This Instant Pot Vegetarian Barley Pilaf with Mushrooms is so delectably savory that you'll wonder why you've never made it before! It's the perfect side dish for most everything.
Why You Really Must Make This Barley Pilaf With Mushrooms
If you're looking for a fantastic side dish that's also exceptionally easy to make, you've come to the right place. This Barley Pilaf With Mushrooms is truly one of those side dishes that you just can't get enough of. I could honestly eat it as a main dish, and you'll probably want to as well after trying some!
I used to make a similar dish almost 30 years ago. Why I stopped making it, I don’t know, but I’m glad I have a pressure cooker for this dish because it sure cuts down the time, the babysitting, the cooking water frothing all over the stove while I forgot about it—did I mention that I’m easily distracted?
This recipe seriously takes maybe 5-10 minutes on your part and the Instant Pot does the rest. It's a great vegetarian side dish to make when you've got a main dish you've got to babysit or for those days that you just want something quick and easy that still tastes so good.
It also makes a fantastic vegetarian side dish, though I'm sure you'd enjoy it immensely even if you don't live a vegetarian lifestyle.
Is Pearled Barley Healthy?
Pearled Barly actually has many health benefits. Though it is fairly high in carbs, they're carbs that are rich in fiber, which have myriad health benefits such as improving heart health, and lowering the risk of diabetes. It's also a great source of calcium and protein, which is especially beneficial for those on a vegetarian or vegan diet.
Keep in mind though, that barley is NOT gluten-free. It contains about 8% gluten, so it should not be consumed by those trying to avoid gluten.
What Type of Barley Do I need for this Recipe?
This can get very confusing. I used pearled barley for this.
- The least processed version is whole-grain barley. The inedible outer shell has been removed, and nutrient loss is minimal.
- Next up is pearled barley. The shell has been removed and it has been polished. You've lost a little in the way of nutrients, but it's easier to cook. This is the barley that I used for this Instant Pot Barley recipe.
- Instant Barley takes minutes to cook and can be done easily on the stovetop. I wanted something a little less processed, and with a slightly longer cook time, so that it would take on the flavors of the mushrooms and onions. So that's what I used.
How To Make Barley Pilaf With Mushrooms
- Turn the Instant Pot on SAUTÉ HIGH. Add butter and when the butter melts, add onions and stir for 30 seconds. Add mushrooms and stir to coat with the butter.
- Add salt, pepper, barley, and water.
- Press CANCEL to turn off Sauté. Press PRESSURE COOK and cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 15minutes.
- Allow the Instant Pot to release pressure naturally for 10 minutes, and then release all remaining pressure.
- Stir in red wine vinegar and parsley and serve.
Tips And Tricks For Making Barley Pilaf With Mushrooms
- This dish is great eaten hot as a side dish with vegetables, or cold, as a salad. You can also mix it with chopped cucumbers, onions and tomatoes as a cold salad.
- This dish freezes very well, so do yourself a favor and make some extra so you can enjoy later with even less effort required!
- To make this dish completely vegan-friendly, simply use olive oil in place of the butter.
- I used to make this with a little red wine added to the broth, and that made for a lovely version. It colors the barley ever so slightly, and it's quite pretty.
- Use a medium pearled barley like this one for this recipe. Alternatively, find barley that takes 45-50 minutes to cook on the stovetop and use that.
- Do not add other vegetables to this as they will not stand up to the long cook times. Mushrooms hold their shape over long cooking periods, so they're a good thing to add.
Looking For A Good Main Dish To Enjoy This Barley Pilaf With? Check These Recipes Out!
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- Impress your friends and family with this delicious Brazilian Chicken recipe! Only you will know how easy this air fryer chicken dish is!
- Herb Roast Chicken turns out amazing with this recipe designed for the air fryer. All the traditional flavors you want, with none of the fuss!
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Looking for more great mushroom dishes? Check out my Instant Pot Mushroom Stroganoff!
Whether you're looking for a great pairing for another dish or your just in the mood for something wonderfully savory and rich, you're bound to love this Barley Pilaf with Mushrooms! Make sure to share this recipe with your friends on Facebook and Pinterest so they can enjoy it as well!
Barley Pilaf With Mushrooms
This Barley Pilaf with Mushrooms is so delectably savory that you'll wonder why you've never made it before! It's the perfect side dish for most everything!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons Olive Oil, or Butter
- 2 cups Mushrooms, diced
- 1/2 cup onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 1 teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- 1 cup Pearled Barley, medium
- 1 cup water
For Finishing
- Red Wine Vinegar, or lemon juice
- 1/4 cup Chopped Parsley
Instructions
- Turn the Instant Pot on SAUTE HIGH. Add butter and when the butter melts, add onions and stir for 30 seconds. Add mushrooms and stir to coat with the butter.
- Add salt, pepper, barley, and water.
- Press CANCEL to turn off Sauté. Press PRESSURE COOK and cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 15 minutes.
- Allow the Instant Pot to release pressure naturally for 10 minutes, and then release all remaining pressure.
- Stir in red wine vinegar and parsley and serve.
Notes
- This dish is great eaten hot as a side dish with vegetables, or cold, as a salad. You can also mix it with chopped cucumbers, onions and tomatoes as a cold salad.
- This dish freezes very well, so do yourself a favor and make some extra so you can enjoy later with even less effort required!
- To make this dish completely vegan-friendly, simply use olive oil in place of the butter.
- I used to make this with a little red wine added to the broth, and that made for a lovely version. It colors the barley ever so slightly, and it's quite pretty.
- Use a medium pearled barley like this one for this recipe. Alternatively, find barley that takes 45-50 minutes to cook on the stovetop and use that.
- Do not add other vegetables to this as they will not stand up to the long cook times. Mushrooms hold their shape over long cooking periods, so they're a good thing to add.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
6 ServingsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 173Saturated Fat: 1gSodium: 396mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 6gSugar: 1gProtein: 5g
Don't forget to check out my other Best-selling Instant Pot Cookbooks!
Indian Instant Pot, Keto Instant Pot, Instant Pot Fast and Easy, Healthy Instant Pot & Vegetarian Instant Pot.
Sophie
I had to cook this an extra 20 minutes in the instant pot. Following the recipe the barley was still crunchy and raw.
Kandy
Lovely recipe! Can you tell me how much a serving size is? I have kidney disease and have to monitor my potassium and other minerals along with portion size. Looking forward to making this tonight!
Kandy
This is delicious, very earthy in flavor. I didn't have the red wine vinegar or parsley so left out. I added a bit more mushrooms since I had just a few leftover and added a small amount of
vegetable base Better than Bouillon in place of the salt. Looking forward to making it again and putting in the freezer for quick add on to meals. Thank you for a great recipe!
Elizabeth Specker
loved it the next day -- we added some soy sauce to increase the umami even more. We had to add more water, however, as the barley was undercooked the first through the instant pot.
Beth Fuchs
I made this for dinner last night and it was great. I did make a few modifications. First, I added 1 pound of beef stew meat because my husband has to have lots of protein in his diet. I used a mix of mushrooms, but some were a little woody for our taste and will probably use portabella mushrooms next time. I also used beef broth instead of water because of the stew meat. I also added a little extra water because there was a lot of barley exposed with the beef in there. My husband claimed he didn't like barley, but he thought this was fantastic.
URVASHI PITRE
Love your adds!
Dave
I'm a bit curious about the timing of this one. I noticed here that the time is listed as 15 mins at high pressure and then a 10 minute natural release.
I'd had issues once before with overly hard barley and then had noticed that the recipe that I was using had suggested a natural release in the notes at the back, but in the recipe itself had suggested a normal release. Now if I compare to hippressurecooking, I see a suggestion of a 20 min cook time with a 10 min natural release.
Is there any particular reason why I see such variation in cook times for barley? Am sort of worried that if I follow the directions above I'll end up with undercooked barley.
URVASHI PITRE
All I can tell you is that I used pearled barley, and it was tender at 15 minutes. This recipe was tested 3 times so I know it works.
Jane G
I want to use whole barley in this recipe instead of pearled, and have lots on hand. What adjustments to the recipe do you recommend if I substitute whole barley in this recipe for pearled barley?
URVASHI PITRE
You know I haven’t tested that. I wish I could help!
Ruth Scala
I don't have an instant pot. Could this be done on the cooktop or in a crockpot?
URVASHI PITRE
Yes absolutely. Just following the stovetop directions and ratios for barley to water and it will be great.