Vegetable Barley Soup
on Feb 05, 2024, Updated Sep 15, 2025
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This one-pot vegetable barley soup is easy to make in 40 minutes for a weeknight dinner, can be made in advance and enjoyed throughout the week or frozen for longer storage.
We We Love this Recipe
Barley has the most delicious, chewy texture that holds up wonderfully in soups! This barley soup features a tomato-based broth, fresh veggies, sweet potato and barley, making it so hearty and comforting. Here are a few reasons why we love it:
- It’s plant-based and can be made gluten-free by substituting a different grain.
- Low in fat, high in fibre!
- Made with simple ingredients.
- It’s ready in 40 minutes and made in one pot.
- It’s an easy one-pot recipe that’s ready in 40 minutes.
Ingredient Notes
Below you’ll find a brief overview of the ingredients and any substitutions you can make. When you’re ready to make the recipe, use the recipe card at the end of the post with the full list of ingredients with measurements.
- Oil: I prefer olive oil but you can substitute any cooking oil or use a bit of water or vegetable broth for an oil-free recipe.
- Onion: White or yellow onion can be used.
- Carrot and Celery: If you’re missing one of the other, that’s ok. Bell pepper can be substituted for the carrot or celery.
- Sweet Potato: Substitute potato or butternut squash.
- Barley: This recipe uses for pearled barley, or pearl barley, for a quicker cooking time. You can use pot barley with no further adjustments to the recipe. You can use hulled barley but the soup will require a longer cooking time. Extra barley can be used in this Mediterranean Barley Salad.
- Vegetable Broth: You can use any homemade or packaged vegetable stock, broth or bouillon cubes. Note that the sodium content of broth varies greatly so you’ll need to season the recipe to taste depending on the broth used.
- Spinach: You can use spinach or substitute finely chopped kale.
- Herbs & Spices: The recipe calls for paprika, thyme and oregano. These are flexible. Try using smoked paprika, substitute Italian seasoning for the thyme and oregano or adding additional dried herbs like rosemary or basil.
Variations & Additions
- Barley Bean Soup: Add 1 can of chickpeas, white beans or kidney beans towards the end of cooking.
- Add up to 1 bell pepper when you add the carrot and celery.
- Add up to 1 cup small cauliflower florets or green beans when you add the sweet potato.
- Up to 1 cup green peas can be added towards the end of cooking.
- Gluten-Free Option: Substitute brown rice for barley.
How to Make Vegetable Barley Soup
Step 1: Heat the oil in a large pot then add the diced celery, carrot and onion. Season with salt and pepper and cook 5-7 minutes until softened and fragrant.
Step 2: Add the garlic, tomato paste, paprika, thyme and oregano, stir and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
Step 3: Add the sweet potato and barley and stir to coat.
Step 4: Add the diced tomato, vegetable broth and bay leaves and simmer the soup, uncovered for 20 minutes until the sweet potato and barley are tender.
Step 5: Add the spinach and stir briefly to mix it in. Taste and season if needed then enjoy your soup!
Barley soup is just delicious served as is or can be topped with fresh parsley, black pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice. Even better with bread for dipping!
Recipe FAQs
No. Barley is not gluten-free. To make this recipe gluten-free, substitute brown rice for the barley.
Yes. To freeze vegetable barley soup, let it cool then transfer to heavy duty freezer bags or any freezer-safe containers. Freeze up to 2 months. Thaw frozen soup overnight in the fridge then reheat on the stovetop or in the microwave, stirring in extra broth if needed to thin.
Let the soup cool then transfer to a sealed container and store in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat in a pot on the stovetop or in individual portions in a microwave-safe bowl in the microwave.
Pearl barley, or pearled barley, is suggested for this recipe and is the most common type of barley found in the grocery store.
Pearl barley goes through a pearling machine to remove the outer husk and bran layer for a quicker cooking time. Pot barley is similar though hasn’t been pearled for as long. You can use pearl barley or pot barley interchangeably in this recipe.
Hulled barley, or barley groats, is considered a whole grain and only has the indigestible outer husk removed. It’s darker in colour and requires a longer cooking time. Hulled barley is not recommend in this recipe without adjustment to the cooking times and liquid quantities.
Cooking Tips
- This soup thickens up a lot as it sits, as the barley will absorb more liquid. Extra vegetable broth and seasonings can be added when reheating if making ahead of time.
- If you’re making vegetable substitutions, try to keep the total amount of veggies about the same. Add any root or longer-cooking veggies with the sweet potato. Add quick-cooking vegetables towards the end of cooking or at the end.
More Recipes to Try!
Vegetable Barley Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp oil
- 1 large onion, diced, 175 g, 1 ½ cups
- 2 medium carrots, diced, 195 g, 1 ½ cups
- 2-3 stalks celery, diced, 195 g, 1 ¾ cups
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed or grated, 18 g
- 2 tbsp tomato paste, 30 g
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp thyme
- ½ tsp oregano
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper, optional
- 1-2 bay leaves, optional
- 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces, 290 g, about 2 cups
- 1 cup pearl barley, about 205 g
- 1 can (796 ml) diced tomatoes
- 6 cups vegetable broth
- 2 cups or handfuls fresh spinach or finely chopped kale, 50 g
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- In a large dutch oven or soup pot, heat 1 tbsp oil over medium heat. When the pot is hot, add onions, carrots and celery. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 5-7 min, stirring occasionally, until tender.
- Add garlic, tomato paste, thyme, oregano and paprika (and chili flakes or cayenne, if using). Cook for another 2-3 min, stirring often, until fragrant and toasted.
- To the pot, add sweet potatoes and barley, stir to coat. Then add bay leaves, diced tomatoes and vegetable broth. Season well with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer. Once simmering, reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer uncovered for 20 min.
- Stir in spinach. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Divide soup between bowls. Sprinkle with parsley, if desired.
Great! I’ve made so many of your soups and they’re always on point. Another one to add to the repeat list, thanks!
This was fantastic. Very easy to make – just throw everything in the pot and cook, more or less. Made great leftovers too!