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    Home » Misc.

    Published: May 12, 2022 · Modified: Aug 21, 2022 by Zen · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Best Pearl Barley Substitutes

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    Pearl barley has many culinary applications. It is inexpensive and can be used to make stuffing, in potage, pilafs, risottos etc. If you've run out, here are some of the best pearl barley substitutes for soups, stews and salads.

    Spoonful of pearl barley grains.
    Jump to:
    • What is Pearl Barley?
    • Health Benefits
    • How to Use
    • How to Store
    • Where to Buy
    • Expert Tips
    • FAQs
    • Why Substitute
    • In stews and soups
    • In salads and pilafs
    • In Cereal
    • 💬 Comments

    What is Pearl Barley?

    A very nutritious ancient grain, barley has a mild nutty flavor and is slightly chewy. The flavor is so subtle that some may find it bland and tasteless.

    There are several types of barley: 

    • pearl barley (also known as quick barley, pearled barley, this is a more processed version which has had its outer shell removed and been polished. As pearl barley cooks much more quickly, it is more commonly used in the kitchen than its other forms, which is why I'm focusing on it instead of whole barley in this post.)
    • pot barley (also known as barley groats, hulled barley and Scotch barley, it has had its outer husk removed)
    • barley flakes (similar to rolled oats, it can be made into a hot cereal) 
    • barley flour (can be used in baking or to make pancakes)
    • barley grits
    • etc

    Health Benefits

    Barley has lots of health benefits and is a relatively inexpensive grain, thus it has experienced a renaissance in the kitchen in the last few decades.

    It is rich in dietary fiber, contains b vitamins such as vitamin b6, and has some of the essential amino acids. (You can click here to read more about why barley is good for you.)

    How to Use

    Barley is a very versatile food as it absorbs the flavours of whatever sauce or stock it is cooked in. Thus, some ways to cook pearl barley include:

    • it can be used to make soups and stews more hearty and slightly creamier, to help keep 1 full for longer
    • it is sometimes added to salads and pilafs
    • you can add it to stuffing
    • you can replace arborio rice with barley when making risotto, as in this Ottolenghi recipe. 1 of my favourite foods that I ate in Copenhagen was a "barley-otto" and I've tried unsuccessfully to recreate it at home. If you visit Denmark, don't forget to try it at Groed.
    • it can be cooked to make a hot cereal, somewhat similar to oatmeal porridge. And, of course, barley is also a crucial part of beer brewing!

    For pearl barley recipes, click here.

    Asian recipes

    Cup of golden home roasted barley tea, also known as boricha, mugicha and damaicha
    A cup of tea made from roasted pearl barley grains.

    In Asian cuisine, pearl barley can be:

    • used to make drinks, such as lemon barley water and roasted barley tea, which are believed to cool the body
    • added when cooking rice or porridge such as this scallop congee, to make it more nutritious (This is particularly common in Korean kitchens)
    • cooked with mung beans to make green bean and barley soup, which is a popular traditional Chinese dessert that is often eaten in summer as it is believed to cool down the body
    Close-up of a bowl of chicken porridge with a huge abalone on top.
    I like to keep the barley grains after making barley water, and adding them to my porridge, such as in this abalone and dried scallop congee above. The crunchy barley grains are a nice contrast to the softer rice!

    How to Store

    Store pearl barley grains in an airtight container in a cool and dark place.

    It can last for some time but do smell and observe carefully to see if it has gone bad before using: spoilt barley will have an off odour, and insects or mold may have appeared on the grains.

    Where to Buy

    You can find pearl barley in the dried goods section of almost every supermarket and grocery store. For more niche types of barley, such as hulled, you may need to go to a specialty store or online.

    Expert Tips

    Tip #1: Rinse your barley grain before cooking.

    Tip #2: If keeping cooked barley to add to your rice/ porridge, don't keep them for more than 1 day in the fridge as the grains go bad quickly.

    Tip #3: You can cook barley in the rice cooker instead of on the stove but remember to leave the cooker covered for 5 minutes after the cooking process ends, to ensure all the grains are well cooked.

    FAQs

    Does barley need to be soaked before cooking?

    When cooking pearl barley, you don't need to soak it beforehand as it will soften during the cooking process. Pot barley, however, is less processed and is best soaked overnight in cold water. (You will need thrice the amount of liquid as grain when cooking pot barley.)

    Is barley good for diabetics?

    Whole grain barley, its bran is not removed and it has a lot of nutrients. This form of barley is rich in dietary fibre and thus is more slowly digested, making it better for most diabetics and pre-diabetics than white rice, for example. However, note that the most commonly available form of barley is pearl barley, and not whole barley, which is not quite as good for you.

    Why Substitute

    Barley is often used as a thickener for soups and stews but as barley is not gluten-free, those with celiac disease would need to use 1 of the different grains and seeds on this list as a gluten-free pearl barley substitute. For gluten-free recipes, click here.

    Alternatively, you may have just forgotten to stock up on this grain, if you don't use it super often

    In stews and soups

    Good alternatives to pearl barley, in terms of bulking up soups and stews, include:

    Farro

    Farro is 1 of the best substitutes for pearl barley- it can pretty much be used interchangeably with barley as it has a similar nutty flavour and chewy texture.

    There is more than 1 variety of farro: like barley, there is a whole farro version and pearl farro, which has had its bran removed and thus cooks more quickly. (Whole farro is more nutritious, of course.)

    Millet

    A seed that takes on the flavour of the dish it's added to, millet has a sweet taste and a nutty flavour like barley but a different texture (it's softer- a little like mashed potatoes- and not chewy.) Note that it expands quite a bit after cooking so you may not need to use that much in your recipe.

    It is also 1 of the cheapest grains in most countries, so a great pearl barley substitute in these inflationary times!

    Brown Rice

    Less processed and more nutritious than white rice, brown rice is a good substitute for pearl barley. Despite being carb-heavy, it is high in fibre and has a low glycemic index, so helps to keep you full for longer, which is good for those on weight loss diets. (That's why, even though it can't create a silky congee, I sometimes use it to cook congee, such as in this chicken congee recipe.)

    Note that it does take quite a while to cook, so you'll have to adjust your cooking time accordingly.

    White rice

    If you don't have brown rice, you can also use white rice as a gluten-free pearl barley substitute. Do note that white rice is much less nutritious though.

    Sorghum

    Another gluten-free alternative to pearl barley, sorghum is an ancient grain that is more commonly used as animal feed in the US but is consumed widely by humans in other parts of the world.

    Loaded with nutrients, sorghum is easy to grow, even in dry conditions, and is thus an inexpensive grain.

    In salads and pilafs

    An Asian salad with pearl barley and lotus crisps.
    The barley grains are quite well-hidden in this salad, but they're there! (Hiding under the lettuce leaves.)

    Barley helps to make salads more filling and also provides a nice contrast in texture, due to its crunchy nature.

    Farro

    Farro, like barley, is crunchy and nutty, making it the ideal replacement for pearl barley in salads and pilafs. 

    As we've already covered it in the above section on substitutes for pearl barley in soups and stews, I won't repeat myself here.

    Amaranth

    Known as pigweed, cockscomb and hell's comb, amaranth is nutritious and full of fibre like barley. Unlike barley, it is gluten-free and thus great for those on a GF diet.
    Technically a seed and not an actual grain, amaranth is a "pseudo cereal" like buckwheat and quinoa. It can eaten in its whole seed form, or ground to make a flour and tastes good in both sweet and savory dishes.

    Fun fact: amaranth can be popped like popcorn. Click here to learn how to make healthy popcorn on a stove at home.

    Teff

    A fine grain, teff comes in white, red and dark brown and is a staple of the Ethiopian and Eritrean diet. It was 1 of the earliest plants to be domesticated, and can even be used as a building material!

    In the kitchen, it is often made into a pancake or flatbread (injera), made into porridge, mixed with other foods to make baby food or turned into alcohol.

    Couscous

    High in carbohydrates, couscous is a North African dish made of rolled durum wheat semolina and cooked in a similar way to pearl millet, bulgur wheat and sorghum.

    Note: some places make couscous using barley or millet instead of semolina so check the label before using.

    Quinoa

    A seed and not a grain, quinoa is a good gluten free pearl barley substitute. Like teff, it comes in different shades- white, red and black- but there isn't much difference in taste or nutrition between the 3 varieties.

    Bulgur Wheat

    Made from cracked wheat kernels, bulgur wheat is often known as cracked wheat. Common in the Mediterranean diet, it tastes a little like couscous.

    In Cereal

    Oats

    To make a hot cereal, you can use oats instead of barley. This can also be made into a nutritious and warming drink, perfect for winter.

    What do you use when you've run out of barley? I'd love to hear in the comments! In addition, if you've found this information useful, please do share it on social media!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. hana says

      May 16, 2022 at 2:55 pm

      thanks used brown rice in my soup instead as you suggested and I think I may prefer it to barley!

      Reply

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