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Instant Pot Beef and Barley Soup is a comforting classic made easy. Packed with tender beef, perfectly cooked barley, and a rich flavorful broth, this satisfying soup delivers a cozy favorite in under an hour!
Traditional beef and barley soup can take hours to develop flavor. With the Instant Pot, you get the same depth of flavor in a fraction of the time--just like my recipes for Instant Pot Beef Stew, Instant Pot Stuffed Pepper Soup, and Instant Pot Cabbage Soup.
Key Ingredients
- Beef: Sirloin, chuck roast, or stew meat all work beautifully. Choose pre-cut stew meat for convenience or cube it into 2-inch pieces yourself if desired.
- Aromatics: Onion, carrot, celery, and garlic form the flavor-packed base of this soup.
- Beef Stock: Opt for high-quality, low-sodium broth to control the flavor and sodium levels.
- Barley: Be sure to use pearl barley, not quick-cook barley for best results.
- Seasonings: Fresh thyme, bay leaves, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce elevate the flavor of the soup.
- Diced Tomatoes: If you have issues with the texture of diced tomatoes, swap them out for crushed tomatoes.
How to Make Instant Pot Beef and Barley Soup
If you are unfamiliar with cooking in an Instant Pot or the functions of your Instant Pot, be sure to start with my guide for using an Instant Pot for the best results on this and future recipes. You will find the full recipe in detail in the recipe card below.
- Sear Beef with Aromatics. Using the Sauté function, sauté the cubed beef with diced onions, carrots, and celery, until the beef is browned and the onions begin to soften. Add in the garlic and continue to sauté for 30-60 seconds, just to toast the garlic. Once toasted, hit cancel to turn off the Instant Pot.
- Deglaze the Inner Pot. Add in 1 cup of the broth and then use a spoon or spatula to scrape up all the browned bits off the bottom of the inner pot. That will not only add flavor the beef and barley soup, but will also prevent a burn notice.
- Layer Ingredients. Add in the remaining broth, barley, bay, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper to the inner pot and stir to combine. Add the tomatoes and gently stir into the soup.
- Pressure Cook. Seal the Instant Pot and cook on high pressure for 20 minutes. This will ensure the beef becomes tender, the broth rich, and the barley to be just perfectly cooked.
- Let Pressure Release Naturally. Once the cooking time has elapsed, allow the pressure to release naturally for at least 15 minutes. To try to do a quick release of pressure would cause hot liquid to spew all over the kitchen and the beef to potentially seize up and become tough.
- Serve. Once the pressure has released, remove the bay leaves, adjust seasonings if needed, and serve.
Recipe Modifications
- Use Frozen Beef: To prepare this soup with frozen cubed stew beef, sauté the onions, carrots, and celery as directed, but skip adding the beef. Add frozen beef to the inner pot with the barley and adjust the cooking time to 30 minutes.
- Slow Cooker Beef and Barley Soup: Don't have an Instant Pot? You can make Crockpot Beef and Barley Soup easily! In a large pan, heat 1-2 teaspoons of oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is heated, add the seasoned beef, carrots, onions, and celery to the pan and sauté until the beef is evenly browned on all sides. Remove from the heat and add to the base of a crockpot. along with the garlic, beef broth, diced tomatoes, salt, pepper, bay leaves, thyme, barley, and Worcestershire sauce. Give everything a good stir to combine. Cook on low for 8-9 hours or high for 5-6 hours.
Storage Instructions
Beef and barley soup both reheats and freezes well, making it a great soup to make in large batches and keep on hand in the freezer for a hearty bowl of comforting soup on a busy night.
- To Refrigerate: Allow the soup to cool slightly and then store the soup in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- To Freeze: Allow the soup to cool slightly and then transfer the cooled soup to freezer-safe containers or bags, being sure to allow 1 to 2 inches of excess space to allow for expansion. Store the Beef and Barley soup in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- To Reheat: If needed, defrost the soup in the refrigerator overnight. Transfer the leftover soup to a heat-safe bowl or in a small stock pan and heat until warmed through. Keep in mind, that you may need to add a splash of stock or water when reheating, as the barley absorbs some of the liquid after being refrigerated or frozen.
Instant Pot Soup Recipes
- Instant Pot Potato Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken Gnocchi Soup
- Instant Pot Zuppa Toscana
- Instant Pot Tomato Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup
- Instant Pot Lasagna Soup
If you enjoyed this Beef and Barley soup, I would love for you to take the time to leave a comment and a review.
Instant Pot Beef and Barley Soup
Instant Pot Beef and Barley Soup is an easy recipe for a soup that features tender beef and perfectly cooked barley in a rich, deep broth.
Video
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound sirloin steak or chuck roast, cut into 1 to 2-inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 1½ teaspoon black pepper, divided
- 1 small onion, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 large carrots, peeled and sliced
- 2 stalks celery, minced
- 4 cups low-sodium beef stock/broth, low sodium
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 1 sprig fresh thyme, or ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon prepared Horseradish, optional
- ½ cup pearl barley, rinsed and drained
- 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes, or crushed tomatoes
Instructions
- Turn the pressure cooker to sauté function, add oil, and let heat for a minute. While the oil is heating, season the meat evenly with ½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper.
- Once the oil is heated, add in the beef, carrots, celery, and onion. Saute until the beef is browned on all sides and the vegetables begin to soften. Add in garlic and sauté for 1 minute longer. Turn Instant Pot OFF by hitting cancel.
- Add in 1 cup of beef stock and scrape up the bottom of the pressure cooker to remove any browned bits using a wooden spoon or spatula.
- Add the remaining 3 cups of stock, bay leaves, thyme, ½ teaspoon of salt, 1 teaspoon of pepper, Worcestershire Sauce, prepared horseradish, if using, rinsed barley, and stir to combine. Add the diced tomatoes and gently stir to combine.
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot and close the valve to seal. Set to cook on high pressure for 20 minutes. Hit "Manual" or "Pressure Cook" and use the +/- buttons to adjust the time.
- After the cooking time has elapsed, allow the pressure to release naturally for at least 15 minutes. Once pressure has been released, open the lid and remove the bay leaves and the sprig of thyme.
- Give the soup a taste and add additional salt or pepper if needed and serve.
Notes
Beef: Sirloin beef, chuck roast, or stew meat are all great options for this Beef and Barley Soup. Either purchase a whole sirloin steak or chuck roast and cut yourself into approximately 2-inch cubes, or purchase stew meat that has already been cubed for you.
Saute: It is NOT necessary to saute the beef and vegetables first, but it does add a depth flavor to the final soup.
If using FROZEN cubed beef, do not sauté the beef. Instead just sauté the onions, carrots, and celery if desired, and then add the beef with the remaining ingredients. Adjust the cooking time to 30 minutes.
Barley: Be sure to use pearled barley, not quick-cook barley for best results.
Tomatoes: Diced tomatoes or crushed tomatoes both work well to add flavor to the broth, it just comes down to preference or using what you have on hand.
Storage: Store cooled, leftover soup in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. You can also freeze the cooled soup for up to 3 months. Keep in mind, you may need to add a splash of stock or water when reheating, as the barley absorbs some of the liquid as it sits.
Total Time: Prep Time is 10 minutes. Time to come to pressure 15 minutes. The time to cook is 20 minutes. Time to release pressure is 15 minutes. Total time is about 60 minutes.
Nutrition
Calories: 159kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 16gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 34mgSodium: 445mgPotassium: 574mgFiber: 3gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 5095IUVitamin C: 2.8mgCalcium: 42mgIron: 1.7mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Tried this recipe?Mention @amindfullmom or tag #amindfullmom!
This recipe was originally published in 2018 but was updated in 2025.
Can you give a rough measure on how much carrots and onions to put in, in cups? It's always difficult for me to interpret given the varying sizes of carrots and onions.
Hi Jason! For this recipe I would use about 1/2 cup minced onion and 1 cup sliced carrots. Feel free to change up those amounts slightly based on what you have 🙂
Can you use dried thyme instead of the sprig of thyme
Yes Lynette, I would use 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme. Dried herbs are much more potent.
I followed this recipe exactly as written and all the water steamed out and vegetables were mushy. Very disappointing ☹️
Hi Mary. If all the water steamed out, it was because your vent knob was not sealed. If sealed, all the water will remain in the pressure cooker.
Soup was Awesome I used Elk from last hunting season. Which we had canned our own Stock it worked fantastic. Thank you so much.
We Love Beef Barley, but I use Elk in place of Beef which is even healthier no hormones or antibiotics. Fresh is Fresh! We are planning our hunting season once more so excited... Turkey too. I am so excited to have my Instant Pot and taking it with us while hunting in our Camper it will surely come in handy. Thank you so much for your Lovely Recipe!
This would make a great soup for camping! I hope you have fun on your adventure! And while I don't cook with elk meat much, I do love bison which also works great in this soup.
This instant pot soup is just what I needed! Ready to crank the AC and curl up with a bowl of piping hot beef and barley soup RN!
Oh yes, I am with you on turning up the air conditioner to enjoy this soup in the hot summer months! Enjoy!
I've got this delicious soup in my slow cooker as I type and the aroma filling my kitchen is amazing!
Oh that makes me so happy! Enjoy Joanie!