Instant Pot Farro is quick and easy to make and fantastic for meal prep. Make a batch and use it in for salads, sides, soups and stews. Freeze the extras to have on hand for last-minute meals!
Instant Pot Farro is on my monthly meal prepping rotation for three reasons. First, it's quick and easy to make. That is a must when I'm batch cooking recipes.
Second, the slightly chewy and pleasing texture of this healthy grain (hello, fiber!) makes it a wonderful addition to a variety of dishes. I love it in a chicken stew or a grilled vegetable salad. Or include it with your Thanksgiving feast in my Farro Salad with Goat Cheese & Cranberries.
Third, it's freezer-friendly. Make a big batch and freeze the cooked farro in serving-size portions. Details later in the post.
For other easy Instant Pot grains, try How to Cook Brown Jasmine Rice, Instant Pot Quinoa and Instant Pot Sorghum.
What's to love about Instant Pot Farro
⭐️ QUICK & EASY! The beauty of cooking farro in the Instant Pot is that it's hands-off. Combine the farro, water and salt, set the time and walk away.
⭐️ TEXTURE: Farro has a fantastic chewy texture, which makes equally good in soups, stews, salads and grain bowls. It's incredibly versatile and adds wonderful texture to any dish.
⭐️ GREAT FOR MEAL PREP: Make a batch of Instant Pot farro once a month and freeze the extras in serving-sized portions. Defrost it as needed and add to soups, sides and salads.
⭐️ VERSATILE: Cooking farro in an Instant Pot is an essential part of meal prepping around here. Add roasted or grilled vegetables, plus your favorite dressing, for an easy side dish. Or stir it into your favorite brothy soup for a hearty meal.
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Tools and ingredients for Instant Pot farro
- FARRO: Farro can be found in most well-stocked grocery stores or health food stores. Look for it alongside other grains, such as rice and quinoa. If your local store doesn't carry farro, purchase it online.
- WATER OR BROTH: Cook the farro in water or vegetable broth, or a combination of the two.
- SALT: Just a dash of kosher salt brings out the flavor of the farro. If cooking the farro in broth, leave out the extra salt.
- ELECTRIC PRESSURE COOKER: I use this 6-quart Instant Pot, but this recipe works equally well if you have the 8-quart Instant Pot.
- SIEVE: Use a fine mesh sieve to rinse and drain the dry farro before cooking it.
See recipe card below for full ingredients list & recipe directions.
How to make farro in Instant Pot
RINSE THE FARRO: Give the farro a good rinse before cooking. Place the dry farro in a fine mesh sieve and run it under cold water, shaking the sieve to rinse all the grains. Rinse it for 1 to 2 minutes. Alternatively, place the farro in a pot or large bowl with cold water. Stir it to release any starches from the grain. Drain in the sieve. Repeat a couple of times.
COMBINE WITH WATER/BROTH: Transfer the rinsed farro to the Instant Pot, along with some water or broth. Add the salt, if using. Give it a quick stir to combine.
COOK: Place the lid on the Instant Pot and set the steam valve to SEAL. Set the Instant Pot to HIGH pressure for 8 minutes. It will take the pressure cooker 7 to 8 minutes for the Instant Pot to come to pressure.
RELEASE PRESSURE: Once the cook time expires, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes. Turn the steam vent switch to VENT to release the rest of the steam. Take care not to burn your hand! The silver button beside the steam vent will drop once the pressure is released. Carefully remove the lid.
FLUFF AND SERVE: Fluff the farro with a fork, then pour into a sieve to drain off the excess liquid. Serve with your desired mix-ins. Or cool to room temperature and store.
How to serve farro
One of the reasons I love farro is because it's so versatile. Here are some of my favorite ways to serve it:
Hot side dish
Mix in your favorite cooked vegetables for an easy hot side dish. If you cook the farro in vegetable broth, you won't need to add oil to flavor the dish. Though a little balsamic vinegar does wonders!
- One-Pot Farro with Butternut Squash
- Use farro instead of rice in Toasted Brown Rice with Mushrooms.
- Use in place of quinoa in Vegetable Quinoa Stir Fry.
Salad
Let farro be the star of the show in a grain salad. It soaks up dressings beautifully (I love it with Tahini Dressing or Miso Ginger Dressing) and can pair with almost any vegetable.
- Farro Salad with Grilled Vegetables
- Farro Salad with Peas and Arugula
- Farro Salad with Goat Cheese & Cranberries
Dinner salad or protein bowl
For lunch or a light dinner, I adore making entrée salads or protein bowls. Farro is a fantastic addition! Keep serving-sized portions of the farro in the freezer - it's great to have on hand to add to salads.
- Use in place of quinoa in Vegetable Curry Quinoa Bowl.
- Use in Avocado Breakfast Bowl.
- Try it in Chicken Fajitas Bowl.
In soup or stew
Farro is a fantastic addition to soups and stews. It turns a light meal into something really hearty, but healthy.
Meal Prep and Storage
Storage: Allow the cooked farro to cool to room temperature. To speed up the process, spread the farro on a baking sheet. Transfer the cooled farro to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. If the farro is plain, it may be dry by the fifth day. If so, mix it with your favorite dressing or reheated it with a splash of broth.
Freeze it: Freezing farro is fantastic for meal prep. When stored properly, cooked farro can be frozen for up to 6 months.
Spread the farro on a baking sheet and cool to room temperature. Once cool, transfer the baking sheet to the freezer for about an hour. The farro will freeze in clumps, which can be transferred to small resealable bags or freezer-safe airtight containers.
To reheat, place the frozen farro in a microwave-safe bowl. Reheat it on HIGH power in the microwave for about one minute. The time may vary depending on the wattage of your microwave.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Simply double the ingredient amounts and follow the recipe as written. Use the cooking time noted in the recipe card below. The Instant Pot might take slightly longer to come to pressure because of the additional liquid.
No, it's not. Farro is a type of wheat, which means it contains gluten.
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Instant Pot Farro
Ingredients
- 1 cup dry farro
- 2 cups water or broth vegetable or chicken
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Place the farro in a fine mesh sieve. Rinse under cold water for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Place the farro, water and salt in the Instant Pot liner. Stir to combine.
- Place the lid on the Instant Pot and close the steam valve. Set the Instant Pot to HIGH pressure for 8 minutes. It will take the pressure cooker 7 to 8 minutes to come to pressure.
- Once the cook time expires, allow the pressure to release naturally for 10 minutes. Carefully turn the steam vent switch to VENT. Once the remaining steam is released and the silver button drops, remove the lid.
- Fluff the farro with a fork. Transfer it to a fine mesh sieve to drain out any remaining liquid.
- Serve, or cool to room temperature and store.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Disclosure: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
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