Creamy Mushroom Barley Soup Recipe (2024)

Published: Feb 12, 2024 by Eileen xo

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Our delicious mushroom barley soup recipe is hearty, robust, and very easy to prepare. Loaded with fragrant flavor from the mushrooms, perfectly seasoned in a creamy soup.

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❤️ Why this recipe works
🔪 Ingredients
🍲 Equipment
🔪 Instructions
⭐ How to store, reheat and freeze
💭 Expert Tips
📖 Variations
📋 Frequently Asked Questions
🥗 Serving Suggestions
🍽 Similar recipes
📖 Recipe
💬 Comments

❤️ Why this recipe works

The beauty of the recipe is it can use any combination of your favorite mushrooms.
This soup is very easy to prepare and is pure comfort food.
It's a great vegetarian soup that is low in calories.

🔪 Ingredients

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Mushrooms: white button mushrooms and baby Bella mushrooms are my choice of mushrooms for this recipe. They are inexpensive and flavorful.
Barley: Barley is a hearty grain that is full of fiber and provides a nutty flavor that compliments the mushrooms.
Vegetable Stock: For a variation in flavor beef stock or chicken stock can be used if not a vegetarian.
Milk: Full-fat milk is used for this recipe. 2% can be used.
Onions: Yellow onions add another level of flavor
Worcestershire sauce: Adds umami flavor to the soup.
Herbs and Seasoning: Fresh herbs are always welcome but dried herbs will add great flavor too.
Unsalted butter: The perfect choice to saute the vegetables.

🍲 Equipment

🔪 Instructions

This is an overview of the recipe. The full instructions are below in the recipe card.

Melt butter in a stockpot over medium to high heat. Saute mushrooms, onion, salt, black pepper, thyme, and parsley for about 4 minutes to soften.
Whisk in the flour for at least a minute to blend in the flour.
Pour in the vegetable stock, water, Worcheshire sauce, barely, and milk. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 35-40 minutes.
Taste for seasoning, reseason if needed. Serve with optional garnish, chopped fresh parsley, or thyme.

⭐ How to store, reheat and freeze

Any leftover soup should be kept in a covered airtight container for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.

Reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop.

I don't freeze this soup because the mushrooms and the milk don't freeze well.

💭 Expert Tips

The mushrooms can vary according to what you have on hand. I use white button mushrooms most often because they are budget-friendly and easy to find.
The recipe uses 3 cups of mushrooms and you can mix the variation of mushrooms to add to the soup.
If you want a dairy-free/vegan soup, use almond milk instead of milk. Also, use vegan butter.

📖 Variations

Do you want to change up this recipe? Here are some ways that you increase the flavor of this dish.

For a more veggie-filled soup, add in diced carrots and celery with the mushrooms and onions.
Portobello mushrooms or crimini mushrooms would be a great choice for mushrooms.
Swap shallots for the yellow onions.
Looking for more umami flavor, add a few dashes of soy sauce to the soup.
Brown rice can replace the barley.
For a richer soup, instead of milk use heavy cream.
If you are looking for a budget-friendly soup, use white mushrooms.
Vegan options: use vegan butter and almond milk.

📋 Frequently Asked Questions

Can I make the soup thicker?

If you prefer a thicker soup, whisk together 1-2 Tablespoons of all-purpose flour and ¼ cup of the warm soup broth until it is smooth, then add it back to the soup and let simmer for at least another 15 minutes.

Should the barley be rinsed before being added to the soup?

It is best to rinse the barley before using it for any recipe to remove any dirt from the grains.

What type of barley do I use for this soup?

We use either pearl barley because it cooks fairly quickly or regular hulled barley.

🥗 Serving Suggestions

Soup and a salad is always a classic, an Arugula salad with a simple vinaigrette.

Homemade Hawaiian Rolls would be delicious dipped into this tasty mushroom barley soup.

One of our favorite breads with any soup is our Brown Bread recipe. So delicious and a hearty bread for any soup.

Easy Yeast Rolls would be yummy dipped into this mushroom barley soup.

🍽 Similar recipes

Roasted Butternut Squash Soup Recipe is another delicious vegetarian soup.
Slow Cooker Manhattan Clam Chowder is a favorite of my family and friends.
Slow Cooker Chicken Enchilada Soup is a great soup loaded with flavor
Homemade Cream of Chicken Soup is a DIY creamy soup that tastes so much better than any canned soup.

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Eileen xo

If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.

If you love this recipe please give it 5 stars!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I love any comments or questions, please feel free to leave them below.

Keep up to date with recipes by following me on:

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Thank you for your continued support. I am forever grateful.

📖 Recipe

Mushroom Barley Soup

Delicious mushroom barley soup a hearty soup full of comfort. Perfecty for dinner with a slice of bread, serve with a side salad. Fancy enough for a holiday appetizer.

5 from 5 votes

Print Rate

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: creamy mushroom barley soup, mushroom barley soup

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes

Ingredients

⅓ cup unsalted butter Note 1
3 cups white button mushrooms sliced thin
1 large yellow onion peeled and diced
1 teaspoon salt Note 3
1 teaspoon black pepper Note 3
½ cup all-purpose flour
2 cups vegetable stock
2 cups whole milk Note 4
1 cup water
½ cup barley rinsed
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 ½ teaspoon fresh thyme optional garnish
1 ½ teaspoon fresh parsley optional garnish

Instructions

In a medium-sized stockpot, over medium heat, add butter and let melt.
Add in mushrooms and onions, saute about 5 minutes, to soften veggies.
Season vegetables with salt and pepper. Add in the flour and stir for about 1 ½ minutes to blend in the flour with the vegetables.
Pour in the vegetable stock, milk, water, barley, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, and parsley. Bring the soup to a boil. Reduce heat to low. Cover pot with lid, simmer for about 30-35 minutes. Barley will be soft and cooked, flavors blended.
Taste for seasoning, reseason if needed.
Serve topped with fresh chopped parsley or thyme as a garnish.

Notes

Be sure to check Variations, Expert Tips, and FAQs above with important tips and questions that can help make a delicious recipe.

Note 1: The soup is vegetarian. Vegan: use either vegan butter or oil instead of regular butter. Also, use almond milk instead of milk.

Note 2: A variety of mushrooms can be used for this soup such as Baby Bella, Cremini, or sh*take.

Note 3:The recipe starts with 1 teaspoon of each. As the recipe simmers, you may need to add more seasoning. Always taste for seasoning as you cook.

Note 4: Please don't use skim for this recipe as the full-fat milk adds a depth of flavor.

Note 5: If using dry herbs, use 1 teaspoon of each.

I'm not a registered dietician but I do my best to provide the most accurate nutritional values. Any nutritional data I provide is an approximation. Actual dietary information can vary based on ingredients and portion sizes.

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Nutrition

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