Barley polished to remove the hull and most of the bran, which is why it cooks in about half an hour rather than an hour and a half. Roughly 1 cup barley to 3 cups liquid, simmered 25 to 30 minutes.
What it does in a recipe: A chewy, starchy grain that thickens the liquid around it — the reason barley soups have their particular body. Pick the swap that covers that job — the ratios below are written so you can act on them without doing any arithmetic.
Also called: Pearled barley
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Quick answer
Pearled farro
1 cup pearl barley with 3 cups liquid, 25 to 30 minutes = 1 cup pearled farro, boiled 15 to 20 minutes and drained
All substitutes, best first
4 ways to replace pearl barley
Pearled farro
Closest match
1 cup pearl barley with 3 cups liquid, 25 to 30 minutes = 1 cup pearled farro, boiled 15 to 20 minutes and drained
Farro has a very similar chew but releases less starch, so it is better boiled and drained than cooked by absorption.
Trade-offA clearer broth, since farro will not thicken a soup the way barley does. Add a little less liquid to the pot to compensate.
Allergen checkFarro is wheat and carries gluten, exactly as barley does. Neither is suitable if the substitution is being made for coeliac disease — brown rice or buckwheat are. Check the packet for shared-mill warnings and treat the diagnosis as medical.
Brown rice
Reliable
1 cup pearl barley with 3 cups liquid = 1 cup brown rice with 2 1/4 cups liquid, simmered 45 to 50 minutes
It gives a similar wholegrain chew and is genuinely gluten-free, though it absorbs less liquid and takes considerably longer.
MethodCook it separately for a soup. Dropping raw brown rice into the pot means 50 minutes of everything else overcooking.
Trade-offThe broth stays thin, and the grains break apart more readily on reheating the next day.
Allergen checkAll barley, hulled or pearled, contains gluten. This is not a route around a wheat or gluten restriction. If someone at the table is coeliac, use a certified gluten-free grain and confirm the label.
Sorghum
Reliable
1 cup pearl barley with 3 cups liquid = 1 cup whole sorghum with 3 cups liquid, simmered 50 to 60 minutes
Sorghum grains are round, chewy and gluten-free, and they behave like barley in a soup, just needing a longer cook to soften.
MethodSoaking overnight brings the simmer down to roughly 35 minutes.
Trade-offBouncier and rounder in the mouth, and it stays firm rather than softening into the liquid.
Barley keeps absorbing after it comes off the heat, so a soup that looked perfect at dinner will be a stew by breakfast. Cook the barley separately if you plan on leftovers.
Cooking around an allergy? Diet tags here describe the ingredient itself, not any particular brand. Processed products change formulation without notice and shared production lines are common, so read the label on everything you use. A severe allergy is a medical matter — confirm with the manufacturer or your clinician rather than relying on a substitution chart.