Ham or Beef Instant Pot Barley Soup

This Instant Pot barley soup with ham or beef is a tasty healthy dinner idea we all loved. Great for using up leftover ham after the holidays and pack it with vegetables too.

I am back adding this easy Instant Pot barley soup to my long list of 101+ easy Instant Pot recipes page today! I love using my pressure cooker to cook dry beans and grains because there is no soaking required. They come out so tender in no time at all! Honestly, I had never cooked barley before but I had it in soups at restaurants and it was delicious. So I thought I’d give it a whirl with the ham hock I had. (originally published 10/18, affiliate links present)

Ninja Foodi Barley Soup

You can use a Crockpot Express or make this as an easy Ninja Foodi recipe as well. All pressure cooker brands work since you are just using the high pressure function.

You can make this vegetarian, add precooked ham, leftover meat, or even soup bones into the mix.

Pressure Cooker Beef Barley Soup

The base remains the same no matter what protein you add into the mix.

• If it’s around the holidays you are probably looking for some leftover ham recipes and this is a great one, though we have a bunch because I hate wasting food!
• I have bought a ham hock and used that year round too though!

If you just have a ham hock you can use that too like I did here, either way just throw it in and go really with easy Instant Pot soup recipes like this one.

Is barley soup good for you?

If you’ve never made anything with this overlooked grain, it’s actually really yummy and very versatile! Rich in vitamins and minerals, it’s also high in fiber which we all need.

• To describe it once it’s cooked I would say it is a bit like a cross between oatmeal and rice. It absorbs whatever flavors it is cooked in so using broth and salty/sweet ham bits is an incredibly delicious pairing.

Should you cook barley before adding it to soup?

It is not necessary, which I love. Just like cooking rice, it is a good idea to rinse pearl barley before before adding it straight into a soup or stew recipe.

Take note: it will expand and somewhat thicken whatever it is added to. I love this but if you don’t want the barley to thicken your creation, then by all means cook it separately.

• How do you cook dried pearl barley separately? You can find cooking instructions here.

Since I used a ham hock for our Instant Pot barley soup and not leftover ham I removed it when the time was up.

I separated the bones and fat from the meat, then chopped it up and put it back into the soup before serving.

• If your ham was already off the bone you could dice it up and throw it in initially avoiding the separating process later.
• However….I will say using a ham hock gave this Instant Pot barley soup a lot more flavor than if I had just used diced ham in my opinion.

This piece of the ham tends to have tons of flavor and seeps out into the soup when it is under pressure cooking, but it is up to you.

Why pressure cooker soups are better than on the stovetop?

• The pressure lends soup a lot more flavor
• Soup cooks fast without having to watch a pot on the stove
• You do not have to soak dry beans or grains

Instant Pot ham barley soup

1. Ham hock
   1. or diced leftover ham, turkey, beef
   2. beef soup bones can be used too
2. Pearl barley you can see below, it’s a great tasting grain that will absorb all the other flavors in the pot.

Should barley be soaked before cooking?

No. This hulled type of barley does not need to be soaked before you use it or add it into a recipe. It will become tender while cooking. 

How do you cook barley?

1. If you’re making it separately?
   1. Bring a pot of water to boiling.
   1. Season if you’d like at this time.
   1. Add barley, cooking on low heat.
   1. Cover and cook tender which will take approx. 55 to 60 minutes
   1. Drain with a colander and enjoy
2. Carrots
   1. The smaller the pieces the more tender they will be
   2. I suggest large chunks so they don’t fall apart
   3. You could add celery too if you’d like
3. Onion
4. Broth – I used vegetable broth, you could opt for beef broth for a richer flavor
5. Salt and pepper to taste

I mean any seasonings work, add what you like. Typically I like to lightly sprinkle some in at the beginning and then re season when it is served with salt and pepper.

Instant Pot beef barley soup

1. If you’re using ham, put your ham hock in the center
   1. if you’re using diced precooked beef, throw that in with everything else
   2. for raw pressure cooker beef pieces you’ll want to cut it into bite size pieces
   3. beef soup bones work great too, dice meat off bones at the end
      1. set pot to saute, add some olive oil, saute until they’re no longer pink
      2. turn pot off and scrape browned bits off bottom with some broth
2. Sprinkled my uncooked pearled barley around it
3. Added a sliced onion
4. Chopped baby carrots in half and threw those in (you could cut regular carrots into large chunks too but that is what I had on hand)
5. Poured my broth in
6. Closed the lid and walked away!

You can use more or less broth as listed. This depends on how much liquid you prefer. I like it thicker at the beginning and then if I have leftovers I will add more to thin it out.

If you don’t have a pressure cooker yet but looking for homemade soups this lentil soup on the stove top is a winner.

• I do highly recommend you get one though because the cooking time is cut at least in half! This one takes just 30 minutes with a quick release to be SO soft and tender vs. in a slow cooker which would take all day for sure.

I will say this turned out great and I cook it year round. BUT when it’s cold it’s the bomb! Also using leftover ham is the best. You could turn this into beef and barley soup too using stew meat diced.

Instant Pot Beef Barley Soup

Here is a peek of when we used beef soup bones instead.

How do you save soup for later?

If you’re not going to eat it within a few hours of it being done you should cool and store in airtight containers in the refrigerator. 3-4 days is about max. If you’re not going to eat it before then, store in freezer bags for up to 3 months.

What is the most effective way to cook a frozen soup?

To reheat soups do the following:

• On the stovetop over low heat is best
• Alternatively reheat in the microwave in 30 second intervals stirring in between 

Pressure cooker soups

• Instant Pot split pea soup turns out great in just 17 minutes, homemade!
• Cheesy Instant Pot nacho soup is a kid fave
• Healthy Instant Pot minestrone soup with diced tomatoes and veggies
• Instant Pot hamburger soup is great when you’re under the weather, and cheap too!
• Easy Pressure cooker french onion soup

You can make this in a Crockpot Express or as a Ninja Foodi recipe as well.

Make note it will take time, pressure for 15 minutes or so before it starts the countdown to cooking for 30 minutes. You don’t want much of a natural release of pressure when it’s done or the veggies will get quite soft in my opinion.