Instant Pot Beef and Barley Soup is an easy, healthy, and hearty soup made in less than an hour, instead of the hours it takes to prepare this classic soup on the stove or slow cooker.
This soup is delicious served alone but is fabulous when paired with crusty homemade bread and a Winter Salad or Kale and Apple Salad for a fast, healthy family meal.
How to Make Instant Pot Beef and Barley Soup
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Turn pressure cooker to saute function. Once heated, add in oil, beef chunks, and onion.
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Saute until beef is browned on all sides and then add in garlic and saute 1 minute longer.
- Add in stock and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the Instant Pot.
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Add in carrots, diced tomatoes, barley, bay, thyme, salt, and pepper.
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Place lid on Instant Pot and close valve to sealed. Set to cook on high pressure for 20 minutes.
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Allow pressure to release naturally for 15 minutes.
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Before serving, remove bay and thyme and stir in 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce.
Notes on Pressure Cooker Beef and Barley Soup
- I used sirloin steak to keep this Beef and Barley soup low in fat. You can use stew meat or strip meat as well--just cut any meat into 1-inch chunks.
- I omitted the celery, which is traditional in most barley soup recipes because my kids hate it! Feel free to add in ¼ cup chopped celery to the soup.
- It is not necessary to saute the meat and onions first, it just enhances the flavor and texture of the meat. Feel free to skip that step, just omit the oil as well.
- I am often asked if Barely is gluten-free. Barley contains gluten and therefore, is NOT gluten-free.
- I have used tomato sauce in place of the diced tomatoes before. Again, this helps with picky kids who hate the texture of cooked tomatoes--I have experience with picky kids.
- Leftover Instant Pot Italian Beef? Use the cooking liquid and leftover beef in place of the beef stock and meat. It will be delicious!
- What if your beef is frozen when you want to make this Barley Soup? Skip searing your stew meat and
- If your meat is pre-cut into 1-inch chunks, increase the cooking time by 10 minutes and skip the step of browning the meat.
Slow Cooker Beef and Barley Soup
Don't have an Instant Pot? You can make this Slow Cooker Beef and Barley soup easily!
- Brown your beef on the stove over medium-high heat in 1 tablespoon oil. Once the meat is browned, add to slow cooker with remaining ingredients, except for Worcestershire sauce.
- Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 6 hours.
- Stir in Worcestershire at the end.
Instant Pot Soup Recipes
- Instant Pot Potato Soup
- Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana
- Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
- Instant Pot Lasagna Soup
Instant Pot Beef and Barley Soup
Instant Pot Beef and Barley Soup is a hearty, healthy soup that features a rich broth, tender beef, and hearty barley.
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Servings: 8
Calories: 159kcal
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon oil
- 1 pound stew meat
- 1 small onion minced
- 2 cloves of garlic minced
- 4 carrots peeled and sliced
- 4 cups beef stock low sodium
- 16 ounces diced tomatoes
- ½ cup pearl barley rinsed
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 sprig fresh thyme
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce optional
Instructions
- Turn pressure cooker to saute function. Once heated, add in oil, beef chunks and onion.
- Saute until beef is browned on all sides and then add in garlic and saute 1 minute longer. Turn Instant Pot OFF. Add in stock and scrape up bottom of the pressure cooker to remove any browned bits.
- Add in carrots, diced tomatoes, barley, bay, thyme, salt and pepper.
- Place lid on Instant Pot and close valve to sealed. Set to cook on high pressure for 20 minutes.
- Allow pressure to release naturally for 15 minutes.
- Before serving, reomove bay and thyme and stir in 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce.
Equipment Needed
Notes
- I used Sirloin for this recipe to keep the Beef and Barley Soup light, you can use stew meat or chunks of chuck roast as well.
- If you omit Worcestershire sauce, use 1 teaspoon kosher salt instead of ½ teaspoon.
- Prep Time is 5 minutes. Time to come to pressure 15 minutes. The time to cook is 20 minutes. Time to release pressure 15 minutes. Total Time 55 minutes.
Nutrition
Calories: 159kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 445mg | Potassium: 574mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 5095IU | Vitamin C: 2.8mg | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 1.7mg
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Brenda Q
I made this recipe with frozen cooked ground beef (that’s all I had on hand); raw buckwheat (because i ran out of barley), dried thyme and added a cube of organic beef bouillon for extra beefy flavour. The beef came out more tender and my youngest (super picky eater) loved it.
Kristen Chidsey
Glad to hear that you and your picky eater enjoyed Brenda! Thanks for sharing your substitutions.
Debra Bruzzese
I love this soup and have made it a couple of times already in the instant pot. Fabulous!!
Kristen Chidsey
I love hearing how much you enjoyed Debra! Thanks for leaving a review.
Rosie
I have looked at a few of Your recipes.
I can't find a list of Ingredients and the amounts.
I'm new with the insta pot and need all the help I can get
Kristen Chidsey
Hi Rosie. All of my recipes have ingredients and amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. I talk through the steps through the post and give you tips but the actual recipe is in the recipe card. Hope that helps.
Rosie
I have looked at a few of Your recipes.
I can't find a list of Ingredients and the amounts.
I'm new with the insta pot and need all the help I can get
Jennifer L McGraw
Awesome! Added frozen corn and crushed tomato for flavor and color. My family loves this soup with fresh bread.
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you enjoyed Jennifer! I love this soup with fresh bread as well!
wendy
Delicious! Used to take hours to make Grandma’s recipe beef & barley soup. This was on the table in less than an hour. I doubled the garlic and served with crusty bread.
Kristen Chidsey
I am so glad you enjoyed the flavor and the ease😊