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Slow Cooker Beef Barley Soup is a hearty, comforting meal made with tender chuck roast, vegetables, potatoes, and pearl barley simmered low and slow in the crockpot. The slow cooker creates a rich, savory broth while keeping the barley perfectly tender, but not mushy. This filling sounds is idea for cold weather and tastes even better as leftovers the next day.
This soup is the kind of comforting meal that feels dependable when the temperatures drop. The slow cooker gently cooks the beef until it’s tender while allowing the vegetables, spices, and broth to come together into a deeply flavorful soup. It’s an easy, hands-off dinner that’s perfect for busy days when you still want something nourishing on the table.
Why You’ll Love This Slow Cooker Beef Barley Soup Recipe
If you love hearty and comforting, set-it-and-forget-it dinners like my crock pot beef stew or this beef chili recipe, this slow cooker beef barley soup will feel right at home on your table.
It’s a filling, protein-packed meal where the barley adds just enough body to make each bowl satisfying, while the slow-cooked beef brings rich flavor and that cozy, stick-to-your-ribs quality that works just as well for busy weeknights as it does for relaxed Sunday dinners.
Ingredients You’ll Need
For exact ingredient amounts and instructions, see the full recipe card below.
- Beef chuck roast or stew meat: Chuck roast is ideal for slow cooking and becomes tender and flavorful as it cooks.
- Potatoes: Yukon gold or russet potatoes both work well and hold their shape.
- Carrots: Add sweetness and color.
- Celery: Helps build classic soup flavor and adds crunch.
- Worcestershire sauce: Enhances the savory notes.
- Dried thyme: Adds an earthy flavor.
- Oregano: Provides subtle herbal balance.
- Paprika: Adds warmth without heat.
- Tomato paste: Adds richness and helps slightly thicken the soup.
- Beef broth or stock: Creates a flavorful base.
- Pearl barley: Thickens the soup naturally and makes it filling. If barley is your thing, don’t miss my vegetable barley soup, it’s another cozy, nourishing option where barley really shines.
How to Make Slow Cooker Beef Barley Soup
- If desired, heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat and brown the beef on all sides. This step adds extra depth of flavor but can be skipped on busy days.
- Add the beef to the slow cooker along with the potatoes, onion, garlic, carrots, celery, Worcestershire sauce, spices, bay leaves, tomato paste, beef broth, and barley. Stir well to combine.
- Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours, or on high for 4-5 hours, until the beef is tender and the barley is fully cooked.
- Remove the bay leaves. If the soup is thicker than you prefer, stir in additional broth and heat for a few minutes. Garnish with fresh parsley and thyme before serving.
Recipe Notes and Tips
- This slow cooker beef barley soup is hearty enough to serve on its own, but I like to pair it with crusty bread or warm rolls and a simple green salad to round out the meal!
- Pearl barley works best here since it softens nicely during long cooking, while hulled barley stays firmer and takes much longer to cook. Rinsing the barley before adding it helps remove excess starch and keeps the soup from thickening too quickly.
- Browning the beef is optional, but it adds extra depth of flavor. If you do brown it, sauté the onion and garlic in the same skillet and deglaze with a splash of broth before adding everything to the slow cooker.
- Taste the soup toward the end of cooking and adjust the seasoning as needed, since long, slow cooking can mellow flavors of beef barley soup in the crockpot.
Storage and Reheating Tips
- Fridge: Store leftover slow cooker beef barley soup in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. The barley will continue to absorb liquid as it sits, so the soup will naturally thicken overnight.
- Freeze: Let the soup cool completely, then transfer it to freezer-safe containers and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before reheating.
- Reheat: Warm gently on the stovetop or in the microwave, stirring occasionally. Add extra broth or water as needed to loosen the soup.
- Leftovers tip: Just like my chili con carne, this soup tastes even better the next day, which makes it especially great for leftovers and easy lunches throughout the week.
Recipe FAQs
Slow cooker beef barley soup thickens because pearl barley absorbs broth as it cooks and continues to soak up liquid as the soup cools. This is normal! If it becomes thicker than you prefer, add more beef broth during cooking or when reheating to loosen it.
For this easy beef barley soup chuck roast or beef stew meat works best; it becomes tender during long, slow cooking. Leaner cuts tend to dry out and won’t give the soup the same rich, hearty texture.
Nope! Pearl barley does not need to be soaked before slow cooking. Simply rinse it and add it directly to the slow cooker, where it will cook low and slow and become tender as the soup cooks.
This recipe is written for the slow cooker, but beef barley soup can be adapted for the Instant Pot with adjusted timing and liquid. Since barley cooks much faster under pressure, it requires a different approach. If you’re looking for a pressure cooker option with similar flavors, my instant pot beef stew is a great alternative.
More Comforting Beef Dinners
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Hearty Slow Cooker Beef Barley Soup
Video
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds beef chuck roast, trimmed of excess fat and cut into approx. 1 inch pieces or beef stew meat cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 pound russet or Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced into approx. 1/2 inch chunks
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 small onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 carrots, peeled, diced {approx. 1 cup}
- 1 celery rib, diced {appox. 1/2 cup}
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 tablespoons. tomato paste
- 6 cups beef broth , or beef stock
- 2/3 cup pearl barley
- parsley, chopped, to garnish
- thyme, to garnish
Instructions
- OPTIONAL: Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the cubed beef and brown the beef on each side for about 2 minutes per side {this step helps build depth of flavor but isn’t necessary}
- Add the beef to the crockpot and all remaining ingredients including the barley to the crockpot and stir well.
- Cover the crockpot and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until the beef is tender or on high for 4 hours. Remove the bay leaf. If the soup is too thick add some additional broth, stir and heat for a few more minutes. Garnish with fresh parsley and fresh thyme. Serve with crusty bread.
Notes
- Browning the beef is not necessary but will add flavor to the beef and in turn your soup. I always try to sear the beef cubes in a hot skillet to turn the beef golden brown and lock in the juices before adding it to the crockpot.
- I suggest that you rinse the pearl barley if that is what you are using. This helps remove excess starch and prevents the soup from becoming too thick.
- Sometimes the barley can really soak up the broth and juices. Halfway through cooking if you feel like there isn’t enough broth add more.
- If you are browning the beef I will often add the garlic and onion along with the beef to help them bloom and release their flavors. You can add a bit of broth at the end of the browning process to help release the flavors and deglaze the skillet. Then you can add of this into the slow cooker.
- When slow cooking soup I find it important to taste the flavor towards the end of cooking. Adjust seasoning by adding more spices, salt and pepper.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
It was very good but didn’t have an enough of juice but otherwise excellent .
Yes sometimes the barley soaks it up. You can add more broth to the soup. The leftovers especially soak up the juices so make sure to add more broth when you are reheating leftovers.
If you’re planning to freeze leftovers, does the barley soak up all the broth like rice or noodles would? Should I remove some to prep for the freezer and reduce the barley accordingly for the portion being eaten that night? I’m thinking of making a double batch and freeze one.
Yes! The barley really does soak it up. You could make the barley separate and just add it when you go to eat it or add the barley as you usually would and when you go to reheat it add some additional broth to the soup.
Can I leave out the potatoes and add extra pearl barley? And, if adding fresh green beans, immediately to the pot or later? Thank you.
Yes you can leave out the potatoes! If you add more pearl barley it usually requires 3 cups of additional broth for another 1 cup of barley. So if you wanted to add maybe 1/2 cup of barley I would add 1 1/2 cups of broth. The barley really soaks up the juices/broth.