How To Cook Barley

Barley is nutritious whole grain that is incredibly frugal (a one pound package of pearl barley costs $0.59 at my local Fred Meyer), and a filling add to many recipes since it is high in fiber. It's also very simple to make.

First, you'll want to rinse the barley well, just like if you were rinsing rice. If you're using "hulled barley", you'll want to let it soak for a few hours, just like if you were cooked dried beans.

What's the difference between pearl and hulled barley? Pearl barley is more processed than hulled - it's had more "outer layers" removed. Hulled barley has more nutrients than pearl barley, but it takes longer to prepare.

For most dishes, you'll use about a cup of barley. Cook it in 2 and a half cups of water, or broth, on low heat for about 45 minutes (one hour for hulled barley), stirring about every 5 minutes or so. When it seems to be "chewy", it's ready to be added to any dish! If you're using pearled barley, it should look like this:


Barley is perfect added to dishes like beef stew, or vegetable soups. It will stretch your recipes out so you aren't using as much meat. You can use it in your slow cooker too! (place it under the meat so it doesn't dry out!)

After opening your package, empty the rest into a glass jar with the lid tight, write the date on a label, and keep it in your cupboard out of the sunlight. A package stored properly like this will last 6 months to a year, so don't worry if you don't often make dishes that use it.