Making wheat berries in the crock pot is ridiculously easy! With almost no effort, you'll have these healthy whole grains ready to eat anyway you like them! Add them to soups, salads or eat them for breakfast.
The wheat berry is a healthy whole grain that is often found in soup and salad recipes. It also makes a great breakfast. When purchased at the store, wheat berry grains are usually hard and dry and must be cooked before being added to a recipe.
Wheat berries can be cooked on the stove, in a pressure cooker, or even a rice cooker! This tutorial teaches you how to cook them in a crockpot.
Wheat berries have a pretty mild flavor, similar to oatmeal. They easily blend with and take on other flavors. Wheat berries, however, are chewier than other grains you might be used to eating. When I first started eating them, it was the texture that I had to get used to eating not the taste.
If you'd like to learn more about wheat berries nutrition and how to cook with them, check out my comprehensive guide to wheat berries. There's lots of fun stuff to learn about this healthy whole grain.
📋 Instructions
Wheat Berries can be cooked in many ways, but the crock pot is one of my favorites. Sure, it's the longest method, but you can just set it and forget about it. (No chance of burning--I'm looking at you, stovetop method). Plus, wheat berries are one of my favorite things to eat for breakfast. It's great to be able to put them in the crockpot before bed and wake up to a delicious and nutritious breakfast ready to go!
First, give the wheat berries a good rinse.
It's a good idea to rinse wheat berries under cool water before cooking. This washes away any dirt, dust, or extra starch that has collected on them in storage.
Next, put the wheat berries and water into the crock pot.
I use a ratio of 1 cup wheat berries to 3 cups water when cooking in the slow cooker. You can adjust depending on how many cooked wheat berries you desire. 1 cup of dried wheat berries will be a little over 2 cups cooked.
Add a dash or two of salt, if desired. You could also add other spices in if desired, like cinnamon and nutmeg.
Then, place the lid on the slow cooker.
Cook the wheat berries on high for 4 hours, or low for 8. You can even leave them on low overnight. One of the benefits of using the slow cooker is that they will not burn unless you neglect them for a very long time.
Finally, drain the liquid and enjoy!
✨Top Tips
- There are different varieties of wheat berries and cook times can vary depending on the type you have. For example, red berries tend to take a little longer than white. While soft berries cook faster than hard. For more information about the different varieties of wheat berries, check out our comprehensive guide to wheat berries.
- It is sometimes suggested to soak wheat berries overnight (or at least an hour) before cooking them. This is not necessary!
🥣 Storage
- Cooked wheat berries should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge, for 3-5 days.
- Cooked wheat berries can easily 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 wheat berries are completely cool before transfering 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.
👪 Serving size
- 1 cup of dry wheat berries equals 2 cups of cooked wheat berries.
🥗 Uses
There are so many delicious ways to use wheat berries! They make great salads and go perfect in soups. Add them into bread or make a filling breakfast. You can grind up wheat berries to make your own whole wheat flour. Wheat berries can even be sprouted and then used in a variety of ways. Here are some of my favorite wheat berry recipes from around the web.
Wheat Berry Salad with Apples and Cranberries
Apple Cinnamon Overnight Wheat Berries
Wheat Berry Risotto with Winter Roasted Vegetables
Looking for ways to use your cooked wheat berries? Check out my wheat berry Pinterest board for lots of inspiration.
💪 Nutrition
Wheat Berries are PACKED with nutrition, have high levels of iron, manganese, thiamin, and phosphorus. They also happen to be low in fat and calories. Wahoo!
According to the USDA, ¼ cup of uncooked wheatberries has 170 calories, 9 grams of protein, and 16% of your total daily fiber.
📖 Recipe
Easy Crock Pot Wheat Berries
Equipment
- slow cooker
Ingredients
- 1 cups dry wheat berries*
- 3 cups water
Instructions
- Rinse wheat berries under cool water before cooking. This washes away any dirt, dust or extra starch that has collected on them in storage.
- Add wheat berries and water into crock pot. Cover with lid.
- Cook on high for at least 4 hours or low for at least 8. Wheat berries can be left on low overnight.
- When cooking time is complete, drain wheat berries. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
I hope you love your wheat berries!
✌️Ems
Rebecca l Smith says
When I was very little, I remember my dad always making this for us for breakfast and I learned to really love the taste and it would fill you up for a long time. I'll have to try it and see if I remember the taste. Thanks Em!
Mary Logan says
A friend just gave me a bag of Heard, Red Spring Wheat Berries. I would like to try the crockpot method . Is it ok to double the recipe? 2 cups berries and 6 cups water?
Thank You,
Mary
Emily says
Yes, absolutley!
Meghan K says
So easy, thank you 🙏
Emily says
Thanks for letting me know that you enjoyed this recipe!
Mindi says
I followed the instructions precisely. I ended up with mush that resembled overcooked oatmeal. I will never put my wheat berries in the crock pot again.