Who can say no to soup? Especially for something like this Barley soup with a chock full of fresh vegetables simmered in seasoning!
Here's an Instant Pot Vegetable Barley soup recipe that is packed with the wholesome goodness of veggies, and barley.
A perfect meal recipe for cold wintery days or a steamy side for a sandwich. It's 100% vegan goodness with no chicken stock or fish sauce. You can prepare this soup over the stovetop, slow cooker, or Instant Pot.
The cooking time with an instant pot or any electric pressure cooker is just under 20 minutes.
So you can prepare this hearty soup recipe from start to finish in 30 minutes or less! I am adding this to my list of favorite Instant Pot recipes that require little or no planning. Isn't that what we all need on weekdays?
I have prepared this soup 3 times in the last 2 weeks. That's how much my 7-year-old liked it. The barley soup is so simple that she was able to follow along easily and called it the simplest soup ever 🙂
This instant pot vegetable barley soup was a great success every time and I can't wait to share the details with you.
I am sure it will be a hit with your whole family just like it was with mine! So let's get started!
Jump to:
What is barley?
Barley is a versatile, nutritious whole grain. It is said to have lots of health benefits including being high in fiber and rich in nutrients such as selenium, phosphorus, magnesium, manganese, and biotin.
For this soup, barley brings a nice and thick texture and complements the flavors from the vegetables very well.
Ingredients note
- Pearl barley: Pearled barley is the most common variety of barley available in any grocery store and the one we need for this recipe. You can also find it online from Amazon.
- Oil: Normally, soup recipes call for butter, but olive oil is a healthier alternative to butter for this recipe. Use extra virgin olive oil and not any blended version.
- Seasoning: I have seen the best results with this blend of seasoning: Italian seasoning mix, paprika powder, bay leaves, black pepper, and cumin powder.
- Vegetables: I used diced celery, onions, tomato paste, carrots, and peppers for this recipe. You could substitute carrots with other root vegetable options like parsnips. Adding potatoes is another option but the I wanted to keep the carb content low for this soup. Bell pepper and green beans are other options if you prefer bright green color in your soup.
- Vegetable stock: You can also use a combination of water and vegetable stock or use low sodium vegetable stock, to prepare this soup.
How to make this
Start by washing the barley in water and rinse until you see clear water. This will remove all the dust in pearl barley.
Set IP on saute mode add oil. As the oil heats up, add chopped garlic and onions. Saute them until onions turn translucent.
Add tomato paste, and deglaze by adding 2 tablespoon water or vegetable stock.
Add the seasonings: Bay leaf, Italian seasoning mix, paprika, cumin powder, black pepper powder. Stir to combine well.
Add chopped vegetables, water, vegetable stock, barley grains, and salt.
Close lid with the vent in sealing position. Set IP on manual mode or pressure cook and the timer set for 15 minutes.
As the timer expires and the IP beeps, turn off the IP manually and wait for pressure to release naturally (not quick release).
Open the lid after all pressure is released and check if barley is cooked (tender core). If not cooked fully, continue to cook in saute mode (medium-high heat) until well done ( 3-5 minutes).
Alternatively, you could also do a quick pressure release with a relatively shorter-timer setting.
Your flavorful soup is ready for the table! Serve hot with a side of sourdough bread or toasted french bread.
Substitution
If you prefer or need a gluten-free option, use Quinoa instead of barley.
You can add any kind of veggies you prefer, that suits your family.
I had used flavorful broth like the low sodium vegetable broth instead of a salt and water combination to make it more flavorful.
To add variation, you could add some vegan butter at the end for extra flavor and richness.
Expert tips
- You can make this on the stove-top too, just adjust the cooking time for about 40 min. The saute setting should be performed on medium heat.
- You could add in your own variation of the seasoning blend instead of the Italian seasoning mix.
- Serve with some vegan parmesan cheese shreds or just salt and pepper.
- Pair this comfort food with a side of crusty bread like toasted french bread.
- Add black beans to make the soup thicker and to have a higher protein content.
- Use the soup as a meal replacement option to help in your weight loss goals.
Recipe FAQ
It takes about 15-20 min depending on the amount of barley you are cooking.
Hulled barley is considered more nutritious, has a chewy texture whereas pearl barley is made by removing the bran layer, so it cooks faster. I used pearled barley in this recipe.
Yes, it can be frozen. Just be sure to thaw it to room temperature and then bring it to a boil in a saucepan before serving it.
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📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Vegetable Barley Soup
Equipment
Process Shot
Check above for step-by-step pictures (most of my recipes include pictures)
Ingredients
- 1¼ cup Pearled barley
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon cumin powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper powder
- 1 ½ cup vegetable chopped
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 bayleaf
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 32 oz vegetable stock
- 2 cups water
- salt to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- Start by washing the barley in water and rinse until you see clear water. This will remove all the dust in pearl barley.1¼ cup Pearled barley
- Set IP on saute mode add oil. As the oil heats up, add chopped garlic and onions. Saute them until onions turn translucent.1 onion chopped, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 garlic cloves minced
- Add tomato paste, and deglaze by adding 2 tablespoon water vegetable stock.1 tablespoon tomato paste
- Add the seasonings: Bay leaf, Italian seasoning mix, paprika, cumin powder, black pepper powder. Stir to combine well.1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, ½ teaspoon paprika, ½ teaspoon cumin powder, 1 bayleaf, ½ teaspoon black pepper powder
- Add chopped vegetables, water, vegetable stock, barley grains, and salt. Close lid with the vent in sealing position. Set IP on manual mode or pressure cook and the timer set for 15 minutes.1 ½ cup vegetable chopped, 32 oz vegetable stock, 2 cups water
- As the timer expires and the IP beeps, turn off the IP manually and wait for pressure to release naturally (not quick release).
- Open the lid after all pressure is released and check if barley is cooked (tender core). If not cooked fully, continue to cook in saute mode (medium-high heat) until well done ( 3-5 minutes).Alternatively, you could also do a quick pressure release with a relatively shorter-timer setting.
- Your flavorful soup is ready for the table! Serve hot with a side of sourdough bread or toasted french bread.
Video
Notes
- You can make this on the stove-top too, just adjust the cooking time for about 40 min. The saute setting should be performed on medium heat.
- You could add in your own variation of the seasoning blend instead of the Italian seasoning mix.
- Serve with some vegan parmesan cheese shreds or just salt and pepper.
- Pair this comfort food with a side of crusty bread like toasted french bread.
- Add black beans to make the soup thicker and to have a higher protein content.
- Use the soup as a meal replacement option to help in your weight loss goals.
YOUR OWN NOTES
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimation only.
Erin says
We made this recipe tonight and added a few extra veggies and halved the amount of barley pearls. It wasn’t quite as tasty as I’d like so next time I’ll double the spices. Thanks for the easy soup!
Uma Raghupathi says
Thanks for the feedback. Yes spices always varies person to person. I suggest tasting it and adding more according to our taste.
Gary Kaetzel says
Hi! I made this last night and had my first bowl of it today! So good!!!! It's -2 here now and this paired well with half of a meatloaf wrap I made last week. I must confess I didn't keep it vegetarian. I added a can of chicken to it but I also added some rehydrated dried Shiitake mushrooms to it and they made a good add! Thanks for another great one!
Uma Raghupathi says
Glad you liked it 🙂
DIANE says
Super simple recipe; very healthy and low cal. I cooked two chicken breasts (bone in and skin on) in a large pot of water which I then used for the broth. I added a ton of vegetables (way more than 1 1/2 cups) and extra broth. After the IP finished, I shredded the chicken and added it to the pot. I left the extra salt and pepper up to each individual. Very, very good!
MyYellowApron says
This is such an amazing soup recipe. Though not a fan of barley, but I think I’ll enjoy it if prepared this way.
Hayley Dhanecha says
This hearty Instant pot vegetable barley soup looks delicious. Lovely recipe.
Mayuri Patel says
Uma, we just had barley soup for dinner! What a coincidence, I click on your blog and see barley soup. It is so filling, healthy and comforting especially during the cold season. I like your idea of making it in the instant pot. Next batch, I am going to make it in the IP.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
I love barley and always have some in the pantry. I made this for lunch today and it was so delicious. Love this one pot meal and Instant pot is a game changer for weekday cooking.
Uma Raghupathi says
Thank you, Sandhya!
Pavani says
Such a hearty and delicious vegetable barley soup this is. Made it for dinner on a snowy day and it was just perfect. Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Vandana says
This is such a great way of adding barley to your diet. It looks so delicious and comforting. I will try this soup recipe for sure.
Uma Raghupathi says
Thank you!
Amrita Roy says
This barley soup with vegetable is healthy nd nutritious. Perfect for cool day to pair it with breads. I am bookmarking the recipe to try soon.
Jenna Martell says
Hi! This soup sounds amazing! Is there really 111g of carbs though?? I was all set to try it till I saw that number. 😔
Uma Raghupathi says
Hi, Jenna Thanks. My nutrition calculation shows an error I think. This soup serves 4. I assume around 35-40g of carbs per serving. sorry for the confusion.
Holly says
What is the serving size?
Uma Raghupathi says
2 cups or 16 ounce
Avin Kohli says
I had barley salad a while back and found it very interesting. I am sure the soup must taste yum too. Just a question if I dont have vegetable stock would it make a difference or should I just add water in soup?