Roasted Cauliflower Barley Risotto | Instant Pot recipe
Instant Pot Roasted Cauliflower Barley Risotto is an easy and impressive side dish that’s mostly hands-off and has tons of flavor from parmesan cheese, fresh thyme, and tender vegetables.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe: This mostly hands-off side dish recipe is full of rich umami flavor and has a unique chewy texture that’s more satisfying than soft risotto.
We may be biased, but we think that the Instant Pot is the best way to cook grains that come out perfectly every time. Give it a try with our how-to posts about how to cook Barley, White Rice, Brown Rice, and Quinoa.
This is one of our favorite Instant Pot side dish recipes made with grains. If you love it, be sure to try our more traditional Instant Pot Lemon Parmesan Risotto with Baby Peas.
Update: This has been a popular recipe on the blog for years, so we thought we’d freshen up the post with new tips and photos to help you perfect it at home.
INGREDIENTS YOU NEED
Here’s what you need for the best pressure cooker barley risotto with cauliflower:
- Cauliflower. You’ll cook this at the same time as the barley either in an oven or an air fryer.
- Parmesan. We recommend freshly grated cheese, rather than pre-grated, for the best flavor.
- Onion and garlic. These add major flavor to the grains as they cook.
- Barley. Look for pearl barley to ensure it cooks fully in the Instant Pot.
- Broth. You can use vegetable or chicken broth. Try our homemade Instant Pot broth for tons of flavor.
- Thyme and parsley. Herbs add a pop of green and freshness on top of your risotto.
How to Make Roasted Cauliflower Barley Risotto in an Instant Pot
✅ This easy recipe will work in any brand of electric pressure cooker, including the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi, or Power Pressure Cooker XL.
You can cook the cauliflower either in the oven or in an air fryer. See the questions section below for air fryer tips. We prefer the air fryer because it’s faster and always comes out crispy. Of course, the oven works great too.
If you want to roast the florets, start by preheating the oven to 425°F. Toss the cauliflower florets on a foil-lined baking sheet with olive oil, salt, and pepper to coat them well in the seasoning. Roast the cauliflower for 20 minutes, until they’re crisp on the edges and tender.
When the cauliflower is cooked, toss it with some of the grated parmesan, then return it to the oven for another 5 minutes to melt the cheese.
Meanwhile, you can make the barley in the Instant Pot. Heat a drizzle of olive oil using the Sauté function and cook the onion until it’s tender and transparent, then add the garlic for a minute to soften it up.
Next, add the barley, broth, and thyme sprigs and pressure cook on high for 25 minutes. When the cooking time ends, release the pressure manually, then carefully remove the lid.
There will be some extra liquid in the pressure cooker, so select Sauté and bring the barley to a simmer to reduce the liquid and finish cooking the barley until it’s tender. It’s ok to leave some extra liquid because the cauliflower will also absorb some when you add it.
Stir the butter and remaining parmesan cheese into the risotto, along with the cheesy roasted cauliflower and fresh parsley. Season the dish to taste, and enjoy!
Important Tips for Making Barley Risotto
- For deeper caramelized flavors, you can roast the onion along with the cauliflower. This is a great reader tip, thanks, Julia!
- Don’t worry if there’s seems to be too much liquid when you remove the Instant Pot lid. Some of this will reduce when you simmer it, and more will be absorbed by the cauliflower and parmesan you add. Plus, you want your risotto to be soft and creamy, not dry!
- We recommend using low- or no-sodium broth so you can better control the seasoning.
- That said, it’s important to salt the cooking liquid before you pressure cook the grains so they absorb the flavor as they cook.
Frequently Asked Questions about Instant Pot Barley Risotto
Barley, like all grains, will absorb water as it cools, so this is best enjoyed fresh from the pot. However, you can store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. To reheat, you may want to add additional broth or water to loosen it up.
This is a great side dish to serve alongside Pressure Cooker Pork Chops, or Old-Fashioned Instant Pot Pot Roast.
Yes, we actually prefer to make air fryer cauliflower rather than roast it. To roast the cauliflower florets in the air fryer, toss them in the basket with the olive oil, salt, and pepper, and cook them at 400°F for 10 to 15 minutes, tossing them halfway through, until tender and crispy on the edges.
Yes, to make this recipe dairy-free, and even vegan if you use vegetable broth, omit the cheese or use vegan parmesan instead and use olive oil instead of butter.
Yes, if you’d like to turn this into a complete meal, you can add your favorite protein, such as cooked shrimp, shredded chicken or pork, or some readers like adding chopped ham or sausage.
MORE Instant Pot Grain Recipes
The Instant Pot is one of the best ways to cook grains, including these popular recipes:
- Thai Quinoa Edamame Salad is a high-protein side dish loaded with color from crunchy vegetables and topped with salty peanuts.
- Farro and Cherry Salad is a refreshing summery dish full of fresh cherries.
- Spicy Brown Rice Black Bean Salad is a Tex-Mex-inspired side dish with avocado, bell peppers, and a kick of heat.
Do you LOVE this recipe?
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Roasted Cauliflower Barley Risotto
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 small head cauliflower
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan divided
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup pearl barley
- 3 cups vegetable or chicken broth
- 2 springs of thyme
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425°. Cut cauliflower into small florets. Toss cauliflower florets with olive oil in a Ziploc bag. Season well with salt and pepper. Line a baking sheet with tin foil and spread cauliflower on baking sheet.
- Roast until almost tender, about 20 minutes, tossing every 10 minutes. Sprinkle cauliflower with 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, and roast until cauliflower is tender, approximately 5 minutes more.
- While cauliflower is roasting, select Sauté and heat 1 tablespoon oil in pressure cooker pot. Sauté the onion until tender, approximately 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for an additional minute.
- Add barley, broth and thyme to the cooking pot. Cover and lock lid in place. Select High Pressure and 25 minutes cook time. When timer beeps, turn off and use a quick pressure release.
- Select Sauté and cook uncovered, stirring often until barley is tender and liquid is reduced until it’s thick and creamy. (The cauliflower will absorb some of the liquid when you add it.) Remove thyme stems.
- Mix in butter and 1/4 cup Parmesan until blended. Mix in roasted cauliflower and fresh parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately topped with additional grated Parmesan cheese.
Nutrition
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Have made this multiple times; it is an excellent recipe. I have also added chopped ham to it as well as some additional veggies for a great casserole dinner!
That’s great to hear – thanks Jeannie!
Any thought on how to make this dairy free?
Hi Nelson – I would omit the Parmesan and butter and use additional olive oil as needed.
I’m assuming this recipe is designed for the 6 ounce InstantPot and should be halved for the DUO Mini?
Thanks!
Hi Hayley – I would probably halve it for the DUO Mini.
A 6 oz Instant Pot – for those times you’re not very hungry :-). Of course I knew you meant 6 qt.
do you have a regular crockpot recipe for this same dish? It sounds amazing.
Hi Kari – I don’t have a crockpot recipes, but here’s a link to the stove top recipe https://naturallyella.com/cauliflower-barley-risotto/
Just a suggestion, but try roasting the onion along with the cauliflower. It too caramelizes and gives the end product a deeper flavor.
Hi Julia – thanks for sharing that tip!
Used this recipe as inspiration tonight – except I used farro and roasted butternut squash! I was worried the farro wouldn’t release enough starch and threw in a handful of orzo after releasing pressure. With some extra salt (I used homemade turkey stock that was unsalted) it was super delicious with some sous vide chicken. Will definitely make it again!
Wow – sounds like a great meal Stephanie! Thanks for sharing your changes.
Made the risotto per directions. Thought it was bland. I think I would use a cheddar type cheese. The next day I topped it with “pico de galo” and it was very good. Just needed a little something extra in my opinion. I think the green unions are a good idea as well.
Thanks for the comment Mary. What type of cheese did you use in the recipe?
Some mild bagged cheese. I gave some to my friend and she ate hers cold and loved it.
I can buy freshly grated cheese in a blend of three Italian cheese. Should have used them.
Next time around! Thanks for your reply.
Looks wonderful! I like every single thing in this dish. By chance, did you ever try it with hulled barley? I try to stick with whole grains as much as possible and was wondering if you had any suggestions if I were to use hulled instead of pearled. I’m not sure it would really work as I’d probably lose some of the creaminess and it might be like a delicious grain salad instead. Anyway, great looking recipe. Thanks!
Hi Erin – I haven’t tried it with hulled barley. If you try it let me know.
This sounds so good, and great photos in this post too!
I had a head of cauliflower I wanted to use up so I prepped and put it in the oven to roast. Then I realized I was out of barley! So I improvised with 1 1/4 cup of quinoa as a substitute (I cooked it on high pressure for 1 minute and did a natural pressure) and it was delicious! It was really tasty and my kids liked it too!
Hi Heather – I love that you improvised and used quinoa. Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed it!
Had to stop back in and let you know I made this to go with our pork chops tonight-oh my gosh AMAZING. I stayed true to the recipe-just added a touch more Parmesan at the end and about 1/4 cup of thinly sliced green onions got stirred in just before serving because I had them to use up. They added a nice second level of onion flavor. Both Bob and I LOVED this….I’ll be making this a lot.
Thank you Barbara and Marci too!
Carol
How great that you made it already. I’m so glad you and Bob loved it! Your additions sound great.
That looks so good-another thing I have yet to try cooking in the pressure cooker-barley. But I will now! This is our kind of side dish.
Thanks Carol – definitely give it a try!
I never make these sort of comments but I have to say ‘yum’ – that looks/sounds really good!
Thanks Renee! I’m so glad you took the time to make a comment 🙂