Study the way to prepare dinner farro completely each time! This simple stovetop methodology makes chewy, nutty grains you should utilize in salads, soups, or facet dishes.
In the event you’re looking out for complete grains which might be nutritious and really scrumptious, right here’s one which checks each field for me: farro! This historical grain has a chewy texture and nutty taste that makes it nice for every part from grain bowls to soups to facet dishes like my favourite farro salad.
Studying the way to prepare dinner farro may be very easy, and you should utilize your stovetop, rice cooker, or Immediate Pot. I’ve examined all three approaches in my kitchen. In contrast to rice or quinoa that may flip mushy with out exact timing, I’ve discovered cooking farro is forgiving.
What Is Farro? (Origin & Background)
Farro is an historical grain that’s nutty and chewy, with a texture much like barley. It grain fueled Roman empire for hundreds of years and has even been present in Egyptian tombs. In Italian cooking, it’s a staple ingredient utilized in hearty soups and recent salads.
The nutty taste is of course wealthy and with its chewy taste, I really like that it feels substantial on the plate and makes meals really feel extra satisfying.
One other factor that units farro aside from complete grains like brown rice is that its cooking methodology is forgiving. Its chewy texture doesn’t get mushy even when it’s a bit of overcooked. This makes it nice for meal prep for the reason that texture holds up for a number of days within the fridge.
The three Sorts of Farro
While you’re purchasing for farro at grocery shops, you’ll discover three various kinds of farro. It’s necessary to grasp these distinction so you understand how to prepare dinner farro correctly:
- Pearled farro has all the bran faraway from the grain. It has the quickest prepare dinner time of 15 to twenty minutes, making it nice for weeknight dinners. It has much less fiber than the opposite sorts.
- Semi-pearled farro has a part of the bran eliminated, so extra fiber and vitamins are retained. The prepare dinner time is 25 to Half-hour, and it’s a very good steadiness of diet and comfort.
- Entire farro is the whole grain with all bran, and has the longest prepare dinner time at 30 to 40 minutes. It’s the toughest to search out in grocery shops, so my recipe focuses on pearled and semi-pearled.
Professional tip: I’ve discovered that package deal labeling might be complicated as a result of many manufacturers don’t clearly state the kind. You may merely verify the prepare dinner time listed on the package deal as a information. If it says 15-20 minutes, you may have pearled farro. If it says 25-Half-hour, it’s semi-pearled farro.

Cooking Ideas for Excellent Farro
The only solution to prepare dinner farro is on the stovetop utilizing the “pasta methodology,” the place you’ll prepare dinner it in water then drain as soon as the farro is tender. That is completely different from grains like rice or quinoa the place all the water is cooked out. Listed below are the essential steps for the way to prepare dinner farro on the stovetop (or leap to the recipe beneath):
- Rinse: Rinse the grains below chilly water in a positive mesh strainer. This removes any particles and extra starch.
- Add water: In a big saucepan, place 1 cup farro, 3 cups water and ½ teaspoon kosher salt and produce it to a boil.
- Simmer: Scale back the warmth to a simmer and canopy. Prepare dinner till the grains are tender, about 15 to twenty minutes for pearled, 25 to Half-hour for semi-pearled.
- Drain: Drain any extra water. This methodology is extremely forgiving and prevents the grains from changing into mushy.
- Season: I like so as to add 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil for richness, 1 minced garlic clove for depth, 2 tablespoons chopped recent herbs like thyme, oregano, chives, or basil, or an additional pinch of salt to style.

Immediate Pot and Rice Cooker Strategies
I like cooking farro on the stovetop as a result of I can taste-test the grains as they prepare dinner and modify the timing as wanted. Regardless of my farro model, it often takes about Half-hour to prepare dinner: so it’s fairly fast!
For a very hands-off cooking methodology, take a look at my information on the way to prepare dinner farro in an Immediate Pot, which is nice for meal prep.
If you wish to prepare dinner farro in a rice cooker, use the brown rice setting: this can often take about 45 minutes.

Serving Concepts
One cup of raw farro yields about 3 cups of cooked grains, making it nice for meal prep and batch cooking. Listed below are my favourite methods to make use of this versatile complete grain:
- Grain Salads: Farro makes an excellent base as a result of it holds its chewy texture even with dressing. Attempt my Hearty Farro Salad with veggies, herbs, and a lemony dressing, or my Autumn Salad with farro and apples. Any grain salad recipe might be tailored to make use of farro.
- Grain Bowls: I really like this Farro Bowl with Mediterranean-inspired toppings like chickpeas, roasted greens, and hummus dressing. Or strive it in a Energy Bowl for lunch or dinner.
- Facet Dish: Once I desire a fancy facet dish, I make Farro with Mushrooms and Parmesan: it’s simply as scrumptious as risotto however simpler to organize.
- Cozy Soups: My Cozy Farro and Brussels Sprouts Soup is a cold-weather favourite that’s each hearty and nourishing.
- Substitute for Different Grains You should use farro wherever you’d sometimes use barley, quinoa, or brown rice. The chewy texture works effectively with stir-fries or breakfast bowls.
- Sheet Pan Meal: For a simple weeknight dinner, add farro to our Simple Sheet Pan Dinner or Sheet Pan Rooster.
The way to retailer and reheat
Cooked farro shops extremely effectively, which makes it excellent for meal prep.
- Fridge Storage Retailer in an hermetic container for as much as 5 days.
- Freezer Storage For longer storage, cooked farro freezes effectively for as much as 3 months. Portion it into freezer secure containers and label with the date. Thaw in a single day within the fridge whenever you’re prepared to make use of.
- The way to reheat Add a splash of water, broth, or olive oil when reheating to stop the grains from drying out. You may microwave it, or reheat in a skillet over medium warmth for a couple of minutes.
Dietary notes
This farro recipe is vegetarian, vegan, plant-based, and dairy-free.
Continuously requested questions
About 2 ½ to three cups cooked.
Spelt, emmer, and einkorn are different names for the grain in English for various sizes, from largest to smallest. Emmer is what you’ll discover in most American shops. In Italy farro is labeled to indicate its measurement as farro grande, farro medio, and farro piccolo.
Soaking farro will not be required.
I like to recommend rinsing farro below chilly water earlier than cooking to take away any particles or extra starch, but it surely’s not completely important. In the event you’re brief on time, you possibly can skip this step. Rinsing can enhance the ultimate texture barely.
Sure, cowl the pot whereas farro simmers on the stovetop. This helps the grains prepare dinner evenly and prevents an excessive amount of water from evaporating. That mentioned, I’ve additionally cooked it uncovered with good outcomes: it’s very forgiving.
Completely! Farro makes a very good risotto-style dish. Do that Farro Risotto recipe.
I do each! I add about ½ teaspoon of sea salt to the cooking water, much like cooking pasta. This seasons the grains from the within as they take up water. Then I add one other pinch of salt after draining to regulate the ultimate seasoning.
The way to Prepare dinner Farro (Completely Chewy Grains Each Time)
This primary stovetop farro recipe delivers completely chewy, nutty grains that work in numerous dishes from salads to soups.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Prepare dinner Time: 20 minutes
- Whole Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4
- Class: Facet Dish
- Methodology: Stovetop
- Delicacies: American
- Eating regimen: Vegan
Substances
- 1 cup raw farro, pearled or semi-pearled (not complete)
- 3 cups water
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
- 2 tablespoons chopped recent herbs (thyme, oregano, chives, or basil), elective
- 1 garlic clove, minced, elective
Directions
- Rinse the farro below chilly water in a positive mesh strainer. In a big saucepan, place the farro, water and ½ teaspoon of the kosher salt and produce it to a boil.
- Scale back the warmth to a simmer, cowl, and prepare dinner till the grains are tender, about 15 to twenty minutes for pearled farro and 25 to Half-hour for semi-pearled farro. Style take a look at a grain to see whether it is tender (if the package deal is unmarked, simply prepare dinner till tender).
- Drain any extra water. Add the extra ¼ teaspoon salt and the olive oil or butter. If utilizing, stir within the minced garlic and herbs. Style and add further salt if desired.
Notes
For hands-off cooking, take a look at my information on the way to prepare dinner farro in an Immediate Pot, which is ideal for meal prep.
If you wish to prepare dinner farro in a rice cooker, use the brown rice setting: this can often take about 45 minutes.




