If you need to get more fiber in your diet, why not treat yourself to a bowl of cooked barley? Barley is a versatile, nutritious grain that’s packed with vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. Eating barley on a regular basis can improve your health, lower your cholesterol, aid your digestion and provide a number of other health benefits.
With this easy tutorial, you’ll learn how long to cook barley, including pearled and hulled, and how to cook it in soup or on its own.
Cooked pearl barley on the left, hulled barley on the right.
Difference Between Pearl and Hulled Barley
When you learn how to cook barley, you’ll find that it comes in two main forms: pearl barley and hulled barley. Hulled barely has everything but the outer hull, making it the healthier form of barley. It is darker in color in comparison to pearl barley. You’ll get fiber and nutrients from the entire grain, not just the inner “pearls”. The only downside is that hulled barley takes longer to cook.
Conversely, pearled barley is a form of barley with the husks and shells (the bran) removed through a process called ‘pearling’. It’s still nutritious and cooks a little faster than hulled barley. If you’re in a pinch, you might want to use pearl barley in your recipe so you can cook the barley as soon as possible. Otherwise, you might want to use hulled barley to get the full benefit of this whole grain.
Pot Barley Vs. Hulled Barley
There is another form of barley, called Pot Barley. Pot barley is somewhere in between pearl barley and hulled barley in terms of processing. It is also put through a pearling machine, but for a shorter amount of time, which keeps some of the bran intact.
How to Cook Barley on Its Own
Step 1: Prepare Ingredients
- 1 cup pearl barley or hulled barley
- 3 cups water or broth
- 1 pinch salt
Step 2: Rinse Barley in Cool Water
Rinse the barley with cool water in a mesh strainer.
Step 3: Add the Ingredients to a Saucepan
Add the barley, water (or broth) and salt to a saucepan.
Step 4: Bring to a Boil
Bring to a boil over high heat (keep an eye on it, as it will start to foam up quickly once boiling).
Step 5: Cook the Barley
Pearl barley
Hulled barley
When the water comes to a boil, lower the heat for a gentle simmer and cover. Pearl barley needs to cook for 25 minutes or more and hulled barley needs to cook longer, for 40 minutes or more. Check for doneness and water level at these times and every 5 minutes after. Simply add a bit more water or broth if needed.
When it is done cooking, the barley will have expanded by 2-3 times in volume and have a nice and soft, chewy texture.
Step 6: Remove From Heat and Rest the Barley
Take the pot off of the heat, keep covered, and let stand for 10 minutes. When the barley is done, you may need to drain some water (pearl barley will absorb more water than hulled). If a lot of water is remaining in the pot, simply drain it off.
Step 7: Fluff With a Fork & Serve
Fluff with a fork, season to taste (if needed) and serve!
How to Cook Barley in Soup
Pearl barley in soup.
Hulled barley in soup.
For a Creamier Barley Soup
If you want a creamier-textured soup: begin by rinsing the pearl barley with cool water in a mesh strainer. Then, cook the barley with all of the soup ingredients, until soft. The pearl barley will release some starches and give the soup a thicker, creamier consistency.
For a Lighter Barley Soup
If you prefer a lighter, more clear soup: just cook it separately using the above directions, rinse in a mesh strainer and then add it into the soup towards the end.
If you enjoy whole grains, you can eat a bowl of cooked barley for breakfast or lunch. Some people also use barley as a replacement for rice. You can serve barley with meat and vegetables, add it to a fresh salad, make a soup or stew, cook barley porridge or make a healthy grain bowl.
Barley is great for meal planning in advance. Add a bed of cooked and cooled barley to your container, top it with meat and vegetables and store it in the fridge until you go to work the next day. You could even make barley water if you’d prefer to drink your whole grains.
What dish did you make with your new barley-cooking skills? Let us know in the comments and please share the recipe!
How to Cook Barley
Ingredients
- 1 cup pearl barley or hulled barley
- 3 cups water or broth
- 1 pinch salt
Instructions
- Rinse the barley with cool water in a mesh strainer.
- Add the barley, water (or broth) and salt to a saucepan.
- Bring to a boil over high heat (keep an eye on it, as it will start to foam up quickly once boiling).
- When the water comes to a boil, turn the heat to low for a gentle simmer and cover. Pearl barley needs to cook for 25 minutes or more and hulled barley needs to cook longer, for 40 minutes or more. Check for doneness and water level at these times and every 5 minutes after. Simply add a bit more water or broth if needed.When it is done cooking, the barley will have expanded by 2 to 3 times in volume and have a nice and soft, chewy texture.
- Take the pot off of the heat, keep covered, and let stand for 10 minutes. When the barley is done, you may need to drain some water (pearl barley will absorb more water than hulled). If a lot of water is remaining in the pot, simply drain it off.
- Fluff with a fork, season to taste (if needed) and serve!
How to Cook Pearl and Hulled Barley in Soup
- If you want a creamier-textured soup: begin by rinsing the pearl barley with cool water in a mesh strainer. Then, cook the barley with all of the soup ingredients, until soft. The pearl barley will release some starches and give the soup a thicker, creamier consistency. I like to add about 1/2 cup dry barley to every 4 cups broth.
- If you prefer a lighter soup: just cook the barley separately using the above directions, rinse in a mesh strainer and then add it into the soup towards the end.
Nutrition
Nutrition information on In the Kitch is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It may not include toppings and/or sauces.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is barley that has been germinated in water and then heat-dried to halt the germination process from going any further. Malted barley is used to make beer, whisky, malt vinegar, etc.
Cooked barley has a slightly nutty, mild taste and chewy texture.
Barley is typically found in the baking aisle (near flour) or near other dried grains and legumes like rice, lentils and beans. If you can’t find it there, you can try the bulk foods section. You can also find barley in health food stores.
Some of the top places in the world where barley is grown are the EU, Russia, Australia, Ukraine and Canada. In the US, most of the barley is produced in Idaho, Montana and North Dakota.
Hungry for more? Try our Roasted White Asparagus Recipe
How to make barley water “if you prefer to drink your grains” as stated above?
Barley water is just the cooled liquid that is leftover when you cook barley in water. You can strain the barley out (or leave a little bit in if you like for added health benefits) and drink it as is. You can also add sweetener or lemon juice to make it tastier.