This easy farro salad is packed with vegetables, chickpeas, and hugged by a quick Italian dressing. It’s excellent for potlucks, barbecues, and summer picnics.
For more grain bowls, try our rice salad, barley salad, quinoa salad, and couscous salad.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Louise and I make this easy farro salad all the time during the summer. It’s a go-to recipe in our home—wholesome, satisfying, and perfect for meal prep.
Much like our lentil salad, orzo salad, and chickpea salad, this healthy farro salad is loaded with fresh vegetables and plant-based protein, making it a nourishing choice for lunch, dinner, or a make-ahead meal.
Ingredients
Find complete ingredient list, quantities, and substitutions in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.
- Farro – Use pearled farro for a chewy texture and faster cooking (15–25 minutes); substitute with brown rice, barley, quinoa, or buckwheat.
- Reduced-sodium vegetable broth – Adds flavor to the farro; enhance with thyme sprigs or bay leaves; substitute with water if needed.
- Cucumber – Adds a refreshing crunch; substitute with thinly sliced radishes or celery.
- Cherry tomatoes – Juicy and sweet; substitute with plum, Roma, or vine tomatoes.
- Green bell pepper – Adds crispness and mild bitterness; substitute with yellow, orange, or red bell pepper.
- Canned corn – Provides sweetness and texture; substitute with frozen corn, baby corn, or green peas.
- Black olives – Bring a briny, savory bite; substitute with green olives, Kalamata, Gaeta olives, capers, marinated artichoke hearts, or sun-dried tomatoes.
- Red onion – Sharp and colorful; substitute with green onions or shallots.
- Chickpeas – Add plant-based protein and heartiness; substitute with cannellini beans, black beans, lentils, or red kidney beans.
- Parsley – Use flat-leaf parsley for a fresh herbal note; substitute with dried oregano, fresh mint, dill, chives, cilantro, or basil.
- Feta (or dairy-free feta) – Adds creamy, tangy flavor; substitute with shaved parmesan, mozzarella balls, goat cheese, or plant-based feta.
- Dressing – Made with olive oil, red wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar), Dijon mustard, dried oregano, honey or maple syrup, salt, and black pepper.
How to make farro salad
Step 1: Cook the Farro
Rinse the pearled farro under cold water to remove starch. Add it to a medium saucepan with vegetable broth and bay leaves. Simmer for 15 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the farro is al dente and has absorbed most of the broth. Add more broth if needed.
Spread the cooked farro on a baking tray to cool quickly and prevent overcooking. Don’t rinse it under water—this removes flavor and changes the texture.
Step 2: Prepare the Vegetables
While the farro cooks, slice the cherry tomatoes, dice the bell pepper, chop the cucumber, and slice the olives. Drain the corn, chop the red onion and parsley, and rinse the chickpeas. Add all to a large mixing bowl with the farro.
Step 3: Make the Dressing & Mix
In a small bowl, whisk olive oil, vinegar, mustard, honey, dried oregano, salt, and black pepper. This easy vinaigrette ties the salad together with a zesty Mediterranean touch.
Pour it over the salad, then toss gently to combine. Taste and adjust salt as needed. Serve immediately or refrigerate for later—this healthy grain salad keeps well and tastes even better the next day.
Tips
- Cook farro in broth, not water – Simmering farro in reduced-sodium vegetable broth (with a bay leaf or thyme) infuses it with rich, savory flavor from the start.
- Don’t overcook the farro – Pearled farro should be tender but chewy—al dente is key for the best texture in salads. Overcooked farro turns mushy and loses its bite.
- Cool the farro properly – Spread it on a baking tray to cool quickly and prevent it from steaming itself soft. Avoid rinsing under cold water, which dilutes its flavor.
- Use fresh, crisp vegetables – Choose ripe cherry tomatoes, firm cucumbers, and crunchy bell peppers for the most vibrant texture and taste. Fresh ingredients make all the difference.
- Balance textures and flavors – Mix in creamy (feta or dairy-free cheese), briny (olives), sweet (corn), and herbaceous (parsley or mint) components to create layers of flavor.
- Let it rest for deeper flavor – If time allows, refrigerate the salad for 30 minutes to let the flavors meld. It gets even better the next day!
- Adjust seasoning last – Taste after mixing and adjust salt, pepper, or a splash of lemon or vinegar to brighten it up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Farro is an ancient whole grain with a nutty flavor and chewy texture. You can find it in most grocery stores, usually in the grain or health food aisle. Look for pearled farro for the quickest cooking time.
Yes! Farro salad is perfect for meal prep. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. The flavors get better as it sits.
Yes, it’s best to rinse farro under cold water to remove any dust or excess starch before cooking.
No, farro contains gluten, so it’s not suitable for a gluten-free diet. You can substitute it with quinoa or buckwheat for a gluten-free alternative.
It’s not recommended to freeze farro salad because the fresh vegetables will lose their texture. However, you can freeze cooked farro alone for up to 3 months.
Absolutely. It’s high in fiber, plant protein, and essential nutrients, while being low in saturated fat and cholesterol—perfect for a heart-healthy, plant-based diet.
Yes! While it’s commonly served cold or at room temperature, you can enjoy farro salad slightly warm, especially in cooler months.
More Easy Salad Recipes
- Watermelon salad
- Creamy cucumber salad
- Creamy pasta salad
- Sweet potato salad
- Moroccan carrot salad
- Black bean salad
- Mediterranean salad
- Pearl couscous salad
If you tried this Farro Salad or any other recipe on our blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let us know how it goes in the comments. We love hearing from you!
Farro Salad
Ingredients
For the salad
- 1 cup pearled farro uncooked
- 3 cups vegetable broth or water
- 1½ cups cucumber diced
- 1½ cups cherry tomatoes halved
- 1½ cups green bell pepper diced
- ½ cup canned corn drained
- ½ cup olives
- ⅓ cup red onion chopped
- ⅓ cup parsley chopped – sub ½ tsp dried oregano
- 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas drained
- 4 ounces feta cheese or dairy-free feta, optional
For the Dressing
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 tablespoons vinegar apple cider or red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon salt or more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Cook the farro – Rinse 1 cup pearled farro and boil it in 3 cups vegetable broth for 15–25 minutes until al dente. Add more broth if needed. Spread on a tray to cool—don’t rinse with water.
- Prep the veggies – While the farro cooks, rinse 1 can (15 oz) chickpeas and prep all veggies: 1½ cups cucumber (diced), 1½ cups cherry tomatoes (halved), 1½ cups green bell pepper (diced), ½ cup canned corn (drained), ½ cup olives, ⅓ cup red onion (chopped), and ⅓ cup parsley (chopped).Add everything to a large mixing bowl along with the cooled farro and 4 ounces feta cheese (optional)
- Make dressing & mix – Whisk 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, 4 tablespoons vinegar, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper.Pour over the salad, toss gently, and adjust salt to taste. Serve or refrigerate.
Video
Notes
- Pearled farro – Sub brown rice, barley, quinoa, or buckwheat.
- Veggie Broth – Sub water.
- Cucumber – Sub radishes or celery.
- Cherry Tomatoes – Sub Roma, plum, or vine tomatoes.
- Bell Pepper – Sub any color bell pepper.
- Corn – Sub frozen corn, baby corn, or peas.
- Olives – Sub green, Kalamata, capers, artichokes, or sun-dried tomatoes.
- Red Onion – Sub green onions or shallots.
- Chickpeas – Sub cannellini, black beans, lentils, or kidney beans.
- Parsley – Sub mint, dill, chives, cilantro, basil, or dried oregano.
- Feta – Sub plant-based feta, parmesan, mozzarella balls, or goat cheese.
- Honey – Sub maple syrup.
- Red wine vinegar – Sub apple cider or lemon juice.
- Cook in broth – Use veggie broth (with bay leaf or thyme) for extra flavor.
- Don’t overcook – Farro should be al dente, not mushy.
- Cool it right – Spread on a tray to cool; don’t rinse—it dulls the flavor.
- Use fresh veggies – Crisp cucumbers, ripe tomatoes, and crunchy peppers make all the difference.
- Balance flavors – Add creamy, briny, sweet, and herby elements for depth.
- Let it rest – Chill 30 mins before serving for best flavor.
- Season last – Taste and adjust with salt, pepper, or lemon.
Nutrition
Hi! We are Nico & Louise
We’re here to share delicious, easy, and healthy plant-based recipes (vegetarian & vegan) 🌿✨.
Welcome to our blog, we are glad you are here.
Easy right?! 😄😋 Love this ending!
Hi Cindy,
Right?! So glad you enjoyed it — Thanks for your sweet note!
I would give ten stars! Meeting at work and people were asked to bring in “snacks”. Right away, I knew that I would bring this in as my “snack”. People went wild for it! Several folks asked me for the recipe. I’ve made this three weeks in a row. I plan to try many more of your recipes!
Hi Christine,
That is such good news, I’m so delighted that your colleagues enjoyed it 🎉
Thank you for your kind comment, and for your support – it means a lot to us.
I wish you a wonderful week ahead. All the best,
Louise
The salad is very, very DELICIOUS! I did not add cheese, but also doubled the ingredients of the dressing. I can eat this every day. It tastes great but it is also fun to eat! It gives the sense of snacking 😀 The snack you never want it to finish.
so delicious!! i’m in love!
Oooh de farro salade was net zo lekker als hoe het eruit zag op instagram. Ik ben fan van plantbasedschool .
Gedeeld met de buren ivm de hoeveelheid. 😉
Amazing, Silvia! I hope your neighbors were happy about the food 🙂
Thank you very much for taking the time to leave a comment. All the best, Louise