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Cooking farro on the stove is just as easy as cooking a pot of rice. If you can boil water, you can make farro! But farro has a more robust texture and a hefty nutritional boost, and while it’s a nice side on its own, it also can be used in all kinds of ways. It can be used in sautés, salads, soups, and stews, as well as part of warm gran sides. Try Farro and Vegetable Salad, Farro with Grilled Broccoli and Sweet Onions, or Tomato and Farro Salad.
Table of Contents
How to Cook Perfect Farro on the Stove: Farro is an amazing chewy, delicious ancient grain and here is what you need to know to cook it perfectly (it’s as easy as cooking pasta)!
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What Is Farro?
Farro is a super ancient grain, possibly the oldest grain in the world. It originated in Western Asia and has been extremely popular of late with the resurgence of interest in whole grains. It is similar to barley but denser and chewier.
There are three different kinds of farro:
- Piccolo (einkorn, triticum monococum)
- Medio (emmer, triticum dicoccum)
- Grande (spelt, or tritucum spelta)
Farro also is available with different amounts of the bran intact or removed.
How to Make Farro
There is more than one way to cook farro, and even on the stove, you have some options. Some people prefer cooking their farro with just the right amount of liquid to be fully absorbed, much in the same way most people cook their rice. Other methods involve cooking the grain in more than enough water enough that there is a lot left over, and you drain it, more like the way you cook pasta.
This method is somewhere in the middle. I like cooking farro in enough liquid for it to simmer. This also means you don’t have to worry about the grains absorbing the liquid too quickly and the grains drying out or, worse, burning on the bottom of the pot. Think about a 1 to 3 ratio, 1 cup of farro to 3 cups of water or broth. I like to use diluted broth so you can still taste the flavor of the farro, but enrich the grains slightly with the flavor of whatever broth you choose.
How Long Does Farro Take to Cook?
Cooking time really depends on the type of farro itself and the age of the grain. It also depends on when it was harvested, how deep or shallow your pot is, and if other ingredients have been added to the pot. It can take anywhere from 25 to 40 minutes on the stove. Luckily farro keeps its texture without getting mushy, even if it has extra time on the stove. The key is making sure that the liquid doesn’t evaporate, as then the bottom grains will start to brown and burn.
- Whole grain farro takes on the longer side to cook but has none of the bran removed.
- Semi-pearled farro is in the middle in terms of cooking times and how much bran (fiber) is left.
- Pearled farro cooks the fastest but has fewer nutrients in it.
Check the package to get a sense of what you’ve purchased, but don’t worry–no matter what kind you’ve bought, the cooking method below will work. The cooking time will simply vary based on the kind of farro you are cooking and whether you’ve soaked it.
Tips
- Rinse and drain your farro before cooking.
- You can toast the farro first in a dry pot over medium heat, stirring frequently, for a few minutes to give it an even nuttier flavor before proceeding with the simmering instructions below.
- Soaking farro can shorten the cooking time, but it’s not necessary.
- Use a combo of half water and half chicken or vegetable broth to give your farro an extra bump of flavor.
How to Make Perfect Farro on the Stove
- Rinse the farro. Rinse and drain 1 cup of farro. Soaking farro will shorten the cooking time. If you’ve soaked it overnight, you may have a cooking time as short as 20 minutes. It’s not necessary, but unsoaked farro will probably take between 30 and 40 minutes to cook, so if you plan ahead and soak the farro, you will have a shorter cooking time.
- Place the drained farro into a pot.
- Add 3 cups broth or water.
- Season with salt and add a bit of olive oil or butter if desired.
- Cook the farro: Simmer, covered, for about 30 minutes. Drain off any excess liquid once the grains are cooked to the level of tenderness you like them.
Ratio of Water to Farro
1 cup farro will take 3 cups of water or broth to cook.
| Farro | Water |
|---|---|
| ½ cup | 1 ½ cups |
| 1 cup | 3 cups |
| 1 ½ cups | 4 ½ cups |
| 2 cups | 6 cups |
FAQs
Soaking farro will shorten the cooking time. If you’ve soaked it overnight, you may have a cooking time as short as 20 minutes. It’s not necessary, but unsoaked farro will probably take between 30 and 40 minutes to cook, so if you plan ahead and soak the farro, you will have a shorter cooking time.
1 cup of dried farro will make about 2 to 2 1/2 cups of cooked farro.
Farro is nutritious and high in protein, fiber (the more bran, the more fiber), iron, magnesium, and B vitamins. It has almost no fat, and it’s cholesterol free.
No, according to BeyondCeliac.org, farro is a type of wheat that contains gluten. People with gluten intolerances or celiac should not eat farro.
Farro is available packaged (Bob’s Red Mill brand is often the one stores carry), or it may be in the bulk foods aisle of well-stocked supermarkets and natural foods stores. Or you can buy farro online.
How To Use Farro
You can add farro to soups and stews, as well as salads. It might be the starring ingredient in a grain salad, or a handful of cooked farro makes a very interesting addition to lettuce or vegetable-based salads. Because it’s a dense grain, if it is the main ingredient you will want to add a substantial amount of other ingredients so that the salad doesn’t feel too heavy.
Recipes With Farro
Farro with Grilled Broccoli and Sweet Onions
More Basic Grain Cooking Recipes!
- How to Cook Perfect Rice on the Stove
- How to Cook Perfect Brown Rice on the Stove
- How to Cook Perfect Quinoa on the Stove
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How to Cook Perfect Farro on the Stove
Ingredients
- 1 cup farro
- 3 cups water (stock or a mixture of both)
- ½ teaspoon Kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon butter or olive oil (optional)
Instructions
- Place the farro into a sieve and rinse with cold water. Drain.
- Place the farro into a medium-sized pot with a lid. Add the water or stock or a combination of both, and add the salt and butter or olive oil if using. Bring to a boil over high heat.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover, and gently simmer for about 30 minutes, until it is tender but still chewy (if you have soaked it overnight, the cooking time will be shorter). The cooking time depends on a number of factors, all explained above! If there is liquid remaining in the pot, drain it in a sieve.
- If you are using it in a salad or a room-temperature dish, spread it out on a rimmed baking sheet to cool to prevent it from getting mushy.
Notes
- Rinse and drain your farro before cooking.
- You can toast the farro first in a dry pot over medium heat, stirring frequently, for a few minutes to give it an even nuttier flavor before proceeding with the simmering instructions below.
- Soaking farro can shorten the cooking time, but it’s not necessary.
- Use a combo of half water and half chicken or vegetable broth to give your farro an extra bump of flavor.
- Farro is not gluten-free, so people with gluten intolerances or celiac should not eat it.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
How do I eat it for breakfast ? Can I eat it with milk like I eat my oat meal? I’m just starting to experience eating grains and for adding protein .
You could! maybe a little honey or brown sugar, and maybe a pinch of cinnamon? it’s much denser than oatmeal, so a little will be pretty filling.
If the farro is toasted, do I still need to rinse it?
Thank you!
I am not 100% sure, but I would err on the side of rinsing!
Hi, just read your steps to cook Farro and a excited to try. I do have a question though. Step 4 says if you’re using it in a salad to spread it out on a baking sheet to ‘cook’ to prevent it from getting mushy. Do you mean spread it out to ‘cool’? Thank you!
I surely did mean cool, thank you!