Instant Pot Farro is pressure cooked easily using no special tools and little preparation. Toss in salads, soups, stews and other meals or season and enjoy as a wholesome side dish.
Cooking farro in your Instant Pot is a quick and easy way to prepare this nutritious grain. The pressure cooking method is a little quicker than the stovetop, with just a minute of hands-on time and 8 minutes of cook time.
Farro is an "ancient grain" known for its nutty flavor and unique chewy texture. It makes an excellent ingredient in soups, salads, and stews but it is also delicious eaten alone. Farro is a great alternative to other popular grains, such as rice, quinoa, barley, and more.
It's pressure cooked just like barley- add the grain and water or broth to the electric pressure cooker and press start. You can choose to season it before or after cooking or not at all. Then enjoy as a healthy side dish, add to another meal or store for use later.
Use your Instant Pot farro any way you'd like! It makes a delicious alternative to rice in recipes like this pressure cooker stuffed pepper soup or in place of pasta in Instant Pot minestrone soup.
Why You'll Love Farro
Farro is an extremely nutritious grain, much more so than refined grains like white rice. It's an excellent source of fiber, protein, magnesium, zinc and antioxidants. While farro is most nutritious in it's whole grain form, pearled farro (the most popular type of farro sold in the US) is a close second. It will likely be what you find when shopping at your local grocery store.
Cooking farro in bulk is a great idea for meal prepping as this grain stands up well to fridge storage and is very freezer-friendly. Pressure cook a large batch of farro to freeze for use later on, such as when needing quick dinners during busy times of the year too.
Farro is also said to be a good replacement for refined grains like white flour and white rice when trying to lose weight or to aid in digestion.
Yield
1 cup dry farro = about 3 cups cooked
Pressure Cook Time
Pearled: 8 minutes
Semi-pearled: 10 minutes
Whole: 12 minutes
The cook time does not change if increasing or decreasing the quantity made.
You should use a natural release of pressure. If you prefer a quick release, that's okay too but it could result in slightly sticky farro.
Equipment Needed
Use any size pressure cooker when making farro. I have an 8 quart Instant Pot Duo but 3, 6 and 10 quart pots all work here. One cup of dry farro is equivalent to 3 cups cooked, so keep this in mind when changing ingredient amounts. Always account for the size that the recipe will create and not how much will fit uncooked in your Instant Pot.
Step-By-Step Instructions
STEP 1: Rinse farro under cool running water to remove dust, debris, and any powdery coating. Pour rinsed farro and water into the inner pot of the pressure cooker. Stir, close the lid and seal. Set to pressure cook/manual on high 8 minutes for pearled farro, 10 minutes for semi-pearled farro or 12 minutes for whole grain farro.
*Add salt, seasonings, spices or a bay leaf before cooking if desired.
STEP 2: Complete a 15 minute natural release of pressure, then quickly release remaining pressure. Remove the lid and fluff with a fork. Transfer to a serving bowl and season as desired or store for use later.
STORING: Store cooked farro for up to 5 days in the fridge or up to 6 months in the freezer. Lay flat in freezer bags for easy storage. Thaw overnight in the fridge. Farro can be added from frozen to hot soups and stews, as it thaws within minutes in hot liquids.
How To Serve Farro
- Make a farro salad full of leafy greens, tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, olives, red onions and feta cheese.
- Use in vegetable-based soups or as a substitution for barley in Instant Pot beef barley soup and chicken barley soup.
- Add to beef or lamb stews.
- Toss with roasted vegetables, such as cauliflower, broccoli, asparagus and more.
- Use instead of rice in stuffed peppers, like these Middle Eastern-inspired stuffed peppers.
Cooking Tips
- Add your favorite seasonings, spices, and/or a bay leaf to the water if eating as a side dish.
- Vegetable broth, chicken broth, or beef broth can be used instead of water for added flavor.
- You can also quickly release the pressure if in a rush, but this may result in slightly sticky farro.
- Drain any liquid the farro hasn't absorbed before serving.
Commonly Asked Questions About Cooking Farro
For every 1 cup dry farro, use 2 cups of water when cooking it in an electric pressure cooker.
Soaking farro overnight is not required. If you choose to soak your farro, the cook time will shorten. Soaking grains is also said to help the body absorb as much vitamins, minerals and nutrients as possible so it's up to you as to whether you soak it or not.
Pearled farro takes 8 minutes, semi-pearl takes 10 minutes and whole grain farro takes 12 minutes to cook in an Instant Pot.
You should use a natural release when cooking most grains. If you prefer a quick release, that's fine but it could result in sticky farro.
Farro is a grain which means it naturally contains gluten. It is not gluten-free.
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Instant Pot Farro
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup pearled farro whole grain or pearled
- 2 cups water or broth
Instructions
- Rinse farro under cool running water to remove dust, debris, and any powdery coating. Pour rinsed farro and water into the inner pot of the pressure cooker. Stir, close the lid and seal. Set to pressure cook/manual on high 8 minutes for pearled farro, 10 minutes for semi-pearled farro or 12 minutes for whole grain farro.
- Complete a 15 minute natural release of pressure, then quickly release remaining pressure. Remove the lid and fluff with a fork. Remove from inner pot and transfer to a serving or storage bowl.
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