This ultra comforting beef barley soup recipe is made so easily in the slow cooker, which also makes for incredibly tender beef and vegetables, with perfectly textured barley!
Recipes like my Crockpot White Chicken Chili and Crockpot Meatloaf are great for when you want a family pleasing meal with minimal effort. We love cooking in the crockpot, and this is one of my Slow Cooker Recipes you’ll definitely want in your recipe box!
BEEF BARLEY SOUP
Tender beef, hearty vegetables and plump barley… it’s the perfect beef barley soup! Get out the slow cooker and get ready to enjoy one of the best comfort foods, with minimal effort!
When the weather turns colder, it’s the time for some SERIOUS comfort food… and this is my all time favorite.
Soup is so perfect this time of year; especially slow cooker soups, since there’s not a lot of hands-on cooking time!
As I mentioned, beef barley soup is my favorite soup… ever! Despite loving it so much, for the longest time, I never made it at home. I was perfectly happy opening a can.
But now that I’ve been working on and perfecting this recipe… I’ll never have canned beef barley soup again!
HOW TO MAKE CROCKPOT BEEF BARLEY SOUP
You won’t believe how easy this soup is to make… seriously!
- Brown the beef cubes (this is optional, but I highly recommend it)
- Add all ingredients to slow cooker, stir
- Cover and cook on LOW for 7-8 hours or HIGH for 4-5
- Remove bay leaves and thyme stems and serve
COOKING TIPS FOR BEEF BARLEY SOUP:
- Use a tough cut of meat – this is a prime example of when to use a tougher cut of meat like a chuck roast or shoulder. No need to buy expensive sirloin tips or anything.
- Browning the beef adds flavor – but isn’t absolutely essential. I love to brown my beef pieces, since I love that extra deep flavor it adds… but I’ve made this several times without taking that extra step, and it still tastes delicious.
WHAT IS THE BEST MEAT FOR SOUP?
Since this soup cooks for a long time in the slow cooker, a tougher cut of meat is usually used. I like to use chuck roast or chuck shoulder. The low and slow simmer will turn these marbled cuts of beef into incredibly tender bites of meat that can be literally cut apart with a spoon.
WHAT DOES BARLEY TASTE LIKE?
Barley is such an underused grain. It’s texture is chewy with an almost nutty flavor, and it cooks perfectly in the slow cooker.
VARIATIONS OF THIS RECIPE
- Potatoes are optional – I always prefer some buttery potatoes in my soup, so I added them here… but if you’d rather not add them, no worries, the soup will still taste amazing!
- In fact, feel free to switch up the veggies to ones that you love. Mushrooms are a lovely addition as well!
- Prefer a different meat? Go for it! This soup can be made with ground beef if you’d prefer. Just fully brown and drain the beef before adding all the ingredients to the slow cooker.
- Other cooking methods – if you’d prefer another cooking method, please see the recipe notes section right below the written recipe for full details.
MAKING BEEF BARLEY SOUP AHEAD OF TIME
This soup is great to make ahead of time, with one modification. Since the barley can absorb too much of the liquid when made ahead, and get mushy, I find it best to cook the barley separately.
Make as directed, just omitting the barley. Cool completely and refrigerate. Follow package directions for barley and cook it separately when you’re ready to eat the soup.
FREEZING
Yep! Since this soup doesn’t contain any dairy, it freezes beautifully. Cool the soup completely (or any leftovers), then transfer to an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.
To thaw it out, place it in the refrigerator the night before you want to eat it, and reheat it in a saucepan on the stovetop.
STORAGE
Leftovers should be kept refrigerated for up to 4-5 days.
SPECIAL EQUIPMENT FOR THIS RECIPE
- Slow cooker with aluminum insert – I LOVE using a slow cooker like this, since you can brown the beef in the slow cooker without losing any of those browned bits of flavor!
- More economical slow cooker – This slow cooker has been a workhorse for me, and at the price, you can’t beat it!
- Plastic cutting boards – These are perfect for cutting up the chuck roast so you don’t have the juices running into your wooden cutting board.
BE SURE TO SCROLL DOWN TO CHECK OUT OTHER READERS’ COMMENTS FOR TIPS AND REVIEWS.
AND DON’T FORGET, IF YOU’VE MADE THIS RECIPE, LEAVE A COMMENT AND PLEASE GIVE IT A STAR RATING LETTING ME KNOW HOW YOU ENJOYED IT!
Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @the_chunky_chef on Facebook and Instagram!
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs beef chuck roast, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 - 1 1/2 lbs potatoes, peeled and diced into 1/2 inch pieces (Yukon gold or russets are preferred)
- 2 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1 medium yellow or sweet onion, peeled and diced
- 2 ribs celery, sliced in half lengthwise, then cut into 1/2-1 inch pieces
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste
- 2 Tbsp better than bouillon beef base (optional but recommended)
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 cups beef broth or stock reduced sodium
- 2/3 cup pearl barley
Instructions
- If desired, heat 1 Tbsp vegetable oil in a large skillet over MED HIGH heat. Add beef cubes and brown for 1-2 minutes per side.
- Add beef and all remaining ingredients to slow cooker and stir to combine. Cover and cook on LOW for 7-8 hours or on HIGH for 4-5 hours.
- Remove bay leaves and thyme stems and serve. Goes perfectly with some crusty bread.
Want to save this recipe for later? Click the heart in the bottom right corner to save to your own recipe box!
Chef Tips
INSTANT POT (PRESSURE COOKER) DIRECTIONS
- Place 1 Tbsp oil in the bottom of Instant Pot and set to "Saute". Once hot, work in batches to brown the beef. Place on a plate once browned.
- Add additional 2 teaspoons oil to the Instant Pot and saute the onions and celery until softened. Add the garlic and cook 30 more seconds. Add the beef back in along with the carrots, tomato paste, beef base, potatoes, worcestershire, barley, broth, salt, pepper, thyme, and bay leaf.
- Stir together, place lid on and set valve to "seal". Cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 15 minutes with a 15 minutes natural release followed by a quick release. Remove lid when safe. Remove bay leaf and thyme sprigs.
STOVE TOP DIRECTIONS
- Place 1 Tbsp oil in the bottom of a pot (a dutch oven works great!). Work in batches to brown the beef. Place on a plate once browned.
- Add 1 Tbsp butter to pot and saute the onions and celery over medium heat until softened. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds.
- Add the beef back in along with the carrots, tomato paste, beef base, potatoes, worcestershire, barley, broth, salt, pepper, thyme, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to low and let simmer 60-90 minutes or until beef is tender.
- Remove bay leaf and thyme sprigs.
Video
Nutrition Disclaimer
The Chunky Chef is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Noelle says
Trying this tonight, thank you for having all different cooking methods on here. I’m pretty good cook but still find myself having to over think how to turn crock pot recipes into stovetop friendly recipes and Vice versa.
I love good soup on the stove top when I’m home, smells so good.
Michelle says
I made this Beef Barley soup and it turned out wonderfully! My daughter, who rarely finishes anything put in front of her, cleaned her bowl! Everyone else couldn’t stop making “mmm” sounds as they ate.
Larry says
Hello
I made the crock pot beef barley soup. It was delicious right out if the crockpot. But got as thick as stew once refrigerated and heated up as a leftover. Where did I go wrong?
Amanda says
The barley will absorb some of the liquid, as mentioned in the “making beef barley soup ahead of time” section of the post. So you didn’t do anything wrong, it’s just the nature of this type of soup. Add a splash of beef broth when reheating to bring it back to the consistency you like 🙂
Abbe says
So good and easy in my Crock-Pot! My partner came home crabby after a long day of work… He was beyond happy with the flavors. Added some crusty sourdough for dipping… A complete home run!
Alana Stefaniak says
My daughter and husband LOVED this recipe! Used fresh herbs and veggies from the garden and served it with homemade bread warm from the oven!
Dawn says
This is my to go recipe for beef barley stew.
Weiher Marie says
I just made it as per recipe on top of stove👍 Great
I also tried your apple cobbler yesterday….. Omg it was fabulous with the new white apples! I though for bit I had too much apple because I had to heap the topping on like a hill but it’s the best cobbler we’ve eaten!
Debbra says
Soooooo good!!! We love this soup. I canned this soup minus the barley. It turned out great.
Virginia M says
Any sized potato is raw same with the carrots
JoAnn Smith says
We made the soup for dinner, amazing awesome flavor!!! We didn’t change a thing, will definitely make it again! Thanks for the recipe!
Kirn Collins says
This was delicious. It was great that all the ingredients are staples in my pantry.
I like the way it wasn’t an overkill on the tomatoes as previous beef barely recipes that I have tried. I made the crockpot version and enjoyed it very much.
It froze well for future packed lunches for work for both me and my husband.
It’s a keeper.
Judy-Ann Kohut says
Love, really love Beef, Barley Soup. Adding wine is a highlight. I prefer the barley to be cooked separately and then added to soup.
Kimberly says
Even though I’m not done making this, I wanted to comment regarding instructions, as I’m a tad confused. Up top it talks about cooking the barley separately and adding it in towards the end of cooking but below it says to put it in right away I’m assuming as it’s an ingredient (I’ve also seen in comments saying add right away) — so could you help me understand which it is or which is best (so it’s no mushy)?
• Add barley at beginning
Or
• Cook separately and add towards the end
One other thing, will vegetables and potatoes get too soft/break apart or get mushy putting them in right away?
—
As far as my review: I try to stick to recipes but had to tweak a few things. I did not add “better than bouillon” (since I’m trying to cut sodium), instead I’m using some good beef bone broth (and will see how it taste towards the end). I’ll be adding barley towards the end to avoid it being too soft (not sure if that would occur though). I might also add some peas at the end of cooking. But that’s currently all I’ve changed. Many reviews got me excited to make this, I can’t wait to taste it!! (I’ll update my review afterwards)
Thank you for this recipe!!
Amanda says
The part about making the barley separately is under the section about making this soup ahead of time. If you’re making it to have for dinner the same day, you should add it right to the crockpot as directed. Both the barley and the vegetables come out perfectly cooked every time for me, although all crockpots do cook a little differently. Hope you enjoy!
Tory says
My boyfriend (who is a very picky eater) requested beef and barley soup for date night. After a lot of searching, I decided your recipe looked the best. It was! Absolutely delicious and very easy! I made it on a Friday morning so it would be ready for us after work. Making it in the crockpot made it both easy to make and easy to carry the finished product from my house to his house for dinner. Something tells this will become a Friday staple especially in the fall and winter!
Kristen says
The flavor of this soup is spot on. I’m not sure what happened with mine but it was so thick. I mean so thick. Not like a soup at all. It was like eating stew. I really wanted more of a soup.
Amanda says
I’m glad you enjoyed the flavor! You can always add more broth to your tastes 🙂
Nora says
Thanks for the great recipe!
Barbra Gradozzi says
I added 12 ounces of fresh sliced mushrooms in the pan , whole sweet onion , 10 garlic lots of seasoning & everything else. I did do diced chicken also in thd pan We did sweet peas
Did flour like u said
Delicious
Xavier says
I used pork shoulder instead of beef. I hope it turns out good
Pam says
I made this recipe following the directions except I added some cornstarch and cold water after the 7 hours to thicken the soup a little. It turned out perfect and the meat was very tender. My family really enjoyed the meal. I am so happy I found this recipe.
Tracie M Sposito says
When do I add the barley @ the end? Or make it like rice, dump in
Amanda says
The barley is added at the beginning, as directed in step 2 🙂
Devry says
Very good!