Craving a cozy bowl of beef barley soup? This slow-cooked classic is as easy as it gets—tender beef, vegetables, and plump barley simmered all day in the crock pot for that old-fashioned comfort we never get tired of.
No fancy ingredients, no complicated prep—just real food that practically cooks itself. The recipe includes both crock pot and stovetop instructions, so you can make it your way. Perfect for small slow cookers (2-quart or larger) or a big batch for the family.
Jump To (scroll for more)
- TL;DR (Recipe Summary)
- 🥣 Ingredients
- 👨🍳 Quick Overview: How to Make Beef Barley Soup
- 🔄 Options & Variations
- ♨️ Stovetop Option
- ↕️ Scaling: For Two or Family Size
- 🍽️ Serving Suggestions
- ❄️ Leftovers & Reheating
- ❓ FAQs
- 😊 Related Crock Pot Soup Recipes
- 📖The Recipe Card
- Beef Barley Soup (Easy Any-Size Crock Pot Recipe)
Featured Comment by Josephine:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"I have made this numerous times since I found the recipe in 2019. It is an all-time favorite for every occasion."
TL;DR (Recipe Summary)
What it is:
Classic beef barley soup made in the crock pot—tender beef, veggies, and plump barley simmered into old-fashioned comfort food.
Why you’ll love it:
Hands-off and flexible—works in any slow cooker, from a 2-quart mini to a family-size pot, with stovetop directions included.
How to make it:
Brown beef (optional), load everything in the crock pot, and cook low and slow until tender—about 8 hours.
Jump to the Recipe Card or keep reading for step-by-step photos and variations.
🥣 Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this easy beef barley soup in your crock pot (or on the stovetop).
- Beef — well-trimmed chuck roast or stew meat, cut into bite-size cubes
- Barley — pearl (most common) or hulled; skip quick/instant barley
- Aromatics — onion and garlic
- Vegetables — carrots, celery, and potato – classic vegetable beef barley soup base, but others may be added
- Pantry — beef broth, tomato paste, vegetable oil, salt, and black pepper
👨🍳 Quick Overview: How to Make Beef Barley Soup
1. Prep the beef — Use stew meat or trim a chuck roast into bite-size cubes.
2. Optional browning — Dust with flour and sear in hot oil for about 5 minutes. Add crushed garlic in the last minute.
3. Chop vegetables — Dice celery, potato, carrots, and onion; add to the crock pot.
4. Add the rest — Stir in tomato paste, salt, pepper, rinsed barley, and beef broth.
✅ Pro Tip: For firmer barley texture, add the barley halfway through cooking.
5. Cook — Low for 8 hours, or high for 4–5 hours.
📌 This is just the overview. See the recipe card or step-by-step photos below for full instructions.
🔄 Options & Variations
- Barley Texture:
Add the barley at the start for a softer result, or halfway through for a firmer bite. - Vegetables:
Carrots, celery, and potatoes form the base, but frozen corn, green beans, or peas can join in. (Add peas in the last hour so they stay bright.) - Broth Boosters:
Use low-sodium beef broth so you can season to taste. A splash of Worcestershire or a pinch of thyme or basil adds extra depth. - Make It a Stew:
Cut the broth in half and add trimmed, diced potatoes. It thickens beautifully into a slow cooker beef and barley stew—same rich flavor, just heartier.
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♨️ Stovetop Option
Prefer stovetop? You can make this the old-fashioned way.
- Dust the beef with flour, brown in a Dutch oven or soup pot, then remove it.
- Add a little oil and sauté the vegetables until softened (8–10 minutes).
- Return the beef, stir in tomato paste, seasonings, barley, and broth.
- Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook 45–60 minutes until the beef, barley, and carrots are tender.
- Add peas in the last 10 minutes if using.
↕️ Scaling: For Two or Family Size
This recipe makes about 7–8 cups of soup — what I call four large servings. It fits comfortably in a 3–4 quart crock pot.
- Half batch (for two): Fits in a 2-quart mini crock pot. Same cooking time.
- Full batch: Works in a 3–4 quart cooker.
- Double batch (family size): Requires a 6-quart or larger cooker. Same cooking time.
📌 Use the recipe card’s serving adjustment tool to scale ingredients up or down. Remember, the instructions don’t adjust automatically.
🍽️ Serving Suggestions
Serve hot with a fresh salad and bread for dipping. Try one of these easy sides:
❄️ Leftovers & Reheating
- Refrigerate: Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freeze: Good for 3 months. Portion into freezer-safe containers to make reheating easier.
- Reheat: Warm gently on the stovetop over medium heat, or use the microwave. Add a splash of broth or water if it’s too thick.
❓ FAQs
Use ½ cup of pearl barley for the recipe as written. It will look like a small amount, but it expands a lot. Most recipes add the barley at the beginning of the cooking process. For firmer texture, add it halfway through.
Yes — give it a quick rinse under running water before cooking to wash away dust or debris from processing.
Not required. Cooking it in the soup thickens the broth and adds flavor. But if you want to prepare ahead, boil it in water for 20–30 minutes before adding.
•Hulled barley: Only the outer husk removed; considered whole grain, chewier, and more nutritious.
•Pearl barley: Bran layer removed and polished, softer and less nutritious, but most common.
•Quick/instant barley: Partially cooked and dried (like minute rice). Ready in 10–15 minutes, but not recommended for this recipe.
😊 Related Crock Pot Soup Recipes
Check out other cozy crock pot soups:
This recipe is featured in Our Best Soups and the Smaller Crock Pot Recipe Roundup.
📖The Recipe Card
Beef Barley Soup (Easy Any-Size Crock Pot Recipe)
Ingredients
- 1 pound chuck roast or stew meat - cubed
- 1–2 cloves garlic - crushed or minced
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 2 ribs celery
- 2 medium carrots
- 1 medium onion
- 1 potato - medium
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon salt - to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup uncooked barley - rinsed
- 4–5 cups low-sodium beef broth
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Prep the beef — Use stew meat or trim a chuck roast into bite-size cubes.
- Optional browning — Dust with flour, then brown in hot oil for about 5 minutes. Add 1–2 cloves of crushed garlic in the last minute.
- Dice 2 ribs of celery, 1 medium potato, 2 carrots, and 1 medium onion. Add to a 3–4-quart or larger crock pot.
- Add 3 tablespoons tomato paste, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, and ½ cup uncooked rinsed barley. Finally, add 4–5 cups of beef broth.
- Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4–5 hours.
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips:
- You can skip browning and add everything to the crock pot — it will still be excellent.
- Barley can feel heavy; reduce by 25% if you prefer a lighter soup
- Use pearl (softer) or hulled (chewier, more nutritious) barley. Skip quick/instant.
- Rinse the barley under running water before cooking to remove dust or debris.
- Add a can of diced tomatoes, but then use 4 cups of broth.
- For firmer barley, add it halfway through cooking.
- Fits a 3–4 quart crock pot. Half recipe = 2-quart mini. Double recipe = 6–8 quarts.
- It is good in the refrigerator for 4 days, but it will freeze well for 3 months.
Your Own Private Notes
To adjust the recipe size:
You can adjust the number of servings above; however, only the amount in the ingredient list is adjusted, not the instructions.
Nutrition Estimate (may vary)
Originally Published December 3, 2016. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Kasia says
Fabulous. We make this all the time. I was in love with the Beef Barley soup that was a staple in the college cafeteria! I think this might be close, but much better. I am a lover of barley. We add mushrooms sometimes. Love, love, love.
Charlene says
Love Love Love this soup - directions were easy to follow and the soup easy to make! Thank you for all the time you put into this blog - I love your recipes!
JoJo Beans says
I doubled it because we freeze portions for lunches. I started late, can I cook it on high for an hour then put it on low for 5 or 6?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan says
Hi JoJo,
Welcome to the blog.
That will work probably. What high does on a crock pot is to get to a near boiling temperature faster than low. So an hour on high might cut as much as 3 hours off the cooking time. Determine the end point by the potatoes and carrots being tender.
Dan
Candice says
Prepared as is and it was perfect. Wouldn’t change a single thing. Will definitely be making this a regular dish in our home.
Joy Roma says
BEST. SOUP. EVER. Though I did make a few small changes. The price of chuck was ridiculous, so I used top round instead. I also dredged the meat in flour because I like a little thicker soup, and I eliminated the celery since I didn't have any. I also used equal amounts of bold beef broth and regular. The soup was perfect!
DrDan says
Hi Joy,
Glad that round work well for you.
Dan
Joy Roma says
Can I use Round? Chuck was way too expensive.
DrDan says
Hi Joy,
Welcome to the blog.
I would not use round. It is way too lean to be tender here. You will likely end up with chunks of tough beef. Stew meat should work and is usually cheaper here. Or next week chuck roast will be on sale.
Dan
Joy Roma says
The round came out perfect. Not tough at all. 😉
Toni says
So so good! Everyone loved it! Definitely added to my favorites!
Barbara says
If you want rice or pasta I suggest you cook it in the broth ahead of time, drain the extra broth into the pot,coat the pasta or rice with a small amount of oil to stop it from sticking together. Refrigerate until the soup has about 30 minutes left to cook,heat the rice/pasta in the microwave a minute or two and then add to the soup. That way it does not over cook but still has the flavour of the beef soup. Just remember pasta does not freeze well and you might need to thicken it a little more.
DrDan says
Hi Barbara,
Welcome to the blog.
Thanks so much for the suggestions, I'm sure they will be useful.
Dan
RossC says
The weather is crying out for this soup...
I haven't enjoyed a barley soup in a while... Time to do so...
Rosina Morrone-Reeves says
The photo's of your Beef Barley Soup look wonderful. It is in the photo's that I see you are adding the Beef Broth. The Beef Broth ingredient is missing from your written recipe or am i missing it?
DrDan says
You're right and fixed. I had it in the discussion/instructions but not in the list.
Chris says
This weather has had me in a stew mood lately. We've done it twice in the past week and I could still go for a bowl of yours.
Cheryl Cuddy says
Finally I found a PURE Beef Barley recipe. I don't like chuck roast so I will use something like sirloin..
sam brown says
This is my all time favorite soup!! So glad to see it without green beans ... many thanks to your wife!
DrDan says
My wife laughed and said you're welcome.
Thanks for the note
Dan
Lara says
This looks SO good! I think I have all ingredients on hand to make tomorrow. For the non-barley lover, rice would probably work just as well?
DrDan says
Perhaps the rice. I would need to test. Something like a long grain wild rice which holds up better. The less processed the better I think for the crock pot. My fear with the rice is that it would just become a big pot of rice with some beef. Also once rice overcooks, it is bad.
I think of rice as not very forgiving since it took me awhile to get it right. Crock pots are quite variable so I try to use forgiving ingredients like beans, meat, carrots etc.... OK I will stop rambling.
DrDan says
It is based on the barley with it taking up a lot of the "space." The only thing the comes to mind is green beans or something, but proportions would be off...
I like my vegetable beef soup https://www.101cookingfortwo.com/crock-pot-vegetable-beef-soup/ . The meat and beans take up the "space." You will see the about same amount of meat makes less soup. Maybe add a medium potato and some garlic, and you would almost be there.
It is just soup, so almost anything you do to it will be OK.
Dan
Leslie says
I also love simple soups, recipe sounds good and plan to make this week. However, we don't like barley, do you have any suggestions for a substitute? Thank you, leslie (made crock pot candy, loved by everyone!)
Marie says
I'm a little late to the party, but any short cut pasta such as ditalini or macaroni would make a nice swap out for the barley.