How to cook barley

This blog post will show you the easiest way to cook barley in water or vegetable broth in one pot on the stovetop.

Barley is a wholesome, tasty, and deeply satisfying grain.

Its irresistible, chewy texture makes it an excellent replacement for rice, pasta, and bread.

Barley is one of the first cereal grains domesticated by humans.

Its nutty flavor and irresistible chewy texture make it an excellent alternative to rice, pasta, and bread in barley salad, barley soup, and many other dishes.

You can also use it instead of pasta in pasta e fagioli and pasta e ceci, rice in a mushroom risotto, or add 1/2 cup, raw, to a hearty soup like our lentil soup.

You can get two types of barley at the supermarket: hulled barley and pearl barley.

Hulled barley is a minimally processed whole grain where the hull (external membrane) has been removed to facilitate cooking.

Pearled barley is a semi-whole grain product where both the hull and the bran are removed.

While pearl barley is somewhat more processed than hulled, it’s still a healthy choice because it retains most of its vitamins, minerals, and healthy soluble fibers that help fight heart disease and cholesterol.

Pearl barley is also easier to cook, making it a more convenient choice for busy people who have less time to spend in the kitchen but still want to nourish themselves and their families with wholesome foods.

Pearled barley does not require soaking. The most common method for cooking pearled barley is to boil it in water or vegetable broth.

To do so, rinse the barley with cold running water to remove dirt and debris from harvesting and packaging.

Bring the water or vegetable broth to a boil in a medium-sized pot.

The ratio is 3 parts of water for 1 part of barley, so if you cook 1 cup of barley, you’ll need to boil 3 cups of water.

When the water boils, season it with salt. The amount of salt depends on the amount of barley you are cooking. For one cup of barley, I’d add 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of salt, depending on your preference.

Add the rinsed pearl barley to the boiling water and cook it uncovered and on a gentle simmer for 30 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

By the end, the barley should have absorbed all the water, tripled in size, and become tender while retaining a profoundly satisfying chewy texture.

If you measured the correct amount of water, you shouldn’t need to drain the barley. If some water is left over in the pot, you can gently drain it in a fine-mesh sift.

You can now use the barley as a side dish or to make delicious recipes such as this beautiful barley salad.

Tip: If you are using barley for a soup, like our nourishing barley soup, you will need to increase the liquid as instructed in the recipe you are making.

Hulled barley needs to be soaked before you can cook it. Add it to a pot or large bowl with cold water and soak for 12 to 24 hours.

After soaking, rinse the barley thoroughly under running water, then simmer it in a pot with boiling water for about 50 to 60 minutes, stirring occasionally.

The ratio is 3 parts water for 1 part barley. Check the pot after 50 minutes. If the barley sticks to the pot, add a splash of water to help it finish cooking.

Another way to cook raw barley is to add it raw to soup and stew recipes and let it cook with the other ingredients.

Try adding raw pearled barley to our lentil soup, vegetable soup, cabbage soup, kale soup, and minestrone soup.

Add the raw barley at the same time you add the broth. And remember to rinse it first.

Remember that the barley will absorb water or vegetable broth, so you’ll need to adjust the recipes by adding more liquid as required for the barley to cook fully.

You can also make barley risotto using raw pearled barley instead of rice. It’s delicious in mushroom risotto, butternut squash risotto, and tomato risotto.

In this case, the barley will absorb more liquid than the risotto rice and will take a little longer to cook.

Storage

Make ahead: Barley is excellent for meal prep as it stores well in the fridge and freezer.

Refrigerator: Transfer the cooked barley to an airtight container, let it cool at room temperature for about 1 hour, and then store it in the fridge for 4 – 5 days.

Freezer: Let the barley cool completely, transfer it to a freezer-friendly container such as a freezer bag, and freeze it for up to 3 months. You can freeze single portions if that’s easier for you.

Thaw: Defrost in the refrigerator over several hours or in the microwave with the thawing function. You can also boil frozen barley for a few minutes until thawed.

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