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    Home » Side Dishes » Soup » Lazy Slow Cooker Mushroom Barley Soup

    Published: Apr 9, 2021 · Modified: Jan 26, 2022

    Lazy Slow Cooker Mushroom Barley Soup

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    Jump to Recipe

    Slow cooker mushroom barley soup is an easy, delicious, and filling dish. Made with three different kinds of mushrooms, veggies, barley, and broth, this easy pleaser is comfort food at its finest!

    A round black bowl of mushroom barley soup with some raw mushrooms sliced and barley grains laying around it

    As the famous slogan says: soup is good food. Soup is filling, warm and wonderful. It can be a full meal, an appetizer, a side dish, or even a snack. Soup is just plain GOOD - any time of year.

    This crockpot barley soup is no exception! It is satisfying, delicious, and easy to make. All that and it also manages to be vegetarian and pretty inexpensive! A winning bowl.

    Jump to:
    • 🍄Ingredients
    • 🥣Method
    • 🍽Serving ideas
    • Storing leftovers
    • 😉Hints & Hacks
    • ❓Frequently asked questions
    • 📖 Recipe

    🍄Ingredients

    I promise this mushroom barley slow cooker recipe is really easy to make. Don’t be intimidated by the long ingredient list, it all just gets tossed together in the end! If you want to make things as lazy as possible, check out the Hints & Hacks below.

    Sliced mushrooms in a crockpot with a wooden spoon

    To make this easy crockpot barley soup, you will need to gather the following:

    • mushroom or vegetable broth
    • baby bella mushrooms
    • shiitake mushrooms
    • white button mushrooms
    • carrots
    • celery
    • onion
    • minced garlic
    • Worcestershire sauce
    • soy sauce
    • basil
    • thyme
    • barley
    Click here for exact quantities

    🥣Method

    Slow cooker mushroom barley soup is a true dump-and-go recipe. The ingredients are rather voluminous, so a 6 quart or larger slow cooker is recommended. Once your pot is set, you are going to slice your mushrooms and dice up your vegetables, and put them in the pot. Next, you will add the spices and barley.

    The final ingredient to add is broth. Just cover over your slow cooker with its lid and you are all done. The hardest part is cutting the vegetables!

    Of course, the most important step is always to turn your crockpot on and then double-check to confirm that it is, in fact, on! I wish I had a dime for each time someone told me they either forgot to turn their slow cooker on, OR they turned it on only to realize much later that it was unplugged!

    All Mushroom barley ingredients in a slow cooker

    🍽Serving ideas

    Barley is a wonderful soup ingredient in that it emits starch naturally during the cooking process. This is why soup with barley in it tends to be so thick and hearty.

    To balance out the thick, rich soup, I recommend serving this dish with a cool crisp salad or, in colder weather, with a delicious cooked vegetable. Avocado toast is another amazing pairing for this soup. Crusty French bread makes a great companion too.

    Storing leftovers

    If you have leftovers, they can be stored in airtight containers in either the refrigerator or freezer. They will last for 4-5 days in the refrigerator or for several months in the freezer. Frozen leftovers can be reheated in the microwave, on the stovetop, or even right back in your slow cooker.

    three storage containers with chicken soup ready on a counter top. ready for the freezer
    This is an example of the containers I used to freeze my chicken soup

    One great way to store leftovers is in a mini food warmer! (here is a different brand). The warmer's insert can be stored in the refrigerator and then transferred to the warmer when you want to reheat. This makes for a super way to transport and reheat leftovers (so awesome to have a warm, homemade soup for lunch at work!).

    😉Hints & Hacks

    1. Looking to save extra time? You can purchase all of the mushrooms needed for this recipe pre-sliced.
    2. Want to save even more time? Purchase your carrots, celery and onion already cut. While they can often be found in the fresh produce section of your market pre-cut, a more economical way is to purchase them frozen from the frozen veggie section. You can purchase each individually or buy find them all together as Mirepoix.
    3. Having trouble finding one of the types of mushrooms listed in the ingredients? That's ok! This recipe is delicious with many different types of mushrooms! If you decide to swap mushrooms, we would love to hear about it in the comment section below.
    4. This is a great make-in-advance recipe. You can assemble all ingredients other than barley and the broth the night before. Barley and broth can then be carefully added at the time you are ready to commence cooking.
    5. Use a vegan Worcestershire sauce to make this recipe vegan.
    6. This is a perfect meal for days when your people will be eating at different times. After the cooking time, turn your slow cooker to warm (or have it automatically switch to warm if your slow cooker has this feature) and everyone can have a hot and filling meal, no matter what time they are ready to eat. 
    7. I always recommend the use of a slow cooker liner. Of course, this is an optional step. I like to purchase my liners in bulk for a less expensive per-piece price. Here are the liners I buy.
    8. In the market for a new slow cooker? Here is the one I am currently lusting after

    ❓Frequently asked questions

    Do I have to cook the barley before using it in the soup?

    Nope! your barley will slow cook to perfection right in your soup

    Can this soup be frozen?

    Yes! This soup freezes really well. The texture of the barley may change very slightly, but it will still be delicious!

    Why is soup with barley so thick?

    Barley contains starch which is released naturally into the liquid surrounding it during cooking. This lends a thick creaminess to any soup it is cooked with.

    Why use a slow cooker for this recipe?

    This is the perfect set it and forget it soup. Both barley and mushrooms are prime for low and slow cooking. Although it can be made stovetop, putting it in your slow cooker allows you the freedom to go about your day and not watch over it.

    Is barley good for weight loss?

    Yes! Barley contains soluble fiber which helps to reduce hunger by making you feel full longer. This can aid in weight loss.

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    📖 Recipe

    A round black bowl of mushroom barley soup with some raw mushrooms sliced and barley grains laying around it

    Lazy Mushroom Barley Soup Recipe

    Slow cooker mushroom barley soup is an easy, delicious and filling dish. Made with three different kinds of mushrooms, veggies, barley and broth, this easy pleaser is one you will want to make over and over.
    4.84 from 6 votes
    Print Pin Rate Save Saved!
    Prep Time: 15 minutes
    Cook Time: 6 hours
    Total Time: 6 hours 15 minutes
    Servings: 8 servings
    Calories: 111kcal
    Author: The Lazy slow cooker
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    Equipment

    • 6 qt slow cooker
    • slow cooker liner (optional)
    • measuring spoons and cups
    • knife

    Ingredients

    • 8 oz baby bella mushrooms, sliced
    • 5 oz shiitake mushrooms, sliced
    • 8 oz white mushrooms, sliced
    • 1 large carrot diced
    • 1 large celery stalk, diced
    • 1 small onion, diced
    • 1 tablespoon minced garlic
    • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
    • 1 tablespoon soy sauce I use reduced sodium
    • 1 teaspoon dried basil
    • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
    • ¾ cup pearl barley
    • 8 cups broth vegetable, mushroom or beef broth would all work well

    Instructions

    • place slow cooker liner into slow cooker, if using
    • place mushrooms into slow cooker
    • add diced vegetables to slow cooker
    • add garlic, Worcestershire sauce, say sauce, basil, thyme and barley to slow cooker
    • pour broth over ingredients in slow cooker
    • stir, cover and cook on low for 6 hours.
    • serve in bowls and enjoy!

    Nutrition

    Calories: 111kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1106mg | Potassium: 419mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 2052IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 1mg

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Susan Moskal says

      May 21, 2021 at 4:54 pm

      Can dried mushrooms be used instead of the fresh mushrooms?

      Reply
      • admin says

        May 21, 2021 at 5:48 pm

        Although I haven’t tried it, I can’t see why it wouldn’t. I would just follow the package instructions for how to reconstitute them and do that before adding to the soup. Otherwise, they might make the soup too dry. If you try it, I would love to hear how it goes!

    2. Lena says

      October 16, 2021 at 11:46 am

      I had to really doctor up this recipe with garlic powder, onion powder, Lawry's seasoned salt, and 2 bay leaves. Otherwise, it was quite bland. Rather disappointed because the photos looked so good!

      Reply
      • The Lazy Slow Cooker says

        October 16, 2021 at 12:05 pm

        Glad you were able to add flavoring to suit your taste. This is not meant to be a spicy or garlicky soup. It is intentionally mild so that flavor of the mushroom can come through. But, I always leave lots of condiments on the table so that everyone can customize to their liking. Thanks for taking the time to come back and let me know what you thought!

    3. Stacey B says

      November 15, 2021 at 8:33 pm

      What is the serving size?

      Reply
      • The Lazy Slow Cooker says

        November 15, 2021 at 10:19 pm

        Each serving comes out to be a little more than one cup.

    4. gloria says

      August 02, 2022 at 11:57 am

      Can't wait to try this, I love barley and mushrooms!

      Reply
      • The Lazy Slow Cooker says

        August 02, 2022 at 12:40 pm

        Hi Gloria!
        I would love to hear how it goes once you try it. This recipe is one of my personal favorites!

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