Barley Risotto Recipe: 4 Variations of Barley Risotto

Barley (Hordeum vulgare) is possibly the oldest cultivated cereal grain, dating back to 8,000 BCE Syria. The kind of barley you’re most likely to see at the grocery store is pearled barley.

Like white rice, pearled barley is polished, leaving only the carb-rich and tender endosperm behind and removing the nutritious germ and bran. Pearled barley has a firm, chewy texture similar to farro. Jump to recipe.

Barley risotto is a version of the classic Italian dish using barley instead of arborio rice. Risotto is slow-cooked, creamy, starchy, and savory main course or side dish. Add dry white wine and stock or water to the rice, a little bit at a time, to simmer the rice as it releases its starches and creates a thick mixture, similar to rice pudding. Add Parmesan cheese at the end of the cooking process for a nutty and cheesy flavor.

Try any of the four variations of barley risotto below, depending on flavor preferences and dietary needs.

1. 1. Vegan barley risotto: Sauté the vegetables and barley in olive oil instead of butter, add nutritional yeast instead of Parmesan cheese, vegan wine, and vegetable broth or water for fully vegan barley risotto. Flavor the barley risotto with lemon zest, mushrooms, and fresh herbs.
2. 2. Vegetable barley risotto: Mushrooms are a common vegetable in risotto, particularly cremini and shiitake mushrooms. However, other vegetables—such as asparagus, dark leafy greens, tomatoes, and broccoli—work, too. Sauté, roast, or steam the vegetables before adding them to the risotto.
3. 3. Seafood barley risotto: Add Mediterranean flavors to a barley risotto by adding shrimp, mussels, clams, and other seafood. The seafood flavors give the barley risotto a paella vibe, but with creamy rice instead of crispy rice.
4. 4. Slow-cooker barley risotto: Instead of standing over the stove slowly adding stock to a pan of rice, throw all the ingredients into a slow cooker. Since a slow cooker never gets beyond a simmer, the result is similar to making barley risotto the traditional way.

Use the tips below for thick, creamy, and savory barley risotto:

1. 1. Keep the broth or water warm on the stove. Cold stock, broth, or water shocks the barley and the pan and might boil off before the barley can absorb the liquid. Keep the liquid warm in a small saucepan on the stove over low heat.
2. 2. Pick a type of barley. There are many barley varieties, but only some are good for making barley risotto. Hulled barley has the outer bran layer and works for risotto but takes much longer to cook. Pearl barley is readily available and cooks at about the same rate as arborio rice in traditional risotto.
3. 3. Sauté the vegetables separately. Other than the aromatics of onions, shallots, and garlic, cook other vegetables separately. Recipes include just enough liquid to cook the barley. If extra vegetables are in the mixture as the barley cooks, the vegetables might absorb the liquid and prevent the barley from cooking properly.