Instant Pot Beef And Barley Soup

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Instant Pot Beef And Barley Soup is a deliciously hearty, comforting soup or stew with tender bite-sized pieces of beef, whole-grain barley, carrots, onions, potatoes, and lots of vegetables!

You definitely won’t go hungry with this soup because it will fill you up because it is a meal in a bowl.

Loaded with tender chunks of beef, whole-grain barley, potatoes, and lots of vegetables in a flavorful beef broth, this Beef and Barley Soup is literally a meal in a bowl.

Add it to your list of 10 Best Instant Pot Soups and it’s certain to one of your favorite Beef Recipes and Soup Recipes.

Table of Contents

• Why You’ll Love Beef And Barley Soup
• What Makes This Pressure Cooker Beef And Barley Soup Recipe Work
• What Is Barley?
• What Type of Beef To Use in Beef And Barley Soup?
• How To Make Beef And Barley Soup In An Instant Pot
• Recipe Tips
• Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
• What To Serve With Beef And Barley Soup
• More Recipes You’ll Love
• Recipe
• Reviews

Why You’ll Love Beef And Barley Soup

A big bowl of this hearty soup is like a beef stew in that it is rich and filling.

This soup is loaded with flavor from the savory beef broth to the onions, garlic, celery, mushrooms, and more!

But you don’t need to feel guilty because it has lots of wholesome vegetables like carrots and green beans!

It makes a comforting soup or stew on a cold winter evening, or when you want to have a cozy fall dinner!

It is one of our favorite Instant Pot Beef Recipes, right up there with Instant Pot Beef Stew, Instant Pot Beef Tips And Gravy, and Instant Pot Mississippi Pot Roast! That is saying a lot!

What Makes This Pressure Cooker Beef And Barley Soup Recipe Work

This Beef And Barley Soup is a one-pot meal because the only pots and pans you will need is the Instant Pot.

One thing you will love is that this is a one-pot meal. Everything can be done in the Instant Pot from browning the meat, to sautéing the vegetables, to pressure cooking the soup! 

That means only one pot to wash, which saves you time in the kitchen, so you can spend more time with your family!

In addition, unlike a slow cooker, you don’t need to simmer the soup all day. With the pressure cooker, like an Instant Pot, you can have dinner on the table in about 45 minutes! However, it is so rich and flavorful, everyone will think that it cooked all day!

What Is Barley?

This was the question asked by the grocery store employee when I asked what aisle the barley was on. Our grocery store is in the midst of rearranging the food on all the aisles and nothing is where I expected it to be.

If the grocery store clerk didn’t know what barley was, many of you may be wondering about barley as well.

According to Medical News Today, is a cereal grain that is a whole grain that is often used in cereal, stews, and more. It has lots of fiber, minerals, and vitamins! Therefore, you can feel good about eating it and serving it to your family!

What Type of Beef To Use in Beef And Barley Soup?

I like to cut up a chuck roast into small bite-sized chunks to use in the soup. If you don’t want to cut it up yourself, you could ask the butcher to cut up the roast for you. Another alternative is to use packaged beef stew meat where the grocery store has already cut up the meat for you.

How To Make Beef And Barley Soup In An Instant Pot

The affiliate links below will allow you to see the product on Amazon.com. If you choose to purchase one of the items, I will receive a very small commission on the product and does not increase the price.

Equipment

• 6-quart Instant Pot Duo60 - I use the 6-Quart Instant Pot Duo from Amazon.com for my recipes.  It is the medium size and I like it as probably most recipes are written for the 6 quarter. However, they have many models of Instant Pot, including in a 3-quart size, or an 8-quart size.
• Chef's Knife   I like this 8-inch knife from Amazon.com for chopping, mincing, etc. I like the quality of this knife.
• Cutting Board from Amazon.com – You can choose from all different materials and shapes and sizes for what works best for you.
• Measuring Cups from Amazon.com – Be sure to use the measuring cups designed for liquids only and not for dry ingredients for the most accurate measurement.
• Measuring Spoons – from Amazon.com – I keep several sets of measuring spoons on hand so I have them when I need them and they are not in the dishwasher.

Ingredients

• Beef Chuck Roast.  Trim and cut the chuck roast into 1-inch pieces, or you can use already cut up beef stew meat.
• Salt and Pepper.
• Italian Seasoning. This is a blend of thyme, rosemary, oregano, marjoram, and more. 
• Onion. I used a sweet onion, but you could use a white or Vidalia onion as well.
• Garlic. Mince the garlic and it will cook for about 1 minute with the other vegetables.
• Celery. Reserve 2 or 3 stalks of celery for this soup.
• Mushrooms. I used sliced white mushrooms.
• Carrots. I chopped up about a dozen or so baby carrots to use in the soup.
• Green Beans. I cut up some green beans that were about 1-inch long. I add these after pressure cooking so they don’t get mushy.
• Potatoes. I cut up some Yukon gold potatoes into about 1/2-inch chunks. However, you could also use russet potatoes or red potatoes.
• Barley. Look for the pearled barley. It has neither the hull nor the bran and is perfect for soup. I used this pearled barley.
• Beef Broth. I recommend using reduced-sodium so you can control the amount of salt.
• Diced Tomatoes and Chilies. If you don’t want the chilies, you could use a can of regular diced tomatoes.
• Worcestershire. There is no substitute for this unique flavor.
• Parsley. I add chopped parsley as a garnish just before serving.

Directions

1. Brown The Beef. 
   1. Sprinkle beef with salt and pepper.
   2. Press Saute, High, and then when hot, add oil.
   3. Brown the beef in the oil, but don’t cook all the way through. There will be pink in the middle. Remove, and drain excess fat, but leave about a tablespoon in the pot.
2. Sauté The Vegetables.
   1. Sauté onions, celery, carrots, and mushrooms.
   2. Then add minced garlic and stir.
      

      

3. Add Remaining Ingredients.
   1. Add chunks of beef back in. Add Italian seasoning.
   2. Add in potatoes and barley.
   3. Pour in 6 cups of reduced-sodium beef broth, 1 can diced tomatoes and chilies, and Worcestershire sauce.
   4. Add 2 bay leaves.
      

      

4. Pressure Cook. 
   1. Close the lid. Move the pressure release valve to the SEALING position.
   2. Cancel the Sauté function and press MANUAL or PRESSURE COOK and adjust the time using the +/- sign to set the pressure cook time to 15 minutes HIGH PRESSURE.
5. Natural Release.
   1. Let it release pressure naturally for 15 minutes, and then move the Pressure Release Valve to the VENTING position to release any remaining pressure.
6. Saute Again. 
   1. Press CANCEL and then press SAUTE on High.
   2. Add cut green beans and let cook for 5 minutes or so.
      

      

7. Serve.
   1. Add chopped parsley for garnish just before serving. Serve hot. Enjoy!

Recipe Tips

• Brown The Beef.  Don’t skip this step. Searing the beef using the SAUTE feature locks in the juices and gives the beef extra flavor.
• Cutting The Vegetables. I like to cut the vegetables into bite-sized pieces to make them easier to eat in a soup. However, don’t cut them too small or they may overcook and turn to mush.
• Don’t Add The Green Beans Too Soon.  Most people are tempted to add the green beans at the same time as the other ingredients before pressure cooking. Don’t do it! The green beans will cook faster than everything else and will turn to mush. That is why I wait to add the green beans after the soup has pressure cooked and use the SAUTE feature to cook the green beans.
• Reduce Time To Pressure. Every Instant Pot recipe requires time for the Instant Pot to come up to pressure. The more liquid the recipe contains, the longer it takes to come up to pressure. Sometimes it can take up to 20 minutes to come up to pressure. However, if you warm the broth first, it can reduce the time to come up to pressure since the broth is already hot. Just heat the broth in the microwave while you sauté the beef and vegetables.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

• Is Barley Gluten-Free?
  • No. Barley is a whole grain and does contain gluten.
• Can I Use Frozen Beef In This Recipe?
  • If the frozen beef is already cut up in chunks, then yes you can use it in this recipe. You’ll just skip the step to sauté the beef. 
• Can I Freeze Beef And Barley Soup?
  • Yes. Place the soup in a freezer-safe, airtight container, and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
• How Do I Store Beef And Barley Soup?
  • Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
• Can I Add The Green Beans At The Same Time As Other Ingredients?
  • If you were to add the green beans at the beginning, then most likely the green beans would be overcooked and turned to mush. I add them after pressure cooking and use the sauté function to cook the green beans. However, if you want to skip this step, you could choose to leave out the green beans, and then you could skip the saute step after pressure cooking.

What To Serve With Beef And Barley Soup

• Crusty French Bread
• Green Salad

More Recipes You’ll Love

• Instant Pot Taco Soup
• Instant Pot Chicken Tortilla Soup
• Mexican Beef And Rice Casserole
• Instant Pot Ham Green Beans And Potatoes
• Instant Pot Chicken Stew
• Beef Tips and Rice

If you like this recipe or make this recipe,  be sure to leave a comment, rate the recipe, and follow us on:

Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | BlogLovin | Instagram

Recipe