Slow Cooker Barley & Chickpea Risotto
When you make this Slow Cooker Barley & Chickpea Risotto, your crock pot does all the work for you! Slow cooked whole grains packed with chickpeas and vegetables.
“One of my personal favorites for fall – and all year round!”
—Crystal
After many years of experimenting and discovering that the risotto cooking method works for not just arborio rice (hello, coconut risotto) but just about any grain, I make whole grain risottos for dinner quite often.
Especially in the winter, when nothing is more comforting than a big, hearty bowl of grains. I’ve conquered a savory oatmeal recipe and farro and kale risotto.
The time has come to let my slow cooker do some of the work with this Slow Cooker Barley & Chickpea Risotto.
Of course, since the “risotto method” refers to stirring small amounts of hot stock into rice or grains gradually, this recipe isn’t a true risotto. I know that.
But I’ve found that using a slow cooker allows the barley to slowly simmer in broth, and the end product is very similar to barley cooked using the traditional risotto method.
About this Slow Cooker Barley & Chickpea Risotto:
This isn’t a traditional slow-cooker recipe that you can set and forget for eight hours.
Barley only takes about two hours to cook using this method. If you try to cook it for eight hours, it will sadly be very overcooked.
So, while you can’t leave for work all day, you can leave for a few errands. Or clean your house.
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Or relax on the couch and drink a glass of wine. No judgement, friends.
If you’re somebody who eats dinner kind of late on weeknights, feel free to just stir the ingredients into your slow cooker bowl as soon as you get home from work, and in two hours, a big pot of barley, carrot, cauliflower and chickpea risotto will be waiting for you!
Or, save this recipe for a weekend meal. Get the Parmesan cheese out of the fridge, pour yourself [another] glass of wine, find some forks, and you’re ready for dinner.
What kind of barley do I use for barley risotto? What is the difference between barley and pearl barley?
This particular barley recipe calls for pearl barley (sometimes called pearled barley), which is barley that has been processed to remove the outer hull and some of the bran layer.
This means that it cooks faster and is less chewy than traditional unprocessed barley. I also love pearl barley in my beet tomato salad.
What are the ingredients in slow cooker barley risotto?
- olive oil
- carrots
- garlic
- cauliflower
- onion
- thyme
- pearl barley
- garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
- chicken or vegetable broth
- salt and pepper
- lemon juice
- Parmesan cheese
- parsley
Can I make this crockpot barley risotto vegetarian or vegan?
Absolutely! For a vegetarian or vegan dish, be sure to use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth, and omit the Parmesan cheese.
Or, while I haven’t tried it personally, I’ve read that nutritional yeast makes a good vegan substitute for Parmesan cheese.
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Slow Cooker Barley and Chickpea Risotto
Ingredients
- 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
- 3 carrots peeled and chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- ½ head cauliflower cut into small florets
- ½ small yellow onion minced
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 ¼ cups pearl barley rinsed
- 1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained 15.5 ounces
- 2 ½ cups less-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 ¼ cups water
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add carrots, garlic, cauliflower and onion. Cook until vegetables being to soften, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in thyme and barley; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Transfer mixture to slow cooker bowl. Stir in garbanzo beans, broth, water, salt and pepper. Cook on high 2 to 2-1/2 hours or until barley is tender and most liquid is absorbed.
- Remove and discard thyme sprigs; stir in lemon juice. Serve in warm bowls garnished with cheese and parsley.
Notes
- For a vegetarian or vegan dish, be sure to use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth, and omit the Parmesan cheese.
Just made this tonight and I was initially a bit intimidated but this was so easy and so good!
I am so glad to hear that, Ann! Thanks so much for stopping by 🙂
Looks delicious but maybe I’m missing something – The title indicates that there are chickpeas, but I don’t see it in the actual recipe? How much and when do you add the chickpeas?
Hi Catherine! I call them “garbanzo beans” in the recipe, because that’s what the cans here in the States say when you buy them. But garbanzo beans = chickpeas. Sorry for the confusion!
Just wondering the cook time if you wanted to set the slow cooker on low.
Hi Joanna! Unfortunately, I haven’t tested this recipe on low. I know that for most meat dishes, you would double the time in the slow cooker vs. cooking on high. But, I just haven’t tried it with a grain dish, so I’m not sure. If you do test it out, please let me know how it goes!
How many servings does this recipe make?
Hi Nicole, so sorry – just realized I need to add this info to the recipe. This makes 6 side dish servings, or 4 more main dish servings. Hope that helps!
Just made this tonight and it turned out very well! My crockpot cooking time was exactly 2 hours. The lemon juice and parm really brought this dish to the next level. Thanks for the easy, healthy, and cheap recipe!
I’m so glad you liked it, Anna! Thanks for stopping by. It’s always helpful to know how different crockpots affect the cooking time of certain recipes. Have a great day!
I made this tonight (finally!) and it actually looked like your photos! However, after 3.5 hours in the slow cooker on high, it still had quite a bit of liquid. I transferred some to a skillet and it thickened up quickly. The carrots and chickpeas though weren’t very soft yet. My slow cooker may just not get very hot or I missed a recipe step. Either way though, it was quite good after adding additional black pepper/basil/sage. Thanks so much for posting!
Hi Ashley! I’m so glad you made this and enjoyed it. I think sometimes different sizes/brands of slow cookers cook a bit differently, but you absolutely did the smart thing by transferring it to a skillet. That’s what cooking is all about some days – problem solving 😉 Happy New Year!
I meant LEMON – not lime juice!
To be honest, I’ve never had chickpeas or barely before but this sounded like something different and I wanted to try it. IT IS AMAZING! I accidently added the lime juice early, but I don’t think that changed anything. Topped it off with parsley and fresh parmesan cheese. I have to last me about 7 more meals so I will be using it as a side. I just heated some up for lunch – and tastes just as good as it did last night. A lot of flavor!
I am SO glad this was a hit for you, Amanda! Barley is such a great grain to have on hand, too. You can cook up a small batch and throw it in salads or a pot of soup, too.
I *thought* you meant lemon juice. I was like “Hmmmm, lime juice would be a little weird in here, but to each their own!” LOL!
This turned out fantabulous!!! The flavor mix was totally a different one for us and I wasnt too sure at first. I skipped the lemon and added some more broth towards the end to keep it risotto creamy, also used vegetarian chicken broth. I will be making this again for sure.
So glad it was a hit, Krisgen! Have a great weekend!
This looks wonderful! Do you think I could use regular cabbage instead of cauliflower?
Hi Alina – I’ve never tried it, but I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. If you do it, let me know how it turns out 🙂
So I tried it last night, and it turned out really, really good. Though I’m not sure it qualified as a risotto at that point. It was more of a really dense stew consistency. I omitted the lemon juice, since the flavor combination didn’t seem to want it, and served it with some sour cream. Family loved it!
So glad it turned out well, Alina! I think, depending on each individual slow cooker, more liquid may need to be stirred in at the end to prevent it from getting too dense. Thanks so much for pointing that out – I need to add that to the recipe 🙂
I can only find quick barley here. Will that work?
Hi Jamie! Unfortunately, I’m just not sure about substituting quick barley. I’ve never tried it, but I have a feeling it might cook too fast and get mushy, and I’d hate to have you waste your ingredients. Maybe try searching for other slow cooker recipes that use quick barley, and adjust the cooking time of this recipe accordingly? If you try it, let me know how it turns out. Good luck 🙂
This sounds delicious and I would like to try this. Have you ever added chicken to this for some added protein?
Hi Sue! I haven’t tried adding chicken, but it sounds like a great idea. I would probably stir in cooked chicken toward the end of the slow cooking time.
This is just scrumptious! Even better the next day. I will be making this again and again. Thank you for a wonderful recipe!
So glad you loved, it Terri! I really liked it as leftovers, too. But then again, I like MOST things better as leftovers. haha.
Hi Lori! Where did you purchase your warm bowls from?? I can’t seem to find a set anywhere.
Hi Tiffany! Do you mean the little purple pots? They are Le Creuset mini cocotttes: http://amzn.to/2ppitII
Thank you so much – yes the link you sent are the bowls I was looking for!! Thanks again! (PS: I made the risotto last night – san warming bowl lol – my family (15 and 10 year olds included) LOVED it! My husband had 2nds for dinner and had it again this morning for breakfast!
Yay! So glad you liked this recipe, Tiffany!
I made this last night and it was fantastic – thank you!
So glad to hear that, Meera! Thanks for stopping by!
Lori this looks so fabulous over on Bonbon Break, thank you so much for sharing!!
Thanks for featuring it, Tara!
Love this! I haven’t made risotto in years!
Thanks Chung-Ah! I’m just obsessed with risotto!