Mushroom Barley Soup
This savory Mushroom Barley Soup is vegetarian comfort food at its best! It’s made with earthy mushrooms, pearl barley, and aromatic herbs, so it’s great for cozy dinners. It’s hearty, nutritious and perfect for meal prep!
My love for Mushroom Barley Soup started in a Whole Foods Market years ago. I’d finished my grocery shopping, then I headed over to the soup bar to grab some soup to eat when I got home.
I decided to try the mushroom barley soup, and there was no looking back. I loved it so much that I recreated it at home as quickly as I could.
The earthy, savory flavor of the mushrooms and hearty pearl barley make this soup so irresistible. It’s a comforting vegetarian soup that makes a satisfying dinner or lunch.
Soups are so wonderful for meal prep as they can be prepared in advance and enjoyed all week long, and this mushroom and barley soup is one of the best recipes because it’s so satisfying.
Vegetarian soups don’t get any heartier than this! 🙂
Why you’ll love this recipe:
- Mushroom barley soup is packed with earthy mushrooms, hearty pearl barley and aromatic herbs for a cozy vegetarian soup that everyone will love.
- It’s easy to make with a few simple ingredients, and includes stove top and Instant Pot cooking instructions.
- This soup is perfect for meal prep meals and it’s freezer friendly.
- It can be customized with your favorite mushrooms, veggies and herbs, and can be made gluten-free by swapping the barley with rice.
Recipe ingredients
There are a few basic ingredients in this mushroom barley soup recipe, and some may be customized with what you have on hand.
- Barley. Cook the pearl barley in advance to make this recipe go even more quickly. If you’re making Instant Pot mushroom barley soup, do not cook the pearl barley first. Sub the barley with cooked brown rice or wild rice if gluten intolerant.
- Aromatics. A classic mirepoix of onion, carrots, celery and garlic are used to add plenty of flavor.
- Mushrooms. This recipe includes cremini mushrooms (also known as baby bellas), but you can use your favorite variety. White button mushrooms, shitakes, and chopped portobello mushrooms are all great options. 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!
- Vegetable stock. Use my homemade vegetable stock or your favorite store bought brand.
- Bay leaf and thyme. These aromatic herbs add tremendous flavor to the soup. Sub with your favorite fresh or dried herbs.
- Worcestershire sauce. Adds umami flavor. Sub with soy sauce, coconut aminos or tamari.
- Tomato Paste. Adds savory depth of flavor.
See the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and quantities.
How to make mushroom and barley soup
This mushroom and barley soup is extremely easy to make! The barley is cooked prior to making the soup, which means it’s the perfect way to use leftover pearl barley!
I’ve included cooking instructions for the stove top and Instant Pot to give you options.
Pro tip: Prepare the pearl barley in advance to make this recipe go even more quickly.
See the recipe card below for full instructions.
- Cook the pearl 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, then lower the heat to medium low and add the barley. Simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Instant Pot mushroom barley soup 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.
Recipe FAQs
Barley contains 5-8% gluten, so it’s not safe for people with gluten intolerance.
White, brown or wild rice is a great gluten-free substitute for the barley in this recipe.
Pearl barley takes 25-30 minutes to cook on the stove top, so it should be cooked prior to adding it to this mushroom barley soup recipe. This keeps the barley from getting overly soggy as the soup cooks as well.
It can be cooked up to a few days in advance, and this soup is a great way to utilize leftover barley as well!
Barley not only thickens soup, but it also adds a silkiness to the broth and adds great flavor and texture.
This mushroom and barley soup is freezer-friendly. Store in an air tight container for up to 3 months.
Recipe notes
- Pro tip: Prepare the pearl barley in advance to make this recipe go even more quickly.
- 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 savory depth of flavor. Soy sauce, coconut aminos or tamari may be substituted.
- Store mushroom barley soup in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
More hearty soups you’ll love:
- 35 Best Soup Recipes
- Avgolemono soup
- Chicken tortilla soup
- Creamy roasted tomato soup
- Instant pot vegetable soup
- Sausage kale soup
- White bean kale soup
Did you try this recipe? If so, be sure to leave a review below and tag me @flavorthemoments on Facebook and Instagram
Mushroom Barley Soup
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup pearl barley
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 small carrots chopped
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 lb. cremini mushrooms sliced; sub with your favorite variety of fresh mushrooms
- 6 cups low sodium vegetable broth
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce see notes
- 2 sprigs thyme or 2 teaspoons dried
- 1 bay leaf
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Stove top instructions:
- Cook the barley according to package instructions. This takes roughly 30 minutes, and may be done in advance.3/4 cup pearl barley
- 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.1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, 1 medium onion, 2 small carrots, 2 stalks celery, 3 cloves garlic, 1 lb. cremini mushrooms
- 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.6 cups low sodium vegetable broth, 1 tablespoon tomato paste, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 2 sprigs thyme, 1 bay leaf, salt and pepper
- Remove from heat and discard the bay leaf and thyme sprigs. 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.
Notes
- Pro tip: Prepare the pearl barley in advance to make this recipe go even more quickly.
- Dried mushrooms may be used 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 savory depth of flavor. Soy sauce, coconut aminos or tamari may be substituted.
- Store mushroom barley soup in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition is estimated using a food database and is only intended to be used as a guideline for informational purposes.
**This post was originally published in July 2013. The photos have been updated to include step by step photos, and the text has been modified to include more recipe information.
39 Comments on “Mushroom Barley Soup”
Worcestershire sauce has anchovies sous not vegan
In the recipe notes I specify that tamari, coconut aminos or soy sauce may be substituted.
So delicious! One of my favs I come back to again and again! I do add more veggies than called for.
Thank you for your review Debbie — I appreciate it! 🙂
This was delicious! We doubled the recipe (used quantities for 16 servings) and made it per the Instant Pot directions. I did hold out 2 cups of broth until the barley had cooked, since I didn’t want to get too close to the Max line of our 6qt.. Since it didn’t look like your photo and we wanted a hearty soup for our Soup Supper event, I doubled the amount of barley and set the IP for another 20 minutes with the last 2 cups of broth I’d saved out. I worried the first barley cooked would disintegrate, but it was all great! The soup was a hit and people asked for the recipe! Thanks so much!
I’m so glad this worked for you and thanks so much for leaving your feedback!
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!
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. 🙂
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 soup looks so comforting n delicious ❤️
Thank you Arpita!
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
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! ?
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!
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 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!
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’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!
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.