Instant Pot Barley Soup with Beef

This classic hearty Instant Pot Barley Soup is loaded with nutritious vegetables, tender beef, and barley. It’s an easy comforting winter soup recipe made in one pot!

When it’s getting cold outside, all you want is a bowl of a warm hearty soup. This Barley Soup is not only packed with nutritious ingredients, like vegetables, whole grain barley, and tender beef, but also is super easy to make in your Instant Pot.

Like my other soups (Borscht and Chicken Soup), this Beef Barley Soup is perfect for meal prepping. It will keep well in the fridge for up to 5 days and will get even more flavorful.

How to make it

Here are a few easy steps to make this delicious hearty Beef Barley Soup.

1. SEAR THE MEAT.

To start, we need to rinse and pat dry the beef stew meat. If the pieces are too big, cut them in about 1×1 inch cubed.

NOTE 1: I like to cut the meat smaller to make sure it will be perfectly cooked.

Set your Instant Pot on “SAUTE”, add some olive oil, and let the oil get hot.

When the oil is hot, add half of the beef and sear until it’s browned. Then take it out and repeat the same with another batch.

NOTE 2: I like to brown the meat in 2-3 batches. If you put in everything at once, the meat will be overcrowded and start boiling in its own juices. When you sear beef in batches, there is more space in-between of each piece, that allows them to brown.

NOTE 3: When you brown the meat, it’s important not to stir it too much. Just put it in a single layer, leaving some space in-between, and let it cook for 2-3 minutes until it gets a nice crust, then flip it and cook more.

2. SAUTE THE VEGETABLES.

When the beef is browned, take it out of the pot to a separate bowl and set aside.

Add diced onion and celery and cook for about 5-7 minutes, until they are translucent and softened.

Then add minced garlic and cook for another minute.

After that, deglaze the pot with Beef Broth.

3. ADD THE REST OF THE INGREDIENTS.

Now we can turn off Instant Pot and add the rest of the ingredients (browned beef, diced tomatoes, carrots, potatoes, barley, and water).

Close the lid and make sure that the venting knob is set to “SEAL”.

Cook the soup for 20 minutes on “HIGH” pressure.

When done, let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes.

After the soup is cooked, taste it and add more salt to your liking.

MORE COMFORT MEALS YOU MIGHT LIKE:

• Borscht Soup with Beef
• Mac and Cheese
• Dutch Oven Beef Stew
• One Pot Chicken and Rice
• Oven Baked BBQ Chicken Thighs
• Pasta with Meat Sauce
• Easy Mongolian Beef

MORE INSTANT POT RECIPE YOU MIGHT LIKE:

• Instant Pot Pot Roast
• Instant Pot Chicken Soup
• Instant Pot Pulled Pork
• Instant Pot Chicken Wings
• Instant Pot Boneless Short Ribs
• Instant Pot Pulled Chicken
• Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
• Instant Pot Barley Soup with Beef

Did you make this recipe?!? I’d love to know how it turned out! leave a comment and a rating below👇 thank you!

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Instant Pot Barley Soup with Beef

This classic hearty Instant Pot Barley Soup is loaded with nutritious vegetables, tender beef, and barley. It’s an easy comforting winter soup recipe made in one pot

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time45 minutes mins

Total Time1 hour hr

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Servings: 6 people

Calories: 501kcal

Author: Veronika's Kitchen

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 pounds beef stew meat cut in 1x1 inch cubes
• ▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ▢ 1 onion diced
• ▢ 2 stalks celery diced
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 4 cups beef broth
• ▢ 15 ounces diced tomatoes 1 can
• ▢ 2 carrots diced
• ▢ 6 small potatoes cut in quarters
• ▢ 1 cup barley rinsed
• ▢ 2 cups water
• ▢ Salt to taste

Instructions

• Rinse and pat dry 2 pounds beef stew meat. If the pieces are too big, cut them in about 1x1 inch cubed.
• Set your Instant Pot on “SAUTE”, add 2 tbsp olive oil, and let the oil get hot.
• When the oil is hot, add half of the beef and sear until it’s browned. Then take it out and repeat the same with another batch.
• When the beef is browned, take it out of the pot to a separate bowl and set aside.
• Add 1 diced onion and 2 stalks diced celery and cook for about 5-7 minutes, until they are translucent and softened.
• Add 2 cloves minced garlic and cook for another minute.
• Add 4 cups beef broth and deglaze the pot.
• Turn off Instant Pot and add the rest of the ingredients (browned beef, 15 ounces diced tomatoes, 2 diced carrots, 6 diced potatoes, 1 cup barley, and 2 cups water).
• Close the lid and make sure that the venting knob is set to “SEAL”.
• Cook the soup for 20 minutes on “HIGH” pressure.
• When done, let the pressure naturally release for 10 minutes.
• When done, taste the soup and add more salt to your liking.

Video

Notes

NOTE 1: I like to cut the meat in smaller cubes to make sure it will be perfectly cooked.

NOTE 2: I like to brown the meat in 2-3 batches. If you put in everything at once, the meat will be overcrowded and start boiling in its own juices. When you sear beef in batches, there is more space in-between of each piece, that allows them to brown.

NOTE 3: When you brown the meat, it’s important not to stir it too much. Just put it in a single layer, leaving some space in-between, and let it cook for 2-3 minutes until it gets a nice crust, then flip it and cook more.

Nutrition

Calories: 501kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 45g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 94mg | Sodium: 728mg | Potassium: 1668mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 3480IU | Vitamin C: 29mg | Calcium: 137mg | Iron: 11mg

Did you make this recipe?I'd love to know how it turned out! Please let me know by leaving a review below. Or snap a photo and share it on Instagram; be sure to tag me @veronikaskitchen.