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Creamy Vegan Mushroom Barley Soup

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A mix of savory mushrooms is simmered up with veggies and hearty barley in a silky cashew base to make this rich and indulgent creamy vegan mushroom soup.

Bowl of Creamy Vegan Mushroom Barley Soup with Spoon

I’m just going to put this out there: this soup is awesome.

This is one of those recipes that I’ve been making some variation of forever, tweaking and perfecting, until it finally reached that point where I had to share it. The original recipe came from my mom’s collection. Back when I moved out of the house, I made a point of copying all of my mom’s favorite recipes down on index cards, because that’s how we shared recipes back in the old days.

Creamy Vegan Mushroom Barley Soup

Anyhow, I still have a little box of recipe cards from mom that I dive into from time to time. Mushroom barley soup was one of my favorites from that box. The original recipe was pretty simple, though it wasn’t vegan. I made a few swaps and added in some soymilk to make it creamy. For a long time it was one of my favorite soups.

Hands Holding a Bowl of Creamy Vegan Mushroom Barley Soup with Spoon

But as my cooking changed, the recipe evolved. Wine and fresh thyme were new additions, different types of mushrooms entered the picture (the recipe works with all kinds!), and soy milk got replaced with super creamy cashews. This last time I made it I decided to blend up some of the soup — mushrooms, veggies, barley and all. That’s what put it over the top. If you’re looking for something super cozy and comforting that nobody would ever guess was vegan, well here you go.

Bowl of Creamy Vegan Mushroom Barley Soup Topped with Parsley

FAQ & Tips for Making the Best Creamy Vegan Mushroom Barley Soup

  • Look for miso in the international foods section of your supermarket. If you can’t find it there, try an Asian market or Amazon.
  • Can this recipe be made gluten-free? Unfortunately, barley contains gluten, so mushroom barley soup is inherently not gluten-free. Experiment with subbing other grains like quinoa or brown rice. And also be sure to use gluten-free tamari instead of soy sauce.
  • I don’t cook with alcohol. Is there a substitute for the wine? It adds a lot of flavor, but you can swap it out with some additional vegetable broth if you like.
  • And if you do use the wine, check with Barnivore to ensure the brand you choose is vegan.

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Creamy Vegan Mushroom Barley Soup
5 from 11 votes
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Creamy Vegan Mushroom Barley Soup

A mix of savory mushrooms is simmered up with veggies and hearty barley in a silky cashew base to make this rich and indulgent creamy vegan mushroom soup.
Course Soup
Cuisine American
Keyword creamy vegan soup, mushroom soup
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 428 kcal
Author Alissa

Ingredients

  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 pound assorted fresh mushrooms, I used a mix of button, cremini and shiitake, cleaned and chopped
  • 1 medium onion, diced
  • 2 medium carrots, diced
  • 2 celery ribs, diced
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 6 cups low sodium vegetable broth, divided
  • 1/2 cup dried pearl barley
  • 1/2 cup raw cashews, soaked in water 4 to 8 hours and drained
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons white miso paste, optional but recommended
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

  1. Coat the bottom of a large pot with oil and place over medium heat. When oil is hot, add the mushrooms in as even a layer as possible. Allow to cook for about 5 minutes, flip and cook 5 minutes more, until most of the mushrooms are nicely browned. Add onion, carrot, celery, and garlic to the pot and saut­­é until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes.
  2. Add wine and thyme to the pot. Raise heat and bring to a simmer. Lower heat and allow to simmer until the liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add 5 cups of broth and barley to the pot. Raise heat again and bring to a boil. Lower heat and allow to simmer, uncovered, until the barley is tender, about 45 minutes.
  3. Transfer 1 cup of the soup into a blender. Add remaining 1 cup of broth, and cashews. Blend until the mixture is smooth and creamy, then return it to the pot. Add the cashew mixture to the pot, along with soy sauce and miso, if using. Stir until all ingredients are fully incorporated, making sure to fully dissolve the miso. The soup will be very thick at this point. Thin it with some water if desired. Reheat for a minute or two, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  4. Divide into bowls and serve.

Recipe Notes

If you forgot to soak your cashews, just place them in a saucepan with some water and boil for about 15 minutes.

Nutrition Facts
Creamy Vegan Mushroom Barley Soup
Amount Per Serving
Calories 428 Calories from Fat 193
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 21.4g 33%
Saturated Fat 3.5g 18%
Sodium 1047mg 44%
Potassium 777mg 22%
Total Carbohydrates 44.4g 15%
Dietary Fiber 7.3g 29%
Sugars 8g
Protein 10.2g 20%
Calcium 4%
Iron 32%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. I just discovered your blog a couple of days ago, and I just made this soup. It is hands-down the best cream of mushroom/mushroom barley soup I’ve ever had, let alone cooked myself! This will definitely be a winter favorite.

    Reply

  3. Just made this. Oh. My. God. Absolutely delicious! I’m not cooking with oil these days, so I left it out and just cooked the mushrooms in a dry pan, then added the other veggies when the juices were cooked down about half way. I use miso broth instead of vegetable broth, so I omitted the miso and soy sauce. It was perfect.

    Reply

  4. You mention using soy milk for this recipe before, could you provide how you would substitute the nuts for soy milk instead? Even reading this recipe has me hungry, can’t wait to try it out!

    Reply

    • I used to just replace 1 or 2 cups of the broth with soy milk. I’m not sure of the exact amount – I would just eyeball it. I didn’t blend the soup when I made that version, but I think it would work out just fine if you did. I hope you enjoy it!

      Reply

  5. I just made this this afternoon and all I can say is WOW!! This is absolutely delicious! This is now my absolute favorite soup!! Thank you soooo much for creating and sharing!!!!!!

    Reply

  7. This soup is absolutely delicious. I plan to try more of your recipes. You are right about the density but I actually like it. I sprinkled a little nutmeg in it. Yum! Yum.

    Alethea

    Reply

  8. This is one of the best soups I have made in awhile. I used farro instead of barley because I needed to use it up. It filled me up from lunch until dinner time. Thank you for sharing!

    Reply

  9. I am thinking about making a larger portion of this for my family. I was wondering, if this could be something that could be slow cooked? If so, what alterations would I need to make?

    Reply

    • Usually when I do slow cooker recipes I just throw everything in and let it simmer until it’s done, so I think you could do that here, just leaving out the cashews and blending them up at the end. You could also sauté the veggies according to the recipe before adding them to the slow cooker, but that’s up to you – I usually can’t be bothered with that when it comes to slow cooker dishes.

      Reply

  10. This recipe IS delicious but there’s no reason to use 1/4 cup of oil to cook the mushrooms. I used less than one tablespoon and it was perfect. Mushrooms give up so much of their own liquid, they stay moist and juicy without hundreds of empty calories. Thanks for a great recipe

    Reply

  11. I made this for our lunches this week and it’s soooo good! Delicious, filling and comforting! Like some of the other readers/commenters, I used less oil and it turned out great.

    Reply

  13. I think it’s unfair that I’ve made this, and shared the recipe, so many times with saying how amazing this is! One of my favorite recipes. Impresses the non-vegans every time!

    Reply

  14. I got towards the end of my cooking and realized I needed soaked cashews and not cashew milk.. I’m the dummy here.. is it still possible to use cashew milk and if so, what would the portion of it be?

    Reply

  16. Made this soup tonight and it was insane. Super flavourful, homey, comforting and just superdelicious. This is going on regular rotation.

    Reply

  19. Made this tonight and it is so good! I meal prepped it for the rest of week, but couldn’t resist sneaking a little for dinner tonight!

    Reply

  20. Hello, we have a cashew allergy in the house – any recommendations for a substitution ? Wanting to make this for dinner tonight :D
    Thank you, jean

    Reply

  21. Hello, just wondering how long you can keep the soup in the fridge? Can you freeze after cooking if you want to take on a 5 hour drive?

    Reply

  22. Can you recommend a substitute for the wine? I know I can just use more broth, but know there will be a missing flavor.

    Thansk

    Reply

    • I’m not sure if there’s anything that will give you quite the same flavor. If you’re trying to avoid alcohol perhaps you could try an alcohol-free cooking wine? I’d love to hear how it works out if you do!

      Reply


  23. Just made this soup for lunch on a freezing winter day!! Absolutely amazing and awesome – thank you for sharing.

    Reply


  24. One of my familly’s favorite recipes. I’ve made it with white wine and Marsala, and I highly suggest the Marsala. So good. You continue to impress me with your recipes.

    Reply


  26. Made this tonight and the flavors are fantastic! Unfortunately, I don’t have a high powered blender so my cashew mix came out kind of grainy. I think next time I’ll try using a ready made nut milk instead, since you mentioned you used to do that. I’ll definitely be making this again because it is amazing!!! My husband isn’t fully on board with the vegan thing, and he’s not really a soup guy, but he loved this!

    Reply

    • I think so! But you’ll probably need to add a bit to the cook time and it might not blend up as smooth since hulled barley is a bit tougher than pearl. I’d love to hear how it works out if you try!

      Reply

  28. I couldn’t wait for the weather to get cooler so I could make this again. I’m feeling a bit under the weather and this is the perfect soup! Such an awesome recipie!!

    Reply


  29. This soup is incredibly delicious and so forgiving. I accidentally added the miso in the first step and had to substitute a wine because I didn’t have white wine. Still, it was delicious. It was thick, hearty and very filling. I completed the first step in my pressure cooker in 15 minutes, significantly reducing the cooking time. So glad I found this recipe!

    Reply


  30. I made this last night and I have to say it is fantastic. I love the addition of the miso it reminds me of a fancy mushroom miso soup I once ate at a restaurant. I am starting to head towards being plant based for the most part and you are amazing at coming up with creative dishes.

    Reply

  31. I’d be interested to see what your mothers “Original” Recipe was….. IF that would be possible…

    Dennis…

    Reply


  33. I loved this recipe! The wine and miso gives it this lovely background flavor, and the whole thing is so rich and satisfying. I just had some heated up frozen leftovers, and immediately had to find this page again to make another batch! Thanks for a great recipe, this is definitely in the permanent collection going forward.

    Reply


  34. I actually won our small soup cook off with this recipe among 6 other non-vegan soups! I was thoroughly impressed! Thank you for this delicious recipe that I will be making again and again. Next time, I’d like to try it with the dry wine and miso paste which I didn’t have on hand.

    Reply


  35. Thank you for this amazing recipe ! I doubled it and used a little bit of sunflower oil to start. The best mushroom barley I’ve had and I can’t believe I made it . Thanks to your recipe ! Yummmm … it’s my dads favorite soup, I brought some to him- he loved it too.

    Reply


  36. Google search brought up your blog when I was looking, specifically, for a vegan mushroom barley soup recipe. Followed your recipe, except I left out oil (used broth to saute veggies) and wine (didn’t have any), but added 1/2 cup red lentils and one diced, large white potato. So hearty and delicious.

    Reply


  37. I made this soup for a light, late night dinner for my family. I followed the recipe exactly and my only regret is that I didn’t double it! It was so delicious and filling and my non-vegans gobbled it up. I will be making this often! Thank you for sharing.

    Reply

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