Vegan Creamy Mushroom Barley Soup! This cozy soup is a total flavor-bomb and a must for those Fall and Winter days ahead!
Delicious, rich, and ultra-creamy, this healthy and oil free Vegan Creamy Mushroom Barley Soup is a mushroom lovers dream! Tender mushrooms and hearty barley bathe in a plant-based broth that coats you in comforting goodness and a perfect remedy for cold days!
Whole Food Plant Based, Vegan, plant based, oil free, refined sugar free, no highly processed ingredients.
Hi there, Ameera here!
This soup is so creamy and delicious! I loved it which says a lot since I am not overly in love with mushrooms. I enjoy them, but I am not a mushroom fanatic like both mom and dad.
This is a big cozy hug in a bowl. I could eat the whole pot! You gotta give this one a try!
Tips for Success:
- Flavor Profile: This soup is a creamy mushroom soup with barley. The flavor is mild, yet flavorful.
- Tomato Paste: Make sure you take an extra minute to smash in the tomato paste and try to incorporate it into the liquids.
- Barley: There are several types of barley available. Hulled barley has been minimally processed to remove only the tough outer hull. Hulless Barley has the outer hull removed and retains all the bran and germ. Pearl barley is not a whole grain and is more refined through processing. Pearl barley is typically what you find in most grocery stores. Although it is not technically a whole grain, it is does contain fiber and some redeemable nutrients. We used pearl barley simply because we could not locate hulled barley. Feel free to use your favorite barley in this recipe. Adjust cooking times accordingly.
- Mushrooms: We used Baby Bell mushrooms. Feel free to use your favorite mushrooms in this recipe with the understanding that the flavor of the mushrooms influences the broth. We have not tested this recipe with other mushrooms.
- Instant Pot: We tried this recipe using an Instant Pot and simply were not impressed with the results. We do not recommend using the Instant Pot for this recipe.
- Spices: This soup has great flavor, but the flavor is more on the neutral side. Feel free to spin the flavor profile by adding your favorite spices like thyme, sage, etc. We enjoyed this soup with the spices listed in the recipe ingredients.
- 15-Minute Rest: It is important to allow this soup to rest for 15 minutes to let the flavors marry and allows the broth to thicken. The broth thickens as it slightly cools.
- Cashew Substitutes: You can try the typical cashew substitutes: silken tofu, white beans, other nuts, or seeds with the understanding that the flavor, texture and thickness of the broth will change accordingly. You may need to adjust/add ingredients to compensate. We have not tested any substitutions.
- Nutritional Yeast: You can leave the nutritional yeast out of the recipe with the understanding that you may need to adjust/add ingredients to compensate. We have not tested any substitutions.
- Gluten Free: This recipe is NOT gluten free. Barley is not gluten free. If you wish you can make this recipe gluten free by substituting the barley for cooked brown rice (or rice of choice. Simply make the recipe as written (minus the barley) and reduce the cooking time to 20 minutes. [Additionally, we recognize that the pin says ‘GF’ as this recipe has a gluten free alternative for the barley which is cooked brown rice.]
Leftovers and Freezing:
Leftovers will generally keep for 4-5 days in the refrigerator. Store in a covered container.
This soup freezes well.
Pantry Products Used:
- Vegetable Stock: We use Pacific Organic Low Sodium Vegetable Stock. We love this brand because it is Whole Food Plant Based compliant, as it does not contain MSG, has no oil, and does not contain any highly-processed ingredients.
- Tamari: We used San J Tamari Soy Sauce, Gluten Free, Reduced Sodium. You can substitute the tamari with reduced sodium soy sauce, Braggs Liquid Aminos, or Braggs Coconut Liquid Aminos.
- Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.
Kitchen Products Used:
- Large stock pot
- High-speed blender for making the cashew cream
If you try this comforting soup, we would love to know if you enjoy it as much as we do! Please leave us a review! Post a picture on Facebook or Instagram and tag us! We would love to hear from you.
PrintVegan Creamy Mushroom Barley Soup
- Prep Time: 10 Minutes
- Cook Time: 60-75 Minutes
- Total Time: 70 Minutes
- Yield: 8 Cups 1x
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Delicious, rich, and ultra-creamy, this healthy and oil free Vegan Creamy Mushroom Barley Soup is a mushroom lovers dream!
Ingredients
Base Ingredients:
- 1 medium yellow onion, fine dice
- 2 Tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
- 10 to 16 oz. Baby Bella mushrooms, sliced (or mushrooms of choice) *
- 2 Tablespoons reduced-sodium tamari *
- 3 cups water
- 3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth *
- 2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast *
- 1 cup barley, rinsed *
Spice/Herb Ingredients:
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon sweet paprika (+/-)
- ½ to 1 teaspoon sea salt (+/-) *
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper (+/-)
Cashew Cream Ingredients:
- ½ cup [raw] cashews *
- ½ cup unsweetened plain plant milk
Other Ingredients:
- 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
Instructions
- Place the yellow onions in a deep stock pot, sauté until tender, approx. 7 to 9 minutes. Add a splash of water if needed to prevent burning.
- Add the garlic and tomato paste, sauté for 1 minute, stirring constantly.
- Add the sliced mushrooms and tamari, sauté until the mushrooms are reduced, about 4 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Then add all the remaining Base Ingredients, Spice/Herb Ingredients, and barley, stir well to combine, heat to boiling, then immediately lower to a simmer. Cover with the lid ajar, and simmer for 40 to 55 minutes (dependent upon the barley used) or until the barley has reached the desired tenderness.
- In the meantime, place the cashews into a small bowl, cover with hot water, allow to soak for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, drain off the water, discard. Then place the soaked cashews and plant milk into a high-speed blender and blend on high until smooth and emulsified (approximately one minute). Set aside until ready to use.
- After the barley has reached the desired tenderness, stir in the cashew cream and red wine vinegar. Simmer for several minutes, then remove from the stove and allow to set for 15 minutes to rest.
Notes
*Please reference the blog post for Tips for Success, Pantry Items Used, Storage and Freezing, and Kitchen Products Used.
*Sea Salt: Please adjust the sea salt based upon your family’s sea salt preferences and/or based upon dietary needs.
*Servings: 4 to 6 Servings (makes 8 cups)
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This was so good! Used quick cook farro instead of barley since that’s what Trader Joe’s had today. It turned out great!
Hi there Michelle,
YAYYYY!!! We are so happy that you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try and taking time to leave us an awesome review.
-Ameera and Robin
This looks delicious! Is there a whole gluten free grain you would recommend in place of the barley for this recipe? (We can’t do gluten.) Thank you!
Hi there Marie,
Thank you for your question. You can add steamed rice in place of the barely. Just make sure the rice is already cooked before adding it at the end.
-Ameera and Robin
Great idea. Thank you!
<3 <3 <3
Made this last night and it is delicious!!! You two are magicians in the kitchen and all of your recipes are a hit in our household and when I share with friends. Thank you for your continual work.
Hi there Janell,
YAYYYYY!!!! We are so happy that you gave this recipe a try and enjoyed it! Thank you so much for the lovely review. We appreciate it.
-Ameera and Robin
Made this tonight and it was so good!! I only had about 11 oz of mushrooms but will use the full 16 oz next time and I accidentally used 3/4 cup cashews, but it was delicious anyway. Will definitely be making this again soon. Thank you for another fantastic recipe!!
Hi there Wendy,
YAYYYY!!! We are thrilled that you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you so much for taking time to leave us a great review.
-Ameera and Robin
I don’t know that I can add anything to the comments below. I’m beginning to eat more vegan foods and love soups. Anyway, this soup is divine. So flavorful. I do use only 1/2 cup barley…not for anything healthy…it’s just that too much barley or rice in a soup will give me wall paper paste then I do heatups the next lunch. But thank you for this recipe.
Hi there Judy,
YAYYYY!!! We are thrilled that you found this soup to be “divine”. We appreciate you taking time to leave us a great review.
-Ameera and Robin
I made this tonight for dinner. totally a comfort food. I will be making it again! We are restricting our fats for my husband so I sub sunflower seeds for the cashews. It was still very creamy. Thank you for all your recepies> I always know it will be a home run if it is from you.
Hi there LaVon
Woo hoo! We are so happy that you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you so much for sharing your substitution and wonderful review with us. We appreciate your support and kind words!
-Ameera and Robin
My husband has heart disease and we’re having to do a WFPB diet which doesn’t allow nuts. Can I make this without the cashews, do you think?
Hi there Rona,
Thank you for your question. This is covered in the blog post.
-Ameera and Robin
I just made this for my husband and I for lunch and it was awesome. I didn’t have barley on hand so I just added in some cooked brown rice at the end. Definitely a keeper! Thank you 😊
Hi there Lia,
WOO HOOOO!!! We are thrilled that you gave this recipe a try and enjoyed it! Thank you so much for taking time to leave us an awesome review.
-Ameera and Robin
This is the mushroom soup I have been seeking! So delicious!
Hi there Jill,
YAYYYY!!!! Thank you so much for giving this recipe a try! We appreciate you taking time to leave us a great review.
-Ameera and Robin
I made this last night since it was raining and cool. My husband declared it “a keeper.” 😁
Hi there Ann,
YAYYY!!! We are so happy that you and your husband enjoyed this recipe. Thank you so much.
-Ameera and Robin
5 little tubs of this gorgeous soup all set for my freezer stash ❤️ getting ready to tackle chemo so I need lots of ready to go nutritious meals and this favorite was at the top of my list! (BTW added benefit of mushroom being a cancer kicking superfood!) thank you !
Hi there Marisa,
We are so happy that you made this recipe and created a freezer stash for your chemo treatments. We will be thinking of you and wishing you all the very best.
-Ameera and Robin
Hello, I follow weight watchers. Can you either tell me how many points per serving for mushroom barley soup or how many grams of sodium, sugar, sat fats? Thank you!
Hi there Ali,
Unfortunately, we do not know anything about weight watcher points, etc. So sorry!
-Ameera and Robin
Made this soup with a few alterations – added diced carrot and celery with the onions. (just to use them up). Skipped the cashew cream. Just added 1/2 cup of plant based milk at the end. It was perfect! Thank you!
Hi there Laura,
WOO HOO!! We are thrilled that you enjoyed this soup with a few alterations. Awesome! Thank you so much.
-Ameera and Robin
I made this tonight. So amazing. My husband like it too!! Thank you. I will make again. Followed recipe exactly.
Hi there Donna,
YAYYYY!!! We are thrilled that you enjoyed this soup. Thank you so much for taking time to leave us a fantastic review.
-Ameera and Robin
I made this exactly as written and OMG is this good! Thank you for another great recipe!
Hi there Renee,
YAYYYYY!!!! We are thrilled that you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you so much for the awesome review.
-Ameera and Robin
This is comfort food at it’s best! I will continue to make this throughout the fall and winter! Thank you so much for taking the time to make delicious and healthy recipes that my whole family can enjoy!
Hi there LeAnn,
WOOO HOOO!!! We are thrilled that you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you so much for taking time to leave us a great review.
-Ameera and Robin
I made this today. Sooooo comforting. It’s creamy and full of flavor. Definitely let it sit after cooking as she says. It’s gets thicker! Will make this again!
Hi there Terri,
YAYYY!!! We are thrilled that you gave this recipe a try and enjoyed it! Thank you so much for the awesome review of this recipe. We appreciate it.
-Ameera and Robin
Made this today (only one tweak-the Pacific Foods veggie broth had 4 cups in the container so I reduced the water to 2 and used the whole container of veggie broth). AMAZING. Putting some in the freezer, and have lunch covered for next week!
Hi there Robin,
YAYYYY!!! We are so happy that you gave this recipe a try and enjoyed it. Thank you so much for the awesome review.
-Ameera and Robin
This is my new favorite soup! We’ve been having it once a week, although I think I could eat it every day. I follow the recipe exactly and am never disappointed. So very good!
Hi there Donna,
WOOO HOOOO!!! We are so happy that this soup is a favorite. Thank you so much for the awesome review of this recipe. We appreciate it!!!
-Ameera and Robin
I added some sherry before adding the liquid, and used a couple of cups of cooked wheat berries instead of barley. The soup was amazing! I will definitely be making this again!
Hi there Joanne,
YAYYYY!!! We are so happy that you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you so much for taking time to leave us a lovely review. We sincerely appreciate it.
-Ameera and Robin
I cannot stop making this! It is that good. Creamy and satisfying and my go to for a thick nourishing soup.
Hi there Kerri,
YAYYYY!!! We are thrilled that you enjoyed this recipe. Thank you so much for the great review.
-Ameera and Robin