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Learn how to cook farro easily on the stovetop to add to your favorite recipes. Healthy and nutritious, it’s easy to prepare this ancient grain when you know how!
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If you’ve never cooked farro before, let me take you through the process step by step. Spoiler; it’s as easy as cooking rice!
This delicious grain is similar to barley but denser and a little chewier. It’s a great addition to salads soups and stews. or serve it up as a side dish as part of a weeknight meal.
Learn how to cook farro perfectly every time for one tasty bite that’s perfect for meal prep.
Be sure to check out my posts on How To Cook Quinoa and How To Cook Lentils.
Why you will love this recipe!
- Healthy: Farro is a super nutritious grain. High in protein, fiber, iron and B vitamins, it’s also very low in fat.
- Simple and easy: You just need farro, some water and you are ready to go! There’s nothing complicated about cooking it.
- Make ahead: Cooked farro is great for weekly meal prep and is freezer friendly too.
Ingredients for cooking farro
- Water: Normal tap water is just fine for this recipe. If you like, you can use vegetable or chicken broth/stock instead to add more flavor.
- Farro: You can use pearled farro, semi-pearled farro or whole farro. Cooking times will vary depending on what type of farro you are using. There’s farro piccolo (einkorn), farro medio (emmer), and farro grande (spelt). Emmer is what you’ll find sold most often in the U.S. It’s a harder grain than einkorn and is often confused with spelt.
- Fresh herbs or seasonings: You can add fresh chopped parsley for garnish, or other dry seasonings if you prefer.
How to cook farro
- Rinse farro under cold running water in a fine-mesh strainer before cooking it.
- Fill a medium pot half full of water and bring to a boil. Add the farro, reduce to medium heat and simmer until the farro is tender, chewy, but still has an al dente bite – 15 to 20 minutes for pearled farro; 20 to 30 minutes for semi-pearled farro; up to 40 minutes for whole farro.
- Drain, fluff with a fork, and then spread onto a large plate or sheet pan to cool and dry for 20 minutes. This keeps it from continuing to steam which makes it mushy.
- Season it with salt & black pepper, or use it in your recipe of choice.
Can you make it ahead of time?
Once you have cooked your farro and let it cool, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. It will keep well for up to 5 days and can be used straight from the fridge. It’s great to use this way to add to salads.
Can you freeze farro?
You can also freeze the grains. Freeze them solid on a baking sheet and then transfer them to a container. They will keep well for up to 2 months and can be thawed at room temperature or added frozen into soups and stews.
Can you double the recipe?
You can easily double the recipe if you want to enjoy farro a few times throughout the week. The ratio of water to dry farro is 1:2, so for 2 cups of dry farro, use 4 cups water. 1 cup farro will make 2 1/2 cups of cooked and will serve 4.
How to use farro?
It is a great alternative to other popular grains, such as rice, quinoa, buckwheat, and barley, among others. You can add farro to grain bowls, use it in soups or stews, serve it with stir-frys, make hearty salads with it instead of rice or quinoa, or use it as a side instead of rice. Make sure you try my Watermelon Feta Salad with Farro.
Is farro gluten-free?
Farro is a form of wheat so it is not gluten-free. It is very low in gluten though, so people with mild intolerances are able to tolerate it.
Health benefits of farro
Farro is a great source of fiber, iron, protein, zinc, magnesium, vitamin b3, and other nutrients. It is also a good source of antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, and polyphenols. The ancient whole grain is also a great alternative to refined grains and can easily be added to your diet. It has a delicious nutty flavor and chewy texture.
TIPS FROM NELI’S KITCHEN
Recipe Notes and Tips
- Rinse the farro well before cooking under cold running water.
- There is no need to soak the farro before cooking it.
- Add the farro to boiling water, not cold water, so that it cooks through evenly and doesn’t end up being too gummy and mushy. This is called the pasta method or the rice method.
- Taste the farro before draining. It should be tender and chewy but still have a little bite to it.
More Kitchen Tips
How To Cook Farro
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Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked farro, rinsed
- 2 cups water
Instructions
- Fill a medium pot half full of water and bring to a boil. Add the farro, reduce the heat and simmer until the farro is tender, chewy, but still has an al dente bite – 15 to 20 minutes for pearled farro; 20 to 30 minutes for semi-pearled farro; up to 40 minutes for whole farro.
- Drain, fluff with a fork, and then spread onto a large plate or sheet pan to cool and dry for 20 minutes. This keeps it from continuing to steam which makes it mushy.
Notes
- Rinse the farro well before cooking under cold running water.
- Add the farro to boiling water, not cold water, so that it cooks through evenly.
- Taste the farro before draining. It should be tender and chewy but still have a little bite to it.
