Sweet Potato Barley Stew
A hearty winter barley stew that features slow-cooked sweet potatoes and chewy barley.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 240 minutes
- Total Time: 250 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Soup
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion ((6 oz) diced)
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 2 medium sweet potatoes ((1 ½ pounds))
- ½ cup pearled barley
- 2 cups water
- 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoons coriander
- ½ teaspoon salt
- Sour cream (for serving)
- Cilantro (for serving)
Instructions
- Heat a Crock-pot® slow cooker over high. Add the olive oil, red onions, and garlic. Stir to coat the onions and let warm.
- Peel the sweet potato and dice into ½” sized pieces. Add to the slow cooker along with the barley, water, vegetable broth, cumin, smoked paprika, coriander, and salt. Set the slow cooker to high (for 4 hours) or low (for 8 hours).
- While the stew is cooking, stir occasionally. Add more vegetable broth, ½ cup at a time, if the liquid has absorbed too quickly.
Notes
Tips & Tricks: I took the short prep-time approach and didn’t cook the onions beforehand. If you have the time, I recommend cooking the onions and garlic in the olive oil on the stovetop before adding to the crockpot.
Stock up: get the pantry ingredients you will need: sweet potatoes, barley, cumin, smoked paprika
Nutrition: see the information.
Nutrition
- Calories: 438
- Sugar: 16.4
- Sodium: 507.5
- Fat: 4.4
- Carbohydrates: 93.8
- Fiber: 15.6
- Protein: 8.8
- Cholesterol: 0
Step by Step


Barley Stew
variations
I love a good barley stew. While you could use whole grain barley, the pearled barley helps create a semi-creamy base to the stew. The warmth from the barley is also a wonderful compliment to the sweet potatoes and smokey paprika. A few ways to mix up this stew:
Add Greens: Collards, Kale, or Chard would be wonderful stirred in at the end. Shred the greens and stir into the soup about 30 minutes before serving.
Spice: Add a pinch or two of cayenne to spice up the overall dish or you can serve the soup with a sprinkle of hot sauce.
Gluten-free: I love that even after a few hours in the slow cooker, the barley still has a slightly chewy texture. Gluten-free alternatives that will old up: sorghum or oat groats!
Vegan: Leave out the sour cream and add a dollop of cashew cream before serving!
Fernando @ Eating With Your Hands says
That Crock-Pot slow cooker looks like it can do wonders!
Gustavo Woltmann says
I love your recipe. Please make more sweet potato recipe for me. Thank you!
- gustavo woltmann
★★★★★
Katie Cihak says
This one wasn't my favorite - it ended up very mushy for me... I love the idea of a vegetarian slow cooker recipe, though!
★
erin says
So strange! Barley usually doesn't end up mushy at all- sorry to hear that.
sarah says
I don't have a CrockPot -- has anyone tried this on the stove top?
Erin Alderson says
It would work and probably take 45 minutes or so!
sarah says
Thanks for the quick reply, Erin! I made it on the stove top -- turned out great. I am so happy to have found your website -- I can't wait to try more recipes 🙂 Thanks for sharing your wonderful creations!