Homemade Beef Barley Soup (Instant Pot + Slow Cooker)
A simple beef barley soup made in the instant pot (or slow cooker.) The beef is tender and the veggies and barley are perfectly cooked. It’s seriously the simplest, most flavorful soup!

Feelin’ all the cozy feels with this hearty beef barley soup.
Warm soups make me want to bust out my fuzzy socks, oversized sweaters, and drink warm earl grey tea lattes all day long. Needless to say, soups are some of my favorite types of food.
And my instant pot beef barley soup isn’t just some boring old soup. I’m talking about the kind of soup that hits all the perfect warm and cozy notes with spoonfuls of flavorful broth, tender chunks of beef, veggies, and tender barley. It’ll stick to your ribs, give your insides a big huge, and leave your belly extra happy.

What I love about instant pot beef barley soup:
What makes this soup recipe 1000x times better is that we’re making it from start to finish in the instant pot. So with just 40 minutes of cook time, you’ll have a soup that tastes like you’ve been slow-simmering it all day long. And yes, you sure can cook this recipe all day long and make beef barley soup in the slow cooker if that’s more your jam.

What do you need to make beef barley soup at home?
- Beef: you’ll need stew meat for this recipe. My grocery store sells pieces that are about 1 – 1 ½ inch pieces. Keep in mind that the smaller your pieces are, the less time this soup will take in the instant pot. If they’re too large, feel free to chop them down a bit!
- Mushrooms: I like to use baby Bella mushrooms for this recipe. However, button mushrooms would also work here.
- Mirepoix: Mirepoix is the base of the soup. It’s a combination of onions, celery, and carrots.
- Garlic: You can use as little or as much garlic you like for this recipe. I typically go a bit heavier than most, and we love a good flavorful broth.
- Beef broth: I suggest using low sodium beef broth for this recipe. If you’re in a pinch and don’t have beef broth on hand, you can substitute it with low sodium chicken broth (or stock) and add a tablespoon of low sodium soy sauce. I’ve done this plenty of times with great results!
- Seasonings and sauces: I recently started adding a dash of tomato paste to my soup, and I love the flavor profile it adds to this soup. Along with that, you’ll need bay leaves, dried thyme, and mushroom powder. The mushroom powder is optional, but it’s an umami flavor bomb if you have it on hand! Just ½ teaspoon takes this soup to new heights!
- Pearl barley: is a grain that has had the tough fibrous outer hull removed from it.
- Potato: Just a big old russet is what you need here! Remove the peel and shred the potato in your food processor.


How to make beef barley soup in your instant pot:
- Start by generously seasoning the stew meat with salt and pepper. Heat a splash of oil in the instant pot on the saute setting. When hot, add a batch of the meat and brown it evenly on all sides. Take your time here. The browning and fond that develops at the bottom of the pan give this soup a hearty and rich flavor. Remove the meat to a plate when it’s done. You’ll treat the mushrooms the same way; brown them, and remove them to the same plate.
- Add another splash of oil to the instant pot and saute your onions, carrots as celery. When softened, add the garlic and tomato paste. You want to allow the tomato paste time to bloom in the oil before adding the remaining ingredients. Then, add everything but the potatoes, cover, and cook.
- When the instant pot timer goes off, allow a natural pressure release. Then, place the instant pot back on the saute setting, stir in the shredded potatoes, place the IP lid on top (not locked, just placed on top) and let the soup continue to cook for another 10-15 minutes or until the potato has cooked through. Taste and adjust with additional seasonings. If the soup is too thick, you can thin it with additional broth.

Why did you change this recipe? I’ve made it with different instructions before.
The honest answer? I was a noob with the instant pot when I first shared this recipe and didn’t really have a full grasp on timings and such, so I went based on the manual. After using my IP for the last several years, I’ve learned a few tricks. This new method does have a plus (and a minus.)
- PLUS: it saves time. The previous version didn’t have pearl barley added until the potatoes were added and an additional hour of slow cooking was required (even for the IP!)
- MINUS: I do find that the soup becomes significantly thicker when you add the barley and let it cook with the meat. However, I’ve adjusted the broth with an additional cup for pressure cooking. And if you still find it’s thick, it’s an easy fix. You can add additional broth towards the end and thin the soup out to your liking.

Shortcuts to make Beef Barley Soup even faster:
- Use store-bought mirepoix. If you look in the prepared foods section, they often sell a 3-cup container of prepared mirepoix, so it’s ready to cook.
- Use store-bought shredded potatoes. You can usually find these in the breakfast refrigerated section of your grocery store. Thawed shredded hash browns would also work for this recipe.

PS – Up until recently, I’ve always used diced potatoes in my beef barley soup but the shredded potatoes is a little trick I picked up from The Food Charlatan and it’s seriously the best thing in this soup!
This recipe was originally shared in Sept. 2016 and updated with new pictures, texts, and minor recipe adjustments in Jan. 2021.
Comforting Beef Barley Soup (Instant Pot)
A simple beef barley soup made in the instant pot (pressure cooker). The beef is tender, veggies are perfectly cooked, and the barley is al-dente. It's seriously the simplest, most delicious soup. And it's healthy too!

Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds stew meat, cut into 1¼ inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 10 baby bella mushrooms, quartered
- 3 cups mirepoix (just a combination of chopped onion, celery, and carrots)
- 6-8 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons tomato paste
- 7 cups low sodium beef broth (or vegetable)
- 1 cup water
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ teaspoon EACH: dried thyme AND mushroom powder (opt.)
- ⅔ cup pearl barley, rinsed
- 1 large potato, peeled + shredded (using a food processor or grater)
Instructions
- SAUTE: Season the stew meat with a good pinch of salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large pot or in the instant pot over medium-high heat. Add ½ the stew meat and brown on all sides for about 2-3 minutes total. Remove meat to a plate and repeat with the second batch and the second tablespoon of oil. Add the mushroom to the pot and brown the mushrooms for 1-2 minutes or until they start picking up the brown bits left behind by the meat. Remove the mushrooms to the same plate as the stew meat.
- VEGGIES: If needed, add a little more oil to the pot and the mirepoix mix. Cook the veggies for 4-5 minutes or until the onions soften and become translucent. Add the garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds before adding the tomato paste and letting it brown for an additional 30 seconds.
- INSTANT POT: Add the stew meat, mushrooms, bay leaves, dried thyme, mushroom powder, water, beef broth, and barley to sautéed veggies in the instant pot, cover and hit the manual button (high pressure), and cook for 16 minutes. Allow the pressure to release before removing the lid. Hit the saute setting on the instant pot, covered (use the IP lid and just place it on top, don't lock.) Add the shredded potatoes allow the soup to cook for 10-15 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked through. Season with additional seasonings to taste and thin soup with additional water or stock if it gets too thick. Serve warm with chopped parsley on top and a loaf of crusty bread or crackers.
- SLOW COOKER: to make the soup in the slow cooker, add the softened veggies, stew meat, mushrooms, bay leaves, dried thyme, mushroom powder, water, beef broth, and barley to the slow cooker and allow the soup to cook on the high setting for 3 hours or on the low setting for 6 hours. Add the shredded potatoes to the slow cooker during the last 1 hour of cooking. Season with additional seasonings to taste and thin soup with additional water or stock if it gets too thick. Season with additional seasonings as desired. Serve warm!
Notes
UPDATE: As of 01/2021 this recipe has been updated to include the tomato paste and mushroom powder as well as minor recipe adjustments to make this soup faster. These ingredients are optional, however, I do find that the soup tastes better with them. If you’ve made the previously shared IP version and prefer that recipe, you can make it by omitting the mushroom powder and tomato paste and adding the barley and shredded potato at the end (after pressure cooking) using the slow cooker function for 1 hour.
- Sometimes I like to spice things up by adding a little pinch of red pepper flakes along with the dried thyme too but this is purely optional.
Recommended Products
Other instant pot soups you might like:
- Winter Lemon Chicken Barley Soup
- Very Best Cuban Black Bean Soup
- Instant Pot Cajun Butternut Squash Soup
- Easy Cheese Bean and Rice Enchilada Soup
- Instant Pot Chicken Wild Rice Soup
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I’m new to pressure cookers, so bear with my probably obvious question. What is the reason for not adding the barley and potatoes in with everything else?
I like to add the barley and potatoes in afterwards so I can let the soup simmer and really develop the flavors a bit more and so I can cook the barley to preference. Big on texture here so for me, the barley has to be just done. If you don’t mind it being a little on the softer side, you can certainly add it all in at once! Hope that answers your question Jennifer 🙂
Thanks for the reply! That definitely helps! Hubby is going to be so excited to have this soup this week! 🙂
My Instant Pot arrived yesterday and I christened it with this delicious recipe! I made a few, small changes: 1. I cubed the potatoes instead of shredding them. 2. I added the barley and potatoes into the mix right away instead of breaking it up into two parts. 3. I only used the “Meat/Stew” button which had the soup ready in 35 minutes (plus the prep and sautéing time).
The barley was cooked to our liking (not too squishy, not too firm) and the meat was incredibly tender!
This recipe is definitely one of my “go-to” recipes! Thanks for sharing!
I assume after the 35 minutes, you did a full natural release?
Excellent! Very flavorful. I skipped the potato (didn’t want the extra carbs) and accidentally threw in the barley with everything else and it was still fantastic!!
I got my Instant Pot before the holidays and have been trying out new recipes. This was my first soup and it was awesome! Very tasty and the family loved it. Loved serving them a healthy meal not full of preservatives and sodium that canned soups have. This is definitely a keeper for the cold winter coming!
Looking forward to trying this recipe on my instant pot. How long do you keep it on slow cook once you add the barley and potatoes in the instant pot?
See step #6.
Excellent soup especially in the dead of winter with -24 c . The only change I made was the 1 hr wait for the barley , when you have kids it has to be instant , so all I did is added the barley and push soup 5 min and tested it out it was still al dente so I did and other 5 min soup button . It was Perfect !!
Keep the recipes coming
Valérie
I appreciated this recommendation, Valerie, because I also needed a quicker cooking time. (I had already had to increase step one’s time to 25 minutes to ensure my grass fed beef shank would be tender) I used the soup button for 10 minutes and the barley was cooked perfectly.
Great suggestion. I also tried cooking the barley and potatoes on the soup setting for 10 minutes instead of slow cooking for an hour and it tasted great. The whole family loved it. Next time, I am going to try adding the barley and potatoes from the start and use the Meat/Stew setting.
Hi – what a fantastic recipe!! I made this soup for our lunches – it’s going to be a very tasty work week 🙂
Do you cover in step 6? I have glass lid too
Yes, you’ll need to cover it.
This was my 1st time ever both eating & making Beef & Barley Soup! It turned out FANTASTIC!!! My question for today’s dinner is:
I am literally turning Last Night’s Pot Roast Dinner into tonight’s B & B Soup. I just have to add the Mirepoix & the Barley. Can I PRESSURE COOK these add-ins, and if so, for how long? I am a bit of a Newbie to Pressure Cooking, but my guesstimate would be 8 minutes, then Natural Release? Thanks for any input!! Can’t wait for Dinner!~~~
Hi Linda! So happy to hear you enjoyed the recipe! Hmmm, to tell you the truth, i’m also still figuring my way with the pressure cooker. But I do think it would be in the ball park of 8 minutes. If you find the veggies are still a little crunchy, you can always cook them a little further. 🙂
This was the first recipe we tried in our new IP. It turned out wonderful! We added extra beef. We’ll definitely this make again. It cooked so nicely in the IP without getting mushy.
The setting for step number 5 is “manual”?
I just hit the meat/stew button and dialed it down to 15 minutes but I guess manual should work too.
Is it possible to add quick-cooking barley?
You probably could but you’ll need to monitor for doneness. I’ve only tested the recipe with the regular stuff so it’s hard for me to say how long it’ll take.
Made this this evening and it turned out terrific! I didn’t have beef broth, instead used Campbell’s chicken broth. This recipe is a keeper. This was my first time making beef barley soup. The shredded potato was a nice trick.
I made this today and my husband and dogs loved it! I don’t eat beef, but the smell was amazing even for me. I will be trying more of your recipes soon.
This stew has amazing flavors!! Even my 2 year old loved this!! Thanks for sharing!!
I’ve made the recipe twice. Everything is delicious except my beautiful grass fed stew meat was undercooked. I’m wondering about the final step. Would 2 hours slow cooking be better or maybe the stew/meat setting?
I’m glad to hear you thought it was delicious! I think if you’ve made it twice (and the meat was undercooked both times) your best bet would be to up the pressure cooking time. Rather than 13-16, maybe more like 18-25 minutes. I don’t know if you’re using an Instant Pot or a different brand of an electric pressure cooker, but I’ve learned that sometimes the cook time varies a bit between brands. Two hours of slow cooking may do the trick too just depends on how undercooked the beef was and how well done you like your barley! Hope that helps!
When you say in step 5 to pressure cook for 13-15 minutes, do you mean press the “Manuel” button to do it? I’m new to the Instant Pot, so I need lots of details 🙂
Sorry I see someone else had the same question that you already answered!
Made this today. Its middle of August and 95+ degrees, but no accounting for when this craving hits. It’s delicious and was easy to make. I omitted the potato, but will add it in the future. Thank you for doing the hard work.
The beauty of the pressure cooker is that the temp get high enough to bloom and Mary spices which is why soups and other foods taste so much better. For this reason there is no need to simmer for taste. The IP does it for you. I have an article that explains the science behind this and will try to locate. Blessings. Joana
Most beautiful beef and barley soup I have ever seen! Will definitely be making this in my IP!!!!
Just made this in my instapot I just bought last week and it is terrific. Very flavourful and yummy. Will be making this again and again.
Does this freeze well?
Hubby and I made this as our 1st recipe in the Instant pot. Not knowing what to expect it took 6 months to get it out of the box!
This was a bit complicated but I have to say it was well worth it! This was fantastic! Thank you for sharing, this will be a regular fall and winter comfort food.
I just made a big batch of beef stock last week and this was the perfect use for some of it! I used a grass fed beef bone shank and cooked it for 25 minutes before chopping it up and returning it to the pot. Because of the longer cooking time, I waited to add the mirepoix. I added it, the mushrooms, and the barley (skipped the potato because I had none) to the pot and set the soup button to 10 minutes. The beef was tender and the barley was cooked perfectly. Great meal for the first chilly evening of fall!
This is my favorite soup which I freeze and is my go to lunch. I really do not change anything except I try to use home made stock and I do up the meat.
Can you 1.5 or double this recipe in the instant pot? Making it tonight! Looks delicious.
Hi Megan! Yes, I think a 1.5 batch should fit in the instant pot (if you’ve got a 6 qt or larger). I don’t think a 6 quart would be able to hold a double batch though. Hope you enjoy the soup!
can this recipe be doubled? And does the meat need to be defrosted first? Thank you! Excited to try
Yes, the recipe can be doubled but it’ll depend on the size of your pressure cooker. If you’ve got the 6 qt. IP, like I do, I don’t think it’ll be able to hold a double batch. And yes, I suggest defrosting the meat beforehand for it to cook and become tender in the time specified. You could probably add frozen meat but I’m uncertain how much it’ll change the cooking time. If you decide to try it with frozen beef, I’d love to hear how it went!
This is an excellent recipe. Thanks for the clear instructions! It’s a keeper!
Is the depressurization before the potatoes and barley natural or quick?
Either works! I’m impatient so I usually do the quick release!
I ran across this recipe today and I am going to make it very soon. It looks and sounds delish. I am a soup lover, so no matter what time of year it is… For me it is always SOUP time!!