This hearty, warming Vegan Mushroom Barley Soup uses canned lentils and one pot for a quick and easy weeknight dinner recipe that’s as healthy as it is delicious!

A bowl of vegetable and lentil soup with carrots, mushrooms, greens, and a spoon, next to a slice of rustic bread on a wooden surface with a white cloth.

This hearty soup is like a warm hug in a bowl! The earthy mushrooms, nutty barley, and protein-packed lentils pair perfectly with sweet carrots and fragrant thyme, creating a cozy, soul-soothing flavor.

A squeeze of lemon and sprinkle of parsley at the end brightens it up, making it taste surprisingly fresh!

Health in a Bowl!

As a Registered Dietitian, I share lots of easy vegan soup recipes because I love how easy they make packing a ton of nourishing ingredients into one delicious dish!

We’ve got lentils for protein and fiber, barley for even more fiber, and lots of flavor-packed veggies like mushrooms, carrots and celery for color!

A large pot filled with chopped carrots, celery, mushrooms, uncooked barley, and uncooked sorghum, arranged in separate piles before mixing and cooking.

Cook It Up In One Pot!

Oh, and did I mention that we make the whole plant-based mushroom soup in one pot?! Yup, just throw all of the ingredients into the pot and let simmer, and maybe whip up my 5-Minute Fresh Green Salad with Lemon Garlic Vinaigrette while it cooks for a little extra veggies, and you have dinner on the table in no time!

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Chances are you’ll have some leftover barley after trying this recipe, and may I suggest you cook it up to pair with my super popular 25-Minute Saucy Lemon Pepper Tofu?! They’re the perfect pairing since you can cook both at the same time!

A spoonful of soup with vegetables.

No Barley? No Problem!

While I absolutely love the heartiness that the barley gives this lentil and mushroom stew, I totally get that not everyone has barley on hands at all times, so I tested it with a few different types of grains, too!

  • Brown rice: works beautifully in this vegan soup, just like my Healthy, Creamy Lemony Chickpea Soup! I like brown rice because the cooking time is similar to barley, so you can follow the directions as-is, but if you’re using white rice, add it when there’s about 15 minutes left in the cooking time!
  • Farro: Keeps the delicious, hearty texture in this soup! Keep in mind that farro takes a little longer to cook, so I simmered the soup for 40 minutes rather than 25 to make sure it was cooked through!
  • Quinoa: The fastest cooking grain option that I tested! Cooking quinoa didn’t give that same hearty texture to this vegan mushroom soup, but it DID speed up the cooking time and only needed to simmer for about 15 minutes, so you do you!

Time to Get Simmering!

A large pot filled with sliced mushrooms, diced celery, and chopped carrots, ready to be cooked.
Sauté the veggies.
A large pot filled with chopped carrots, celery, mushrooms, uncooked barley, and uncooked sorghum, arranged in separate piles before mixing and cooking.
Add the lentils and barley.
A pot of vegetable soup with sliced mushrooms, carrots, celery, onions, and herbs floating in a clear broth.
Simmer away with veggie broth!
A bowl of vegetable and lentil soup with carrots, mushrooms, greens, and a spoon, next to a slice of rustic bread on a wooden surface with a white cloth.
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Brothy Vegan Mushroom Barley Soup with Lentils

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Author: Lauren McNeill, RD
This hearty, warming Vegan Mushroom Barley Soup uses canned lentils and one pot for a quick and easy weeknight dinner recipe that's as healthy as it is delicious!
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Ingredients
 

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion, diced
  • 3 stalks celery, chopped
  • 3 large carrots, diced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 6 cups vegetable stock
  • 227 g cremini mushrooms, sliced
  • 3/4 cup uncooked pearl barley
  • 540 ml canned lentils, drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 2 cups chopped kale
  • 1/2 lemon, juiced
  • 1/4 cup parsley, chopped

Equipment

  • Large pot

Instructions
 

  • In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Cook diced onion, celery, and carrots for 5–7 minutes. Add garlic, thyme, and sliced mushrooms, sauté 5 more minutes.
  • Pour in vegetable stock, then stir in barley and lentils. Bring to a boil.
  • Reduce heat, cover, and simmer 30–35 minutes until barley is tender, stirring occasionally.
  • Add salt, pepper, kale and lemon juice to taste. Garnish with chopped parsley and enjoy!

Notes

Storing leftovers: If you plan to have leftovers, note that the barley may soak up some of the veggie broth when storing! You can add an extra splash of vegetable broth when you’re heating it up to make it more of a soup consistency, or leave it as-is for more of a stew. 
Serving: 1g, Calories: 300kcal, Carbohydrates: 53g, Protein: 14g, Fat: 4g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Sodium: 1250mg, Potassium: 733mg, Fiber: 12g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin C: 10mg, Calcium: 108mg, Iron: 3mg
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