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Here’s how to cook farro, an ancient grain with a chewy texture and nutty flavor! We’ve also included all our top farro recipes: side dishes, salads, soups, bowl meals, and more.
Looking for a fun side dish idea, or a whole grain to make a killer salad? Farro is a whole grain that can be used as an alternative to rice, barley or other grains. We love it for its chewy texture and nutty taste.
There’s nothing better than tossing this grain with butter, garlic and fresh herbs as a simple side dish! You can use this grain to whip up all sorts of recipes, and it’s become easy to find at the grocery. Here’s how to cook farro so it’s perfectly tender, and some of our favorite farro recipes for using it.
What is farro?
Farro is a whole grain that’s plump and chewy, with a texture similar to barley. It’s an ancient grain that was eaten in the Roman empire and even found in Egyptian tombs. Farro has been a staple in Italian cuisine for centuries, and spread to global popularity with the recent interest in whole grains. Farro can be boiled on the stovetop, cooked in a rice cooker or in a pressure cooker (Instant Pot). There are a few types you can find in American grocery stores:
- Pearled farro has all of the bran removed from the grain, making it quicker to cook but removing some fiber. The cook time is 15 to 20 minutes.
- Semi-pearled farro has part of the bran removed, retaining some additional fiber. The cook time is 25 to 30 minutes.
- Whole farro is the whole grain and takes the longest to cook. It’s the hardest to find in grocery stores. The cook time is 30 to 40 minutes.
Types of farro
The we’ve included recipe below is for pearled and semi-pearled farro. Keep in mind, the labeling of this grain in the grocery store can be confusing. Many packages don’t contain the words pearled or semi-pearled. Check the cook time on the package as a guide, then follow our recipe below. Try to avoid whole farro, which takes longer to cook.
How to cook farro
Farro is easy to cook on the stovetop. For every 1 cup of farro, you’ll need 3 cups of water or broth for it to fully cook through. Then drain any excess liquid once it is tender, which is different from grains like rice or quinoa. Here are the basic steps for how to cook farro (or jump to the recipe below):
- Rinse: Rinse the grains under cold water in a fine mesh strainer.
- Add water: In a large saucepan, place 1 cup farro, 3 cups water and ½ teaspoon kosher salt and bring it to a boil.
- Simmer: Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover. Cook until the grains are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes for pearled and 25 to 30 minutes for semi-pearled.
- Drain: Drain any excess water. Stir in an additional ¼ teaspoon salt.
How to season as a side dish
Want to serve farro as a simple side dish? Transform it into garlic herb farro! It’s fast and easy, and it makes this grain taste irresistible. Here’s what to add to the pot once you’ve drained it:
- 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh herbs, like fresh thyme, chives, oregano or basil
Top farro recipes
Want to cook up a pot of this whole grain to use in recipes? Farro is an especially great base for grain salads. Mix it with some fresh or cooked vegetables, and drizzle with olive oil and vinegar. Or add it to soups and stews as an alterative to barley! Here are a few of our top farro recipes and serving suggestions for this ancient grain:
- Farro salad: Try it in this delicious and Hearty Farro Salad.
- Farro bowl: Make our Mediterranean-style Farro Bowls, or cook it up for Grain Bowls or Power Bowls.
- Farro with mushrooms: This Farro with Mushrooms & Parmesan is a stunning side dish with bold, savory flavor.
- Farro soup: The plump grains of farro are ideal in soup: try this Cozy Farro and Brussels Sprouts Soup.
Dietary notes
This farro recipe is vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, dairy-free and gluten-free.
Frequently asked questions
About 2 to 2 ½ cups cooked.
Spelt, emmer, and einkorn are other names for the grain in English that denote different sizes, from largest to smallest. Emmer is what you’ll find in most American stores. In Italy farro is labeled to denote its size as farro grande, farro medio, and farro piccolo.
Soaking farro is not required.
Yes! Go to Instant Pot Farro.
How to Cook Farro
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
Description
Learning how to cook farro is quite straightforward. In this recipe, we show you how to cook farro and how we like to flavor it with garlic and herbs.
Note: For how to cook farro in a pressure cooker, go to Instant Pot Farro.
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked farro, pearled or semi-pearled (not whole)
- 3 cups water
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (thyme, oregano, chives, or basil), optional
- 1 garlic clove, minced, optional
Instructions
- Rinse the farro under cold water in a fine mesh strainer. In a large saucepan, place the farro, water and ½ teaspoon of the kosher salt and bring it to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until the grains are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes for pearled farro and 25 to 30 minutes for semi-pearled farro. Taste test a grain to see if it is tender (if the package is unmarked, just cook until tender).
- Drain any excess water. Add the additional ¼ teaspoon salt and the olive oil or butter. If using, stir in the minced garlic and herbs. Taste and add additional salt if desired.
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegan
Hi: To the best of my recollection I have never eaten, or thought about eating, farro but I just registered for a zoom lecture on whole grains which is going to feature a recipe for a farro risotto. A quick Google search led me to your site and your discussion on how to cook farro which was very informative. I was left with two questions: what is the contribution the salt makes to the dish (I believe the other elements of my diet already supply the recommended amount of dietary sodium and for many years I have not added salt to my meals)? and secondly, is there any reason that one should not cook the farro in a microwave?
Hi!
Thanks for the comment. You definitely don’t need the salt for it to cook thoroughly, it is just there for flavor. We haven’t tried the microwave before so I’m not sure!
Thanks for reading.