Hearty and comforting Vegan Mushroom Barley Soup made with a rich and flavourful broth. I use three different types of mushrooms in this recipe for extra depth and flavour. I’ve included instructions on how to make this soup in the Instant Pot, Slow Cooker, and Stovetop!
Happy New Year!! How were your holidays guys? I hope they were full of love, good food, friends and family! I’ve taken the past few weeks off to really take the time to decompress and enjoy the holidays. It was our first holiday with Henry – the newest member of our family – and we wanted to make everything extra special for him! We went on hikes, got him lots of new toys for Christmas and just hung out altogether. It’s been wonderful getting to know him better since we adopted him. He has such a lively and loving personality and has settled perfectly into our home.
I also got ENGAGED!!! Jeroen surprised me with a gorgeous ring (a Fair Trade yellow Sapphire which I’m in LOVE with) and very romantic proposal right before the hustle and bustle of the holidays started. I couldn’t be happier and it was perfect timing just before his family flew over to visit us for the holidays. Between Christmas, New Years, and our engagement, it’s been a week packed full of celebrating. We’ve already started working out our wedding menu (because that’s obviously the first thing you plan when you start wedding planning, lol) and it’s going to be an amazing, gourmet vegan feast. I will be sure to keep everyone posted on the details. ❤️
Speaking of delicious vegan things (see what I did there), I love to make this Mushroom Barley Soup all the time in the Winter. It’s a simple soup with a lot of flavour and perfect for cozying up to on a frigid cold day.
You can also make this Mushroom Barley Soup in the Instant Pot, slow cooker, or stovetop. I often make it in the slow cooker while I’m at work. And now that I have an Instant Pot (I got one for Christmas from my mom and have used it for almost all of meals since), I love making this Mushroom Barley Soup in it. Especially since with the Instant Pot this soup is ready in 20 MINUTES flat.
If you don’t know what an Instant Pot is, it’s a pressure cooker, slow cooker, rice maker and more (I haven’t figured out everything it does yet, haha) all in one. You also don’t have to worry about it exploding like the old school pressure cookers. It’s completely safe and cooking with it could not be easier or faster. I have not used my slow cooker or stove in almost a week. I’m working out lots of fun recipes in it to share with you – it’s perfect for busy bees like myself who still like to make a home cooked meal after a day at the office.
If you make this Vegan Mushroom Barley Soup at home, snap a photo and tag me #CearasKitchen on Instagram or leave your feedback in the comments below. I love hearing from you!
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 leeks, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary, stem removed
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme, stem removed
- 2 tsp herbes de Provence
- ½ tbsp onion powder
- 1 vegetable bouillon
- 4 cups white mushrooms, chopped
- 2 cups oyster mushrooms, chopped
- 3 portobello mushrooms, chopped
- 2 cups carrots, chopped
- 2 tbsp vegan worcestershire
- 5 cups water or vegetable broth
- 1½ cups barley
- 1 bay leaf
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Sauté onions, leeks, and garlic with a splash of water until soft. Add rosemary, thyme, herbes de Provence, onion powder, and bouillon to the pot. Saute, adding a splash of water when necessary.
- Add mushrooms, carrots and saute until the mixture has reduced considerably (the mushrooms to about half their size).
- Add the vegan worcestershire, water, barley, and bay leaf.
- Cover and simmer on low for 30 minutes until the carrots are soft and the barley is cooked. Add additional salt, pepper, herbes, and onion powder to taste. Add extra water/broth at the end of cooking if desired. The barley will soak up some of the broth so if you are enjoying this soup the next day you will need to add a bit more water to it when warming it up.
- Follow the above directions. Saute the vegetables as stated above using the saute function on the Instant Pot (8 - 10 minutes).
- Add the water, barley, and bay leaf to the pot. Cover and cook using the "soup" function for 7 minutes.
- Use the "quick release" when the soup is ready. Follow the rest of the instructions above.
- Add all the ingredients to the slow cooker.
- Cook on medium for 8 hours. Follow the rest of the directions above.
14 comments
This was delicious and the olives on top were a great hit!
What kind of barley did you use in the soup? Looks amazing!
What kind of barley do you recommend hulled, quick or other?
By leeks, does that mean green onions? I feel like 2 leeks would be a lot for this recipe. They’re so big!
I mean leeks! They really shrink when you saute them and add soo much flavor to this soup. Enjoy! 🙂
I’m so very happy for you friend on your engagement! The ring is just so beautiful! You deserve all the happiness and I know will be such a beautiful bride! This soup looks divine and so flavorful. I do not have an instant pot, but have heard so many amazing things about it, I really need to get one!!
Thank you SO so much my friend!!!
And the Instant Pot is amazing, you would LOVE it!
Congrats on the engagement! And this soup… Mmm, looks so good!
Congratulations! I’m so happy for you two, and Henry (what a cutie). Your ring is stunning! Alex told her boyfriend that she wants a morganite free-trade ring instead of diamond. I love that you two are so kind and thoughtful. The soup looks delicious. I haven’t had barley in a long time, thanks for the reminder.
Congratulations Ceara! What an amazing holiday gift and such a beautiful ring!
LOVE the soup. That is one of my all time favorite types.
happy new year and congratulations!
Congratulations! What a brilliant Christmas you all must have had. Good luck with the wedding planning and your soup looks delicious by the way. Mushrooms are my favourite food ever so I would be very happy with a big bowl of this!
I am SO happy for you Ceara!! Your ring is beautiful and I can’t wait to see all your wedding pics and hear about the feast it will be. Huge congrats! And this soup sounds amazing. I love mushrooms and barely so it’s right up my alley!
Oh my gosh, congratulations, Ceara!!! Your ring is beautiful!