Be taught easy methods to cook dinner farro completely each time! This straightforward stovetop methodology makes chewy, nutty grains you should utilize in salads, soups, or aspect dishes.

In case you’re looking out for complete grains which can 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 the whole lot from grain bowls to soups to aspect dishes like my favourite farro salad.
Studying easy methods to cook dinner farro may be very easy, and you should utilize your stovetop, rice cooker, or On the spot Pot. I’ve examined all three approaches in my kitchen. Not like 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 just 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 contemporary 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 Kinds of Farro
If you’re searching for farro at grocery shops, you’ll discover three several types of farro. It’s necessary to grasp these distinction so you know the way to cook dinner farro correctly:
- Pearled farro has the entire bran faraway from the grain. It has the quickest cook 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 cook dinner time is 25 to Half-hour, and it’s a superb steadiness of vitamin and comfort.
- Complete farro is the entire grain with all bran, and has the longest cook 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 possibly can merely test the cook dinner time listed on the package deal as a information. If it says 15-20 minutes, you’ve pearled farro. If it says 25-Half-hour, it’s semi-pearled farro.

Cooking Ideas for Good Farro
The only technique to cook dinner farro is on the stovetop utilizing the “pasta methodology,” the place you’ll cook 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 the entire water is cooked out. Listed here are the fundamental steps for easy methods to cook dinner farro on the stovetop (or bounce to the recipe under):
- Rinse: Rinse the grains underneath chilly water in a high quality 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. Cook 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 turning 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 contemporary herbs like thyme, oregano, chives, or basil, or an additional pinch of salt to style.

On the spot Pot and Rice Cooker Strategies
I like cooking farro on the stovetop as a result of I can taste-test the grains as they cook dinner and modify the timing as wanted. Irrespective of my farro model, it often takes about Half-hour to cook dinner: so it’s fairly fast!
For a very hands-off cooking methodology, try my information on easy methods to cook dinner farro in an On the spot Pot, which is nice for meal prep.
If you wish to cook dinner farro in a rice cooker, use the brown rice setting: this may 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 here are my favourite methods to make use of this versatile complete grain:
- Grain Salads: Farro makes an amazing base as a result of it holds its chewy texture even with dressing. Strive 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.
- Aspect Dish: Once I need a fancy aspect dish, I make Farro with Mushrooms and Parmesan: it’s simply as scrumptious as risotto however simpler to arrange.
- 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 utilize farro anyplace you’d usually use barley, quinoa, or brown rice. The chewy texture works nicely with stir-fries or breakfast bowls.
- Sheet Pan Meal: For a simple weeknight dinner, add farro to our Straightforward Sheet Pan Dinner or Sheet Pan Rooster.
How you can retailer and reheat
Cooked farro shops extremely nicely, 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 nicely 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 if you’re prepared to make use of.
- How you can reheat Add a splash of water, broth, or olive oil when reheating to stop the grains from drying out. You possibly can 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.
Often 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 dimension as farro grande, farro medio, and farro piccolo.
Soaking farro shouldn’t be required.
I like to recommend rinsing farro underneath chilly water earlier than cooking to take away any particles or extra starch, however it’s not completely important. In case you’re quick 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 cook 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 superb risotto-style dish. Do that Farro Risotto recipe.
I do each! I add about ½ teaspoon of sea salt to the cooking water, just like cooking pasta. This seasons the grains from the within as they soak up water. Then I add one other pinch of salt after draining to regulate the ultimate seasoning.
How you can Cook 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
- Cook dinner Time: 20 minutes
- Whole Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4
- Class: Aspect Dish
- Methodology: Stovetop
- Delicacies: American
- Food plan: Vegan
Elements
- 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 contemporary herbs (thyme, oregano, chives, or basil), non-obligatory
- 1 garlic clove, minced, non-obligatory
Directions
- Rinse the farro underneath chilly water in a high quality 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 cook 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 cook 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, try my information on easy methods to cook dinner farro in an On the spot Pot, which is ideal for meal prep.
If you wish to cook dinner farro in a rice cooker, use the brown rice setting: this may often take about 45 minutes.