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    Home » Recipes » How To

    Wheat Berries Instant Pot

    Published: Feb 1, 2022 . Modified: Apr 13, 2024 by Allie

    This website is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe

    This instant pot wheat berries tutorial is a fuss-free way to cook these whole grains.  If you’ve ever cooked wheat berries, you know they take much longer than other grains.  Using the pressure cooker reduces the time required and there’s no need for soaking.  

    instant pot cooked wheat berries in a white bowl
    Jump to:
    • What are wheat berries?
    • How to enjoy wheat berries?
    • Where to buy wheat berries?
    • How to cook wheat berries in the instant pot
    • How to know when the wheat berries are cooked?
    • Tips for instant pot wheat berries
    • How much will one cup of dry wheat berries yield?
    • Will they freeze?
    • Storage
    • More Instant Pot Recipes
    • Recipe
    • Comments

    What are wheat berries?

    Wheat berries are an edible whole wheat kernel that has the husk removed: leaving the bran, germ, and endosperm intact.  It’s where whole wheat flour comes from.  There are different varieties: hard or soft, red or white, and winter or spring.  

    Hard wheat has a higher protein content, while soft has lower protein and more moisture.  Red wheat has a nuttier flavor, and white is milder.  Winter or spring refers to when the wheat was planted.

    How to enjoy wheat berries?

    Cooked wheat berries are chewy with a slightly nutty flavor and can be used in salads, grain bowls, soups, stir fry, and can usually be a replacement for rice in most dishes.  

    My favorite way to enjoy them is in my wheat berry breakfast bowl that has sliced bananas, a pile of fresh berries, unsweetened plain dairy-free yogurt, ground cinnamon, and a little maple syrup.  If you use a sweetened dairy-free yogurt, you might want to skip the maple syrup.

    Where to buy wheat berries?

    You may find them at a health food store near the rice, but I purchased mine from Amazon.

    How to cook wheat berries in the instant pot

    uncooked wheat berries in a strainer

    Rinse the wheat berries in a colander and drain, this removes any dust or debris. Add 1 cup rinsed wheat berries and 3 cups water to an instant pot and close the lid.

    Move the venting valve to seal, and cook on high pressure for 30 minutes.  It may take about 10 minutes to come to pressure.

    When the time is up let them naturally release pressure for 10-15 minutes, then manually release any remaining pressure by moving the valve to venting. Drain the wheat berries and use them or store them for later.

    cooked wheat berries in the instant pot

    How to know when the wheat berries are cooked?

    The wheat berries are done when they are no longer firm, but chewy.  Some of the kernels will most likely have split open.  The longer you cook them the softer they’ll be.

    Tips for instant pot wheat berries

    • If you’re using the wheat berries in a savory recipe, add a pinch of salt.
    • Rinse them in a colander before cooking to remove any dust or debris. 
    • Cook wheat berries with a 1:3 ratio.  For each cup of wheat berries use 3 cups of water.
    • The wheat berries are done cooking at the 30-minute mark, but I much prefer letting the instant pot naturally release for about 10-15 minutes.  Then there’s not much steam to deal with.  

    How much will one cup of dry wheat berries yield?

    About 3 cups of cooked wheat berries.

    Will they freeze?

    They do freeze well, once cooled completely, store in an airtight container for about 3 months.

    Storage

    Store cooked wheat berries in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.  They keep well in the fridge and work great as an alternative for oats (for breakfast) or rice (for lunch or dinner) for meal prep. 

    cooked wheat berries in a white bowl

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      How to cook millet in the instant pot
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      Banana Steel Cut Oats (Instant Pot)
    • Wheat berry breakfast bowl with blueberries, banana, and yogurt.
      Wheat Berry Breakfast Bowl
    • Pumpkin steel cut oats in a bowl with banana and dried cranberries.
      Instant Pot Pumpkin Steel Cut Oatmeal

    I hope the tutorial on how to cook wheat berries in an instant pot was helpful!

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    Recipe

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    cooked instant pot wheat berries in a white bowl

    Wheat Berries Instant Pot


    5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

    5 from 1 review

    • Author: Allie
    • Total Time: 55 minutes
    • Yield: 3 cups 1x
    • Diet: Vegan
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    Description

    This instant pot wheat berries tutorial is a fuss-free way to cook these whole grains.


    Ingredients

    Scale
    • 1 cup (180 g) hard red winter wheat berries
    • 3 cups (709 ml) water
    • Pinch of salt, optional

    Instructions

    1. Rinse the wheat berries in a colander and drain.
    2. Add the rinsed wheat berries and water to an instant pot and close the lid.
    3. Move the venting valve to seal, and cook on high pressure for 30 minutes.  It may take about 10 minutes to come to pressure.
    4. When time is up let them naturally release pressure for 10-15 minutes, then manually release any remaining pressure by moving the valve to venting.
    5. Drain the wheat berries and use them.
    • Prep Time: 5 minutes
    • time to pressurize/depressurize: 20 minutes
    • Cook Time: 30 minutes
    • Category: breakfast, main course
    • Method: instant pot
    • Cuisine: american

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    1. Matt

      July 22, 2022 at 7:57 pm

      Thanks for all of the instructions, the wheat berries turned out perfect.

      Reply
      • Allie

        July 23, 2022 at 4:55 pm

        You're welcome, I'm glad the instructions worked out for you.

        Reply

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    Hi, I'm Allie! I love cooking and I want to share my simple plant-based meals with you. Eating this way doesn't have to be complicated or expensive. Just simply delicious!

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