Oma's German Beef Barley Soup (Rindfleisch-Gerste-Suppe)

by: Gerhild Fulson  / Oma Gerhild shares easy, authentic German recipes you can trust, rooted in family tradition and featured in her cookbooks.

Published: January 22, 2015, Updated: May 21, 2025

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Yummy easy beef barley soup, German-style, made just like Oma.

Make this beef barley soup recipe, Rindfleisch-Gerste-Suppe, when you need some real stick-to-your-ribs kind of German comfort food. Easy to change up and use what you have in your fridge.

Once you learned how to make soup and how to cook barley, this is a super comfort food recipe to make. Barley, aka Graupen in German, is a very healthy grain to incorporate into your diet.

Barley is similar in taste and texture to brown rice. A really great alternative. This is one of those beef soup recipes that is SO delicious!

What's the difference Between Pot Barley and Pearl Barley?

In German, that would be, what's the difference between Gersten and Graupen?

Although both pot barley and pearl barley look and taste similar, once they are cooked, the differences are obvious. Actually, in cooking them, the first difference is the cooking time required.

The pot barley will take about twice as long as the pearl barley, 50 minutes compared to 25 minutes. If you soak the pot barley first, it will cook quicker, but you lose some of the chewiness.

The pot barley is less processed than the pearl one, so it is more nutritious, making it the perfect choice for cooking when time isn't of the essence.

This grain has a delicious, subtle, and slightly nutty flavor similar to brown rice and really can be substituted in most dishes calling for brown rice.

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A Bit of This and a bit of that ...

• Want a different soup? Add a can of diced tomatoes. Adjust seasoning as needed.
• You can use any cut of beef for this. Trim the excess fat and remove any cartilage. 
• If you wish, you can add 1 cup of frozen peas at the end. Stir until the heat of the soup thaws the peas and serve.
• It's best when you brown the meat first, but even that step can be eliminated if you're in a hurry. However, browning the meat does add a great flavor to the broth.

Oma Says:

Put the kettle on to boil when you first start making the soup. That way, when it's time to add the water, you can add boiling hot water. Makes it faster for the resulting soup to come to simmering point.

Ready to make this beef barley soup?

Print Recipe

Oma's German Beef Barley Soup Recipe (Rindfleisch-Gerste-Suppe)

Make this beef barley soup recipe, Gerstensuppe mit Rindfleisch, when you need some real stick-to-your-ribs kind of German comfort food. Easy to change up and use what you have in your fridge.

Barley is a very healthy grain to incorporate into your diet.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 115 minutes

Total Time 125 minutes

Servings:

Makes 8 servings

Ingredients:

• 1 pound bottom round steak
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 7½ cups water
• bouillon cubes (Check package. Use enough for 5 cups liquid)
• ⅔ cup pot barley
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 bay leaves
• freshly ground pepper
• ½ cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped carrots
• ¼ cup chopped onion

Instructions:

1. Cut the beef into ½-inch cubes.
2. In a large stock pot, brown the beef in the olive oil. Stir in water (preferably hot or boiling), bouillon cubes, barley, salt, bay leaves, and some freshly ground pepper.
3. Bring to boil. Cover, reducing heat to a simmer. 
4. Simmer about 1 hour. 
5. Add celery, carrots, and onions.
6. Cover and continue to simmer for about 45 minutes until the meat and vegetables are tender.
7. Season with salt and pepper if needed. Remove bay leaves.

*  *  *  *  *

Unless otherwise noted recipe, images and content © Just like Oma | www.quick-german-recipes.com

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Complete your set today - order now!

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Hi, I'm Oma Gerhild! As a food writer and cookbook author, I'm always looking to find ways to pass on my German heritage using local ingredients. Quick and easy. That's my goal. Wunderbar food. That's the result.