1 Cup Pearled Barley in Grams

1 cup of pearled barley weighs 213 g (spooned and levelled, King Arthur Baking). Hulled barley with the bran polished off; cooks tender and chewy. All the figures on this page are approximate conversions based on the King Arthur Baking value, so when a recipe really matters, verify with a kitchen scale.

Why weighing pearled barley beats measuring it in cups

Pearled barley is one of the heaviest cup measures on this site at 213 g, because the small, round, polished grains pack together tightly with almost no air space. A cup of barley weighs more than a cup of rice and nearly twice as much as a cup of rolled oats, and that density is why barley is so filling: a little goes a long way, and a soup made with a cup of barley will feed more people than a soup made with a cup of a lighter grain.

Pearled barley is also a grain that triples in volume as it cooks, absorbing water and swelling to three times its dry size, so the dry weight is what the recipe needs and the cooked weight is something else entirely. A cup of dry barley, 213 g, becomes about three cups cooked, which is enough for a large pot of soup. Confusing dry and cooked barley is the most common mistake with this grain, and it is a costly one: a soup made with a cup of cooked barley instead of a cup of dry barley will be thin and grainless, while a soup made with a cup of dry barley measured as cooked will be a solid mass. This page covers the dry grain only.

Pearled Barley cups to grams conversion table

Cups Grams Tablespoons
1/4 cup 53.2 g 4
1/3 cup 71 g 5.3
1/2 cup 106.5 g 8
2/3 cup 142 g 10.7
3/4 cup 159.8 g 12
1 cup 213 g 16
1 1/2 cups 319.5 g 24
2 cups 426 g 32
3 cups 639 g 48
4 cups 852 g 64

One tablespoon of pearled barley weighs about 13.3 g, since a cup is 16 tablespoons. That is useful when a recipe calls for a spoonful or two rather than a whole cup, though for small amounts a scale that reads to the gram is far more reliable than a spoon, because a heaped tablespoon can weigh half as much again as a level one.

Worked examples

Barley and vegetable soup for eight

A large pot of soup for eight people uses about 1 cup of pearled barley, which is 213 g, simmered in 2 litres of stock with vegetables for about 45 minutes. Rinse the barley first, weigh 213 g, and add it early so it has time to cook through and thicken the soup. The barley will triple in volume, so do not be tempted to add more: a cup is plenty for a large pot.

Barley risotto for four

A barley risotto for four people uses about 1 1/2 cups of pearled barley, which is 320 g, cooked like a risotto with stock added a ladle at a time. Weigh 320 g rather than measuring by cups, because the grains settle differently and a cup can be 15 g light or heavy. The barley gives a chewier, nuttier risotto than rice, and it holds its texture better when reheated.

Warm barley salad for six

A warm salad for six people uses about 1 cup of pearled barley, which is 213 g, cooked in salted water, drained, and tossed with roasted vegetables and a lemon dressing. Cook the barley until tender but still chewy, about 40 minutes, then weigh the dry barley before cooking, because the cooked weight is three times the dry weight and the two are easily confused.

How the weight was measured

How you fill the cup decides what the cup weighs. The method used here is spooned and levelled: the ingredient is spooned into the cup and levelled with a straight edge, never scooped and never tapped down. If you scoop, you compress the ingredient and the same cup can weigh noticeably more, which is the single most common reason a recipe that worked for its author fails in another kitchen.

The value is taken from King Arthur Baking with high confidence. King Arthur Baking is the reference used across this site because its chart is consistent and widely used by recipe developers. No other source was mixed in, and nothing on this page was estimated from a different ingredient. Remember that every conversion on this page is approximate: check the weight on a kitchen scale whenever accuracy matters, and use the table as a guide rather than a guarantee.

Practical guidance

Store pearled barley in an airtight container in a cool, dry place for up to 1 year, because it is a dry grain that keeps well. Rinse it before cooking to remove dust and surface starch, and do not soak it unless the recipe says so: pearled barley cooks in 40 to 45 minutes without soaking. Use about three parts water to one part barley by volume, and salt the water, which seasons the grain from the inside. If you do not have a scale, spoon the barley into the cup and level it, remembering that the 213 g figure is approximate. Always check whether a recipe means dry or cooked barley, because the two are very different quantities.

Common mistakes with grains and crumbs

The most common mistake is measuring grains and crumbs by scooping the cup through the bag. Scooping compresses the contents and a cup can easily hold a fifth more than a spooned cup, which changes the liquid balance of a porridge, a stuffing or a coating. Spoon and level, or weigh. The second mistake is confusing cooked and uncooked weights: a cup of dry barley and a cup of cooked barley are entirely different ingredients, and recipes that mix them up fail badly. This page covers the dry ingredient only. The third is storing crumbs and grains in the open bag: they go stale and pick up kitchen smells within weeks, so decant into an airtight jar. Finally, do not substitute panko for fine breadcrumbs cup for cup: panko is far lighter, so the same volume weighs less than half as much and the coating comes out thin and patchy.

Frequently asked questions

How many grams is 1 cup of pearled barley?

1 cup of pearled barley weighs 213 g when spooned and levelled, according to King Arthur Baking. The figure is for the dry grain and is approximate, because grain size and settling vary, so verify with a kitchen scale when it matters.

Is that dry or cooked barley?

The 213 g figure is for dry pearled barley. Cooked barley absorbs water and triples in volume, so a cup of dry barley becomes about three cups cooked. Always check whether a recipe means dry or cooked barley.

How much water do I need for 1 cup of barley?

About three parts water to one part barley by volume, or about 720 ml of water for 213 g of barley. Simmer for 40 to 45 minutes until tender but still chewy, then drain any excess water.

How many cups is 100 g of pearled barley?

100 g of pearled barley is about 0.47 cups, or just under 1/2 cup. At 213 g per cup, divide 100 by 213 to get the answer, and use a scale for the most accurate result.

Can I use barley instead of rice in soup?

Yes, but adjust the amount and the cooking time. Barley is heavier per cup than rice and takes longer to cook, about 45 minutes compared with 20 minutes for rice. Weigh the barley and add it earlier so it has time to cook through.

Related conversions

If you need a different amount, the table above scales in both directions, and the converter tool will do the maths for any quantity. When a recipe really matters, weigh the ingredient on a kitchen scale rather than trusting the cup alone, because the figures on this page are approximate and natural ingredients vary by brand, variety and moisture.