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30-Minute Creamy Barley Breakfast Porridge

Simple and delicious barley porridge made with pearl barley, almond milk and maple syrup. A vegan recipe that's a great swap from traditional oatmeal. Barley porridge offers a deep, wheaty, full-bodied flavour that's so comforting.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
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Nov 20, 2016 (Last updated Jan 13, 2026) by Hannah Sunderani

Switch up your morning with this Easy Barley Porridge Recipe! It’s equally as thick and creamy as a wholesome bowl of oats, but stars pearl barley as the main ingredient! All you need is 3 ingredients and 30 minutes to whip up this winter breakfast porridge! I served this to my 10-month old baby and he loved it!

Now that it’s officially freezing, I’ve been relying on this new vegan breakfast recipe to warm up my mornings. I must admit that I’ve perfected this barley porridge, and honestly I don’t know what took me so long to cast this gorgeous grain as the star of my breakfast bowl. It offers a deep, wheat-y, full-bodied flavour that is a welcome change from my typical oatmeal. Top with your favourite fruits, or try it with my 10-Minute Raspberry Chia Jam or my 10-Minute Sticky Sweet Carmelized Bananas!

An image of Easy Barley Porridge topped mixed berries, figs and pecans. The porridge is in a grey bowl with a spoon in the middle. The bowl is sitting on a white backdrop with another bowl of porridge in the top and figs and pecans sprinkled around.

This Barley Porridge is….

  • The perfect sweet breakfast porridge recipe
  • Naturally vegan
  • Meal-prep friendly
  • Great for adults and babies alike!
  • Chewy in texture
  • Warm and hearty
All of the ingredients to make Easy Barley Porridge separated into bowls. The bowls are on a white backdrop.

Ingredient Notes

  • Pearl barley: Make sure to purchase whole pearled barley (not barley flakes or barley flour!). It’s typically light in colour, has a smooth outer texture, and looks like a large round grain. 
  • Almond milk: I prefer using almond milk in this recipe as it adds a nice nutty flavour without being overpowering. I also recipe tested this with coconut milk and with a splash of cashew cream and it was delicious!
A close up image of Easy Barley Porridge topped mixed berries, figs and pecans. The porridge is in a grey bowl with a spoon in the middle. The bowl is sitting on a white backdrop with another bowl of porridge at the bottom and figs and pecans sprinkled around.

How to Make Barley Porridge

Before bringing to a gentle simmer, I highly recommend pulsing the barley in a high speed blender until coarsely chopped. The grains should be broken into smaller pieces, but not blended for so long that they become a barley flour! This is essential to helping it cook into a uniform creamy texture, very similar to a bowl of Instant Pot Steel Cut Oatmeal or Amaranth Porridge. 

Barley grains in a blender container. The container is sitting on a white backdrop.
Place the barley grains in the blender container.
Barley grains blended to barley pearls in a blender container. The container is sitting on a white backdrop.
Pulse a few times to break the pearl barley into smaller pieces.
Pearl barley and plant-based milk stirred together. This mixture is in a grey saucepan with a wooden spoon in the middle. The saucepan is on a white backdrop.
Add the pearl barley and almond milk to a saucepan.
The salt and maple syrup added to the barley mixture. This mixture is in a grey saucepan with a wooden spoon in the middle and a pink bowl that is pouring the maple syrup. The saucepan is on a white backdrop.
Add the maple syrup and salt. Bring to a boil.
The barley mixture that has thickened into a porridge. The porridge is in a grey saucepan with a wooden spoon in the middle. The saucepan is on a white backdrop.
Lower the heat and let the porridge simmer until it has thickened, about 25-30 minutes.

Finally, transfer the creamy porridge to individual serving bowls, top with your desired toppings and serve while warm and comforting. Enjoy!

Barley porridge being scooped with a wooden spoon into a grey bowl. The bowl is sitting on a white backdrop with two additional bowls of porridge, figs and pecans that are scattered around.

Storage Instructions 

Leftover barley porridge will keep for up to 5 days in an air-tight container in the fridge. Reheated porridge is just as good as day 1, so if you’re preparing this recipe for meal prep, I highly recommend making a big batch on Sunday, and warming yourself a bowl every day of the week! 

Just add a little more creamy milk, stir, and reheat in the microwave or stovetop until warm and creamy again. 

Easy Barley Porridge topped with mixed berries and figs. The porridge is in a grey bowl. The bowl is sitting on a white backdrop with two additional bowls of porridge, a cup of maple syrup, figs and pecans scattered around.

I hope you love this Barley Porridge as much as I do! If you do make this recipe, please let me know in the comments below what you think and check out The Two Spoons App for more wholesome vegan recipes like this! I truly love hearing from you, and I’m always here to answer any questions you might have. 

And of course, tag me on Instagram with your pictures using the hashtag #twospoons. Nothing makes me happier than to see your recreations. 

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30-Minute Creamy Barley Breakfast Porridge

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By Hannah Sunderani
Simple and delicious barley porridge made with pearl barley, almond milk and maple syrup. A vegan recipe that's a great swap from traditional oatmeal. Barley porridge offers a deep, wheaty, full-bodied flavour that's so comforting.
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An image of Easy Barley Porridge topped mixed berries, figs and pecans. The porridge is in a grey bowl with a spoon in the middle. The bowl is sitting on a white backdrop with pecans sprinkled around.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Serves 4 people

Ingredients

  • 1 cup pearl barley
  • 3 cup almond milk plus more if needed
  • 4 tbsp maple syrup or to taste
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 2 cups frozen mixed berries , optional for topping

Instructions

  • Pulse barley in your blender until coarsely chopped (so that all the grains are broken, but not powdered).
  • Transfer the chopped barley to a medium saucepan and pour in the almond milk, maple syrup and salt.
  • Turn heat to medium-high and bring the porridge to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low so it's simmering. Cook the porridge, stirring occasionally until it's soft, thickened, and pleasantly chewy, 25-30 minutes. (Add splashes more almond milk while cooking to thin, if desired, for preferred consistency).
  • Transfer the barley porridge to bowls and top each with 1/2 cup thawed red berries. Also optional to add chopped pecans for crunch!

Notes

Recipe will keep for up to 5 days. Store in the fridge in an air-tight container.
Recipe can also be frozen for up to 3 months. I like to portion the porridge into individual air-tight containers to freeze. Reheat in the microwave.
Instead of mixed berries, try topping this barley porridge with Apple Compote or Apple Butter.
Nutritional information is a rough estimate.

Approvals

Nutrition

Calories: 396kcal | Carbohydrates: 73g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 261mg | Potassium: 363mg | Fiber: 13g | Sugar: 27g | Vitamin A: 133IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 295mg | Iron: 2mg
DID YOU

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