Instant Pot Barley Risotto Recipe - Happy Foods Tube (2024)

This instant pot barley risotto with mushrooms is creamy and rich in flavor and completely customizable to your taste. Thanks to an electric pressure cooker this risotto recipe has a hassle-free prep!

Even though this recipe for barley risotto might not save you much time when passive time is counted in the overall cooking time, it is without a doubt the simplest and easiest way to prepare this dish.

Plus, you can just close the lid and forget all about it until you hear the beep which tells you that the cooking cycle is finished. No stirring, no standing in front of the hot stove!

How to make barley risotto in instant pot

The most important part here is sauteing vegetables in a little oil – first, you start with onion, and when translucent, add sliced mushrooms. Add soy sauce and stir well.

At this stage, you might also need to add a splash of water or stock, in case the mushrooms don’t release enough juices and start sticking to the pot.

It’s also important to stir towards the end of sauteing to prevent burning them. Next, you add all the liquids and seasoning (salt, pepper, and thyme) and you are done with the prep.

Cooking barley risotto under pressure will take 20 minutes. After, I like to wait 5 minutes before I release the pot’s pressure manually.

When you remove the lid, give the risotto a stir to see if there is any liquid left.

Important – Liquid to barley ratio

This recipe was developed for a 6-quart (6-liter) instant pot and tested several times so you can enjoy the best instant pot barley risotto.

Now that being said, you might end up with a more liquid-y barley risotto than you would like.

One of the reasons for the difference in the liquid is mushrooms. Some contain more moisture than others, but don’t worry about this. I will show you how to fix this:

In this barley risotto recipe made in the instant pot, I am using a 3:1 ratio (liquid : pearl barley). After the meal is cooked and you open the lid, the risotto may still have some liquid visible when you stir it around.

If it does, press SAUTE and let it cook for 3 minutes, then stir for one more minute or until the liquid has evaporated (or to your liking).

Alternatively, you can add slightly less liquid the next time you make pearl barley risotto in a pressure cooker. I would go with 2.5 cups but not less than this.

If you like your risotto less crunchy, you could increase the pressure-cooking time slightly.

Can you make risotto in an instant pot using rice?

Absolutely! You can not only make this mushroom barley risotto in a pressure cooker, but also the classic Italian risotto. It is so easy and hassle-free.

My favorite is chicken risotto and our readers also love this one. Vegetarians can enjoy instant pot mushroom risotto.

I also have a recipe for risotto Milanese made the classic way – by stirring on a stovetop if you would like to try that one.

Possible variations

• Stir in fresh spinach at the very end of cooking.
• Use finely chopped celery and saute this with onion.
• Vegetable stock can be easily substituted with chicken stock/broth.
• For an extra flavor, use garlic!
• Add a splash of white wine and let it evaporate before you add stock and seasoning.
• Use wild mushrooms instead of portobellos!

More barley recipes for you to try:

• Instant Pot Beef Barley Soup
• Bacon Wrapped Chicken Thighs cooked in a skillet with pearl barley.