Barley Vs Oats

Barley and Oats both delicious whole grains, offer unique flavors, textures, and health benefits. In this post, we'll be comparing these two grains by exploring their unique attributes, culinary uses, and nutritional benefits. I'll provide tips on how to prepare each of them, as well as some of my favorite ways to use them. Let's get to it!

Barley has been a dietary staple for centuries and is one of the earliest-grown grains. With a nutty flavor and chewy texture, barley offers a wealth of nutrients and dietary fiber. From soups to salads, its versatility in culinary applications makes it a popular choice across cultures.  It is used as livestock feed and for human consumption.  It's often used in main dishes, barley porridge, and even alcoholic beverages. 

Oats are a breakfast favorite worldwide.  Known for their creamy texture and mild flavor, oats are a powerhouse of extra fiber, vitamins, and minerals. From classic breakfast porridge to granola bars and baked goods, oats' adaptability in various dishes makes them a go-to ingredient for both taste and nutrition.

Jump to:

• Varieties
• 🕵️‍♂️ Appearance
• 🥣 Taste
• 💪 Nutrition
• ⏲️ Cook Time
• 💰 Cost
• 📖 Recipes
• Related
• 🔚 Conclusion
• Reviews

Varieties

To begin, we must acknowledge that both grains come in several different varieties.

Barley

• Hulled Barley:  Only the tough, outermost shell of the grain is removed.  This variety takes the longest to cook and is the chewiest.  Sometimes called barley groats. 
• Pearl Barley:  Another layer of the grain is removed, making this variety softer.  It is the variety you will most likely find in the store, here in the United States.
• Quick Barley: This type is made from grains of barley that have been partially cooked and dried.  The result is a quicker cooking time for consumers. 
• Barley flakes: This variety is hulled barley that has been flattened and cut into thin slices.  This type looks very similar in appearance to oatmeal flakes.
• Barley flour:  Barley kernels that have been ground down into a fine powder and used similarly to wheat flour.

Oatmeal

• Oat groats:  the whole, mostly unprocessed grains used to make all the other oatmeal varieties. These are shaped like little footballs and are the chewiest form of oatmeal.
• Steel-cut oats: oat groats that are cut into pieces with steel blades.  
• Old-fashioned/rolled oats: oat groats that have been steamed and then flattened into flakes
• Instant Oats: rolled oats that have been cut into smaller pieces.   
• Oat Flour: oat groats that have been ground down into a fine powder.   

To keep this comparison guide concise, we will be comparing the two most popular forms of these grains: pearl barely and old-fashioned oatmeal.

🕵️‍♂️ Appearance

Uncooked barley grains are oval-shaped, thick, and very hard. They are a light tan/yellowish color. Uncooked oatmeal is also oval-shaped, but paper thin. It can easily be broken or torn apart.

When cooked, both grains stay similar to their original color, but grow in size and become stickier. Cooked oatmeal grains mush together, while barley remains granular.

🥣 Taste

Barley has a slightly chewy texture, with a nutty and slightly tart grain flavor. Barley grains are a bit sticky, but for the most part, remain individual grains.

Oats also have a mild, warm flavor. Oats tend to be much mushier than barley.

💪 Nutrition

You might be wondering whether oats or barley are healthier. That is a hard question to answer because they both are a whole-grain food and have a high nutritional value. They should both be consumed as part of a balanced diet.  Here are a few of the nutritional benefits of each:

• Barley: Barley has a bit more calories per serving than oatmeal and less protein. It also has lots of dietary fiber. It's high in thiamine, manganese, and selenium. Barley is a rich source of B vitamins. It is also high in carbs, but low in sugar.
• Oats: Oats are celebrated for their soluble fiber content that helps lower cholesterol levels and promotes heart health by reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases.  They're also high in manganese, phosphorus, magnesium, and vitamin B.

Oat groats don't naturally contain any sugar, but you'll often see oatmeal breakfast recipes loaded with sugar! So watch how much brown sugar, maple syrup, honey, or dried fruit you add to your morning oatmeal. You can easily make oatmeal unhealthy with the number of things you mix in.

Both grains are relatively low in fat and contain beneficial antioxidants.

Gluten Content

A key difference between barley and oats is gluten content. Barley does contain gluten making it unsafe for people with celiac disease to consume.  

Oatmeal does not naturally contain gluten.  However, it is often processed in facilities that work on other types of grains that contain gluten.  The possibility of cross-contamination is very high.  If you are a person who must avoid gluten, you should look for certified gluten-free oatmeal.

Glycemic Index Score

Barley has a lower glycemic index (GI) - a measure of how quickly a food raises blood sugar. Barley's score of 28 is the lowest of all grains, which means it won't spike blood glucose levels.

Generally, oatmeal has a moderate to low glycemic index, typically ranging from around 42 to 55, depending on the specific variety and cooking method. Overall, oatmeal is considered a good choice for maintaining stable blood sugar levels due to its moderate glycemic index and high fiber content, which slows down digestion and helps prevent rapid spikes in blood sugar.

Neither grain is allowed on the popular keto diet because of they are high in carbohydrates. 

⏲️ Cook Time

My favorite way to cook these grains is either on the stove or pressure cooker, aka an Instant Pot. Oatmeal cooks faster than barley with both of these methods. Oatmeal can also be made in the microwave. Neither need to be soaked before cooking. However, you can speed up the cooking time of the hulled version of barley by soaking it for a few hours beforehand.

Barley cook times:

• Instant Pot: Pearled Barley-35 mins, unsoaked Hulled Barley-40 mins
• Stove Top: Pearled Barley-25 mins, unsoaked Hulled Barley-40 mins

Oatmeal cook times:

• Instant Pot: Rolled Oats-20 mins, Oat Groats-40 mins
• Stove Top: Rolled Oats-10 mins, Oat Groats-1 hour
• Microwave: Rolled Oats-5 mins, Steel-cut Oats-15 mins

💰 Cost

Both barley and oats are easy to find in US grocery stores. Oatmeal is slightly cheaper to purchase than barley. Here are some prices at different locations in Washington State, as of Jan 2023.

Pearled Barley

• Winco- 87 cents lb,
• Target- $1.59lb,
• Walmart-$5.29lb

Rolled Oats

• Winco- .78 cents/lb
• Target -$1.60/lb
• Walmart-$1.52/lb

📖 Recipes

Check out my Pinterest boards for lots of great recipes for both barley and oats.

The different forms of oatmeal are usually consumed as cereal grains or added to baked goods.  Barley is usually seen in salads or soups, but can also be in breakfast recipes.

Related

Want to read more comparison articles? Check out:

🔚 Conclusion

If you'd like to read further about either of these healthy whole grains you can check out:

"A Complete Guide to Cooking with Barley"

"What are Oat Groats? An Easy Guide, Plus Recipes"

I hope this comparison guide has been helpful. Of the two, I like oatmeal slightly better, because it has a softer texture. Which grain do you prefer? Let me know in the comments!

✌️Ems