Crock pot beef barley soup is made with tender beef stew meat, chewy barley, fresh celery, chopped onions, medium carrots, and other nutritious veggies with seasoning and fresh herbs.
This slow cooker recipe is a comforting and hearty soup made with minimal effort - perfect to enjoy during cold weather at dinner time with a side of warm crusty bread.
Love hearty soup recipes? Try these family favorites next Italian Sausage Soup, Chicken Gnocchi Soup, Potato Soup and Pasta Fazool.
🛒Ingredients
- Stewing beef meat - Ask the butcher for stewing meat such as chuck roast cut. Or use tender chunks of beef from the grocery store. Pork, lamb, or ground beef could also be used in this soup, brown the meat before adding it to the crock pot. Cut the beef into bite-size pieces, not too big.
- Brown onion - or yellow onion, not the sweet onion. Red onion is fine too but has more stronger zing to it.
- Garlic cloves - Minced. Garlic powder can be used instead but will lack flavor.
- Celery - Sliced.
- Carrot - Diced.
- Passata - Passata, fire-roasted tomatoes, or chunky tomatoes can also be used.
- Spices and herbs - Ground paprika, ground cumin, oregano, bay leaves, and parsley.
- Beef broth - Chicken broth, vegetable broth, or bouillon base mixed with water (same amount as we need broth) can also be used.
- Barley - The kind of barley preferred is hulled or pearl barley, uncooked. If you don't feel comfortable adding uncooked barley, you can cook it separately and add it to the soup once ready. This is a better option if you want to freeze the soup or keep refrigerated for more than a day. Barley will soak up the broth even more and thicken the soup as it sits.
- Diced potato - Russet potatoes, Yukon Gold potatoes, or red potatoes are best for slow-cooking stews and soups.
- Cremini mushrooms - Thickly sliced.
- Salt and black pepper - To taste. We use good quality salts such as sea salt or kosher salt for natural flavor. Seasoned salts are a great way to add more flavor to any meal.
- Cooking oil - Olive oil or vegetable oil.
👩🍳 You'll find the complete list of ingredients below the recipe card.
✅ EXPERT TIP: Chuck roast is excellent for slow cooking for stews and soups. When cooked low and slow, this part of beef becomes tender and flavorful, and it adds richness to the soup.
🥘 Instructions
In a large skillet with some cooking oil, brown the mushrooms until they become golden brown. Set aside.
In the same skillet, add more oil and sear the beef chunks over medium-high heat. About 2 minutes per side.
Transfer all the ingredients to a crock pot (I used a 4.5-quart slow cooker), and season with salt and black pepper.
Cook on LOW for 6 hours or HIGH for 4 hours. Discard the bay leaves and serve right away with fresh parsley and sour cream.
📋Tips
- Use a high-quality beef or vegetable broth to give the soup a rich and savory base.
- It’s best to remove the pot from the Crockpot once the cooking time has finished, preventing the barley from cooking further.
- This soup is best consumed immediately since the barley will thicken even more by the following day. If you do want to make this soup ahead of time, cook the barley separately and only add it to the soup mixture when reheating the soup to serve.
- Pearl barley cooks faster than other varieties of barley and can easily be found in most stores which is why I suggest using it for this soup recipe.
- If the soup is too thick, add more broth or water to thin it out until it reaches the desired consistency.
- Don’t forget to remove the bay leaves before serving!
- This soup can be served as is or garnished with freshly chopped herbs and freshly grated Parmesan cheese and sour cream (optional).
- Add other vegetables to this barley stew, such as bell peppers, green beans and whole-kernel corn.
- Barley note - cooking barley in the slow cooker allows the barley to soak up all the flavors from the broth and ingredients. The starch from the barley helps to thicken the soup. If you are planning to freeze or store the soup for later (2+ days) then I highly recommend cooking the barley separately. Barley will soak up lots of broth while it sits which will alter the taste and make the barley soft and large (your soup will become a thick stew).
- Don't soak the barley in water before cooking, otherwise, it will be overcooked after slow cooking. If you already have soaked it then add it halfway through the cooking time.
✅ EXPERT TIP: Add tomato paste, tomato sauce, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, or red wine to create a richer-tasting vegetable beef soup base. About 2 tablespoons.
Storage Instructions
- 🍱To Store. Store this beef barley soup in the fridge in an airtight container. For the best flavor, consume within 2 days.
- 🥶Freezing. Consume the soup within 24-48 hours (best flavor). If you need to freeze it do it right away after cooking and cooling. To reheat, let it thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in a pot over the stovetop until simmering and piping hot.
- 🔥To Reheat. To reheat, in a pot over the stovetop until simmering and piping hot.
Best Meat For Beef Barley Soup
The best meat for a barley soup is high in fat content and tender, and can withstand long cooking times without becoming tough or dry. This soup is typically made with beef (chuck roast) or ground beef but there are other substitutions you could try. Here are 3 of our favorites:
- Pork shoulder - Also known as a pork butt. This cut of pork is ideal for slow cooking as it becomes very tender and falls apart easily after slow cooking.
- Chicken thighs - are excellent for slow cooking thanks to their fat content which makes them lock in plenty of flavor and moisture. Compared to chicken breast, chicken thighs are less likely to dry out while cooking. We like to use bone-in and with skin (more flavorful broth) but you could use boneless skinless for easier handling later. Sear the thighs in a skillet until golden crust and add to slow cooker. Once the soup is cooked, remove the thighs and skin and cut them into bite-size pieces. Transfer these back to the soup and serve.
- Lamb shanks - are best for stewing and are very tender after slow cooking. Trim the lamb shanks from excess fat and brown on all sides, about 4-5 minutes per side. I recommend cooking these low for 6 hours or until the meat is coming off easily from the bone.
⏲️ Recommended Equipment
- My 4.5 quart Crock Pot
- Nonstick Skillet or Wok
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Airtight Food containers
📖Recipe
Crock Pot Beef Barley Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 pound stewing beef meat (chuck roast), trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1 inch pieces, see notes
- 1 brown onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2-3 sticks of celery, sliced
- 1 carrot, about ½ cup diced
- 1 cup passata or fire roasted tomatoes, or chunky tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon ground paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon oregano
- 6 cups beef broth
- 1 cup barley, hulled or pearl barley, uncooked
- ¼ cup parsley
- 1 cup diced potato
- 1 ½ cups cremini mushrooms, thick slices
- 1 pinch sea salt or kosher salt , or to taste
- 1-2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 2-3 medium bay leaves
- 1 pinch black pepper, or to taste
Instructions
- In a large skillet with some cooking oil, brown the mushrooms until they become golden brown. Set aside. In the same skillet, add more oil and sear the beef chunks over medium-high heat. About 2 minutes per side.
- Transfer all the ingredients to a crock pot (I used a 4.5-quart slow cooker), and season with salt and black pepper.
- Cook on LOW for 6 hours or HIGH for 4 hours. Discard the bay leaves and serve right away with fresh parsley, crusty bread and sour cream (optional).
Notes
- Stewing meat - we like to use chuck roast or for other options lamb shanks, pork shoulder, or chicken thighs. Read the blog post for more details.
- Barley - cooking barley in the slow cooker allows the barley to soak up all the flavors from the broth and ingredients. The starch from the barley helps to thicken the soup. If you are planning to freeze or store the soup for later (2+ days) then I highly recommend cooking the barley separately. Barley will soak up lots of broth while it sits which will alter the taste and make the barley soft and large (your soup will become a thick stew).
- Don't soak the barley in water before cooking, otherwise, it will be overcooked after slow cooking. If you already have soaked it then add it halfway through the cooking time.
🤷Frequently Asked Questions
No. I’ve added uncooked barley to this Crockpot together with the rest of the soup ingredients.
If you want to make this soup in advance, then I recommend that you cook the barley separately from the soup base and just before serving the soup as the barley will thicken in storage.
This recipe doesn’t require that the barley be soaked before adding it to the Crockpot.
I’ve used pearl barley in this recipe which cooks faster than other varieties of barley. Slow cooking the barley also ensures that it cooks through entirely.
Don’t overcook the barley as this can make it mushy in texture. This soup is best consumed immediately.
Absolutely! Pearl Barley is a great ingredient for adding bulk and nutrition to stews, soups, and casseroles. It also reduces the need for adding more expensive ingredients to a dish, such as meat.
Rita
Enjoy a hearty bowl of deliciousness as this crock pot beef barley soup has all the best flavors included in one pot!
Grace
Can I substitute chicken for the beef?
Grace
Rita
you could, I recommend using chicken with bone in as it will give more flavor.