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    Home » Instant Pot

    Instant Pot Mushroom Barley Risotto

    LAST UPDATED: February 17, 2021 PUBLISHED: January 6, 2019 By Pam Greer 27 Comments As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Instant Pot Mushroom and Barley Risotto - this Instant Pot Risotto is so easy and so delicious! 

    If you haven't tried a barley risotto, you are in for a treat!  It's pure comfort food!  Barley, mushrooms, leeks, sherry, chicken broth, Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley.

    Click here to pin this Instant Pot Mushroom Barley Risotto now! 

    Brown bowl on a wooden background with barley risotto topped with shredded cheese and text overlay reading Instant Pot Mushroom Barley Risotto

    Did you know that you can make risotto in the pressure cooker or in my case in the Instant Pot!   We loved the Instant Pot Shrimp Risotto that I made so when I saw this barley risotto, I was intrigued.   Barley risotto! To be more specific, barley risotto in the pressure cooker. Oh my goodness.

    I've been trying to add more whole grain recipes to my weekly cooking, and decided that I really had to have Whole Grains Every Day, Every Way by Lorna Sass (link in recipe card.) She is already the queen of pressure cookers, so I'm not surprised that she has included several pressure cooker recipes for whole grains.

    Cream colored bowl on a white background with a brown risotto topped with grated cheese.

    Ingredients:

    Making this risotto is so easy and as a plus, most of the ingredients are pantry ingredients. 

    Dried mushrooms - I used porcini.

    Leeks - you can also use regular white onions if you can't find leeks.

    Pearled barley

    Sherry - or red wine or just more chicken broth.

    Chicken broth

    Fennel seeds

    Parmesan cheese - grate it fresh!

    Parsley

    Photo collage for the first four steps for making risotto: mushrooms, gathering ingredients, sauteing leeks and fennel seeds, adding barley and sherry.

    Instructions:

    Making this risotto is so easy!  First you rehydrate the dried mushrooms in some boiling water. 

    Gather your ingredients and chop your leeks.  Saute the leeks and fennel seeds in olive oil. 

    Stir in the barley and then add the sherry, cook until it evaporates.  Add the stock, mushrooms and soaking liquid.  Pressure cook as directed on recipe card.

    Photo collage of finished risotto, parsley and cheese on top, and risotto stirred.

    When the risotto is finished, give it a stir and cook for about 5 more minutes to let it finish thickening up.  Stir in fresh parsley and Parmesan cheese.  Serve in bowls and garnish with extra cheese.

    Brown bowl filled with brown risotto and topped with grated cheese on a wooden background.

    This was wonderful! It was warm and comforting and filling and best of all ready in under and hour! 

    I am not a vegetarian and unlike a lot of vegetarian recipes, this did not leave me feeling like I was missing something.  Serve this with a salad and you have a very easy weeknight meal!

    Click here to pin this now!

    More Risotto Recipes:

    • Bowl of asparagus risotto.
      Asparagus Risotto
    • Baked Cauliflower Risotto
      Baked Cauliflower Risotto
    • Cauliflower Risotto
      Cauliflower Risotto with Sage and Almonds

    **As an Amazon affiliate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Print Pin Save Saved!
    4.98 from 40 votes

    Instant Pot Mushroom Barley Risotto

    This Instant Pot Mushroom Barley Risotto is pure comfort food!  Delicious and easy! 
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Italian
    Prep Time 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 18 minutes minutes
    Total Time 28 minutes minutes
    Servings 4
    Calories 311kcal

    Ingredients

    • ½ cup dried porcini mushrooms or other dried mushrooms
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 2 cups leeks white and light green parts, chopped
    • 1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds
    • 1 cup pearl barley
    • ⅓ cup dry sherry or red wine
    • 3 cups chicken broth
    • 4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese grated (plus more for garnish)
    • 3 tablespoons flat leaf parsley minced
    • salt and fresh ground black pepper

    Instructions

    • Place the mushrooms in a glass bowl and pour 2 cups of boiling water over them. Cover and let soak.
    • In a 4-quart or larger pressure cooker, heat the oil - in the Instant Pot - press saute. Add the leeks and the fennel seeds and cook over medium-high heat, stirring often, until leeks are softened, about 4 minutes.
    • Stir in the barley, stirring it to coat it with the oil.  
    • Add the sherry and cook until it evaporates.
    • Stir in the broth. Add the soaked mushrooms with their soaking liquid, taking care to not pour in any grit that may have settled in the bottom of the bowl.
    • Lock the pressure cooker lid in place and turn valve to sealing.  Set to high pressure for 18 minutes.  
    • When timer beeps, let pressure reduce naturally for 10 minutes.  The turn the sealing vent to allow the rest of the pressure to release.  When pressure has returned to normal (valve has dropped) remove the lid. 
    • Stir the risotto and either set it back to saute or leave on the warm feature.  Cook for about 5 minutes or until it thickens and the barley is done to your liking. 
    • Stir in the parsley and Parmesan cheese.  Season with salt and black pepper to taste. 
    • Serve with extra Parmesan cheese.

    Notes

    Use whatever dried mushrooms you can find, we like porcini.
    If you can't find leeks you can substitute regular onions. 
    Replace sherry with red wine or just more chicken broth. 

    Equipment

    Instant Pot
    Whole Grains Everyday

    Nutrition

    Calories: 311kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 150mg | Potassium: 456mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1035IU | Vitamin C: 9.3mg | Calcium: 117mg | Iron: 3mg

    Update Notes: This was originally published in 2008 and has been updated for 2021.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Valentina says

      January 11, 2019 at 12:38 pm

      5 stars
      Looks amazing. I've never used barley for risotto and now I must. Loving all of the earthy flavors, too!

      Reply
      • Pam Greer says

        January 11, 2019 at 2:07 pm

        It works really well for a risotto!

        Reply
    2. Amanda Wren-Grimwood says

      January 11, 2019 at 11:35 am

      5 stars
      I had forgotten how good barley is but I've never made it into a risotto. This recipe looks absolutely delicious and I'm trying it soon!

      Reply
      • Pam Greer says

        January 11, 2019 at 2:07 pm

        It is pure comfort food!

        Reply
    3. Jessica Formicola says

      January 11, 2019 at 11:29 am

      5 stars
      I am definitely adding this to my Instant Pot line up! My family is sure to love it!

      Reply
      • Pam Greer says

        January 11, 2019 at 2:08 pm

        You'll have to let me know what they think!

        Reply
    4. Sharon Chen says

      January 11, 2019 at 9:57 am

      5 stars
      Yummy dish! I love using the instant pot, makes life easier 🙂

      Reply
      • Pam Greer says

        January 11, 2019 at 2:08 pm

        Doesn't it!!

        Reply
    5. Kelly Anthony says

      January 11, 2019 at 9:36 am

      5 stars
      No more stirring when making risotto?! This might be my reason for having to buy an instant pot. This wild mushroom risotto looks delicious.

      Reply
      • Pam Greer says

        January 11, 2019 at 2:08 pm

        It's one of the best reasons, that and beans!

        Reply
    6. Marjie says

      January 07, 2019 at 12:07 pm

      This looks good; barley risotto, eh? So, I was gifted an instant pot for Christmas, and made a soup that would have taken 30 minutes on the stove; because of the pressurizing time, it took a lot longer than that. Can you tell me how long it takes for the instant pot to reach pressure and start cooking? Because the instructions say rice takes 2 minutes to cook, but I'm betting it would take more than the 20 minutes total that cooking on the stove takes. I'd like to use it, but not if it's going to take longer than ordinary cooking takes. Thank you.

      Reply
      • Pam Greer says

        January 08, 2019 at 7:45 am

        I emailed you a response, Marjie. I love my Instant Pot, but for things that already only take about 30 minutes, it's probably not much of a time saver.

        Reply
    7. Ann says

      January 07, 2019 at 2:12 am

      Food for the soul. Bookmarked ready for a cold winter evening.

      Reply
      • Pam Greer says

        January 07, 2019 at 8:45 am

        It is pure comfort food!

        Reply
    8. Shari@Whisk: a food blog says

      December 22, 2008 at 3:19 am

      I've never made risotto, but this sounds delicious with the mushrooms. Need to add pressure cooker to my wish list.

      Reply
    9. Lisa says

      December 20, 2008 at 10:52 pm

      I have tried Oven Risotto but risotto in the pressure cooker is genius. Your recipe sounds fantastic and the photos are mouth watering. Looking at the snow outside my window I am thinking how wonderful it would taste right now!

      Reply
    10. Kevin says

      December 20, 2008 at 9:05 pm

      Barley risotto is good and a wild mushroom barley risotto sounds great!

      Reply
    11. Grace says

      December 20, 2008 at 7:53 pm

      talk about a day of discoveries, and both are so useful! thanks for sharing--i never, ever would've known otherwise. 🙂

      Reply
    12. noble pig says

      December 20, 2008 at 4:42 am

      In a pressure cooker? Really? Wow, what a great idea.

      Reply
    13. Kalyn says

      December 20, 2008 at 12:04 am

      Wonderful! I love barley risotto.

      Reply
    14. Lydia (The Perfect Pantry) says

      December 20, 2008 at 1:47 am

      I love barley risotto, and I've been up in the air about getting a pressure cooker. This just might push me over the edge!

      Reply
    15. Carla says

      December 19, 2008 at 8:26 pm

      PS I am new to fennel seeds. Did you use them--was it very 'licorice-y'? Will you use them again. Thank you. Carla

      Reply
    16. Carla says

      December 19, 2008 at 8:23 pm

      Thanks for sharing the recipe and your results. I am going to make this. Lorna Sass' Great Vegetarian Cooking Under Pressure is another great cookbook! "2 hour taste in 10 minutes"--SO TRUE!!!

      Reply
    17. Marjie says

      December 19, 2008 at 5:31 pm

      Maybe I need a pressure cooker. I won't put in mushrooms, because at least half of us won't eat them. Another great offering, Pam!

      Reply
    18. Peter M says

      December 19, 2008 at 5:30 pm

      I recently tried a good barley risotto and I'm inclined to make my own.

      Glad you're a pressure cooker proponent...they are a must in the kitchen.

      Reply
    19. Kathy says

      December 19, 2008 at 4:32 pm

      This sounds soooo good. I know my hubby wouldn't eat it because of the mushrooms but I may have to make it anyway.

      Reply
    20. Pearl says

      December 19, 2008 at 3:56 pm

      mmm that looks so good and wow! a pressure cooker? how cool!

      Reply

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