How to Cook Barley in the Instant Pot

Name: How to Cook Barley in the Instant Pot
Prep time: 2 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 42 min
Ingredients: 1 cup pearl barley; 2 cups water ((or broth)); 1 cup hulled barley; 2 ½ cups water ((or broth)); 1 tsp salt; 1 bay leaf; 2 tsp cinnamon; etc. etc.

Published: Jan 14, 2020 · Modified: May 27, 2022 by Emily

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Pressure cooking barley in the Instant Pot is the quickest and easiest way to prepare this healthy whole grain.

A small bowl of cooked barley in front of an Instant Pot. Theincrediblebulks.com

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✨ Top Tips
🥣 Storage
💪 Nutrition
👪 Serving Size
🥘 Uses
📖 Recipe
How to Cook Barley in the Instant Pot
🥣 Equipment
💬 Reviews

Barley is a delicious and healthy whole grain. It's easy to make and can be added to a variety of recipes. The downside, however, is that it takes longer to cook than other grains. Using the Instant Pot is the best way to cut down cooking time. It's also great because you can just add all the ingredients and walk away.

Don't have a pressure cooker? No worries, this grain can be made on the stove too! Check out "How to Cook Barley on the Stove."

✨ Top Tips

The most important thing to know when cooking barley in the Instant Pot is to know what type of barley you are using. It will most likely be either Hulled Barley or Pearl Barley. These two types have been processed differently from one another, so the cooking times vary between the two. For a full run down of how these two types are different check out "A Complete Guide to Cooking with Barley"
The most common form found in a regular grocery store is Pearl Barley, so if you are unsure, I would assume that is what you have.
Barley does not need to be soaked before cooking.
It is a good idea to rinse the grain before cooking. Barley has a lot of starch on it and in it. Rinsing it prevents it from become a sticky blob of grains. But if a sticky blob is what you're going for, no need to rinse.
You can even rinse the grains again after cooking to make it less sticky if desired, but this is not necessary.
Instead of using water, broth could be used to give the barley a savory flavor. Or consider adding spices or seasoning in with the water to give the barley extra flavoring in your recipe. For example, sometimes I add cinnamon in when I'm making barley for breakfast.

🥣 Storage

Cooked barley should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-5 days.

Cooked barley can also be frozen. It's a great idea to make a large batch and freeze portions so you can always have a healthy whole grain ready to go.

Make sure your cooked barley is completely cool before transferring to a freezer-friendly container. (Making sure they are completely cool will help prevent freezer burn). Store in the freezer for up to 6 months.

For best results, allow frozen barley to defrost slowly in the fridge, but it can also be defrosted in the microwave. Use a low heat setting on your microwave and stir the barley every 2 minutes until it has reached your desired temperature.

💪 Nutrition

Barley has a ton of nutrients, like manganese, selenium, copper, chromium, magnesium, niacin, and other B vitamins. It's also really high in fiber and low in fat. While it does have some protein (3.6 g per cooked cup), this is lower than several other whole grains, like brown rice (4.5 g) or quinoa (8 g).

Barley does contain gluten.

1 cup of cooked barley contains 193 calories.

For a full rundown of barley's nutritional values, check out the USDA's website.

👪 Serving Size

1 cup of dried barley makes about 3 cups of cooked barley.

A close up photo of cooked barley in a white bowl. Theincrediblebulks.com

🥘 Uses

Ok, so you did it, now how to use it? Barley can be used as a substitute for most other grains, like rice, oatmeal, wheat berries, orzo pasta, etc. It's great in soups and salads. I love a warm bowl of barley for breakfast on cold mornings. Here are some recipe ideas:

Mediterranean Barley Salad

Mexican Bean and Barley Soup

📖 Recipe