Warm up with a bowl of comforting and hearty mushroom barley soup. This recipe is vegan with wholesome ingredients, including miso and vegan Worcestershire sauce for umami depth. I finish this chunky soup with non-dairy milk for a silky texture without the cream. Black lentils are simmered alongside the barley to give the soup a bit more body. It all comes together in one pot on the stove in about 1 hour!
I love pearled barley because of its chewy texture and quick-ish cooking time. You don’t need to pre-cook pearled barley before adding it to this recipe. It’s a dream in soups, letting off a bit of starch as it simmers. The starch along with a heavy pour of non-dairy milk/cream gives this barley mushroom soup such a luscious and silky texture. In a lot of ways, working on this soup reminded me of the very popular creamy French lentil and mushroom stew that I posted years ago.
Beyond a bit of chopping, this mushroom and barley soup is straightforward and easy to prepare. After sautéing the mushrooms and building the base, let it simmer away. I finish the soup with sherry vinegar because I love it with mushrooms and the acidity lift helps to sparkle the finished flavor. Mushrooms have a deep and savory flavor–enhancing that quality with a little contrast takes things to another level.
Chopped fresh dill is nice and fresh with the creamy mushroom, spice, and garlic notes. You can use parsley if you’re not a fan of dill though. While barley is super satisfying, I still love to serve this with some crusty bread (like my no-knead whole wheat bread) to dip in the broth.
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Creamy Mushroom Barley Soup with Lentils & Dill (Vegan)
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 lb (454 grams) cremini mushrooms, sliced
- sea salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 large yellow onion, small dice
- 2 medium carrots, small dice
- 2 sticks celery, small dice
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup pearled barley
- ½ cup black Beluga lentils (see note)
- 10 cups vegetable stock
- 1 tablespoon light miso
- 1 cup unsweetened non-dairy cream/milk (see note)
- 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
- 1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
- ¼ cup chopped fresh dill
Notes
- I like the look and firmness of black Beluga lentils in this soup, but green lentils and French lentils will both substitute easily here.
- White wine vinegar is a fine substitute for sherry vinegar. I would go down to 2 teaspoons to start though.
- Miso and vegan Worcestershire sauce are both quite salty, so just be mindful of how much salt you’re adding leading up to the point when they go in.
- For non-dairy cream, I like the nutpods brand original unsweetened creamer or Califia’s Better Half non-dairy cream. You could also use unsweetened cashew milk (I like Elmhurst brand) or oat milk.
- I do not recommend substituting hulled barley as it will take twice as long to cook and you would need to delay adding the lentils. I also find that hulled barley does not “starch up” the soup as nicely.
Instructions
- Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Pour in 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add half of the sliced mushrooms and sauté until golden brown and tender, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the cooked mushrooms to a bowl. Repeat this process with another tablespoon of olive oil and the remaining mushrooms. Once you have all the mushrooms cooked, set aside.
- Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pot. Add the onion, carrot, and celery and stir. Sauté this mixture, stirring often, until onions are soft and translucent, about 7-8 minutes.
- To the pot, add the garlic, dried thyme, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, and bay leaves and stir. Season with salt and pepper. Once the garlic is fragrant, after about 1 minute, add the pearled barley and lentils. Stir.
- Add the vegetable stock and stir. Cover the pot and bring it up to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to a simmer and remove the lid. Simmer until barley and lentils are tender, about 30 minutes, popping in to stir here and there. Extract and discard the bay leaves.
- Place the miso in a small bowl and ladle some of the hot broth from the soup on top. Use a spoon to break up and dissolve the miso. Then, add the mixture back into the pot. Add the mushrooms back into the pot as well. Then, add the non-dairy cream, sherry vinegar, Worcestershire, and dill. Stir to combine and bring up to a boil again. Give the soup a taste and adjust seasoning if necessary (more vinegar, salt, Worcestershire etc).
- Serve the mushroom barley soup hot and enjoy!
Wow, we loved this. It has a lot of different flavors in there and all of it good. I always enjoy a mushroom barley soup but this is the best I have ever had because it was so flavorful. I made it as written except I only had pot barley. I cooked the pot barley separately with 5 cups of broth and ended up adding in 2 more cups because I boiled it for more than an hour ( it was a little old). I made the soup as written without the barley using the other 5 cups of broth. I added the cooked pot barley to the other soup and it was perfect. It would likely be better with pearl barley but this was a good work around.
This turned out delicious, will be making again.
Hi Laura!
Love your recipes and newsletter! I’m planning to make this soup and was only able to find hulled and italian barley, not pearled. I know these take longer to cook; any suggestions?
Thanks!
Allison
Is there something I can or should use in place of the miso? I don’t like it. Not a vegan or vegetarian if that helps, thank you!
Hi Adrian,
We do have the Worcestershire sauce in the mix providing a lot of salt and umami flavor (which is essentially what miso is doing here). If you have a bit of parmesan rind kicking around, simmering the soup with a piece of rind in there will bring a nice, additional umami flavor. Otherwise, you can simply leave it out and lean more on the Worcestershire.
-L
I actually do have a few rinds I’ve kept for just such a purpose, great idea, thanks so much!
Would a 5-quart cooking pot work for this recipe, or would a 6-7 quart be better?
5 quart would be fine! In the pictures, I’m using a 7 quart and as you can see, there was a lot of extra room in the pot :)
-L
I made this to warm up on a chilly fall day in Alberta. What a wonderful soup with so much depth of flavour. I subbed wild rice for the pearl barley (gluten sensitivity) and used cashew cream Thank you for such a delicious recipe. Soups are my favourite this time of year
Flavour bomb. This was so delicious and easy to make. Thank you.
I’ve made this three times now, it’s UMAMILICIOUS!! I used brown lentils, and added chopped courgette and kale – but everything else as you suggest. Thank you, everyone who’s partken adores this nourishing bowlful!
Umamilicious!! I love that. Thanks for this kind comment and review, Susan.
-L
This was so delicious, we have been eating vegan for the Lent season and wow, this was lip smacking good. It reminds me of a scotch broth!
My two year old took a bite and said mmmm! yum! he loved the barley.
Hi , great Recipe is it in the cook book ?
Hi Diane,
No it is not. My book came out in 2017, so it is an older collection. I update this site with new recipes weekly though!
-L
Can someone explain why the soup needs to be brought up to a boil at the end? Why not just add the dill, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce near-ish to the end and the cream right at the end? I ask because I find recipes online tend to overcomplicate things. If I’m making something high brow for a party then those little steps are important, but if it’s just for meal prepping I don’t want to spend any more time than I need to.
Delicious! Unsweetened soy milk worked well as an alternative.
This is a fantastic recipe. I adore mushrooms and I am not vegan, so I did add/change just a few ingredients based on my taste & what I had on hand. I used 1 lb cremini & 4 ounces shitake mushrooms & brown lentils. Did not have miso, but used worsteshire, white wine vinegar and added ground beef to pot along with beef stock. At the end of cooking I added a few tablespoons on sour cream and lots of fresh dill. Wow, this was absolutely delicious! Very refreshing and your addition of vinegar really gave it depth and all the flavors came together beautifully! I loved it!! I know this was intended to be vegan, but it’s such a versatile recipe. Thank you!!
Laura thills recipe is delicious and it smells great, too
I made it without the cream.
Absolutely fabulous soup on a cold rainy winter night! I used cashew milk in mine and I made a homemade Rosemary focaccia to go with it and it was the perfect accompaniment. Thank you for this recipe, Laura!
Another delicious warming winter soup- I used a simple homemade cashew cream in this and it tasted delightful. Thank you for all the work you put into sharing your recipes! They’re a go-to in my household.
Delicious! I didn’t have any cream and out of cashews so left it out. Maybe I’ll make cashew cream for the leftovers and it will be a nice variation. Haha. Thanks for all you do for us!
Hi,
This recipe looks gorgeous. Do you have any recommendations for a gluten-free alternative to barley that would work? Or, does this recipe lend well to experimenting.
Thank you!
I would recommend substituting with jasmine rice as it requires similar liquid ratio and cooking time to pearled barley :)
-L
I adore you, thank you.
Where can I buy the miso locally? In GTA
Hi Ofelia! I’ve been able to find miso at Loblaws stores, Food basics, Metro, Sobeys, health food stores, and of course at Asian markets like T&T. You’ll have to look for it in the refrigerated section, typically in a clear plastic square-shaped tub. The big chains like Loblaws and Sobeys often stock it in their healthy/organic food sections.
-L
Thanks!
I made this soup yesterday during a lovely snowstorm. It was fantastic! I had never tried black beluga lentils before and will definitely be a fan in the future.
Do you think this would freeze well?
Hi Ann,
It should freeze fine although you may want to add more plant-based “cream” upon thawing and reheating on the stove. Pretty much any time I’m reheating a previously frozen soup, I add a tiny bit of salt, something acidic (like the sherry vinegar called for here) and a bit more liquid in general. I do all of this just to “wake up” the flavors again. beyond that, it should be fine!
-L
Made this a few days ago. Kids went bonkers for it so much so that they have requested the leftovers be their breakfast for the next day. The only substitution I made from the recipe was to use regular cream and Worcestershire instead of vegan versions.
Personally I would have cut back the sherry vinegar a little bit and just add enough to taste. That being said as written the recipe was a hit with the family.
This soup is a new favorite for my husband and I. I used anchovies paste instead of miso, because that’s what I had, otherwise made as is. Full flavour, and fairly filling. Definitely worth a try.
This was AMAZING!! I didn’t have barley so subbed it out for farro, but it still turned out so so so good!! Would absolutely recommend.
Hi Maggie! Thanks for letting us know that this recipe worked with farro. I know it will help a lot of folks :)
-L
Oh my GOD this is delicious! Followed exactly with one exception (white wine vinegar for sherry vinegar-couldn’t find it). A new favorite! Gonna serve it with some sourdough and a kale salad.
Thank you so much!…♥️
Excited to make this! Would the barley be able to be substituted with farro?
I think pearled farro may work in this recipe. I do find that it takes a bit longer than pearled barley and it’s not as starchy though.
-L
Okay this is SO good! I loved the seasonings and depth of flavors. I used spelt berries instead of pearled barley which did make it 2x longer but still very, very good. The miso and vinegar really add something special and the dill is super refreshing. Bookmarking!
So glad to hear that spelt berries worked in this mushroom barley soup! Thanks for this kind review, Samantha! :)
-L
Delicious! A perfect cold weather soup, comes together easily, and is hearty and filling, a hug in a bowl! Will definitely make again!
Hits the spot! Perfect winter soup with its chewy texture from the barley and lots of umami flavours. Also not to be neglected is the fibre content, and quality protein of beluga lentils. A winner… again
Delicious! Easy to cook! Will make again. Thank you.
This was delicious! I made it exactly as written and wouldn’t change anything. Thank you – perfect for a cold night.
Such an easy and satisfying dish. Just perfect for the cold weather.
Will definitely make again.
This was delicious! Thank you for your blog, I have followed it for years :) I love your cookbook too. Happy New Year!
Sooooo delicious!
Absolutely delicious!! I can’t believe how is easy this soup was to prepare and how good it feels to eat it. Will be making this recipe over and over again. The perfect comfort food!
Incredibly delicious!
Happy New Year Laura!
Any suggestions for barley substitutes for GF?
Thanks
Hi Barbara! I would probably substitute the barley with rinsed jasmine rice and the Worcestershire with Tamari.
-L