Looking to cook a pot of farro? If you’ve got a pressure cooker, it’s perfect for whole grains. And this Instant Pot farro comes out perfectly tender and chewy every time! As we’ve confessed before, Alex and I used to be Instant Pot skeptics. Yep, we didn’t think this gadget was worth our time. But we discovered that you can cook up all sorts of veggies, grains and beans in your Instant Pot, which is perfect if you eat a mostly vegetarian or plant based diet like we do! We’ve been honing Instant Pot methods for grains like quinoa, brown rice, and white rice. And now we’ve got this method for farro! You can use it as a healthy side dish, or as part of a larger meal. We made it for this Farro with Mushrooms & Parmesan and it was incredible. Ready to cook?! (Er, pressure cook?)
What is farro?
Farro is a whole grain that’s chewy, with a texture similar to barley. You can buy this ancient grain whole, semi-pearled, or pearled; pearled farro takes the least amount of time to cook and is likely what you’ll find at the store. You can cook farro on the stove, but it also cooks up nicely in an Instant Pot. If you buy whole or semi-pearled, make the farro cook a little faster, you can soak it for an hour or overnight to speed things up. However, we’d recommend using pearled farro in your farro recipes. When Alex and I started eating farro 10 years ago, it was a bit tricky to find. These days, you can find farro at your local grocery or online.
Get it! Grab a bag of farro.
Is farro gluten free?
Farro is made from wheat, so it is not gluten free. Make sure to stay away from farro if you have a strict gluten free diet. If you’re looking for a gluten free substitute for farro, you can use one of the following:
Brown riceMilletQuinoa
How to make Instant Pot farro (basic steps)
Fact: Instant Pot farro is not faster than the stovetop method. Why we love it? It’s totally hands off, meaning you don’t have to babysit it like you might a normal pot on the stove. It also frees up the stove so you can use it to make the main meal. It might not sound revolutionary, but Alex and I love throwing grains into the Instant Pot and then using our main attention for the rest of the meal. Here are the basic steps on how to make Instant Pot farro: And that’s it! It’s a terrifically easy method: and it’s easy to remember, too!
How to serve farro
How to serve farro? We love using it as an easy side dish, but you can also use it as part of a main dish. Here are some of our favorite ways to use farro:
This Instant Pot farro recipe is…
Vegetarian, plant-based, dairy-free, and vegan.
5 from 1 review
