Farro Salad

You will love farro salad because it’s nutritious, fulfilling, easy to make, colorful, and tastes delicious.

It’s a burst of freshness, crunch, and wholesomeness at every bite!

Farro is an ancient grain; you’ll love its nutty flavor, irresistible chewy texture, and many health benefits.

Thanks to its chewy al dente texture and wholesome nutrition is excellent for making salads.

We are sure you’ll feel fabulous and glowing after eating our farro salad!

Find the complete recipe with ingredients and instructions in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.

• Olive oil: extra virgin olive oil is best if you can.
• Vinegar: red wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
• Lemon juice: freshly squeezed.
• Dried oregano: substitute Italian seasoning for oregano.
• Salt and black pepper: sea salt or kosher salt is best.

1: Cook the Farro

Rinse the farro, then add it to a medium saucepan with the vegetable broth and bay leaves.

Tip: we cook one part of pearled farro in three parts of liquid. For instance, if you cook 1 cup of farro, you’ll need 3 cups of vegetable broth.

Cook the farro on a gentle simmer until it absorbs all broth and it’s cooked al dente, stirring occasionally.

If necessary, add more vegetable broth.

Spread the cooked farro onto a clean baking tray to help it cool down and not overcook.

Tip: avoid cooling down the farro under running water. The water will remove flavor and slightly change the texture.

2: Prep the veggies

While the farro cooks, chop the cherry tomatoes in half, dice the green bell pepper, chop the cucumber, slice the black olives, drain the canned corn, finely chop the red onion and parsley, and rinse the chickpeas.

3: Make the dressing

To a small jar, add all ingredients for the dressing: olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, dried oregano, salt, and black pepper.

Shake well till combined. Whisk the ingredients in a small bowl if you don’t have a jar.

4: Mix the farro salad

Add the cooked farro, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, green bell pepper, red onion, corn, olives, chickpeas, parsley, and dressing to a large mixing bowl.

Toss well, then taste and adjust for salt before serving.

Tip: If you have the time, let the farro salad sit for 15 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld.

Farro salad with feta

Crumbled feta cheese (or non-dairy feta) adds even more flavor to the salad.

Mediterranean farro salad

This farro salad with roasted veggies is absolutely delicious and inspired by Mediterranean cuisine.

To make it, we use roasted eggplants, zucchini, onions, jarred roasted bell peppers, pistachios, parsley, and a ground cumin and paprika dressing that is out of this world.

Check out our Mediterranean farro salad recipe.

Barley salad

Barley is another delicious whole grain with a similar texture and taste to farro. It’s an excellent substitute for farro to make a salad.

Check out our barley salad recipe.

As a main meal

This farro salad is a complete, nutritious, and satisfying meal that doesn’t need much next to it to make you feel great and satiated.

Sometimes we serve it with something creamy next to it; for example, try adding a dollop of these delicious spreads:

• Guacamole (red onion, avocado, lime juice, salt, garlic, etc.)
• Hummus (chickpea, tahini, salt, garlic, cumin, lemon juice, water, etc.)
• Tzatziki (Greek-style yogurt, cucumber, garlic, mint, dill, lemon, etc.)
• Baba Ganoush (eggplant dip with tahini, lemon juice, garlic, etc.)
• Muhammara (red pepper, walnuts, toamtoes, molasses, etc.)
• Egg-free mayonnaise (soy milk, vegetable oil, olive oil, mustard, garlic, etc.)

Starters

Guacamole

Dips and Spreads

Hummus

Sauces

Tzatziki

Dips and Spreads

Baba Ganoush Recipe

As an appetizer or side dish

In Italy, farro salad is often served in restaurants in smaller portions as a starter with:

• Tomato Bruschetta
• Crostini with olive tapenade
• Grilled eggplant and grilled zucchini
• Zucchini frittata (ours is without eggs)

Starters

Bruschetta

Starters

Crostini Recipe

30-Min Meals

Vegan frittata – no eggs, no tofu

Sides

Grilled Eggplant

Make ahead: this is a great recipe to make ahead because you can store it in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Also, the farro salad has even more flavor the next day because the ingredients have time to meld together.

Refrigerator: store farro salad in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Serve cold straight out of the refrigerator, or let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving it.

Freezer: we do not recommend freezing the salad because of the fresh veggies. However, you can freeze the cooked farro for up to 3 months.

To freeze cooked farro, let it cool down at room temperature, then put it in freezer-friendly ziplock bags in small portions (we freeze 2 portions in one bag) and freeze.

Thaw in the fridge overnight, microwave, or boil for 2 minutes.

For many more salad ideas, check out our salads category page.