• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Watch What U Eat logo

  • About us
    • Privacy Policy
  • Recipes
    • Main Course
    • Breakfast
    • Snacks or Appetizer
    • Dessert and Sweets
    • Non Alcoholic Drinks
    • Indian Recipes
  • Guide to Healthy Eating
  • Shop
  • Videos
  • Contact us
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Summer Drinks
  • Recipe Index
  • About us
  • Contact us
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×

    Watch What U Eat > Main Course > Instant Pot Vegetable Barley Soup

    Instant Pot Vegetable Barley Soup

    Published: Mar 21, 2019 by Watch What U Eat · This post may contain affiliate links · 12 Comments

    Recipe Print
    Instant Pot Vegetable Barley Soup - Cook fresh vegetables and whole barley in Instant Pot to prepare this one-pot delicious easy and healthy barley soup in about 30 mins. | #watchwhatueat#barley #barleysoup #vegan #instantpotsoup

    This Instant Pot Vegetable Barley Soup is a quick and easy recipe to enjoy a wholesome and nutritious soup. Full of flavors and takes about 30-40 min to prepare. And a perfect vegetable soup for weeknight dinners.

    This Instant Pot Vegetable Barley Soup is a quick and easy recipe to enjoy a wholesome and nutritious soup. Full of flavors and takes about 30-40 min to prepare. And a perfect vegetable soup for weeknight dinners. | #watchwhatueat#barley #barleysoup #vegan #instantpotsoupDo you have an Instant Pot? Have you tried making all-in-one pot soups in it? I guess it’s safe to assume you own one that’s why you are visiting this page!

    I feel Instant Pots are perfect for making all-in-one pot dishes. You can saute, steam, boil, and pressure cook a variety of foods in it. And you can also cook whole cauliflower head and whole chicken in Instant Pot. The other thing I love about it is that you don’t have to soak the grains or beans before cooking them (e.g this Instant Pot black bean soup).

    This Instant Pot Vegetable Barley Soup is a quick and easy recipe to enjoy a wholesome and nutritious soup. Full of flavors and takes about 30-40 min to prepare. And a perfect vegetable soup for weeknight dinners. | #watchwhatueat#barley #barleysoup #vegan #instantpotsoup

    Now enough of praise, let’s get back to our Instant Pot vegetable barley soup. This recipe is inspired by our most popular Healthy Barley Soup on the blog. With some slight variations, I have configured this soup for Instant Pot. It really takes far less amount of time to cook barley in the Instant Pot compared to on the stove top.

    How long Barley Soup takes to cook in Instant Pot?

    According to Instant Pot manual whole grain barley takes around 20-25 min on high pressure. Overcooking the barley in the soup results in a starchy and thick consistency. Therefore I cook the barley on high pressure for 20 min and release the pressure manually as soon as pressure cooking is over. If you let the pressure release naturally, the barley gets overcooked which you may not like.

    Pearl barley grains for making Vegetable Barley Soup. #barleysoup

    How to make Instant Pot Vegetable Barley Soup?

    On sautee mode of the Instant Pot cook some onions and chopped garlic in little oil. Then add fresh vegetables like diced carrot, red pepper, celery, and edamame beans. Generously season with dried thyme, salt, and pepper. Finally, add water and veggie or chicken stock or broth. Close the lid and cook on high pressure for about 20 min.

    Fresh vegetables and beans for making Instant Pot Vegetable Barley Soup. #barleysoup

    Instant Pot Barley Soup Recipe – Helpful Tips

    • I use pearl barley grains for making this soup.
    • Use chicken stock or vegetable stock to make the soup more delicious and to increase its nutrient value.
    • Do not forget to release the pressure manually and open the lid after pressure cooking timer turns off. Leaving the steam to release naturally will overcook the barley. 

    Instant Pot Vegetable Barley Soup - Cook fresh vegetables and whole barley in Instant Pot to prepare this one-pot delicious easy and healthy barley soup in about 30 mins. | #watchwhatueat#barley #barleysoup #vegan #instantpotsoup

    You will also love these Instant Pot recipes

    • Black Bean Soup In Instant Pot
    • Instant Pot Whole Chicken with Gravy
    • Instant Pot Whole Cauliflower with Gravy

     


    FOOD FOR THE SOUL

    Meditation is the only way you can grow…Because when you meditate, you are in silence. You are in thoughtless awareness. Then the growth of awareness takes place — Shri Mataji  

    (Experience your self-realization now.)


    This Instant Pot Vegetable Barley Soup is a quick and easy recipe to enjoy a wholesome and nutritious soup. Full of flavors and takes about 30-40 min to prepare. And a perfect vegetable soup for weeknight dinners. | #watchwhatueat#barley #barleysoup #vegan #instantpotsoup

    This Instant Pot Vegetable Barley Soup is a quick and easy recipe to enjoy a wholesome and nutritious soup. Full of flavors and takes about 30-40 min to prepare. And a perfect vegetable soup for weeknight dinners. | #watchwhatueat#barley #barleysoup #vegan #instantpotsoup
    Print Pin
    4.88 from 8 votes

    Instant Pot Vegetable Barley Soup Recipe

    Cook fresh vegetables and whole barley in Instant Pot to prepare this one-pot delicious and healthy soup in about 30 mins.
    Course: Lunch / Dinner,Main Dish
    Cuisine: American Inspired
    Prep Time 10 minutes
    Cook Time 20 minutes
    Total Time 30 minutes
    Servings :4
    Calories :328kcal
    Author:Swati Kadam Gulati

    Ingredients

    • ¾ cup pearl barley
    • 1 tsp  cooking oil
    • 1 medium onion diced
    • 2-3 garlic cloves finely chopped
    • 1 carrot peeled and diced
    • ½ red pepper diced (or more)
    • 2 small celery stalks diced
    • 1 ½ cup edamame beans.
    • 1 tsp  thyme
    • salt and pepper
    • 4 cup vegetable stock (or chicken stock)
    • 2 cup water
    • 1 tablespoon lime juice optional
    • fresh cilantro for garnishing

    Instructions

    • Heat oil in Instant Pot on saute mode. Cook garlic and onion until translucent.
    • Add carrot, pepper, celery, edamame beans, and barley. Give it a quick mix.
    • Season with thyme, salt, and pepper.
    • Finally, add water, vegetable stock or chicken stock and mix well.
    • Put the lid and cook the soup on manual high pressure for 20 min. Quick release the pressure manually once cooking is over.
    • Add more seasonings and lime juice if needed.
    • Lastly, add chopped cilantro to garnish. Serve warm.

    Notes

    1. I usually rinse and drain barley grains before adding them to the soup to clean any dirt or dust from it.
    2. Try to use clear chicken stock or vegetable stock in the soup. If the stock is dark in color your soup will turn out with the same color.
    3. I like to cook garlic and onion in little oil to bring more flavors. However, you can add everything in the pot without sauteeing and pressure cook everything directly. It will save you some time.
    4. This recipe is inspired by Healthy Barley Soup Recipe.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 328kcal
    Tried this recipe?Tag us on Instagram @watchwhatueat or tag #watchwhatueat! OR leave us a comment & rating below. Your feedback is very important to us.

    You will also love these wholesome soups

    • Healthy Vegetarian Barley Soup
    • Chicken Barley Soup
    • Soba Noodle Soup
    • Healthy Broccoli Soup

    This post contains affiliate links. For more information on our Affiliate and Advertising Policy, please click here

    « Quick and Easy Healthy Garlic Zucchini Rice
    Easy Vegetable Pasta Soup Recipe »
    • 131

    About Watch What U Eat

    We are Swati and Tushar, our passion for food and cooking has now led us to share some healthy, tasty recipes and the benefits of eating certain ingredients with the goal of inspiring you to eat well and live well.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Pernille Tjelum says

      August 23, 2021 at 11:27 pm

      5 stars
      Nothing left in the pot!!
      I used Pot Barley and added 2 minutes to the pressure cook time. Used Savory as I had run out of Thyme. Used frozen peas as we do not like edamame, will try with a white-ish bean next time, just for more protein. I added spinach, it gave it a nice look, kale or chard would be good too. I did use chicken broth and added a tsp of veggie Better Than Broth. I may try it with chicken breast, although we did not miss it. My teenage boy approved it and came for seconds. 2 thumbs up!

      Reply
    2. Ali says

      April 16, 2021 at 2:09 pm

      Can I sub canned red kidney beans or chickpeas for frozen edamame?

      Reply
      • Watch What U Eat says

        April 16, 2021 at 11:07 pm

        Yes, you can also use canned beans or chickpeas instead.

        Reply
    3. Lili Byrer says

      February 14, 2021 at 2:28 pm

      When do you add the barley? It’s not in the directions.

      Reply
      • Watch What U Eat says

        February 14, 2021 at 11:14 pm

        Hi Lili,

        It’s there in step 2.

        Reply
    4. Michelle Gordon says

      February 09, 2021 at 9:50 pm

      Did you use ground thyme

      Reply
    5. Margaret says

      December 04, 2020 at 3:55 pm

      4 stars
      The recipe and Instant Pot directions were easy to follow and the soup turned out very good. This was the first time I used my new Instant Pot and I’m very pleased with the result. My husband doesn’t like complex flavours in soup, so this got 5 stars from him.

      Reply
    6. Scarlett says

      October 22, 2020 at 2:27 am

      5 stars
      Subbed some veggies as I didn’t have some things, but it was delicious!!!

      Reply
    7. Vijay Kumar says

      October 30, 2019 at 8:51 pm

      5 stars
      Really yummy and easy to make.

      Reply
    8. Ali says

      September 26, 2019 at 9:50 pm

      5 stars
      This may be a silly question, but did you use frozen edamame beans?

      Reply
      • Watch What U Eat says

        September 30, 2019 at 7:44 am

        Yes, I used frozen edamame beans.

        Reply
    9. Linda says

      March 23, 2019 at 11:52 am

      5 stars
      I had this on our last trip and am in love! Glad you shared the recipe because I now can make it at home. So comforting and nutritious at the same time.

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, we are Swati and Tushar! Our passion for food and cooking has led us to write this blog focusing on healthy recipes to eat well and live well!

    More about me →

    Summer Drinks

    • Healthy Cranberry Sangria
    • Watermelon Slush Recipe
    • Pineapple Strawberry Sangria
    • Fresh Strawberry Lemonade
    • Healthy And Festive Cranberry Mimosa Recipe
    • Summer Cooling Watermelon Detox Water

    Popular Recipes

    • 20 Min Healthy Pesto Pasta With Peas
    • Air Fryer Butternut Squash
    • Instant Pot Pumpkin Risotto
    • Easy Instant Pot Chicken Drumsticks

    Footer

    As Featured On featured on logos

    • Thank you
    • Contact us
    • Homepage
    • Privacy Policy

    Copyright © 2023 | Watch What U Eat

    • 131