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.
A great way to make a Slow Cooker barley chicken risotto,,
thanks to share this recipe,
Hi 🙂 This looks amazing. I am curious as to the nutritional data; where is the cholesterol coming from (noted as having 86mg per serving)? Parm cheese doesn’t have that much so I’m curious?
Hi Cindee – I have a program that calculates the nutrition info automatically, but unfortunately it’s pretty low tech and I can’t see the nutritional data for each individual ingredient.
Pearl barley and quinoa have the same cooking time, although barley has a slightly higher water ration (1 cup baley to 3 c liquid, 1:2 for quinoa). Has anyone tried this with quinoa or a different grain? Would the flavours work?
Hi Lori! Have you ever made this in the Instant Pot on pressure (not IP slow cooker setting)? I am curious if it would work.
Hi Julia. I don’t have an Instant Pot, unfortunately. If you do end up giving it a try, I’d love to hear how it turns out!
This is delicious! A fantastic meal prep — super easy, filling, great flavor, and I’m happy eating it all week long. My only suggestion would be to lower the barely to veggie and bean ratio. I will probably add more garbanzo beans and veggies next time, but otherwise it’s great 🙂
Glad you liked it, Jennica!
This is such an easy and delicious vegetarian recipe! The whole family loved it!! My kids helped preparing it and ate their whole bowl. Thanks 🙂
I’m so glad to hear that, Laurent!
I’ve been trying to cut back on meat and my friend sent me this recipe. I didn’t change anything except I cooked it in an electric pressure cooker for 25 minutes on high pressure after sautéing. It was delicious, hearty, and filling! I added chopped chicken for my husband and I have a feeling he’ll love it.
I am so glad to hear that, Phuong. And so glad to hear it works in a pressure cooker. That is awesome!
I was going to ask about cooking in the instant pot. Thank you for that information.
Sounds delicious! Can you make this in the crock pot on low? I am just trying to figure out the timing for when I am at work.
Hi Jess – Sorry for the slow response, I was traveling. I haven’t tried this on low for 6-8 hours, but I think it would work! If you did/do end up trying it, please let me know how it turned out 🙂
All good thanks for responding! I tried it on low for 6 hours and it came out perfect!
So glad to hear that, Jess. Thanks for coming back and letting me know 🙂
I am making this now but made the mistake of putting lemon juice in the mixture while it’s cooking in crockpot. Will this mess up the recipe? I only put (1) tablespoon lemon juice (not the 1 1/2 T).
Thank you Karen
Hey Karen – I think it’ll be OK. Hope you enjoy!
hey, how could i make this recipe on the stovetop? my crockpot isn’t big enough for all I wanna make! thank you
Hi Allison – I’ve never tried this on the stovetop, but I imagine you could follow steps 1-3 pretty much the same way. Bring the mixture to a boil and then reduce it to a simmer, and cook until the barley is tender, stirring occasionally. Add more liquid if necessary. Good luck!
Lori, I made this today and used it instead of polenta in a braised beef shank recipe. It was absolutely outstanding. I really loved how well the cauliflower played with the barley and chickpeas. We dressed the risotto with a gremolata flavored olive oil from a local oil and vinegar shop. It was just wonderful. I look forward to trying a few of the suggestions in the comments and mixing it up!
I’m so glad to hear this was a hit, Carrie. Love the idea of pairing it with braised beef. YUM!
I am making the risotto now and I’m worried that the liquid isn’t absorbing into the barley. It’s been on high in the slow cooker for almost 2 hours and it still looks soupy!
Hi Dana – give it the full 2.5 hours and then give it a stir and see what it’s like. Don’t open the lid to the slow cooker before that.
It took a bit longer since I opened the lid, but it was fabulous! Thanks!
Hi! I never made risotto before…..it doesn’t specify this in the directions, but I am assuming I am supposed to put the risotto grains inside the crock and cook for 2 hours too? The package directions of the risotto I bought says to cook on stovetop for 20 minutes. So I’m not sure if I am supposed to do that then combine it with crockpot mixture.
Hi Ashley – this recipe doesn’t call for a risotto mix. Rather, it’s made with plain, uncooked pearl barley. So unless what is in the package is plain barley, I’m not sure this recipe will turn out like you hope. It may be best to follow package instructions this time around, and then try the recipe above with plain barley another time.
Ohhhh, ok. I have the plain pearl barley, so I will use that and not cook risotto mix. Is pearl barely another form of risotto? (this is the first time I heard of risotto/pearl barley so excuse my confusion haha). Just wondering why the title is risotto.
Hi Ashley – pearl barley is simply a type of grain, so you should be able to find it in the rice and grains section of your store. Just look for plain pearl barley (usually in a bag), and you’re good!
Hi I just wanted to share that I did this using the low setting on my crockpot as others had asked about and it turned out well! People wondered if it would be too mushy – I thought it was creamy (with the usual degree of mushiness that is sort of typical of a risotto anyway).
That’s great to hear, Stephanie! So glad it came out well 🙂
This was very good – like another commenter, I also added a few handfuls of spinach at the end of cooking to wilt into the risotto for some extra greens, which was very good. I also added the zest of one lemon halfway through cooking, but did not taste it in the finished product at all, so would skip this next time. Next time I make this I will double it, as it seems like it would be great reheated as leftovers. Also the 4 servings this produces are pretty small servings, imo.
Love the idea of adding some spinach, Alexandra! So glad you enjoyed 🙂
Delicious! I had to drain some of the extra liquid left in the slow cooker and cook it down. I added nutritional yeast to make it vegan as well. Stick to your ribs goodness and a one-pot-meal!!
Hi Bonnie – so glad this was a hit for you. Thanks for stopping by!
Hi Bonnie,
Thank you for that! I was just scrolling through to see if anyone had vegan suggestions. 🙂 yay