Instant Pot Beef and Barley Vegetable Soup
This rich and hearty Instant Pot Beef and Barley Vegetable soup is the perfect fall soup. It has tender beef chunks, hearty vegetables, and barley, inside a rich and nutritious broth.
This soup is the perfect soup for these cooler temperatures and can be served with a slice of homemade white bread, dinner rolls, focaccia, or Challah bread for a hearty and comforting autumn meal.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read the full disclosure here.
This easy Instant Pot beef and barley soup is so warm and comforting. You can use whichever cut of beef you like for this recipe because the Instant Pot will cook it under high pressure so it will become perfectly fork-tender and juicy.
Cooked with hearty barley, tender veggies, and earthy mushrooms, inside a rich broth, this beef and barley vegetable soup is one that your whole family will love. It only takes a few minutes to put together and it tastes amazing every time!
Key Ingredients in Beef and Barley Soup with Mushrooms
Beef chunks and beef bones – You can use whatever beef chunks you have on hand, beef stew meat, beef round top, beef arm roast, etc. It doesn’t matter if the cut of meat is a little tougher because we are cooking the soup in the Instant Pot, so the meat will be very tender regardless.
Vegetables – This Instant Pot beef and barley soup has chopped onions, garlic, celery, carrots, and lots of sliced mushrooms. I love to cook the vegetables before adding them to the soup because they add more flavor to the finished soup. If you don’t have the time to cook everything beforehand, I suggest at least cooking the onions and mushrooms. These taste the best when they are cooked down a little!
Dried herbs and spices – dried rosemary, dried thyme, bay leaves, salt, and black pepper.
Dried barley – Barley thickens the soup, but it can easily overtake a soup, so you don’t want to add more than ¾ cup of dried barley. You also want to rinse your barley before you add it to the soup, sometimes there can be extra starch on it and you don’t want that in the soup!
Chicken or beef broth – Beef and barley soup is a rich and hearty soup that is usually made with beef broth. I almost never have beef broth on hand, so for this recipe, I use my homemade chicken broth and a few beef bones.
If you have beef broth, use it! If you don’t, it’s ok, because this soup will be absolutely delicious without it!
Recommended Tools
Tongs, for flipping the meat
Frequently asked questions —
Barley is not only a delicious whole grain but it helps to thicken the soup slightly and make this soup even more hearty.
I find that browning the meat and gently cooking the veggies before adding the broth really helps to add a depth of flavor to the soup. Using plenty of spices and a homemade broth are also great ways to build a flavorful soup.
Not at all. The barley will cook perfectly fine once it’s added to the soup.
Barley can have excess starch or dirt on it so it’s a good idea to give it a quick rinse before adding it to the soup. Otherwise, you might be able to taste the starch in your final soup.
Looking For More Soup Recipes?
If you love this recipe, 📌 save it to Pinterest for later or leave this recipe a ⭐️ 5-star rating! Subscribe to The Midwest Kitchen Blog’s Newsletter for more recipes like this delivered straight to your inbox!
Instant Pot Beef and Barley Vegetable Soup
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- 1 lb beef chunks
- ¼ cup ghee or vegetable oil
- 1 small onion sliced
- 2 carrots chopped
- 3 stalks celery chopped
- 16 ounce mushrooms sliced
- 3 large garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- ¾ teaspoon salt divided
- 3 bay leaves
- 5 cups homemade chicken broth or beef broth
- 3 - 4 Beef bones if you have them
- ¾ cup dried barley
Optional
- fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Rinse and dry the beef chunks with a paper towel. Press the SAUTE button on the Instant pot then heat it with a few tablespoons of ghee or vegetable oil. Fry the beef chunks with ¼ teaspoon of salt until they are nicely seared, 10 - 15 minutes total. Don’t crowd the pot, you may need to fry the meat in batches. Once the meat is seared, add it to a bowl and set it aside. 1 lb beef chunks ¼ cup ghee or vegetable oil
- Next, cook the sliced onions, chopped carrots, and celery in the pot with ¼ teaspoon of salt. Cook until the vegetables are just starting to brown but are still a little firm. Set them aside. 1 small onion 2 carrots 3 stalks celery
- Add a little bit more oil to the pot, then add in the sliced mushrooms, with ¼ teaspoon of salt. Cook the mushrooms until all the water from the mushrooms is gone and the mushrooms are brown, about 15 - 20 minutes. Add in the minced garlic, dried rosemary, and dried thyme. Mix everything together and cook for 1 minute to cook the garlic and to gently toast the herbs. 16 ounce mushrooms ¾ teaspoon salt 3 large garlic cloves 1 teaspoon dried rosemary 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- Next, return the beef to the pot then add the bay leaves, and beef bones (if you have them) with the chicken or beef broth. Seal with the Instant Pot lid, press the Meat and Stew setting, then allow your soup to cook on high pressure for 1 hour and 30 minutes. 3 bay leaves 5 cups homemade chicken broth 3 - 4 Beef bones
- Next, rinse and add the barley to the soup. Mix everything together then cook the soup for another 30 minutes. ¾ cup dried barley
- The meat should be very tender, and the barley cooked through. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary. Serve with bread and fresh parsley. Enjoy!
Nutrition
All nutrition information is automatically generated and should be only used as a rough estimate. This recipe card may contain affiliate links.
