Lemon Barley Soup

This lemon barley soup is creamy, lemony, and hearty. It’s quick and easy to make with basic kitchen staple ingredients.

Lemon soups are somewhat of a specialty of mine. This lemon chickpea orzo soup is the most popular recipe on this website and this Greek chickpea soup is also very popular!

So here’s another variation on lemon soup featuring healthy barley and white beans.

Barley is very good for you, cheap and easy to cook but somewhat underused. 

I usually use it in soups like this vegan mushroom barley soup but it’s also good in salads, grain bowls, risotto or as breakfast porridge. 

There are a few different types of barley depending on how much of the outer hull and bran are removed or remain.

The best kind of barley for soup is pearl barley. This is the most “processed” type of barley with the hull and brand removed.

Pearl barley cooks within a reasonable amount of time and does not need to be pre-cooked or soaked overnight.

It’s also the most common type of barley sold in supermarkets.

Ingredients

The ingredients for this soup are easy to find in most supermarkets. You can also swap out or add ingredients other than your liking.

Barley: Pearl barley is ideal for soups as it does not need to be soaked overnight and it can be cooked directly in the broth in about 30 minutes.

White beans: Any variety of white bean can be used in this soup. You can also substitute chickpeas. 

Onion and garlic: These aromatics form the base of the soup.

Carrots and celery: Finely diced carrot, celery and onion together is a classic mirepoix which is the base of a lot of soup recipes. In this recipe, they are so finely chopped to be undetectable while eating the soup but they add tons of flavor.

Vegetable broth: Choose your favorite, high quality vegetable stock. 

Thyme: Lemon and thyme go well together. You can also use rosemary, tarragon, sage or dill if you prefer.

Almond butter: This helps to thicken the soup and add creaminess. The flavor is neutral so it doesn’t have an overpowering nutty taste. Cashew butter or tahini also work.

Lemon zest and juice: I add more zest than juice because it gives a bright, fruity flavor. I add the juice of half a lemon and taste as I add so that the soup doesn’t sour too much. 

Olive oil and salt: To fry the mirepoix and season the soup.

How to make lemon barley soup

Making this delicious lemon barley soup is very easy because it doesn’t require a lot of chopping and everything is cooked together in one pot.

Prep the veggies: Prepping the veggies is really easy when you use a food processor. 

Peel the carrots. Roughly chop the carrots, celery, onion and garlic.

Transfer the chopped veggies to a food processor and pulse until they are finely minced. 

In this recipe the veggies are there to add flavor not texture, so mincing them really finely helps them to meld into the soup and become undetectable while adding tons of flavor to the stock. 

It’s a technique I learned while creating this pasta e fagioli soup.

If you don’t have a food processor, you can chop them by hand. Just try to chop them as finely as you can. 

Fry the veggies: Next add a couple tablespoons of olive oil to a pot over medium-low heat.

Add the minced veggies and thyme and allow them to fry, stirring from time to time, until the are very tender.

I like to do this over medium-low heat because even though it takes more time, it brings out more flavor. 

If you’re short on time, you can raise the heat to medium to cook it a little faster.

Add the stock: Pour in the vegetable stock and the beans, raise the heat to bring it to a boil.

Cook the barley: Add the barley, cover the pot with it’s lid, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until the barely is tender.

Stir from time to time to ensure nothing is sticking to the bottom of the pot. 

Pearl barley cooks in about 20 - 30 minutes.

Season: While the soup is cooking, place the almond butter in a bowl and pour in a ladle of the hot soup stock.

Stir it well with a spoon to dissolve the almond butter. 

Once the barley is cooked, pour in the almond butter, lemon zest, lemon juice and salt.

Stir everything well and give it a taste. 

This soup is quite chunky. If you prefer a thinner soup, or if the barely has soaked up too much liquid, you can add a ladle or two of water or stock to loosen it.

Variations and substitutions 

Beans: This recipe works great with chickpeas instead of white beans.

Almond butter: Cashew butter or tahini can also add creaminess to the soup instead of almond butter.

Herbs: Lemon and dill also go well together. Other herbs like parsley, rosemary or tarragon can be substituted for the thyme.

Barley: Use the same soup base but substitute orzo or rice for the barley. Adjust the cooking time accordingly.

Veggies: Add in your favorite nutritious veggies for a vegetable barley soup: kale, spinach, cabbage, zucchini, peas, diced tomatoes, turnips, parsnips, etc.

FAQs

Make ahead and storage tips

If you want to make this lemon barley soup for meal prep, I would recommend preparing the soup base and cooking the barley separately.

This is because barley can continue to soak up the liquid as it sits. Store the soup base and barley in separate containers in the fridge until ready to serve.

Leftovers of prepared soup can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. 

It will thicken. You can eat it as is or you can add additional stock or water to thin it back into a soup consistency.

Lemon barley soup can be frozen in an airtight container for up to 6 months though it’s best consumed within 3 months.

How to serve lemon barley soup

This lemon barley soup goes well with bread, toast, a sandwich, a green salad or a side of roasted vegetables.