Lower the heat to medium low and add the barley. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Instant Pot instructions:
- Cook the onion, carrots, celery and garlic in the Instant Pot until tender.
- Add the mushrooms and cook until the liquid has evaporated.
- Add the barley, stock, bay leaf, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, salt and pepper to taste and stir well to combine.
- Secure the lid and close the venting valve. Set the Instant Pot to High Pressure for 20 minutes. Note: It will take the Instant Pot 10-15 minutes to come to pressure before the cooking process begins. When the cooking process has completed, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then release the pressure.
- Remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaf, and stir well.
Can I freeze mushroom barley soup?
This soup is freezer friendly. Store in an air tight container for up to 3 months.
Recipe notes
- Make your mushroom barley soup vegetarian by using vegetable stock.
- Beef up your soup with this Beef Barley Soup recipe!
- Dried mushrooms may be used in this recipe for even more flavor. Use 1-2 ounces of dried porcini mushrooms or your favorite, and soak until softened. Strain out the grit, chop the mushrooms and be sure to add the liquid to your soup!
- Worcestershire sauce adds a nice savory flavor, but may be omitted altogether.
- Store soup in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Love soup? See all of my Soup recipes.
More hearty soups you’ll love:
- 35 Best Soup Recipes
- Avgolemono soup
- Chicken tortilla soup
- Instant pot vegetable soup
- Sausage kale soup
- White bean kale soup
If you make this recipe I’d love to hear from you! Leave a comment and rating below, or tag me @flavorthemoments on Instagram!
Mushroom Barley Soup
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup pearl barley
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 small carrots chopped
- 2 celery stalks chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 lb. cremini mushrooms sliced
- 6 cups low sodium vegetable or beef broth
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce*
- 2 sprigs thyme or 2 teaspoons dried
- 1 bay leaf
- salt and pepper to taste
Equipment
Instructions
Stove top instructions:
- Cook the barley according to package instructions. This takes 30-40 minutes, and may be done in advance.
- In a large soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and garlic, and sauté 5-8 minutes until the onion is translucent and the vegetables have softened. Add the mushrooms and cook 5 more minutes or until their liquid has evaporated.
- Add the broth, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, thyme and bay leaf, and bring to a boil. Add the barley, salt and pepper to taste, and reduce the heat to medium low. Simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the bay leaf and thyme sprigs, then serve and enjoy!
Instant Pot instructions:
- Do not pre-cook the barley in this method!
- Press the Sauté button and add the olive oil to the Instant Pot. Add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic, and cook 5-8 minutes until softened. Add the mushrooms and cook 5 more minutes until the liquid has evaporated.
- Add the broth, barley, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, bay leaf, salt and pepper to taste and stir well.
- Secure the lid and close the venting valve. Set the Instant Pot to High Pressure for 20 minutes. Note: It will take the Instant Pot 10-15 minutes to come to pressure before the cooking process begins. When the cooking process has completed, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes, then release the pressure.
- Remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaf, and stir well. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- Make your mushroom barley soup vegetarian by using vegetable stock.
- Beef up your soup with this Beef Barley Soup recipe!
- Dried mushrooms may be used in this recipe for even more flavor. Use 1-2 ounces of dried porcini mushrooms or your favorite, and soak until softened. Strain out the grit, chop the mushrooms and be sure to add the liquid to your soup!
- Worcestershire sauce adds a nice savory flavor, but may be omitted altogether.
- Store soup in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Brown rice would be a great replacement for the barley if gluten intolerant.
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
25 Comments on “Mushroom Barley Soup”
Growing up, barley was a staple at our home. My grandmom always said, you go to eat barley porridge if you want to be strong. So I love barley and if the soup looks like this, I can eat it everyday.
I’ll bet barley porridge is pretty good. I wasn’t exposed to barley at all growing up, but I was missing out. I definitely plan to make it a lot more often.
I’m a soup fiend! Actually, soups and stews, and I can eat it anytime of the year. I love mushroom soups so I know I’ll dig this one. Look delicious Marcie! 🙂
I love stews as well! I’ve seen several of your mushroom dishes and they always make my mouth water!
I’m the same way – I’ll eat soup anytime of the year. I love it! I used to buy the mushroom barley soup all the time from whole foods when we lived right across the street from one of their stores. I’ll have to give this a try!
Yay – another mushroom barley soup fan! The good news is, this is easy to make, but I still buy it at Whole Foods a lot!
Is this as good as the mushroom barley soup from whole foods- I LOVE that soup soon yummy.
But I want to make myself! Been searching for the recipe!
Whole Foods doesn’t have this soup often enough where I live, so I have to make it myself. This version is delicious and I think you’ll find it’s really close! I’ve gotten comments saying it is, so I hope you try it and agree!
I love eating soup year round. Just crank up the AC and pretend you need warming up 🙂 I bought barley for no apparently reason, so I’m glad to see a use for it. Going to try this out with some no-beef broth
I’m always freezing from the AC, so soup is perfect for me! I’m going to try a barley salad or risotto soon. There are so many great uses for it!
Such a scrumptious looking soup using summer’s best veggies!
Thanks, Georgia! I’ll eat just anout anything with mushrooms in it and love it!
I’m thinking I need to cook more with things like barley! Or suggest it to my hubby, who cooks more that I do! 😉 This soup looks great!
That’s nice your hubby cooks, so yes, suggest the barley to him! You can do so many things with it. Happy Friday!
Better late than never, John, and thank you for this wonderful comment! My local Whole Foods hasn’t had this soup in ages so I’ve been forced to make my own! Have a great weekend! ?
The Whole Foods version is Vegan. Any idea how to get the taste without beef broth? Ingredients portobello mushrooms, onions, barley, celery, carrots, shiitake mushrooms, sherry wine, garlic, tomato paste porcini mushrooms, rice starch, oregano, thyme, black pepper, sea salt. No mention of broth at all.
Hi, Sheila. Back when I made this years ago the ingredients list was different — it was never vegan then. However, dried porcini mushrooms would definitely make the broth really flavorful. I found a vegan recipe that sounds delicious, and I may just work on my own version too. https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/6056-mushroom-barley-soup
This soup looks so comforting n delicious ❤️
Thank you Arpita!
Ooooh this mushroom barley soup sounds fantastic. My Mom always made beef barley soup and it was always so nourishing and comforting! I’m pinning this to try soon because we still have quite a bit of cold weather coming up!
I’ve never had a beef version — I bet that’s wonderful too!
This was absolutely delicious!! I will definitely be making this again and again. I used the Instant pot recipe and it turned out perfect. Thank you so much for this awesome recipe!
Thank you for taking the time to leave your feedback Jean, and I’m so glad you enjoyed this soup! It’s one of my favorites. 🙂
This was exceptional! I admit I didn’t follow the recipe exactly–had only 1/2 lb. of mushrooms on hand, added about 1.5 cups left over beef short ribs cubed and used beef Better than Bouillon so did not add any additional salt. But the basic recipe was a great place to start.
Thanks for sharing your modifications and for the review! I’m sure it was excellent with the short ribs!