This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase through links on our site, we may earn a commission.
Warm Breakfast Barley is an easy to make alternative to cereal or oatmeal. This breakfast porridge bowl is heart-healthy and fiber-rich, filled with blueberries and natural sweetness from dates.
Sometimes it is nice to change up your morning routine and try something new. This hearty and warming breakfast does just that, and it’s perfect for these colder months. Something warm and comforting to fill the belly in a nourishing way!
We appreciate your support
Please let me know if you have any questions about this recipe. I read all the comments myself and I try to help as soon as I can. I have readers from all levels of comfort and experience in the kitchen on my site, and I’ve tried to answer some of your questions already in the post. But if I’ve missed anything, please feel free to leave a comment and ask.
Is barley good for breakfast?
Barley is absolutely great on the breakfast table. I know most people just think of it as soup, but it’s a filling alternative to oatmeal.
Is barley healthier than oatmeal?
Oatmeal isn’t the only gut-friendly and budget-friendly grain. And, you can eat barley every day. Let’s take a quick look at the two grains.
Barley
A serving of cooked barley is usually half of a cup. One serving typically contains about 120 calories, 27 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, 4 grams of protein, and 0 grams of sugar. Barley is a good source of manganese, fiber (which can help with digestion), phosphorus, niacin, zinc, magnesium, and vitamin B6.
Pearled barley is not a whole grain as some of the bran is removed. But it retains much of the nutrients of the whole grain, and it cooks up much faster than the whole grain hulled barley. I actually don’t even see whole grain hulled barley in the grocery stores anymore.
Barley contains gluten and you may wish to avoid it if you’re following a gluten-free diet.
Oatmeal
A serving of cooked oatmeal is usually a cup. One serving of cooked oatmeal typically contains about 150 calories, 27 grams of carbohydrates, 4 grams of fiber, 5 grams of protein, and 1 gram of sugar. Cooked oatmeal is a good source of soluble fiber that helps lower cholesterol levels, it’s low in saturated fat, and cholesterol free.
Nutrition
So, Barley has a few less calories per serving, is roughly the same in carbs, lower in fiber, lower in protein, and lower in sugars than oatmeal. But eating a variety of foods will not only keep your diet interesting, but it will provide different nutrients to your day. And the amounts are fairly similar.
Conclusion, adding a variety of grains to your diet will benefit your mind and body. Eating grains daily may reduce total and low-density lipoprotein (LDL or “bad”) cholesterol. Grains may reduce the risk of heart disease, lower blood pressure, and they just taste great! Barley is also great for helping to control blood sugar, as it has one of the lowest glycemic index out of all the grains.
Looking for some new breakfast ideas?
Check out my Breakfast quinoa, 3 ingredient bagels, and Honey lemon breakfast yogurt. Looking for more budget friendly breakfasts? Check out my Egg Free Breakfasts.
How to make
Barley is an agricultural product, and there may still be some dirt, rocks, or other foreign material. Always rinse and look through the barley before cooking it.
Basically, you’re going to place everything in a saucepan, bring it to a boil, lower the heat and simmer until the barley is tender, about 45 minutes.
It’s cooked when most of the liquid is absorbed, and the grain is tender but slightly chewy.
I like pearled barley as it still has lots of nutrients, but the cooking time is much faster. If you want the whole grain, you can also use hulled barley to make the recipe. Hulled Barely requires soaking and a longer cooking time; read and follow the package directions for hulled barley.
Serve hot, at room temperature, or even cold from the fridge
You can also serve it with a splash of milk, cream, or plant-based milk. I especially recommend almond milk with this; almond milk as a low glycemic index.
More barley recipes
Barley is great in so many meals. Check out my Beets and Barley Salad, Baked barley with mushrooms, and Pumpkin Barley Soup.
Storage and make ahead
It’s a great option for make ahead meals. You can batch cook it for meal prep and have a quick breakfast in the morning. You can even plan to make extra but doubling the recipe.
Store it in an airtight container in the fridge up to 5 days. For longer storage, place it in a freezer-safe container and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Reheat in the microwave or on the stove by stirring in a little liquid (water or milk will work just fine).
Changes & serving suggestions
This recipe is very versatile and a great basic starter point, kind of like making a batch of oatmeal can be mixed up every time you make it. You could even serve it for dessert or a light snack.
Add some chopped nuts, especially walnuts, pecans, almonds, or hazelnuts. Or some seeds like pepitas, chia, poppy seeds, or sunflower seeds.
Top it with fresh fruit like strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, sliced bananas, chopped apples,
Cooked fruit is also great, like cooked apples, Orange Blueberry Dried Fruit Compote, oven roasted strawberries, or grilled peaches. Any cooked fruit pie filling (they sell cans of pie filling at the grocery store).
Drizzle with nut butters like peanut butter, pistachio butter, or almond butter.
Swap out the dried blueberries for coconut, raisins, golden raisins, dried apricots, dried cranberries, or any other dried fruit.
Add in some spices like almond extract, nutmeg, cloves, or allspice.
The dates add just the right amount of sweetness, but if you’d like it sweeter, feel free to stir in some maple syrup, honey, or brown sugar.
Top it with some Greek yogurt, or layer it with yogurt and nuts to make a pretty parfait. Add some Cherry Lime jam to the layers. Or some homemade granola.
Add some of the leftover barley to a salad.
You can even make a savory breakfast barley with savory herbs, veggies, and a fried egg.
And, if you’re looking for more ways to add nutrition to your day, check out my Garden to Table Kale Salad.
Let’s keep in touch
If you like seeing my recipes subscribe via email in the upper right.
Or, connect with me on your favorite social media channel for recipes, photos, & much more:
Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter!
And find my shop on Amazon for recommendations on cool tools
If you try this recipe,
please come back & leave a comment below letting us know how it goes.
Share a picture & tag @lifecurrents on Instagram.
Or you can upload a “tried it” photo (I would love to see)
via the pin.
Recipe
Breakfast Barley
Ingredients
- 1 cup orange juice
- 1 cup coconut water
- 1 cup pearled barley
- 2 tablespoons dried blueberries
- 4 Medjool dates pits removed and chopped
- 1 small cinnamon stick
- Pinch salt or to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Bring coconut water and orange juice to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the barley, dried blueberries, dates, cinnamon stick, and salt. Bring the mixture to a boil, cover, reduce the heat to medium-low, and cook for 45 minutes.
- If the barley isn't tender after 45 minutes, add up to an additional ½ cup liquid (water, orange juice, or coconut water) and cook for another 10 minutes.
- Remove the cinnamon stick before serving. Stir in vanilla extract.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations, and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
Debi
Such a wonderful nutritious breakfast that’s so yummy. Eat it warm with a drizzle of milk or cold from the fridge for a convenient quick breakfast. I hope you enjoy this as much as we do! Debi, author, Life Currents