Find out how to cook pearl barley on the stovetop, in the Instant Pot, or the slow cooker. Barley has been trending because it has soluble fiber (beta-glucan) that can help you feel fuller and may aid with weight loss, lower cholesterol, and improve insulin resistance.
Table of Contents
How to Cook Pearl Barley
Barley is a healthy grain with a nutty flavor. Before cooking, rinse pearl barley to remove any dirt or debris. There is no need to soak it!
However, if you are using hulled barley, soak 1 cup of dry hulled barley in 3 cups of cold water in a large bowl for a few hours or overnight in the fridge. Drain and rinse the barley before cooking.
Stovetop Method
- Add the broth (or water) and salt to a medium pot. Bring to a boil over high heat.
- Then, add the pearl barley, cover, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Let it simmer for 25-30 minutes or until most liquid is absorbed and the barley is tender with a slightly chewy texture.
- Using a fork, fluff the pearl barley and garnish with any chopped fresh herb such as parsley or chives.
In the Instant Pot
- Add the barley, broth, and salt to the pot. Lock the lid and turn the valve to seal.
- Set the pressure manually to high and cook for 18-20 minutes (23-25 minutes for hulled barley).
- Let the pressure naturally release for 15 minutes, or until safe to open.
- Drain any excess cooking liquid, fluff with a fork, and serve as a side dish for this Italian baccala, in soups as a replacement for rice in this chicken and rice soup, as an add-on to this flank steak salad, and in stews to replace lentils in this Moroccan lentils.
In The Slow Cooker
- Add the pearl barley, water/broth, and salt to a slow cooker. TIP: If needed, add more water to fully cover the barley!
- Lock the lid and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours, or until tender. Drain any excess liquid and fluff with a fork.
Pearl Barley vs. Hulled Barley
There are a few differences between these 2 types of barley: Pearl and hulled barley, as follows:
- Hulled barley is a whole grain - it only has the tough inedible outer hull removed (but not the bran). This means it is minimally processed. It is healthier than pearl barley and contains more soluble fiber (beta-glucans) too. On the other hand, pearl barley has some or all of the outer bran layer and hull removed. It is considered a refined grain because it has been polished, "pearled", or more processed.
- However, being a tougher grain, hulled barley takes more time to cook (about 40-50 minutes) than pearl barley (25-20 minutes).
Chef's Tips for Cooking Perfect Barley
- Ratio (liquid to grain): Use 3 cups of liquid (water or broth) for every cup of barley. However, if cooking it in the Instant Pot, you'll only need about 1 ½ cups to 2 of liquid for every cup of dry barley.
- Rinse the barley before cooking. However, there is no need to soak pearl barley before cooking because it already cooks quickly. Hulled barley is the one that requires soaking!
- The amount of salt will depend on your dietary needs or whether you use water or low-sodium/regular broth.
- The cooking time will depend on whether you make pearl barley on the stovetop (25 minutes), Instant Pot (38 minutes = 5 minutes for pressurization + 18 minutes to cook + 15 minutes to release pressure), or Crock Pot 6-8 hours). The quickest cooking method of all 3 is the stovetop method.
- Barley is cooked when most of the liquid is absorbed and the grain is tender.
- Drain any excess cooking liquid that wasn't absorbed and fluff the grain with a fork.
- Because the grain absorbs most of the liquid, I prefer broth to water when cooking barley. It will render a more flavorful grain that I can use in salads or as a side dish.
- Grain conversion (dried to cooked): Every cup of dry barley yields about 3 cups of cooked barley.
- Before adding prepared or cooked barley to soups, I like to rinse it to remove extra starch so my soups won't thicken too much.
Nutrition
One cup of cooked pearled barley contains 193 calories, 3.6g of protein, 0.7g of fat, 44.3g of carbohydrates, 6g of fiber, and 0.4g of sugar. It has more fiber and fewer calories than brown rice!
FAQs
The quickest way to prepare or cook pearl barley is on the stovetop (about 25 minutes). The slow cooker requires about 6-8 hours on LOW and the Instant Pot takes approximately 38 minutes total, between cooking and natural pressure release.
No! It isn't gluten-free. Therefore, it shouldn't be consumed by those who are celiac or have to be on a gluten-free diet.
Yes! One cup of cooked pearl barley contains about 2.5 g of beta-glucans. Beta-glucan is a type of soluble fiber that has gained interest for presenting potential benefits to insulin resistance, cholesterol, hypertension, and obesity.
PIN AND ENJOY!
How to Cook Pearl Barley (3 Ways)
Equipment
- 1 medium pot or Instant Pot or Slow Cooker
- 1 fork
Ingredients
- 1 cup pearl barley if you prefer, use hulled barley and follow this recipe. However, it may take about 40-50 minutes to cook on the stovetop and 23-25 minutes on the Instant Pot
- 3 cups water or vegetable or chicken broth for a more flavorful barley. Use only 1 ½ to 2 cups if cooking it in the Instant Pot.
- Table salt about ½ to 1 teaspoon, depending on how salty your broth is. If using water, use 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- BEFORE COOKING: Barley is a healthy grain with a nutty flavor. Before cooking, rinse pearl barley to remove any dirt or debris. There is no need to soak it! However, if you are using hulled barley, soak 1 cup of dry hulled barley in 3 cups of cold water in a large bowl for a few hours or overnight in the fridge. Drain and rinse the barley before cooking.
Stovetop Method
- Add the broth (or water) and salt to a medium pot. Bring to a boil over high heat.
- Then, add the pearl barley, cover, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Let it simmer for 25-30 minutes or until most liquid is absorbed and the barley is tender with a slightly chewy texture.
- Using a fork, fluff the pearl barley and garnish with any chopped fresh herb such as parsley or chives.
In the Instant Pot
- Add the barley, broth, and salt to the pot. Lock the lid and turn the valve to seal.
- Set the pressure manually to high and cook for 18-20 minutes (23-25 minutes for hulled barley).
- Let the pressure naturally release for 15 minutes, or until safe to open.
- Drain any excess cooking liquid, fluff with a fork, and serve.
In The Slow Cooker
- Add the pearl barley, water/broth, and salt to a slow cooker. TIP: If needed, add more water to fully cover the barley!
- Lock the lid and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours, or until tender. Drain any excess liquid and fluff with a fork.
Recipe Notes
- Store cooked barley in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freeze for 1 month.
- To reheat, thaw the barley in the refrigerator overnight and then reheat it in a saucepan with a few tablespoons of water, cover, and warm over medium-high heat for a few minutes until heated through.
Nutrition
** Nutrition labels on easyanddelish.com are for educational purposes only. This info is provided as a courtesy and is only an estimate, since the nutrition content of recipes can vary based on ingredient brand or source, portion sizes, recipe changes/variations, and other factors. We suggest making your own calculations using your preferred calculator, based on which ingredients you use, or consulting with a registered dietitian to determine nutritional values more precisely.
Please note that health-focused and diet information provided on easyanddelish.com is for educational purposes and does not constitute medical advice, nor is it intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent disease. Consult with your doctor or other qualified health professional prior to initiating any significant change in your diet or exercise regimen, or for any other issue necessitating medical advice.
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