Instant Pot Beef and Barley Soup

Instant Pot Beef and Barley Soup is a meal my family loves year-round. It warms you up in the wintertime, but it’s also good in the summer when you want a filling, hearty dish — you don’t have to heat up the kitchen to make it.

Instant Pot Beef and Barley Soup
Photo by David Thielen / Unsplash

Instant Pot Beef and Barley Soup is a meal my family loves year-round. It warms you up in the wintertime, but it’s also good in the summer when you want a filling, hearty dish — you don’t have to heat up the kitchen to make it, thanks to the pressure cooker. Best of all, it only takes 15 minutes to cook.


Jump down to the recipe.

Barley is one of my favorite grains. It has a delicious nutty flavor that goes really well with broth and beef. This beef and barley soup is delicious with some crusty sourdough bread and butter. A glass of red wine or a a dark or amber beer is a good accompaniment.

Why Cook With an Instant Pot?

Beef and barley soup is very fast and easy to make in the pressure cooker! Just chop everything up, sauté the onions and meat, set it for 15 minutes, and you’re done.

I don’t recommend just any pressure cooker. I bought and recommend the Instant Pot because it has a stainless steel bowl instead of Teflon, which is toxic and adds fluoride to your food.

How To Make Instant Pot Beef & Barley Soup

If you make this recipe the regular way on the stovetop, the cooking time is 40-50 minutes. In the pressure cooker, it takes only 15 minutes (after the pressure cooker heats up).

Instant Pot Beef & Barley Soup: Recipe Notes

This recipe calls for pearl barley, which is refined (like white rice). If you buy hulled barley, you will need to soak it overnight.

For bone broth, you can use beef broth (preferable) or chicken stock.

I included a little red wine and Thai fish sauce in the recipe to boost the umamai (savory) flavor. You could also use anchovy paste or soy sauce instead of Thai fish sauce. If you don’t want to use red wine, you can leave it out, but I think it improves the flavor substantially.

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Instant Pot Beef and Barley Soup